Brandon Whyde

I walk into the room, gaze through the curtain of smoke to see a little man in a cool hat under yellow lights on a big stage in an open room. I know not to be fooled by what I see, I know what to expect, and that is the reason I drove out of my way to this place. Brandon Whyde played at Birdy’s last night. I can’t say I’m a groupie because I am a male and stalking others dudes is not quite my deal. I can say I am an avid supporter though. I will say this about Brandon and his music; it is soulful music led by a commanding voice that pierces silence and crushes any expectations complimented by unique guitar manipulation, voice effects, and a passion that leaves audiences in a big crowded smoky room speechless, just staring and thinking to themselves, “We are witnessing greatness here, this is special.”

I’ve never heard music song with more passion, more soul, or a more powerful voice in my 25 years here and there. I’m all about local music and love discovering new talent. The reality is though, that local talent I normally find, although talented, will remain local for the most part as a hobby for eager music lovers. Brandon, however, is on to something, he has hit a niche that the music industry has yet to uncover and the possibilities are endless for him. The selfish side of me doesn’t want to see him get big because of my fear of mainstream slavery. I used to watch Yellowcard play their hearts out at local house parties in Jacksonville Beach where I grew up and the mainstream has robbed them of the pure sound that everyone was captivated by. I don’t know Brandon, I do know his music and I do know that I’d hate to see him loose that sound he has now. Most cd’s are better than live sets. I watched Hinder last year and was horrified by their live music, as I am with most major recording artist. Brandon’s music is something totally different though, the songs on myspace and recordings don’t do it near the justice it deserves after watching a live show.

Remember the name, Brandon Whyde. If you are in Indianapolis, go see him at local shows with cheap covers while you can, I promise you will never hear anything like it again. After you’ve heard this young man’s music, pull your jaw back shut and join the club of avid supporters of the next big thing. For now all I can do is offer a thanks to him for dumping his heart on the stage with a wicked guitar, gnarly harmonica, and deeply moving voice. Kudos Bradon Whyde, play on, sing your songs, inspire your audiences everywhere.

Another review of music to grace my blog soon will be upshot, they are doing some big things too!