First Name

Brad

College/University:

San Diego State University

I am here for:

Job Inquiries, Meet Players, Networking, Other

Whom I want to meet:

Musicians looking for publicity services from a publicist with 13+ years experience on the jazz pr scene, as well as experience in jazz retail, concert production, booking, and record label management.

Employment Status

Self-Employed

Occupation:

Music Publicist / Musician / Songwriter / Producer

Employer:

ROLLING THUNDER PR

About Me:

I grew up with music as a driiving force and influence in my life. From my earliest memories of being taken to symphonic concerts, and the Southern California Hot Jazz Society in L.A. County, to hearing the first notes of The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964, I've been seeking new sounds from all genres of music. As a child I studied piano, trumpet and finally guitar which has been my primary instrument since 1971.

I moved from California to the East Coast in 1981 working in music retail managing stores for Sam Goody's before delving in to the video business briefly. I opened my own record store in WIlmington, DE in 1987, ROLLING THUNDER RECORDS and in the following year formed my still-performing band, PORCH CHOPS for whom I am the primary singer and songwriter. We play hippie music of myriad stripes and have release numerous projects on our own label. Jazz luminaries Greg Osby and Jason Moran have performed live and/or recorded with the band in recent years.

Currently, I am bicoastal living and working on both East and West coasts of the United States.

Musical Background & Experience:

I began in the music business booking concerts at San Diego State University in the mid 70s. As a record store owner in the 80s and 90s and as a band leader from 1988-present, booking, producing, and running my own label, to writing reviews and columns for natl music publications in the 80s, my experiences led to a career in music publicity.

I have worked as a frontline publicist for DL MEDIA from 1997 until Jan 2010 and when I devoted my efforts full-time to my own independent music pr firm, ROLLING THUNDER PR. Over the years, I've worked PR campaigns for 100s of the brightest names in the jazz pantheon -- including Dave Holland, Greg Osby, Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, Roy Haynes, Jack DeJohnette, Charles Lloyd, Bill Charlap, Marian McPartland, Ravi Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Mingus Big Band, Charlie Haden, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, Tom Harrell, Charlie Hunter, The Blue Note 7, Robin Eubanks, Jazz Is Dead etc. etc; reissue campaigns for Blue Note, Columbia Legacy, RCA Victor, Mosaic and many other labels; as well as pr for non-jazz artists such as Willie Nelson, Derek Trucks Band, Bruce Hornsby, Al Green, Aquarium Rescue Unit and others. I have worked press for events, clubs and festivals such as IAJE conferences 1998-2007; launch of Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola and the Jazz Standard in NYC; Knitting Factory Festival; Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival; Portland Jazz Festival; JJA Jazz Awards; Marian McPartland 85th and 90th Birthday Celebrations and many more. As a publicist I have been associated with over 100 Grammy nominated releases.

Since starting my own ROLLING THUNDER PR in 2008, I have worked launch campaigns for Greg Osby's INNER CIRCLE MUSIC label and roster and releases/tours by Osby, Sara Serpa, Judi Silvano, Shea Breaux Wells, Jacob Yoffee, Lauren Sevian and more. Most recently I have represented legendary singer/songwriter JD Souther, firebrand jazz visionary Fred Ho & The Green Monster Big Band, rising guitarist Andre Matos, and the sensational contrabass guitarist Juan Garcia-Herreros (aka Snow Owl).

In the field of record production, I was associate producer on TIM RIES' ROLLING STONES PROJECT (Concord Jazz) which feat. members of the Stones, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, John Scofield, Bill Friesell, and many other great players. I have also been production assistant to MARIAN McPARTLAND on many of her Piano Jazz CDs (Concord Jazz). I have produced and/or co-produced records and sessions by artists such as STACKABONES (feat. Howard Wales), BZB, PORCH CHOPS, LESLIE CAREY, and an upcoming project by MAD-SWEET PANGS. I was also executive producer/arranger for an upcoming 2-CD release to benefit victims of gulf coast hurricanes, release date and title tba. The record features many local and regional artists as well as Marian McPartland, Greg Osby, Tim Ries, Charlie Watts, Chuck Leavell, Gerald Veasley, Jackie King, Liberty Ellman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer, Giacomo Gates, and the Dukes of Dixieland.

Website:

http://www.myspace.com/porchchops

Website:

http://ROLLING THUNDER PR website coming soon

Why I love jazz:

Even the most frenetic jazz relaxes me. I love the surprises and the level of musicianship of the players - exploration being the operative defining characteristic of jazz for me. Music of integrity, spirit and soul.

Music:

Too many faves to list. Here are some recent projects I've been working on :
FOR ROLLING THUNDER PR:
- JD Souther - RAIN (digital only live EP) and IF THE WORLD WAS YOU (both Slow Curve Records) http://www.jdsouther.net
- Fred Ho & The Green Monster Big Band - CELESTIAL GREEN MONSTER (Mutable Music) http://www.bigredmedia.com - Andre Matos - QUARE (Inner Circle Music) www.andrematosmusic.com
- Snow Owl/Juam Garcia-Herreros - ART OF CONTRABASS GUITAR (Inner Circle Music)

Top 5 Desert Island Discs:

(in no particular order)
JAZZ:
Charles Mingus - MINGUS PRESENTS MINGUS
MIles Davis - LIVE AT THE PLUGGED NICKEL (boxed set)
Ornette Coleman - IN ALL LANGUAGES
Louis Armstrong - PLAYS W.C. HANDY
John Coltrane - A LOVE SUPREME
ROCK:
The Beatles - 1966-1969
Van Morrison - ST. DOMINIC'S PREVIEW
Bob Dylan - BLONDE ON BLONDE
Bruce Springsteen - BORN TO RUN
The Rolling Stones - EXILE ON MAIN STREET
PUNK ERA:
Patti Smith - HORSES
Fear - THE RECORD
PiL - ALBUM
X - LOS ANGELES
Televison - MARQUEE MOON
POST-PUNK:
Pretenders - LEARNING TO CRAWL
Elvis Costello - KING OF AMERICA
Dream Syndicate - DAYS OF WINE & ROSES
The Blasters - THE BLASTERS
Los Lobos - LA PISTOLA Y EL COROZON
COUNTRY:
Willie Nelson - SINGS KRISTOFFERSON
Merle Haggard - DOWN EVERY ROAD (box set)
Guy Clark - OLD FRIENDS
Emmylou Harris - LUXURY LINER
SINGER/SONGWRITER (AAA):
JD Souther - BLACK ROSE
Steve Earle - THE REVOLUTION STARTS NOW
Peter Himmelman - FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
John Prine - JOHN PRINE
Ryan Adams - COLD ROSES
BLUES:
Robert Johnson - THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS
Muddy Waters - THE CHESS BOX
Howlin' Wolf - THE CHES BOX
Elmore James - KING OF THE SLIDE GUITAR
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - WHOOPIN' THE BLUES
REGGAE:
Bob Marley & The Wailers - BURNIN'
Peter Tosh - EQUAL RIGHTS
BRASILIAN:
Milton Nascimento - MILTON
Flora Purim - 500 MILES HIGH
Hermeto Pascoal - SLAVES MASS
Charles Lloyd & Gilberto Gil - SONS OF THE FOREST (unreleased)
Bola Sete - OCEAN: SOLO GUITAR

Books:

ONE HUNDRED YRS OF SOLITUDE - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
DHARMA BUMS - Jack Kerouac
FICCIONES - Jorge Luis Borges
HOUSE OF LEAVES - Mark Danielewski
COLLECTED WORKS - Allen Ginsberg

Television:

TWIN PEAKS
24
DA ALI G SHOW
CARNIVAL
GET SMART

Movies:

APOCALYPSE NOW
DON'T LOOK NOW
MEMENTO
VOLVER
KUROSAWA's DREAMS