Brandon Giles
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Music
Press
"If I were to describe his show, it wouldn’t do it justice. In fact, it would sound kind of lame and high-concept. But it’s not.
Brandon Giles is a piano player who must read Nick Tosches’ "Hellfire"... He’s not a Jerry Lee impersonator or "Tribute Artist;" he sort of embodies the mid-Seventies version of Jerry Lee Lewis, the one who could play rock or country with equal imagination and power, and also the leering, late-night madman who stormed the gates of Graceland...But he had that place packed out with people there to see HIM.
His audience rapport and between-songs patter is priceless. Also, somewhat evil. Introducing "What Made Milwaukee Famous (Made A Loser Out Of Me)," he sez, "...now I hope you come here to do a two-step, three step...(incomprehensible) Yer gonna polish each other’s belt buckles now...(garbled) yer gonna exchange belly button lint." All this in a classic Jerry Lee pose, hunched over the piano, one arm stretched out to the crowd, one wrist bent in a minty fashion pecking at the keys...
I got a bit nervous when Brandon Giles started in on Skynrd’s "Tuesday’s Gone," ’cause I thought it was one more damned Allman Brothers song...Brandon Giles and his band did it slightly more honky-tonk than classic rock, and ended it with a sudden explosion of Sun Sound madness...The Rake’s Progress, indeed!
- The Footwashin' Rock Baker
"I'd pony up admission to this sideshow any day of the week." -Brad Schmitt, Tennessean Entertainment Columnist - The Tennessean
"Brandon Giles, puts on a better show than any we've seen in several Nashville trips including to the Grand Ole Opry." -Nate Allen, Arkansas Democrat Gazette syndicated sports columnist
- Arkansas Democrat Gazette
"I'd pony up admission to this sideshow any day of the week." -Brad Schmitt, Tennessean Entertainment Columnist - The Tennessean
Discography
Brandon Giles and the Tricky Two, LIVE CD
Brandon Giles, King Kong Daddy of Rock & Roll
Brandon Giles, Both Kinds of Music...Rock and Roll
Photos
Bio
A self-taught pianist, Brandon Giles, took the influences of rock "n" roll artists such as Elvis, Rolling Stones, Professor Longhair, Hank Jr. and Jerry Lee Lewis and combined that musical energy with a new even harder rocking beat. This honkey-tonk rock-n-roll piano man proves he can do it all by showing off his love for true country music and ballads as well as electrifying blues. He often addresses audiences after a sweat-infused, five-minute hard rock/boogie piano solo, and then gives a heart-felt rendition of a beautiful country standard. "People don't just like one kind of music. I'll bet that nearly everybody has different styles of music programmed into their car radios and it's the same with a live show. We play rock, gospel, country, blues, you want to take them on an emotional journey."
Brandon was born in Magnolia, Arkansas where he lived on a farm for 18 years. Working as a child in the fields of his uncle's watermelon and pea patches, he quickly realized that his real life's ambition was elsewhere. After high school he left for Jonesboro Arkansas to study communications and art at Arkansas State University. While at ASU he earned his real education on weekend visits to clubs and honky-tonk in nearby Memphis making frequent appearances playing piano at Earnestene & Hazel's club. "I would play and sing in these saloons and people would tip me, it took about three seconds after that first dollar hit my pocket to realize that my pea-picking and watermelon-vine-turning days were over.
His third album, "Both Kinds of Music...Rock and Roll," truly captures the energy in his live show. "This one is finally me. I had complete control over it with nobody pushing me too country or too rock. To me there are only two kinds of music, good and bad. This is good. It's wild, unrehearsed, sometimes one-take and imperfectly perfect. There's a raw feeling that you hear as well as feel that you don't hear with most of the songs on radio today. We got lucky and got exactly what I wanted."
Studio art was Brandon's minor in college and he still enjoys sketching and painting and is a physical fitness enthusiast working out daily. Also an avid gun collector, Brandon still enjoys hunting and fishing when he is not touring. He was raised singing in the choir at church in Magnolia. Gospel music is still one of his favorite forms of music to listen to and perform. Brandon has and played with Les Paul in Times Square in New York City, has appeared on Monday Night Football, and performed with Mickey Gilley at his theater in Branson, Missouri. In the past year Brandon has opened shows in arenas for Juice Newton, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Joe Diffie, Lee Greenwood and many others. He also has appeared on radio and television shows such as Ed and Kaye's morning show and The Troy and Dave Show. This past year he stared in the Broadway musical, "Million Dollar Quartet," playing the role of Jerry Lee Lewis that played to sold out audiences, eventually extending its run by another week. "I'd pony up admission to this sideshow any day of the week." -Brad Schmitt, Tennessean Entertainment Columnist "Brandon Giles, puts on a better show than any we've seen in several Nashville trips including to the Grand Ole Opry." -Nate Allen, Arkansas Democrat Gazette syndicated sports columnist
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