Brian Paul Bateman
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Brian Paul Bateman

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"Sometime Boys Must Cry"

If a depressed Elvis Presley and lovesick Chris Isaak birthed a child, Brian Bateman would be their boy. Well, sort of. Listening to Bateman's soft, quiet voice speak from across a coffee shop table, you'd have no idea the end of his inspiration sounds so powerful, so strong, so bold. The means to his musical end, after all, rise from the sadness we'd rather bury -- clinical depression and the existential mood swings few songwriters can embrace without writing their career into utter despair. "I refuse to write the light fluffy stuff because I'm not being honest with myself. Things aren't always OK and things aren't always light and fluffy." For now, Bateman's mood swing leans a bit on the upside, and for good reason: He recently completed his first album "White Lie" with engineering legend Guy Charbonneau. For the moment, his heart remains fairly intact. He now calls Boise home after relocating from Alaska by way of Southern California so he could raise his son around family. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't get up in the morning," he says of 5-year-old Colvin. Bateman studied journalism at the University of Alaska-Anchorage and had just scored a music critic gig at the Anchorage Daily News when he said life took a major twist: Fellow Alaskan Jewel hit the big time. And that's all the inspiration Bateman needed to cut a demo album. The album went out and Bateman waited. And waited. Things went bad before they went good, and Bateman had all but given up when an exec with some connections heard the demo tape and summoned Bateman to California. The connection snatched Bateman from Alaska, but Alaska never really left Bateman's songs. "There is nothing like a dark, overcast day to bring out the core of a relationship. Alaska was very conducive from an elemental point of view. That's why music is very pop and upbeat in Southern California. It's always sunny there." The sun doesn't always shine in Bateman's lyrics, but it's at least partly cloudy in his instrumentals. Bateman's signature strong, velvety voice fuses with moody lyrics and dance-inspiring beats to create a line-up that makes bad relationships and existential days of dread almost sound like fun. It's a kind of fusion few musicians have tried or adequately pulled off. But Bateman pulls it off -- and quite beautifully -- creating a package more reminiscent of a Prozac-less Chris Isaak than the mod gloom doom made popular by '80s angst. But the boy that cries doesn't forever stay in his corner of poppy melancholy. As easily as he wraps poignant words around despair and says just what we wanted to say when we could only cry, Bateman bounces from the energy-charged end of pure, electric rock 'n' roll spiked by a slight Elvis-like drawl to simple, lulling ballads. From instrumental mood swing to instrumental mood swing, Bateman always makes heartbreak sound oh-so-soothing. "I write a lot about personal struggle. I've been struggling with depression for years. When you're a career depressionist, not by choice, it's good to see someone say, 'Hey, I've been there.' " Bateman feels what we feel, but he's been where few locals have gone before. And it gives Bateman one more reason to smile: Sandwiched somewhere between Ruben and Clay and Madonna and John Mayer, Bateman recently sat at a comfortable number 15 on the MP3 pop chart. That means Bateman's "Will You" had more downloads than Mayer's "Back to You" and Clay's take on an old classic. Not bad for a guy who's more likely to bank on depression than pop stardom.
-Carissa Wolf (Staff) - Idaho Statesman-Thrive


Discography

CD-White Lie Featured on KLOS in Los Angeles, courtesy of J.J. Jackson!

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Bio

Cutting a new path and bucking current trends in the pop and rock genres, Brian Bateman unveils a unique sound that melds poignant and thoughtful lyrics with a meticulous vocal quality. He weaves a wide variety of musical influences into a highly tangible and infectious brand of original pop rock music. With a voice reminiscent that of Elvis Presley and Chris Isaak, Brian is turning heads by putting the focus back on the song.
Originally from Boise, Idaho but working in the Los Angeles area, Brian brings the spirit of the northwest with him wherever he travels. He believes there is a dark and mysterious place within everyone, and the cold realities of life, love, and the hereafter are among his favorite subjects to write about. People tend to attach themselves to Brian’s songs, finding that his honesty is comforting and that his words cut straight through their souls.

A born singer, Brian has been performing professionally since the age of fourteen. He has been recognized nationally for his vocal ability and has been the recipient of many awards. In the past ten years, he has concentrated heavily on musical theatre and opera (a member of Hawaii Opera Theatre and Anchorage Opera), but has recently returned to his roots in rock and roll.

With the release of his debut CD titled White Lie (engineered by industry legend Guy Charbonneau for Le Mobile Remote Recording Studio), Brian Bateman offers up an emotional journey through eleven tracks of straight forward, no nonsense guitar rock, textured with his signature voice and 12-string guitar playing. With catchy riffs abound, and no shortage of sing-along choruses, White Lie sells itself as a true pop gem with Brian nestled firmly as a diamond in the rough.