Phredley Brown
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Phredley Brown

Los Angeles, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1985 | AFTRA

Los Angeles, California, United States | AFTRA
Established on Jan, 1985
Band Rock Soul

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"Phredley - Indie Artist Interview"

It was a Saturday morning in late November and I had an impressive hangover and a freezing cold apartment. I was sitting on my couch flipping through the channels trying to find anything to do besides homework Howard The Duck and Hellraiser XXII just weren’t looking like good prospects when I suddenly realized that I had an assignment to do for AudioXposure. I went to my email and apprehensively clicked on the link my editor Jenn had given me to this artist Phredley’s web page.

The songs this acoustic angel had to offer immediately alleviated my own cranial cramping and defrosted the bitter cold coursing my body. I started picturing colorful drinks with umbrellas. I pictured white sands and blue waters. I pictured Phred jamming out with Jack Johnson. I saw John Mayer stealing riffs, and Tracy Chapman considering a comeback to record a duet. And I heard the smoky, placid, confident voice of a raw Ben Harper.

When my roommates got back from whatever excursion they had been on that morning, I told them to get out their cigarettes, grab a beer and sit back and relax because I had some tranquil and otherwise seamless music for them to listen to. 3 songs later, I - we (my roommates need to be included) - knew this kid was talented.

I got in touch with Phredley to get the ball rolling on are interview and he let me in on a few things. Among them were that he dropped out of school after 2 months at The University of Michigan to get back to Detroit and work on his music. And not only is he a talented songwriter but he also just finished up 2 different musicals that he starred in. Here’s what else this Renaissance man had to say:

Zach: How long have you been playing music?
Phredley: I’ve been playing music my entire life. My mother is a music teacher, so she started teaching me piano when I was 3. I was able to pick up more instruments on my own and in school concert bands… I play 16 instruments now–piano, guitar, drums, bass, soprano and alto saxophones, trumpet, trombone, tuba, harmonica, organ, mandolin, banjo, violin, clarinet and flute.

Zach: When did you start getting serious about making music?
Phredley: It’s always been serious for me. There isn’t anything I take more seriously. I started writing music to perform when I was about 16. Before that there were lots of piano instrumentals that I’d sketched out just to play with. Towards the end of my senior year I started going out and playing open mics, sitting in with bands at some bars downtown (Detroit) and doing my own shows. I play in 6 bands now, which hasn’t left me a lot of time to focus on my own project, but after the new year that’s going to change. I’ve been doing a lot of writing.

Zach: Who has influenced you (yes I know this is cliché but necessary)?
Phredley: My mother is the greatest influence on my music. I learned so much from her about music theory at such a young age. That led to much more playing with my mom and my little sister than listening to other musicians. But I spent a lot of time playing along with Motown albums, show tunes, musicals and jazz. You can listen to a lot of different things, but sitting down and playing the music is where it’s at in terms of feeling an influence. So in that sense, a lot of the stuff we played in concert band through school has imprinted itself on me as a writer. I like big sound– Horns, winds, strings…

Zach: You can find three of the tracks from you EP at www.purevolume.com/phredley. Are you working on anything new?
Phredley: I’ve been trying to get this full-length out for a while, but I’ve been so busy that it’s hard to find time to work on it. I’m doing all the instrumentation and it’s full band, so I’m trying to pull all the stops out, but it’s hard because a lot of the time there’s nothing to bounce my thoughts off of. I haven’t been able to spend much time in the studio. There are a lot of ideas I need to get out and listen to so I can make some adjustments. It just takes time. I’m shooting for a February release.

Zach: What’s on the table for you in the near future?
Phredley: I gotta get the CD out, and I’m working on a music video for the single “Thinking” right now. That track is available for download at www.myspace.com/phredley. I want to do a nice size CD release party, and then after that I’d like to start gigging, maybe 5 nights a week, save up, push the new CD.

Zach: What celebrity deserves to be flogged in the middle of Times Square?
Phredley: Whoever needs the publicity the most.

Listen to this kid. If you want, nay, if you need, to get away from that overproduced junk thrown at you, then here’s a good start. It’s just a man and his guitar playing from the heart – because that’s all he’s got to go on. It’s gorgeous, raw, and hints at a future brilliance. He might not reinforce your own musical talents, but that’s only because he’s that much more talented.

You can also check out phredley at www.myspace.com/phredley

by Zach Pontz

- AudioXposure.com


"Syntheis Magazine's Band Of The Day"

This is a bit atypical of the bands that we generally choose for Synthesis Band of the Day. No horn-rimmed glasses, waifish broads with ugly indie-rock haircuts, ‘roid-bicep hardcore meatheads, striped sweater wussies or epic Dungeons & Dragons progressive metalheads. No, Phredley brings the funk-rock.

In my fledgling college days, back when tie-dye wasn’t as vomitous and my roommate’s constant Phish-Grateful Dead-Phish musical rotation didn’t drive me completely bonkers, I would have broken my left leg to check out a band like Phredley. Now bad photoshop effects kinda irk me, patchouli oil makes me want to hurl and hippie funk in general just pisses me off. But not Phredley. They’s alright.

Based around a brother-sister duo (Phred Brown on Vocals, Guitar & Horns; Alesha Brown on Keys & Vocals) and a rhythm section (Paul Loos, Drums & Vocals; Samuel Tobias Winn, Bass & Vocals) Phredley lays down funk that is far closer to the heart of nearby Detroit than that of longhair revivalists in Colorado or Vermont. And when they stray toward the pop side of the spectrum, it comes across more as radio-friendly than looking for a parking lot miracle. More importantly (for me at least), their lyrics hold water. With the aforementioned hippie-funk enthusiasts, it’s most often the lyrics that drive me to enraged hysterics; Phredley uses some clever (or nearly clever) turns of phrase. No, Phred’s not Leonard Cohen by any means, but in a sometimes poppy, sometimes rocky funk quartet, it works. Their track “The Truth About Capricorns” also has some pretty, Beatelesque, tonally complex passages. If you’re a big fan of Ben Harper/Jack Johnson/Maroon 5, or your ’70s R&B records don’t have much dust on them, do yourself a favor and look into Phredley.

- Synthesis Magazine, Spencer-author


"Syntheis Magazine's Band Of The Day"

This is a bit atypical of the bands that we generally choose for Synthesis Band of the Day. No horn-rimmed glasses, waifish broads with ugly indie-rock haircuts, ‘roid-bicep hardcore meatheads, striped sweater wussies or epic Dungeons & Dragons progressive metalheads. No, Phredley brings the funk-rock.

In my fledgling college days, back when tie-dye wasn’t as vomitous and my roommate’s constant Phish-Grateful Dead-Phish musical rotation didn’t drive me completely bonkers, I would have broken my left leg to check out a band like Phredley. Now bad photoshop effects kinda irk me, patchouli oil makes me want to hurl and hippie funk in general just pisses me off. But not Phredley. They’s alright.

Based around a brother-sister duo (Phred Brown on Vocals, Guitar & Horns; Alesha Brown on Keys & Vocals) and a rhythm section (Paul Loos, Drums & Vocals; Samuel Tobias Winn, Bass & Vocals) Phredley lays down funk that is far closer to the heart of nearby Detroit than that of longhair revivalists in Colorado or Vermont. And when they stray toward the pop side of the spectrum, it comes across more as radio-friendly than looking for a parking lot miracle. More importantly (for me at least), their lyrics hold water. With the aforementioned hippie-funk enthusiasts, it’s most often the lyrics that drive me to enraged hysterics; Phredley uses some clever (or nearly clever) turns of phrase. No, Phred’s not Leonard Cohen by any means, but in a sometimes poppy, sometimes rocky funk quartet, it works. Their track “The Truth About Capricorns” also has some pretty, Beatelesque, tonally complex passages. If you’re a big fan of Ben Harper/Jack Johnson/Maroon 5, or your ’70s R&B records don’t have much dust on them, do yourself a favor and look into Phredley.

- Synthesis Magazine, Spencer-author


"Detroit Winter Blast '08 Review"

For those who preferred to stay warm, there were barrels of fire stations to warm their hands or roast marshmallows. Others were able to step inside heated tents to listen to bands play on one of four stages set up at the event. At the Michigan Lottery Stage, the genre of music included rock, blues and alternative. The next stage was at the Pure Michigan stage in the Compuware building. Jazz, R & B, and neo-soul could be heard at the Fifth Third Bank stage.

AmericaJR.com caught up with the band Phredley who performed for the first time at the Winter Blast. The band comes from the suburbs of Detroit and now resides in Southfield. Their members include Phred Brown on vocals and guitar, his sister Alesha Brown on keys and background vocals, Tobias Winn on bass and vocals and Paul Loos on drums and vocals.

Phred describes their musical sound as an "upbeat soul, thrown in with a mellow funk vibe, with a little rock edge." A small crowd gathered as they performed original songs as well as cover songs from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Fifth Third Bank stage on Friday.

You can find more of Phredley's music on their web site at myspace.com/Phredley.






BY JENNIFER VUONG / ©AMERICAJR.com

Phredley, a jazz band, poses for a picture at the Winter Blast.
- Americajr.com


"TalkHouseMagazine.com Feature"

http://www.talkhousemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=170:phredley&catid=67:art - www.Talkhousemagazine.com


"Detroit Winter Blast '08 Review"

For those who preferred to stay warm, there were barrels of fire stations to warm their hands or roast marshmallows. Others were able to step inside heated tents to listen to bands play on one of four stages set up at the event. At the Michigan Lottery Stage, the genre of music included rock, blues and alternative. The next stage was at the Pure Michigan stage in the Compuware building. Jazz, R & B, and neo-soul could be heard at the Fifth Third Bank stage.

AmericaJR.com caught up with the band Phredley who performed for the first time at the Winter Blast. The band comes from the suburbs of Detroit and now resides in Southfield. Their members include Phred Brown on vocals and guitar, his sister Alesha Brown on keys and background vocals, Tobias Winn on bass and vocals and Paul Loos on drums and vocals.

Phred describes their musical sound as an "upbeat soul, thrown in with a mellow funk vibe, with a little rock edge." A small crowd gathered as they performed original songs as well as cover songs from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the Fifth Third Bank stage on Friday.

You can find more of Phredley's music on their web site at myspace.com/Phredley.






BY JENNIFER VUONG / ©AMERICAJR.com

Phredley, a jazz band, poses for a picture at the Winter Blast.
- Americajr.com


Discography

Phredley Demo now available through iTunes and Snocap.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Music has taken Phredley Brown to just about every big stage in the world.  As Musical Director for Bruno Mars, Phredley has performed at the Grammys, the Super Bowl and the White House.  Brown has also had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the likes of Sting, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rihanna, Ziggy and Damien Marley, Wiz Khalifa, Janelle Monae and more.  The Detroit-born performer backs himself with some of the best talent his hometown has to offer, making him feel more at home in his own music.

Band Members