Carter Brady is an indie-rock artist on the rise. He recently released his new music video ‘Starlight’, a track off his second studio album ‘Blue Reverb’. We were delighted to chat with Carter about his new release. In this interview we talk about the story behind his song “Starlight”, what the filming process was like, his musical inspirations, and much more! You can check out the full interview below.
Tell us about your new music video ‘Starlight’.
So I just released a music video for my song ‘Starlight’ a couple of weeks ago, which is on my new album ‘Blue Reverb’ that premiered on streaming platforms back in mid-November. So far I have been very pleased with people’s reactions and responses to it and was happy to see that the video got over 1,000 views within the first week it premiered.
What’s the story behind the song?
For the recording of this song, I was trying to come up with a good quality bass line with an upbeat synth-pop feel, while keeping those heavy guitars and drums a part of the sound. I demoed a bunch of different takes and finally found a bass arrangement that I was happy with, and from there built the song up with guitars, vocals, synths I played on my computer keyboard, and a guitar solo towards the end. Matt Graff, a friend of my producer Joe DiGiorgi plays drums on this track and six others on the album, but the rest of the instruments are played by me. I had originally envisioned this song at a much slower tempo when I first played it on acoustic, but I later decided that it fit better this way. This song is about someone who is trying to become a star (‘seeing the light of stardom’), ideally a rock star, but it could be any star depending on what your definition of a star is. They find themselves struggling to get there, and with other people doubting them and the wrong type of fame getting in the way. The chorus tries to get across that desire and hope to eventually get there, and also the motivation and courage to keep going and never give up.
We see shots of you playing multiple instruments throughout the music video. How did you come up with the idea of cloning yourself?
The idea was basically to capture me playing the song in a performance-like setting, and since I play all of the instruments on the song (aside from drums) I thought it would be cool to showcase that and clone myself, portraying me as sort of a one-person band. I knew the drums well enough to fake it in the video so that way I’m playing all the parts. I had also seen videos on YouTube where other artists had done the same thing, and I figured it would be fun to try to do something similar but make it my own at the same time. The dress-up concept is sort of a spin-off of a Beatles/brit-pop kind of look and using my Rickenbacker in the video helps sell it.
What was the filming process like?
After making a video for one of the other songs on my new album ‘Blue Reverb’, ‘Best of Two Worlds’, my friend Alex Deland and I wanted to do something different that incorporated a more professional yet equally casual and intriguing vibe. So over the summer, Alex suggested that we try filming it in a studio in NYC that we’d rent out. So in late July, I drove the equipment in on my own to the studio and I met Alex and some of his film school friends there who volunteered to help us out for the day. It was a very focused and fast-paced day of filming since we only had booked the studio for one day and we knew that it would cost us a lot more if we had to film it in two days. Overall though I felt like it was a very seamless and enjoyable filming process, and Alex is an absolute professional and keeps everyone on task and also makes it fun and relaxed for everyone.
Who are some of your musical inspirations?
I have always been and still am a huge Beatles fan. I grew up going to the Beatles Fest every year with my Dad in some random hotel in Jersey, and I would play their music in the car constantly. My second biggest influence would have to be the Foo Fighters because Dave Grohl is probably my biggest idol and one of my favorite musicians. I spent my fair share listening to all of the classic rock stuff like Zeppelin, ACDC, and the Stones, but over time I grew out of that early obsession and moved into more 80’s and 90’s alternative like The Replacements, Pixies, Radiohead, Oasis, and Goo Goo Dolls, and also the modern rock stuff like Green Day, Cage the Elephant, Royal Blood, and many others. Modern indie rock artists like Snail Mail, Soccer Mommy, and Mac Demarco have recently been a huge influence on me, which played a part during the songwriting process of ‘Blue Reverb’. I also have been influenced by jazz, blues, and lofi/R&B, so I feel like I’ve been influenced by many different genres and styles. Being predominantly a guitarist, I have idolized blues and jazz guitarists like Joe Bonamassa who has both a great sense of feel and chops, and I admire how he’s kept blues alive to this day on the mainstream stage. Another is Eric Johnson, who is amazing and truly has his unique sound that was made most famous with “Cliffs of Dover.” Other jazz players like Wes, George Benson, Django, and Charlie Christan have been huge in my development as a guitar player and I think have rubbed off on my rock playing to an extent.
We know you moved from New York to Nashville. What was the transition like? Do you plan on staying in Nashville?
Yes! So I am actually in grad school right now getting a master’s in marketing and have been here since August. It was an adjustment at first since I had graduated undergrad in May 2020 and had not been in the school routine for over a year. But my school did a great job of preparing us during orientation which helped. I love Nashville, and the fact that it is Music City is certainly a nice perk! At first, I did not know that many people besides those in my program, but luckily I have a few musician friends with who I have gotten together and jammed and hung out with. Depending on potential job offers in marketing and digital media, I plan to move back to New York once I graduate and live in the city. But things are still up in the air, so we shall see.
Do you have any upcoming releases that you would like to share with us?
So I am releasing an acoustic version of my song ‘Chasing Vampires’ in a few weeks. I also have a music video that I will be releasing on my YouTube channel shortly after the single goes live on streaming platforms. Also, believe it or not, this past fall when I started grad school, I somehow found time to record 12-15 new songs for another record to follow ‘Blue Reverb’. I kind of already have an album name and cover art for it, and I’ve said what it is in a couple of recent interviews but for the sake of suspense, I’ll just wait to advertise it until I get closer to being ready to release it! Also, my friend Alex is currently working on editing videos for ‘Running Out Of Time’ and ‘Other Way’ that we shot on a green screen in my basement at my house in NY the weekend before I came back to school. So excited to see those when he finishes editing them.
Connect with Carter Brady: https://www.carterbradymusic.com/
