BRANT CROUCHER
''BLANCO COUNTY LIGHTS''
OCTOBER 01 2014
43:17
1 When You Come to Me 04:36
2 Doing Well 04:32
3 Drink (Drink Drink) 03:48
4 Time I Walk Away 02:59
5 Blanco County Lights 04:15
6 Theodora 04:24
7 Still the One 03:33
8 84 Boxes 03:13
9 Free Will 03:30
10 Joie de Vivre 03:37
11 Greenville Avenue 04:45
The fifth song on the Blanco County Lights record is the title track, "Blanco County Lights."
I began taking piano lessons at age 5, studying the Suzuki method of piano instruction. The Suzuki method encourages students to learn classical compositions by ear, mimicking the teacher's playing and eventually playing the entire song by memory*. To excel at such a method required a great deal of practice... and I hated practicing. (To be honest, I still hate practicing.)
*Side note: I think learning to play this way has had everything to do with how I write and how I hear music today.
Anyways, I fought with my mother for several years before she finally raised the white flag of defeat and allowed me to quit taking piano lessons. I was about 12 years-old and I had a lot of other things I intended to do -- all of which were much cooler than learning the music of a bunch of dead guys on the piano*. It's also worth noting that at age 12, I was mostly an idiot (a distinction I would maintain well into mid-twenties).
*Side note (again): I'm currently listening to the music of said dead guys on Pandora as I type this post. So everything comes back around. I also listen to classical music when I run. That, or metal. 'Cause YOLO.
These days, I cannot spend enough time with the piano. Funny how that works, isn't it? It's an integral part of so many of my favorite musician's music. And if I were a betting man (and I'm not, as I have an unfortunate tendancy to bet from the heart), I'd lay money on seeing a lot more piano in my music, sooner than later.
The song itself is about transition, change, and learning to forgive one's self -- recurring themes found throughout the record and the reason I decided to make it the album's title track.
Case Mundy recorded my piano part on a fantastic Steinway grand piano (sustain for days) at Wire Road Studios in Houston. The rest of the track was recorded in Jack's studio, White Cat, and included Jack himself playing bass and a Gretsch baritone guitar. My good buddy Matt Harlan was kind enough to lend his distinctive vocals to the track and Eleanor Whitmore (The Mastersons) composed and recorded the string section. Rick Richards again kept things moving on the drums.
About the album cover:
Once I decided the album was going to be called Blanco County Lights, I started thinking about how to best represent that on the cover of the album. Many kinds of "lights" come to mind, when thinking about the Texas Hill Country, from the brilliant sunrises and sunsets to the dotted tapestry of stars that shine on a clear night. Impressionism is my favorite style of painting (with particular affinity for the works of Cezanne and Van Gogh), so I dropped an idea on my sister, Lauren, who is an extremely talented artist, putting paint to canvas when she's not busy managing project accounting in the oil business (basically the very definition of Houston). She came up with a pair of panels that I think perfectly capture the mood and tone of the song -- which is especially impressive, since she hadn't yet heard the track when she painted it.
Brant, According to Brant:
I was born in Houston and I went to college in Denton. I “grew up” in Dallas, and learned invaluable life lessons while living in Nashville, Austin, and Wimberley. Since 1999, I’ve lived in 31 different residences; I understand the plight of the Gypsy.
People and places are my greatest sources of inspiration.
I've an affinity for adventures, great and small.
I’ve seen the rain come down in Northern Ireland. I’ve ridden a motorcycle across the Sacred Valley in Peru. I spent a summer drinking sangria in Spain under the guise of college credit. I’ve slept on the roof of a shanty in Hidalgo, Mexico and saw more stars than three lifetimes of a hundred people could count. I rode a bike 100 miles around Lake Tahoe in a single day, in the name of charity.
I prefer Whataburger to In and Out Burger.
I can usually blend quite well, but I rarely feel like I fit in. I have mixed feelings about this.
I’ve mowed lawns, I’ve delivered pizzas, and I’ve made lattes. I spent half a decade working in the corporate world. I’ve worked retail. I’ve hated working retail. I’ve waited tables, bartended, and pretended to be a freelance writer. I’ve been a day-laborer, worked a call center, and sold houses. I once ran a small event staffing company. I’ve even been paid to sing songs in all kinds of places.
I believe I can do almost anything for 6 months. I'm also not very good at sitting still.
I taught myself how to play guitar. Some would say that explains a lot.
I have a certain affinity for college football and refer to any professional sports team in Houston as my own. I carry an abnormally large chip on my shoulder thanks to the 1992 & 1993 Houston Oilers.
I’m terribly afraid of heights, except when it comes to mountains. I’m also prone to paradox and hyperbole.
I have absolutely no interest in running a marathon. But I’ll cheer you on if that’s your thing.
I've loved more than I’ve lost.
I’ve lost as much as I’ve left.
I’m genuinely overwhelmed by the splendor of sunsets and the sheer size of the ocean. Conversely, I’m not impressed by reality stars or infinity pools.
I like good wine, good whiskey, and good food. I believe good company makes all of them better.
I love to write. I am my own biggest critic.
I’m not cool. In my head, saying that makes me sound like maybe I am.
I have the best friends and family anyone could ever ask for. Most of the time, I remember that. When I don’t, they remind me.
In a short amount of time I’ve been fortunate to play a lot of great rooms. One day maybe I’ll feel deserving.
More than anything, I’m thankful.
-Brant
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
''BLANCO COUNTY LIGHTS''
OCTOBER 01 2014
43:17
1 When You Come to Me 04:36
2 Doing Well 04:32
3 Drink (Drink Drink) 03:48
4 Time I Walk Away 02:59
5 Blanco County Lights 04:15
6 Theodora 04:24
7 Still the One 03:33
8 84 Boxes 03:13
9 Free Will 03:30
10 Joie de Vivre 03:37
11 Greenville Avenue 04:45
The fifth song on the Blanco County Lights record is the title track, "Blanco County Lights."
I began taking piano lessons at age 5, studying the Suzuki method of piano instruction. The Suzuki method encourages students to learn classical compositions by ear, mimicking the teacher's playing and eventually playing the entire song by memory*. To excel at such a method required a great deal of practice... and I hated practicing. (To be honest, I still hate practicing.)
*Side note: I think learning to play this way has had everything to do with how I write and how I hear music today.
Anyways, I fought with my mother for several years before she finally raised the white flag of defeat and allowed me to quit taking piano lessons. I was about 12 years-old and I had a lot of other things I intended to do -- all of which were much cooler than learning the music of a bunch of dead guys on the piano*. It's also worth noting that at age 12, I was mostly an idiot (a distinction I would maintain well into mid-twenties).
*Side note (again): I'm currently listening to the music of said dead guys on Pandora as I type this post. So everything comes back around. I also listen to classical music when I run. That, or metal. 'Cause YOLO.
These days, I cannot spend enough time with the piano. Funny how that works, isn't it? It's an integral part of so many of my favorite musician's music. And if I were a betting man (and I'm not, as I have an unfortunate tendancy to bet from the heart), I'd lay money on seeing a lot more piano in my music, sooner than later.
The song itself is about transition, change, and learning to forgive one's self -- recurring themes found throughout the record and the reason I decided to make it the album's title track.
Case Mundy recorded my piano part on a fantastic Steinway grand piano (sustain for days) at Wire Road Studios in Houston. The rest of the track was recorded in Jack's studio, White Cat, and included Jack himself playing bass and a Gretsch baritone guitar. My good buddy Matt Harlan was kind enough to lend his distinctive vocals to the track and Eleanor Whitmore (The Mastersons) composed and recorded the string section. Rick Richards again kept things moving on the drums.
About the album cover:
Once I decided the album was going to be called Blanco County Lights, I started thinking about how to best represent that on the cover of the album. Many kinds of "lights" come to mind, when thinking about the Texas Hill Country, from the brilliant sunrises and sunsets to the dotted tapestry of stars that shine on a clear night. Impressionism is my favorite style of painting (with particular affinity for the works of Cezanne and Van Gogh), so I dropped an idea on my sister, Lauren, who is an extremely talented artist, putting paint to canvas when she's not busy managing project accounting in the oil business (basically the very definition of Houston). She came up with a pair of panels that I think perfectly capture the mood and tone of the song -- which is especially impressive, since she hadn't yet heard the track when she painted it.
Brant, According to Brant:
I was born in Houston and I went to college in Denton. I “grew up” in Dallas, and learned invaluable life lessons while living in Nashville, Austin, and Wimberley. Since 1999, I’ve lived in 31 different residences; I understand the plight of the Gypsy.
People and places are my greatest sources of inspiration.
I've an affinity for adventures, great and small.
I’ve seen the rain come down in Northern Ireland. I’ve ridden a motorcycle across the Sacred Valley in Peru. I spent a summer drinking sangria in Spain under the guise of college credit. I’ve slept on the roof of a shanty in Hidalgo, Mexico and saw more stars than three lifetimes of a hundred people could count. I rode a bike 100 miles around Lake Tahoe in a single day, in the name of charity.
I prefer Whataburger to In and Out Burger.
I can usually blend quite well, but I rarely feel like I fit in. I have mixed feelings about this.
I’ve mowed lawns, I’ve delivered pizzas, and I’ve made lattes. I spent half a decade working in the corporate world. I’ve worked retail. I’ve hated working retail. I’ve waited tables, bartended, and pretended to be a freelance writer. I’ve been a day-laborer, worked a call center, and sold houses. I once ran a small event staffing company. I’ve even been paid to sing songs in all kinds of places.
I believe I can do almost anything for 6 months. I'm also not very good at sitting still.
I taught myself how to play guitar. Some would say that explains a lot.
I have a certain affinity for college football and refer to any professional sports team in Houston as my own. I carry an abnormally large chip on my shoulder thanks to the 1992 & 1993 Houston Oilers.
I’m terribly afraid of heights, except when it comes to mountains. I’m also prone to paradox and hyperbole.
I have absolutely no interest in running a marathon. But I’ll cheer you on if that’s your thing.
I've loved more than I’ve lost.
I’ve lost as much as I’ve left.
I’m genuinely overwhelmed by the splendor of sunsets and the sheer size of the ocean. Conversely, I’m not impressed by reality stars or infinity pools.
I like good wine, good whiskey, and good food. I believe good company makes all of them better.
I love to write. I am my own biggest critic.
I’m not cool. In my head, saying that makes me sound like maybe I am.
I have the best friends and family anyone could ever ask for. Most of the time, I remember that. When I don’t, they remind me.
In a short amount of time I’ve been fortunate to play a lot of great rooms. One day maybe I’ll feel deserving.
More than anything, I’m thankful.
-Brant
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
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