brandonkeirns98 + Musician in Kittery, ME

SEEKING

ABOUT

I'm a 42 year old guitarist/songwriter who has spent the better part of 20 years recording 80's-ish-esque hard rock songs (think Van Halen by way of Def Leppard with a smattering of Alice in Chains tension tossed in) in my home studio. Examples of my work can be found at the link below:

./brandonkeirns98

While I've had the true honor and pleasure of attempting to bring these songs to life on stage with various lineups of really strong, really dedicated musicians (and I thank them all for their hard work), it's never quite gotten off the ground. Nonetheless, I'm not quite ready to toss in the towel just yet...

This year, I want to try again, as I would love to play a few shows (or even just one show) with a setlist comprised of 15 - 20 of my original songs. I'm not interested in making money in this endeavor (it likely won't), and I'm very happy to buy stage time to do this at great venues like the 3S Art Space in Portsmouth. For me, it's all about the experience of hearing songs that I've written coming through the monitors for the world to hear...it's a high and an accomplishment unlike any other in music!

To do this, I'm looking for the following musicians, with a mind for, and an understanding & love of, playing 80's era hard rock. Virtuosity is not required; rather, being solid at your instrument and a great stage presence are most important:

- Drummer
- Bassist
- Co-Rhythm/Lead Guitarist
- Keyboardist
- Male/Female Vocalists (this material is very harmony intensive, and some of the guitar parts that I play are intricate enough that my playing and singing them simultaneously is not feasible, thus I have absolutely no issue with another singer (male or female) taking over vocal duties, or contributing big gang harmony vocals in the chorus...the more voices, the better! It is 80's-esque afterall, and nothing succeeds like excess...).

Am I crazy? Probably. But I'd rather try and fail at this, than to never attempt it.

If any of this interests you, please give me a shout!

New England (York, ME) based rock guitarist/songwriter/singer. I have played guitar for 28 years, developing a groove & riff oriented style that is not simply 8th note root power chord chugging (not that there's anything wrong with that...;-). My songwriting style focuses on precisely that; "the song", holding it high above "the riff" and "the solo" as the most important element of whatever sonic length of time the tune occupies. I love strong melody, especially when the melody and the music underneath run counterpoint to one another. The tension created can be absolutely magical! I also believe in big, harmony rich choruses that become inescapable earworms for the audience...that's why we're here!!

Screen name:

brandonkeirns98

Member since:

Feb 07 2016

Active over 1 month ago

Level of commitment:

Very Committed

Years playing music:

25

Gigs played:

10 to 50

Tend to practice:

More than 3 times per week

Available to gig:

1 night a week

Most available:

Nights

Influences

Van Halen, Def Leppard, Lynch Mob, Journey, Alice in Chains, Collective Soul, Joe Satriani, George Lynch, Phil Collen, Neal Schon, Slash, Jude Cole, Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Mike Clink...

Instrument experience:

Acoustic Guitar:

Advanced

Background Singer:

Moderate

Lead Guitar:

Moderate

Rhythm Guitar:

Moderate

Bass Guitar:

Intermediate

Vocalist:

Intermediate

EQUIPMENT

Gibson Neal Schon Les Paul Custom, Fender Custom Shop White Lightning Strat, 2 Ernie Ball Music Man Axis guitars (trans red & trans blue), PRS NS-14, Taylor 214CE 6 string acoustic guitar, Taylor Baritone-8 8 string baritone acoustic guitar, Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FXII, QSC GX5 Power Amp, 2 Marshall 1960A JCM900 4x12 cabinets, Sennheiser ew300 IEM Stereo Transmitter, Ultimate Ears UE5 Pro In Ear Monitors, ProTools 10, Shure SM-57 microphone, Rode NT1A condenser mic, IzoTope Nectar 2 & Ozone 7 plug-ins, Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 mic preamp, M-Audio BX5 studio monitors, Korg Triton LE61 Keyboard