brad says hello

Audio

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:58:42 -0400

“Better With You” (Official Audio) live on...

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:34:30 -0400

“Better With You” (Official Audio) live on Soundcloud - listen, comment, share, enjoy

On to the next blog...

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:27:11 -0500

Greetings Tumblr followers… as I near closer to releasing new music I will be switching over to WordPress, so all future posts can be found there, please follow along if you have a WordPress account and if not, just bookmark it to your favs. Hope to see you there!

http://musicbybradleyjames.wordpress.com/

Remembering Davy Jones… I couldn’t think of a...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:09:00 -0500

Remembering Davy Jones… I couldn’t think of a specific Monkees song to share in retrospect to Davy Jones life, as there are just so many great tunes from the band, and many that will be plenty repeated anyway. So, I wanted to share this rare bonus track from the later era album “The Monkees Present” - it’s a poem called “The Good Earth” spoken by Mr. Jones and I think it represents some nice parting words from a great voice and entertainer.

$1 ALBUM SALE IS BACK FOR TWO DAYS!

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:58:08 -0500

$1 ALBUM SALE IS BACK FOR TWO DAYS!:

In celebration of the new year the $1 album sale is back for two days, and TWO DAYS ONLY! Dec. 31st and Jan. 1st get any Five Times August album from http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/ for ONE DOLLAR with the exception of the newly released 31 track collection “Rare, Live, & Unreleased” which is still only $9.61! Take advantage of this HUGE deal and share with your friends! Deal ends in two days!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This final installment of “Rare, Live, &...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:49:01 -0500

This final installment of “Rare, Live, & Unreleased” lands on December 31st. I couldn’t think of a better track to share for the new year than the original single version of “January Song.” Written about my own new years experience in 2005, the song was first recorded at home and given away via the official website a year later in 2006. It was later re-recorded and this studio version was released as a limited edition digital single in 2007/08. Finally, a further realized version appeared on the album “Life As A Song,” with additional drums, keys, and a variety of extra audible nuggets. I sincerely hope you enjoy the tracks featured in this collection as it gives a small glimpse into the last ten years of my career and growth as a recording artist/songwriter. Happy New Year & All the best!

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/january-song-single-version

FULL ALBUM PURCHASE: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This cover of Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By...

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:40:41 -0500

This cover of Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By Me” was recorded at home in the summer of 2011 as a demo while testing out some new recording equipment. It was merely an experimental recording but I ended up having a lot of fun recording it. One of the fun things about recording a cover song is that you have an opportunity to take a song you didn’t write and make it your own. People will either love you or hate you for that. Either way, enjoy : )

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/stand-by-me-ben-e-king-cover

ALBUM PREORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

Another demo from the unreleased “Snapshots” album....

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:21:21 -0500

Another demo from the unreleased “Snapshots” album. “I Don’t Believe In Myself” is probably one of my favorite unreleased tracks, probably because it’s the most honest I’ve been with myself in a lyric. It’s sad, delicate, and practically depressing. But, the truth is it’s hard making a living out of something you love, it can be VERY depressing at times. People telling you what you are doing wrong, how you should change, not selling enough music, not being able to pay the bills. It’s a challenge to say the least. I have reached a crossroad many time that’s caused me to question what I am doing and whether or not I can do it anymore. Of course, contrary to the song title, I do believe in myself - otherwise I wouldn’t have gone this far. The irony is that even with doubt as a songwriter I find myself writing a song about it, I couldn’t escape it if I wanted to.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/i-dont-believe-in-myself-demo

ALBUM PREORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

The very first Five Times August album was a collection of home...

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:38:15 -0500

The very first Five Times August album was a collection of home recordings called “Say,” released in late 2001. The title track was slow and quiet, almost too quiet to perform live. However, when first written and recorded it was faster and had an entirely different chord arrangement. This version of the song appeared on a demo CD I used to book local coffee shop gigs in my home town. It was also featured as a bonus track on a limited and short-lived 2004 release. “Say” (the album) was out of print between 2004 and 2008, but reissued in 2009 as a two disc limited edition set. Disc 1 features the original home recordings, and Disc 2 features newer recordings of each song from the album.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/say-first-recorded-version

ALBUM PREORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This is about as far back as you can go in the Five Times August...

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:51:19 -0500

This is about as far back as you can go in the Five Times August audio archives. Before the MTV stuff happened, before touring the country nine times over, before Myspace, YouTube, Facebook… I was this kid. 17 years old, fresh out of high school, all I wanted to do was play and record my songs. Well, hear was to be the first of many in the years to come. It’s not amazing, I sound young and inexperienced. However, I’m often asked by younger aspiring songwriters about how I got started. I think recordings like this are important because everyone starts somewhere and I hope that if you admire the music I’ve released in recent years this will inspire you to keep going. Keep writing, playing, singing, recording, you will get better and better every single time.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/on-and-on-2001-home-demo

ALBUM PREORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This alternate live performance of “Hover” was...

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:25:56 -0500

This alternate live performance of “Hover” was recorded for an unreleased “Live at Sun” E.P. The recording took place before the Sweetwater Sound concert version (posted previously) and differs in that the instrumentation is more acoustic based and a cello appears in place of the keys.

We drove down to Memphis from Nashville for the sessions, which lasted from 6p.m. to 2a.m., and then immediately drove back to Nash afterward. It was definitely a long exhausting day. A week later I had been notified that Sun Studio’s hard drive crashed and our sessions had been lost. They were able to recover the drive, though, so we eventually got our tracks. Unfortunately by the time they were mixed, out of the six songs recorded, I was only happy with three. Ultimately the E.P. idea was scrapped and unreleased.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/hover-live-at-sun-09

PREORDER ALBUM: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This original home demo for “Better With You” has...

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 10:49:19 -0500

This original home demo for “Better With You” has some how become the unofficial-official version for casual FTA fans over the years. Technically not rare, in fact, this particular demo has leaked throughout the internet more than any other Five Times August song, even full band album tracks. This is usually the first download new fans find. Despite it’s popularity in the file sharing community, this demo has never been officially released on any album to date. Recorded October 2003, it is finally included on “Rare, Live, & Unreleased” a mere eight years later!

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/better-with-you-original-home-demo

ALBUM PREORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This cover of Fleetwood Mac’s classic...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:08:28 -0500

This cover of Fleetwood Mac’s classic “Landslide” was recorded live at Sweetwater Sound Theater in 2009. It’s unfortunate that I’m asked more often than not why I decided to cover The Dixie Chicks, who also covered this song in 2002. I didn’t, I covered Fleetwood Mac!

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/landslide-fleetwood-mac-cover

ALBUM PRE-ORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This was a half finished song I had been working on for the...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 13:06:12 -0500

This was a half finished song I had been working on for the unreleased “Snapshots” album. I had been experimenting with my guitar playing and alternate tunings, trying to get more complex with my finger-style technique, most likely under the influence of Lindsey Buckingham. I was writing a lot of dark songs around this time, most notably the single “Fix Me,” which was one of the few that got finished and released. It would have been great to follow up the mainly cheery and upbeat “Life As A Song” album with a dark and quiet introverted album. It seemed to be heading that way! If you listen carefully you can hear my foot tapping the floor in this recording, I like that.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/i-dont-know-demo

ALBUM PRE-ORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This track was recorded live in studio just prior to the release...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:33:46 -0500

This track was recorded live in studio just prior to the release of the album “Brighter Side” in early 2008. A handful of fans were invited to come in and watch the performance as it was being filmed for television. I’ve always tried my best to offer unique experiences like that to the fans of Five Times August. I like keeping a good rapport with my audience, I think every entertainer should. I get frustrated when I see the media spotlight shine attention on those not setting a good example, being a jerk for no reason, only doing good deeds to take the focus off their own messed up life. “The Lighting” was a song I wrote directed towards the celebrities that have screwed up so many times, but are somehow welcomed back into society with open arms time and times again.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/the-lighting-live-in-studio

ALBUM PREORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

Preparing to release an album these days isn’t as easy as...

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:31:00 -0500

Preparing to release an album these days isn’t as easy as recording the songs and sending the album out to the stores to sell. It’s become common practice to offer each of the major stores their own exclusive item or downloads in addition to the album. This is why you see an album at Best Buy that has a bonus disc only available there, then you will see the same album at Target with two bonus tracks not available on the iTunes version, which has three music videos and two OTHER bonus tracks as extra content… it’s all very confusing! When the album “Brighter Side” was released in 2008 I had to supply several stores with a variety of extra content. This track was recorded for that purpose but ultimately never used. Enjoy.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/dont-go-away-oasis-cover

ALBUM PRE-ORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

I had been dealing with several months of writer’s block,...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:08:16 -0500

I had been dealing with several months of writer’s block, hadn’t been able to write anything. As I sat at the piano one day my wife Kelly was getting ready to leave the house to run some errands. Before she left I frustratingly asked her “What should I write about!?” She said “Write a song about what it would be like if I died and you didn’t have me anymore.” Now, when your wife tells you something like that you don’t mess around. So, there I was alone in our house with that thought and by the time she came back, maybe an hour or two, I had written this song. It was instantaneous. This live performance of “Break” captures a lot of the solitude I felt the day I wrote it. Nobody else, just me and the piano.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/break-live-from-sweetwater

ALBUM PRE-ORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This is another track recorded live at the legendary Sun Studio...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:23:33 -0500

This is another track recorded live at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, TN. “Surface” originally appeared on the album “Brighter Side” and was eventually remixed and edited for “Life As A Song.” This live take strips the song down to a pure acoustic treatment with two guitars and a cello.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/surface-live-at-sun-09

ALBUM PRE-ORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This version of “Sorry” was recorded 3 years before...

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:38:11 -0500

This version of “Sorry” was recorded 3 years before it’s official release on 2005’s “Acoustic Sessions Volume 1.” Already a funky little tune, it’s a bit more quarky in that it has some experimental guitar playing throughout. Additionally there’s a pretty neat solo in the end. I think this was my first attempt at scatting in a song which can be a bit awkward at times. Overall a fun little recording though.

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/sorry-first-recorded-version

ALBUM PRE-ORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased

This is one of the few songs I have very-very little...

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:36:46 -0500

This is one of the few songs I have very-very little recollection of. I remember always planning to change the title of the song and I think I played it live at a coffee shop once. Other than that I had completely forgotten about this song for years until I found it on an old computer. One of my biggest regrets in archiving my material is that when I was younger I deleted a lot of my earliest home recording sessions without backing them up on another hard drive. I’m not sure why I made such a stupid decision, who knows what other oddities similar to this have been lost forever. Maybe one day I will forgive my 18 year old self for doing that. Until then, I still hold a grudge!

TRACK DOWNLOAD: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/track/lately-yeah-2002-home-demo

ALBUM PREORDER: http://fivetimesaugust.bandcamp.com/album/rare-live-unreleased