Growing up in Jackson, Tennessee, Brandon Lay lived out the songs of John Mellencamp, Alan Jackson and Bruce Springsteen. He played sports during the day, fixed up cars after school and eventually wrote down his experiences in song, telling not only his story, but the story of other kids raised in small town America.

Now signed to EMI Records Nashville, he's able to share those songs on a grand scale, beginning with his autobiographical debut single "Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers." Inspired directly by Brandon's life, the song spells out right in its title the three chief influences that shaped him.

There's nowhere Brandon feels more at home than in the recording studio. Upon signing a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell in 2013, he absorbed all he could about studio production, and when it came time to cut his own music, teamed up with producer Paul DiGiovanni to co-produce all of his songs, a rare feat for a "new" artist.

With his album already finished, Brandon – who cites Class of '89 alums like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson as country heroes – is focusing on taking the songs on the road. He's already opened for artists like Dierks Bentley and Old Dominion, and is playing fairs and festivals around the country, bringing his story of "Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers" to fans who may have grown up the same way.

I knew coming out of the gate as a new artist that my first single had to say a lot about who I am and where I come from. Hopefully, people will hear it and fill in their own blanks," Brandon says. "That's my goal: for listeners to know that every line I'm singing, I've lived, and for them to find their own story in my songs."  

 

The Palace Theatre
61 Atlantic St
Stamford, CT 06901


Date: 
Friday, Sept. 27 at 8:00pm