Do you remember the movie Almost Famous?\u00a0 Towards the end of that movie, a groupie named Sapphire is talking with Russell Hammond and she delivers this piece of wisdom:\u00a0 \u201cThey don\u2019t even know what it is to be a fan. Y\u2019know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts.\u201d\u00a0 We all have those bands.\u00a0 I have a handful of them.\u00a0 You know the ones I\u2019m talking about.\u00a0 They are those bands that you always find yourself gravitating to when you just need to get away.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of bands that I love dearly but not all of them are bands that I feel that kind of connection to.\u00a0 Graveyard makes me feel a certain way that Sabaton doesn\u2019t, Iron Maiden makes me feel a way that Megadeth doesn\u2019t, and The Grateful Dead makes me feel a way that Phish doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 Does this make sense?\u00a0 In a nutshell, what I\u2019m trying to say is that some bands find their way into your heart and have a way of creating a connection to you that seems to transcend just listening to music.\u00a0 When done right, these bands can become almost a best friend or even a confidant to you.\u00a0 \u00a0One of those bands for me is a little band from Virginia called Brave.<\/p>\n
If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you will know that Brave is a band that I hold dearly close to my heart.\u00a0 Back in 2012 my blog was just going on 3 years old.\u00a0 In that time I was coming across bands that I had never heard of; bands that were opening all kinds of new doors for me into a world of exciting music that I would have never been introduced to had I not been doing this blog.\u00a0 One day I received an e-mail suggesting that I check out a band called While Heaven Wept.\u00a0 I gave them a listen and I remember really digging the album Fear of Infinity<\/em> so I decided to do some research.<\/p>\n I did some reading up on While Heaven Wept and I learned that their drummer, guitarist, and keyboardist were all members of another band called Brave.\u00a0 I went to Spotify and pulled them up.\u00a0 I saw that they had a few albums up so I decided to start with one called Searching for the Sun<\/em>.\u00a0 The first song I heard was \u201cEscape\u201d and right away I was hooked.\u00a0 I made my way through songs such as \u201cDark Waters\u201d, \u201cTrapped Inside\u201d, \u201cOut of Focus\u201d, and \u201cHold On\u201d just to name a few and I was continuously mesmerized.\u00a0 Every other song just hit a chord with me.<\/p>\n Brave\u2019s sound was at times progressive, folkie, Celtic, and sometimes all at the same time.\u00a0 The emotive and soothing vocals of Michelle Schrotz roped me in along with the incredible guitar playing that seemed to weave notes in an out like a stitching.\u00a0 The atmospheric violin playing brings in an , at times, ethereal vibe while Trevor Schrotz\u2019s jazz inspired drumming and the atmospheric, warm bass playing carried the songs into all kinds of depths.\u00a0 I knew right then and there that I had found \u201cmy band.\u201d<\/p>\n There seemed to be a song or songs for every mood I was in.\u00a0 When I wanted to just rock out there was \u201cDriven\u201d and \u201cTrapped Inside.\u201d\u00a0 When I was feeling introspective there was \u201cForgiveness\u201d and \u201cDark Waters.\u201d\u00a0 When I wanted to just get stoned and lose myself there was \u201cStronger\u201d, “Out of Focus”, and \u201cI Believe.\u201d\u00a0 When my father passed away nearly 5 years ago, Brave\u2019s music was my solace and was what grounded me and gave me some much-needed happiness.\u00a0 Hell, the song \u201cWaiting all This Time\u201d even became a sort of anthem for me.\u00a0 \u201cWaiting all this time to find the reasons for my life.\u00a0 I\u2019m searching deep inside.\u201d\u00a0 This is me to a \u201ct\u201d, constantly searching for my reasons and my wants out of life in general.\u00a0 This was powerful and Brave was definitely a band that I got and that got me without them even knowing.<\/p>\n Since first stumbling upon them, I have been lucky enough to see Brave perform live twice and to even now be able to call them great friends.\u00a0 To this day, Brave\u2019s music serves as a blanket of sorts that I can wrap myself in any time I need to feel comforted.\u00a0 I still find myself closing my eyes and escaping into the lyrical imagery of \u201cDark Waters\u201d, \u201cHold On\u201d, and \u201cSomething to This\u201d like I am hearing them for the first time.\u00a0 Brave\u2019s music has been one of the greatest gifts I have ever received and this little piece just serves as a thank you to the band.\u00a0 As a musician myself, I know the value of hearing how your music has impacted someone and if this carries any weight, I hope Brave knows just how important they are to this fan right here.\u00a0 Keep making music, keep playing shows, and keep creating that magic.\u00a0 I can only hope that one day the rest of the world will experience the magic the way I do.<\/p>\n