Write a bio huh?????? OK….here it goes

“If you live in the past, and the shadow that it casts…YOU WILL FINISH LAST, YOU WILL FINISH LAST”.

One of my favorite lyrics of a song I haven’t written yet

My name is Brent…I was born in Toledo, Ohio….I was raised in Riverview, Michigan….Monroe, Michigan…and Louisville, Kentucky…I enjoy working out, traveling, and shopping. I am a die-hard Cincinnati Reds fan and agonizing Cincinnati Bengals fan. I’m in my 30’s and single…many reasons and/or excuses..but it is what it is…..But mostly I live and breathe MUSIC….Write it, perform it, listen to it, love it/hate it,…Music is my life, ever since I use to steal and listen to my mom’s Beatles records when I was 5.           

My 1st concert????? Sha Na Na , 2nd concert???? Rick Springfield

Music is what I do and who I am…..how’s that for melodrama???

I was an awkward kid….big ears, nappy hair…pretty miserable childhood, had 2 fathers run out on me..a biological and adopted one. Probably better off without them (hidsight is always 20/20). Hated school.,..still do. Played baseball and other sports in school, never lived up to my potential because I was a bit of a head case. I played violin, viola and cello from 2nd grade up to 8th grade…Not really my thing.

I don’t think I knew who I really was until that fateful day when I first put a drumstick in my hand in 1992. We were at a church (ironically) and a friend of mine played drums with the choir. He asked me if I wanted to try……I did the “We Will Rock You” beat…….doom doom dat…..doom doom dat. He said I played too loud….not the last time I was told that….But when I got a drum kit for Christmas in 1993 it started my journey.

I played drums in bands….names like My Time on Venus, Some People’s Kids and Push. One day I was in a band and there was a singing microphone….So now I’m singing backups…never fancied myself a singer…but it wasn’t that bad (so I was told). It was a weird progression……started as a drummer, now I’m singing backups…..and now I’m singing lead (My first lead on stage was a cover of the T-Rex song JEEPSTER)…..

But then we had a song that needed lyrics…….I felt like the first lyrics I wrote opened a “Pandora’s Box” in my life..I was hooked….My next band I wrote and sang about 30% of the lyrics. I really tapped into who I was…My lyrics are a window to my soul…my depth, my ideas, my hopes, my dreams, my idiotic sense of humor….whether it’s about the heartache of both my “fathers” leaving or feeling guilty about thinking that 17 year old Traci Lords was hot……My lyrics are who I am, ‘nuff said.

Got sick of the band thing…Always got accused of being “too serious” and playing too loud…Bands are compromises. Every band got f--ked up by some sort of substance. Added to the fact that the city that I live in would rather hear stupid fucking cover songs. I got fed up. The last gig I did with a band was September of 2006.

So I just said to myself “I’m going to become a songwriter”. I played drums but could barely find the notes on a guitar. Talk about hard knocks….I started when I was still doing the “band thing” in 2004. I got to tell you, it’s been a journey…The first batch of songs I wrote sucked but had potential, My first CD NAKED TO THE WORLD sucked less, my next CD sucked less…..and so on and so on…

This is the dilemma that is being an artist…No one is born knowing how to write songs (at least I wasn’t). To put it bluntly most of the songs that I have written musically aren’t very good…That’s not me doing the “woo is me feeling sorry for myself” self-defecating thing….that’s just the way it is…But honestly that’s what it takes…perseverance, self belief, passion, and to be dumb enough not to quit when people tell you that you should.

I know what I do well and what needs work…..Lyrics come naturally to me….So do drums (if you call practicing for 15 years “natural”) As for singing and writing songs, riffs, and melodies???? I’m a work in progress

This site is basically the sound of someone trying to become a songwriter. A trial by fire....Learning on the job...whip it out and show the world...good or bad :)

All the music on this site is free to download...Production wise I do the best I can...I use Pro Tools with an MBOX...Just got "Addictive Drums"...no more agonizing with the sound of electronic drums...Kind of hard to mic a live kit and record yourself.....Believe me....it's me and ONLY me...no one is helping me at all...not that I would let anyone :)

My reviews on my CD‘s????
Naked to the World…..production wise???? Awful…maybe a song or two is good, but it was my 1st attempt, and it shows.
Before We Can Run….a step in the right direction, a few bright spots, but overall not very good…King of Denial is good
Escape From Fantasyland…..another step in the right direction musically, but nothing special….there is one gem on there…..OUTSIDER…my signature song, and one of my proudest musical moments..

In 2009 I decided to name my “band” Brent Bly’s Dark Ambition. Band members???? Me and…..Me. My first “BBDA” effort is OK I guess, another step in the right direction.

Something clicked in 2010...All the effort really paid off, all of the sacrifice seemed worth it. Everything just clicked, every bad song I had written was a means to an end….On Jan 1st 2011 I released VENOM to the world…Venom was a step in the right direction....Some of my best work.

On February 21, 2012 I released "Brent Bly's Dark Ambition III. Where The Truth Lies"....I feel it's the best stuff I've done so far...It's a brutal record for a brutal time in my life.

So this website and the music on it is a process….putting it out there, NAKED TO THE WORLD….the progression of an artist….from drawing stick figures to painting the Mona Lisa…

The modeling???? Never thought of myself as a model and it really isn’t my thing…did a shoot for my website, put some pics online. Got a few offers to shoot….did a few. I was named PLAYGIRL MAGAZINES “REAL MAN OF THE MONTH” in the July/August issue. They re-published the pics and put them in a contest in the Fall 2010 edition….Free plug….yeah

But I never wanted to be a model. I’ve kept in good shape due to the physical nature of drumming and my need not to have a beer belly. And my looks??? I don’t get it…but whatever. But the reality is that looks and image are (unfortunately) too important in the music business. And it speaks to how bad I want to succeed musically….and any way to get my music “exposure” is justifiable (bad pun intended).

I’ve got a new CD called "Where The Truth Lies" that I’m really proud of and I’m doing what I love to do more than anything….So what’s next for me?????? F--K if I know