Brett Young – From the Pitcher’s Mound to the Performance Stage

When former San Diego Padres player Tim Flannery made the transition to a performing guitarist and singer, it was quite a switch from the ball field to the stage. Today, Flannery is known as much, or more for his music as he was for his baseball career. Flannery will now have some “competition” in his music world from Brett Young, who was a pre-draft selection of the Tampa Devil Rays, after starting as a nine-year old kid in the Babe Ruth Little League.

There’s a look in Young’s blue eyes that makes it easy to understand what took him straight out of high school to a million dollar ace in the Majors – it’s an intensity that goes right to his core. And it isn’t too hard to understand what took this California boy from a ball field to the recording studio. His gritty vocals and impassioned lyrics are built on the same firm foundation.

Those same qualities have gotten Young’s songs placed on television shows like MTV’s The Real World and Kardashian pop culture favorite “Kourtney and Kim Take New York,” and his feet planted firmly on some of the most well-known stages in the world—The Roxy, The Troubadour, The Viper Room, sharing those stages with some of pop music’s best and brightest, from Colbie Caillat to Gavin DeGraw to Katy Perry.

Not bad for what Young once thought would just be a “hobby.” But when a major elbow injury and reconstructive surgery took him off the pitcher’s mound for good, he found out that his love for music became so much more, and what he thought was the end was only the beginning.

“Everyone leaves a trail of ‘almosts’ and bittersweet memories behind on the road to ‘the one’,” says Young. “It happened to me on my journey—it happens to everyone. Now I use those moments when I write music. I guess it is fortunate for me that people most easily relate to heartbreak. I’m an over-emotional, hopeless romantic who feels everything, and that shows in my songs.”

With three independent albums already under his belt, Young is taking his newest batch of songs into the studio with David Hall at the production helm, known for his Grammy Award winning work as an engineer, with artists of nearly every genre. And true to form, he’ll be showcasing that intensity and emotion in his recordings, of songs like “Fire” and “Breathe Again.”

“I grew up with Al Green, Marvin Gaye—soul singers. I like that the emotion carries the songs, where the music is almost secondary,” he says. “Van Morrison’s ‘Crazy Love’—that’s just timeless. They influence me; as a songwriter and a performer, I want to connect like they did. And when your audience feels like they can relate, then you have something much more special than a show, or a sale. You have a fan.”

When it comes to Young, it isn’t so far from a pitcher’s mound to a major stage, and it doesn’t really matter what kind of Big Show you’re talking about. Because in the end, when you have that thing called heart, it shows. You may see it in his eyes, but you’ll hear it in his voice.

Young has since played venues ranging from House of Blues to Troubadour, and shared the stage with such artists as Mandy Moore, Tyrone Wells, Jason Reeves, Gavin deGraw, Tyler Hilton, Katy Perry, Hoku and many more. Young recently released his second record, Make Believe and is currently in the studio finishing up his latest album.

Unbelievably, Young is still, as of today, an unsigned artist. It’s absolutely mind-boggling that there hasn’t been more interest in this guy yet. A Newport Beach based musician – fitting, as he looks like he would fit right into an OC episode – Brett has a kind of Gavin deGraw vibe to him. There’s a soft, yet gritty quality to his brand of soul… and it’s damn promising from what I’ve heard.

Young will be appearing at 8 p.m., Friday, April 19 at the House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Avenue in downtown San Diego, with tickets costing $17. This IS an age-restricted show, so make sure to check the website for House of Blues for guidelines. Young will be opening for Wakey! Wakey! an adult alternative pop group fronted by Michael Grubbs and based in Brooklyn, New York. Michael Grubbs is also known for his role as “Grubbs” on One Tree Hill, where the band’s music has been featured. They reached critical acclaim with their 2010 release, “Everything I Wish I’d Said the Last Time I Saw You,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard’s Heatseeker’s Chart.

For sound samples of Brett Young go to his website at http://www.myspace.com/brettyoungsmusic and for tickets to the April 19 show at House of Blues, go to www.houseofblues.com.

Tags: Brett Young, Grammy Award, House of blues, Tampa Devil Rays, The Roxy, The Troubadour, The Viper Room

Category: Entertainment, Music