Cody Brande
Cody Brande is an American multi-instrumentalist and singer based out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. He began his music career in 2015 as the singer and primary songwriter for the band Crux of Motion before eventually joining the bands, Fubahre and Sylace Snow in 2018. He then began pursuing a solo career in 2019 after Crux of Motion went on an indefinite hiatus. On May 6th, 2022, he released his debut solo album, 'Broken by Design'
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?! I'd say: "Intense, Emotional, and Chuggy"! Though, "thicc" is definitely a runner-up.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else? Tell us why. Well, before I became chairbound, my answer would have invariably been performing. There is a real magic to being in a room filled with people that are all sharing the same energy and being able to share a piece of you with them. Though, these days my answer would probably be that stage right at the end of the recording process where you can sit back and say "Yeah. That's it. That's the song." There's a combination of excitement and relief that you get to relax in for a moment. It really is an incredible feeling.
Can you tell us what being in the recording studio is like for you? Well, most of my recording these days are done in my home, and I will say outright that it's much less stressful than being in a professional recording studio. Though, that's not always a good thing. Being in a studio makes you have to put your game face on, and that can lead to some really powerful performances. Though, my home studio is perfect for what I do as a solo artist who performs every part and self-produces. I can take as much time as I need, and if I need to take a break I can just wheel into the next room and play video games for an hour or two. Perfection.
Okay, this a fun question. When you are not doing music, what else do you enjoy doing?
I'm sort of a workaholic, so making music definitely takes up most of my time. That said, I love gaming. I'm drawn to pretty much anything with a great story or an engaging world-space. So I definitely tend to float toward RPGs. I also love to watch YouTube. I will watch for hours and not even realize it. I'm pretty into a few let's players and review channels, mostly. I probably watch videos summarizing movies more than I watch actual movies.
Who do you admire most in the music scene today and why? There are plenty of admirable people in the industry today. The one that comes to mind, though, is definitely Devin Townsend. It takes a lot of dedication and passion to make as many albums as he has, especially with the level of honesty and craftsmanship that he does. The man's nothing short of a genius. I do also have to shout out Justin Furstenfeld and the rest of Blue October. Somehow they can't seem to make a bad album. I also admire the vulnerability and honesty within their work.
Can you tell us what song you've written that is the most emotional and describe the meaning behind it? I suppose I should give a trigger warning for suicide and self-harm. I wrote a song for my old band Crux of Motion called 'Hold it In'. It was the result of my mental state crumbling and falling into suicidal ideation. At the time, I was caving under the pressure of my college courses while also spending between 8 and 12 hours every single day after class working on the Crux of Motion album, 'Automaton'. I have struggled with severe depression anxiety for my entire life and had recently relapsed back into self-harm. It was early December and I knew that on this particular night if I didn't get those feelings off of my chest, I wouldn't make it until morning. That release of emotion became 'Hold it In', and it shows. Are you working on any new material right now or what's in the works for the upcoming year? I am working on a ton of new stuff, actually! I have two bands outside of my solo project (Sylace Snow & Fubahre) that both have albums set to release over the next 12 months. After that, I have a set of albums for my solo project planned for later next year. Sometime during that period I also may take some time to sleep! Who knows?
Tell us where fans can access your music. I'm on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Deezer, Tidal, and probably many others. Your neighbors may actually be listening to 'Broken by Design' right now! Assuming, of course, that you crank your volume high enough. Here's the full album stream on YouTube. Here's me on Spotify. And you can find me on Instagram or Facebook! @codybrandemusic#