The year was 2006. Brandon had recently entered the “real world” and was none too thrilled with the idea of getting a steady job. As he sat there mulling over the potential career paths he could pursue, his mind wandered to the fifth grade, when he was asked by the yearbook staff what he wanted to be when he grew up. His answer now stared back at him from the pages of his elementary school yearbook and danced through his mind as he read his own words over one decade later: “something fun.” He paused to ponder the youthful optimism of his answer, and not wanting to disappoint his 10-year-old self, he sought to ensure that he would do just what he said.

Music had always been Brandon’s passion (well, music and soccer), so he decided to turn a song called Chinese Food on Christmas that he had written for a college songwriting class into a music video. This turned out pretty well, as Brandon’s video accrued over 2 million views, got him some international press coverage, and even a few marriage proposals. Brandon was happy. For the first time in his life he realized that he could turn his passion for music into a career.

Following the success of Chinese Food on Christmas, Brandon got some gigs writing music for commercials, and he also began A Song a Month, a project in which he promised to write and record one song each month for one year that he would send out to his newly won-over fans. Several of these songs made their way onto his debut EP, One Step Behind, which takes its title from his very first Song of the Month. When asked the meaning behind his EP’s title, Brandon answered, “For me, the title sums up how I feel about many aspects of my life, especially music.”

Brandon got his start in music when his family inherited an old upright piano from his uncle. From there, it was a mix of countless piano lessons, recitals, and eventually bands. Piano lessons were great and all, but it wasn’t until his friend Jared invited him to join the band Dry Rain that piano became truly inspiring for Brandon. “Suddenly, there was this whole other world of music that wasn’t written on any pages, but was just floating around in the cosmos, waiting to be tapped into,” Brandon explains. Brandon continued to study classical piano while also honing his chops in bands like Dry Rain, VooDoo Blue, and Midnight Spaghetti & the Chocolate G-Strings.

Singing, on the other hand, was not something he dabbled much in. Maybe it was because he was scarred from the time he auditioned for the 5th grade chorus and didn’t make it. Whatever it was, Brandon generally left most of the singing up to his band mates. “ Eventually, I started to realize that one of the most important qualities in a voice was honesty, and that my songs made more sense when I sang them.”

Brandon's honesty shines through on tracks like Foggy Window, One Step Behind (title track) and Photograph. "His gentle voice hearkens back to the deeply personal singer/songwriter genre of the 1970s," says David Nahmod of the Jerusalem Post. Couple that with a knack for catchy hooks and indelible melodies, and you'll be singing Brandon's songs long after the CD has ended.

In 2009, Brandon moved from Baltimore to the San Francisco Bay area, where he continues to write and perform music in the thriving bay area scene. “Wherever life takes me,” he says, “I want to keep sharing my love of music with as many people as possible.