Brad Senne

BRAD SENNE ev·o·lu·tion Pronunciation: \_ev-_-_lü-sh_n also __-v_-\ n. 1. A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form. 2. a. The process of developing. b. Gradual development. 3. A movement that is part of a set of ordered movements. mu·ta·tion Pronunciation: \myü-_t_-sh_n\ n. 1. A significant and basic alteration 2. An alteration or change, as in nature, form, or quality. 3. Linguistics The change that is caused in a sound by its assimilation to another sound, such as umlaut. In biology, evolution is change. Small at first, accumulating to subtle, minor differences, which overtime can cause substantial transformations. However, sometimes change can be sudden and unexpected. Scientists call these mutations. Musicians call these awakenings. Waking up one day to change from one musical genre to another could be a serious mutation (and often is), but Brad Senne prefers to look at it as an inevitable growth spurt. Therein lays his evolution, his change, his mutation, his awakening from a hardcore punk rocker to a midwest prairie urban folkster. Growing up on the outskirts of a small farming community in Southern Minnesota Brad Senne spent the majority of his youth immersed in hardcore and punk rock. He went on to play in a multitude of bands eventually gaining notoriety for his hardcore band Picturesque in the late 1990’s after signing with Trustkill Records. “Early in my musical career I was into heavy music that was very loud and in your face. I left the hardcore music scene because I just wanted a larger music vocabulary. The scene is very one dimensional. You couldn't have a fingerpicking soft ballad on a hardcore album. At least not with the people I was playing with,” Senne explains. With more freedom as a songwriter, he started playing his own brand of solo acoustic music. His expanding vocabulary drew upon the musical influences of his heroes Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith, Iron and Wine, Wilco, and Muddy Waters. Adapting to this new sound was not challenging for Senne as lyrics to some of his hard-core songs showcased an inner singer songwriter longing to be heard through the noise: The body embraces, souls catch a glimpse of tattered, torn, torments. Stare into the fire sea burnt up as a piece of me. Melts a life into stone. Rain it pours scrapes across the soul. Over time I've come to appreciate all kinds of music. The past few years I've been really into acoustic singer/songwriters,” adds Senne. “I guess what attracts me to that type of music is the idea of getting up on stage with just a guitar and your voice and keeping attention. It's a huge challenge.” Not challenge enough for this acoustic folk crooner. Senne has been attracting attention with his live shows and solo releases, all done dabbling in home recording studios. He also often plays out with one his side projects the indie rock band, Beight. Senne’s haunting but harmonious voice is often described as “ghostlike, wind-whipped,” “ethereal and wispy.” This blend of hypnotic, breathy indie pop showcases his blues-influenced stripped-down compositions. In 2009 Mike Boeser of Grain Belt Records signed Senne and in 2010 will re-release the 2009 album Aerial Views. The album received raved reviews and was voted a top 10 album of the year by The Onion – A.V. Club in the Twin Cities. Aerial Views has two new songs and has been re-mixed with added instrumentation by Ben Durrant of Crazy Beast Studios (Andrew Bird, Roma di Luna). Senne plays almost all instruments on this album including guitar, bass, piano and keyboards, resulting in 11 songs that range from simple finger-picking guitar ballads to lush instrumental arrangements. “I initially wanted Aerial Views to be a 'solo acoustic album' but some songs just needed more embellishments on them so I ended up adding more instrumentation to the songs. I just basically added what I thought the song needed to hold it's own,” explains Senne. A self described minimalist, Senne admits that not all of his songs are pulled from deep introspection and reasoning of the generic singer songwriter breed. He explains, “A lot of my songs just come out of thin air. “Sing & Dance” came to me so fast there was not a single thought of lyrics, guitar changes, nothing. It was after coming back from a show in Eau Claire, WI. I think it’s just getting out of my safe place, getting out of town and driving for a few hours alone that triggered the song. Simple things like that make good songs.” Feeding off of influences in the world around him, Senne continually stays connected to nature and elements often out of his control. “Overgrown with Warmth” was penned from observing swirling clouds and “Out In the Open” was crafted about the vast open darkness when driving. “Autumn's Hum” is about shifting seasons and climate change (be that both internal and external) as he hums, A new season is born...it's lingering on. “Here in Minnesota you've got to prepare yourself mentally and physically for the changing seasons,” Brad explains. “And in life at any minute things can change - sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. But being ready, alert and adaptable is the best approach to anything.” Brad Senne is a prairie reared singer/songwriter who now lives in the city writing folk pop rock songs. ad·ap·ta·tion Pronunciation: \_a-_dap-_t_-sh_n, -d_p-\ n. 1 : The act or process of adapting: the state of being adapted 2 : Adjustment or changes in behavior, physiology, and structure to become better suited to an environment Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.