About Me

"The Official-Sounding Bio"

“What’s music, but a way to glimpse what is greater than ourselves?” So asks Brian Hearl in his song “What’s This Music For?”, and this question captures the introspective, thoughtful, yet outward-reaching spirit of his work. The veteran musician and prolific songwriter offers an eclectic smorgasbord of styles ranging from tender acoustic ballads to full-on hard rock in the upcoming reworking of his New Heart album.

Music has been a strong and persistent force in Brian’s life. “Thanks to my Dad, I grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, Queen, Kansas, Styx, and the like, so there’s a persistent love of hard rock mixed in with a bit of flash,” he says. “Later I got into the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, and other melodic and often introspective music. Round it off with a dash of 50’s rock and roll, 60’s psychedelia, 80’s hair bands, and 90’s grunge, and you’ve got a pretty good sense of where I’m coming from.” He continues, “I started out playing an old organ my grandmother gave me, and trying to plunk on my Dad’s electric guitar. It wasn’t until high school that I finally began learning how to play properly.” Through the years he has picked up some additional instruments, including bass, mandolin, harmonica, African drums, and the bowed psaltry.

In a sense, Brian has followed two parallel musical paths. One path is that of a live performer, and leads from his first high school band, Fantasy, through a colorful and varied succession of other bands, including Culture Shock, Unfrozen Cavemen, and Chameleon Red, as well as the occasional gig as a solo artist. The other path is that of do-it-yourself solo recording artist, in which he has produced seven full-length albums as a one-man-band, from 1990’s Anti-Gravity to 2002’s New Heart.  Since 2002, the paths have become more intertwined; his last recording project, 2007's Transposition, was done as part of Chameleon Red.

Brian’s latest project is, in a sense, going back to the future. “I’m going back and dusting off a lot of old songs, rerecording and reworking them in some cases,” he explains. “There are a lot of good tunes that have suffered with less-than-stellar production. Now I have the ability to knock off the rough edges and let the songs shine through more clearly.” First on the agenda is a revamped New Heart; appropriately, the title track is about creative and spiritual renewal, delivered with a driving beat and wah-wah guitar. “New eyes to see the world with, new ears to hear the message, new mind to understand you, new heart.” This newfound optimism is echoed in many of the album’s tracks. A more playful, if philosophical, side emerges in the standout track, “Paper Airplanes”: a soaring slice of Beatlesque rock, the lyrics muse over the nature of the creative process, supported by airy, ascending guitars. The final song on the album, “Pariah”, reflects a darker vision—it’s a tale of workplace madness delivered over acoustic strumming and a loping beat. Taken altogether, New Heart’s sound is rooted in classic rock and explores the breadth of human emotion with a mixture of regret, resignation, and hope.

Behind all Brian’s music is a desire for self-expression without self-indulgence. New Heart is a chronicle of the triumphs and travails of life, from one heart and mind to all other fellow travelers.

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Or learn about some of the band's I've been in
Fantasy
Culture Shock
Unfrozen Cavemen