When it comes to making an impact in the world of music, it often takes a lot of time to become an “overnight” success, and success knows no zip code. But, when you love to play, you play!
That’s Haverhill native Brian McGravey with the title track from his new album “Feather in the Wind.” McGravey was a recent guest on WHAV’s “Win for Breakfast” program. McGravey has been playing in bands and composing music for the past 20 years—some of his work is in the form of production music that can be heard on dozens of TV channels including HBO, Nickelodeon and the History Channel.
“It’s really kind of a dream come true, and it’s usually not that I go and listen, or I just hear it randomly, ‘cause I usually don’t know ahead of time when it’s going to be used, or where, but I use the website called TuneSat, and basically it will detect any music that’s used. I can later go in and watch the episodes, so I found out. I’m on some Netflix things. I could go through the big list of it, but it’s quite a big list,” he says.
McGravey has been playing the piano since he was 10 years old when he strung together a few notes from “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” before taking lessons and eventually majoring in music at college.
“I studied music business at UMass Lowell—great, great school. I learned all kinds of stuff about classical music, jazz and music theory and did a lot of writing, a lot of ensembles, jazz, big bands, orchestras.”
McGravey found himself as a busy musician while he was in high school, but was able to make a few school events.
“My senior year was the only time I could fit it into my schedule, but I was in the jazz band and we kind of combined with the concert band that year, part of both of those. I was always doing the talent shows every year. Funny story, my old band Paradox, two times during talent shows, I was a bass guitar player. I wasn’t even a piano player of that band. You know how back in the days those old classic rock things like Jimi Hendrix smashes his guitar. So, two different times in my high school talent shows I smashed my bass guitar. That’s a little bit of a claim to fame there.”
McGravey isn’t smashing bass guitars these days. He’s a member of two busy bands and writing music. Here’s another track from his new CD. The song is called “Midnight Lounge,” and has a jazzy feel.
Hear the music at BrianMcGraveyMusic.com.
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