Artist description I am told to write songs. I am not allowed to tell you who tells me to...that will remain a secret.

Music Style Catchy pop/rock/folk/happy/bitter/sad with a focus on telling a story or breaking a heart.

Musical Influences Elvis (Presley and Costello), Weezer, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Velvet Underground, The Pixies, Frank Sinatra, The Platters, Fine Young Cannibals, Ben Folds Five, The Rentals, David Bowie, Roy Orbison, Nick Cave, The Everly Brothers, The Misfits, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, etc......

Similar Artists Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright, The Webb Brothers, Ben Folds, Wilco, Ozma, The Rentals, Weezer, John Mayer, Pete Yorn, Ben Lee, Phantom Planet, Violent Femmes, Velvet Underground

Artist History Think of Brandon Wiard's brain as a federal prison beyond capacity...each prisoner being a song. Slowly but surely amnesty is granted and these prisoners find their way back into the free world only to take every hostage they can. They'll never learn. It all started when he sang Hall & Oates' "Maneater" in a stroller at JC Penney’s, but eventually transformed into Wiard's own form of lush midwest-pop. After that first performance his career was put on hiatus. Growing up Brandon was always a challenge, he was entrenched in painting, photography, film and poetry but music threw her gnarled fingers around his scrawny throat at the age of fifteen. Needless to say, his first band went nowhere but the damage was done and his path was set. Brandon quickly formed a new group with a guy named Eric Sloat and dubbed the project "Starmotel". A mix of indie rock and classic pop sensibility, the two wrote together over the next three years. Eventually Sloat left for college and Wiard started his solo career in the fall of 2001. Independently releasing "To Someone I Know” in November 2001, a collection of his own songs and some co-written with Sloat, he began to impose himself upon the locals. In lieu of having a band he performed with just an acoustic guitar and his arsenal of songs. By the fall of 2002 he had opened for such national acts as Mason Jennings, Mike Viola, Clem Snide, Joseph Arthur, The Church, The Divine Comedy and Ours. Already he has toured both coasts, playing at such venues as The Knitting Factory in Hollywood, CA and Grammyfest (a Grammy sponsored gig) at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ and now his sights are set on seeing some other places like Iowa, Indiana and North Dakota. College stations are picking him up and the disease is spreading. Recently some friends offered to join the effort so now audiences are experiencing the fully realized versions of his songs. His next record, entitled "Painting A Burning Building", (featuring members of Ozma and Blues Traveler, amongst others) is being completed with a release date pending. As witty as he is sincere Wiard's songs will have you chuckling right before he pushes you off an emotional cliff...only to catch you at the bottom.

Group Members Myself and an ever-revolving parade of puppets. Kind of like a human puppet show...except the humans are those who died and were reanimated to do mine bidding. Don't cross me. It won't be pretty. Don't even think that I'm joking. It'll get so ugly. You have no frickin idea. The ugliness will know no bounds. Seriously.

Instruments Vox, acoustic/electric guitar, bass, keyboard, piano, timpani

Press Reviews "...a pop-music singer-songwriter of a caliber that defies both his youth and his quiet nature..." Ann Arbor News full-page article entitled: "Wiard For Sound" "The sound is gorgeous, as the songs shuffle along over acoustic guitars and sparsely played piano on one track just to move to a punky slice of indie pop on another. This endearing flexibility is instrumental in keeping the album fresh, showing that Wiard has a firm grasp on melody and orchestration." -All Music Guide review of "To Someone I Know" "...these songs transcend the puppy-love cliches and bitter sweet angst that might be expected from a young musician...he has established himself as a master songwriter..." -Ann Arbor News review of "To Someone I Know"

Location Ann Arbor, Michigan - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).