Brad Colerick

Brad Colerick, "Tucson" (Back 9 Records)

Brad Colerick opens his fourth solo album with the title cut, which reminds us the road does not actually go on forever. Colerick goes on to examine his trip down that road in tuneful tunes with a touch of twang.

Colerick's stories are worth hearing, in part because he makes singing sound so easy. His warm, sunny, homey tenor brings alive the characters, places and relationships in these 11 songs. Guitars, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and pedal steel reinforce the folksy mood.

Colerick grew up in Nebraska, lives in California and recorded the album in Arkansas, so it's no surprise his subject matter covers lots of ground. On "Hob Thrasher," a nonagenarian musician shows how to make the best of airport delays. "This Is What I Do (Mighty Keeper)" celebrates everyone's lot in life, however modest. There are also love songs happy and sad, reflections on a friend's death, and a ballad to mom. The set closes, fittingly, with "Roll On." - Associated Press

by KATIE NIEKERK
Valentine, a town of about 3,000 in northern Nebraska, can boast of two things: It's billed as "America's Heart City," and it's the birthplace of singer-songwriter Brad Colerick.

Although Colerick has lived in Los Angeles for the past 20 years, his newest album, "Cottonwood," is a return to his roots and an autobiographical journey through his life. Colerick will perform a concert June 15 at Clos LaChance Winery in San Martin, and proceeds will benefit St. Joseph's Family Center in Gilroy.

When Colerick was 5, he and his family moved to Lincoln, Neb., and during the early 1980s he released two albums - one being a collaboration with another artist and the other a solo album.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1986, Colerick established a successful career writing music for ad campaigns, working with several notable artists such as Shawn Colvin, Amy Grant and the late Johnny Cash, and producing spots for companies such as Sears, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and McDonald's. But Colerick never lost sight of his true dream: recording another album.

"There were more opportunities out here," Colerick said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. "I wasn't sure I could make a go of it just writing songs, so I looked at (advertising) as a way of paying my bills."

In 1990, Colerick founded a musical publishing company called Back 9 Records. He signed an artist named David Grow, who is still part of the label along with Colerick and three other artists.

"Back 9 is a collective of artists and a very artist-friendly indy label. It's a support system for artists going it alone," Colerick said.

In addition to founding Back 9, Colerick is also president of DeepMix, a music supervision company that works mostly with advertising, and some with film and television. The business ventures kept him busy, leaving little time to focus on personal goals.

"I'd been writing occasionally over the past 10 years, and there were a couple of times I went in to do some demos," Colerick said. "When I finally got serious about going in to make a record, I realized I would never get it done on my own - it was perpetually getting put on the backburner."

Colerick then hired a life coach named Fiona Hall, who helped him better prioritize his schedule, he said, and he found more time to write songs.

The result of that newfound focus was "Cottonwood," an album of 11 songs all written or co-written by Colerick. It was released officially in March but will be more widely distributed June 13.

Colerick's music is a bluegrass-country blend that mixes dynamic acoustics and heartfelt lyrics that are an autobiographical account of Colerick's life. The song "Time Away," for example - which Colerick recently finished shooting a video for in the Nashville area - was written for his wife. The couple have two children, ages 2 and 5.

Making "Cottonwood" has helped Colerick discover more about who he is musically, he said, and this record feels more like a genuine representation of himself.

"I had done a lot of recording prior to this that didn't really feel like me, it didn't feel right," he said. "This one does."

So, how did Colerick end up performing a concert in San Martin? During his days at the University of Nebraska, he met David Cox, executive director of St. Joseph's. They stayed in touch over the years, and when Colerick performed in San Jose in August, Cox and some friends attended. The two talked about putting together a concert, and the idea grew into a fundraiser.

"A lot of folks are pulling together to make this happen," Cox said. "The (Gilroy) Rotary Club is supporting it, and Clos LaChance has been extremely hospitable. We're excited. It's going to a night of great music in a beautiful setting."

In August, Colerick is off to perform in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands before heading back to Nebraska to play a number of smaller shows. The pace of Colerick's life now might be vastly different from that of Valentine, Neb. But he hasn't lost touch with his roots - and he's proud to share them with the world.

You can sample or download songs from "Cottonwood" on iTunes. For more information on Colerick, go to www.bradcolerick.com. - Gilroy Dispatch

By STEVEN WINE
Somewhere along the way, whether it was as a club performer in Nebraska or in the music production business in California, Brad Colerick developed an ability to write engaging melodies. That makes “Cottonwood” a delight. On his first album in 19 years, Colerick offers up 11 original tunes that will soon have a listener singing along. The centerpiece is the sweet, beautiful “Time Away,” which could have been a No. 1 radio hit in the days when Dan Fogelberg-types ruled the airwaves. “Cottonwood” is rooted in Colerick’s native Nebraska but benefits from a slight California sheen, with such studio stalwarts as Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen providing some of the picking. These songs are so good they’ll likely be covered by artists better known than Colerick, but he does them justice himself. Here’s hoping he doesn’t wait another 19 years to record a follow-up. - Associated Press 3/1/06

In 1985, with the release of his album, ‘Scarecrow’ John Mellencamp did for the entire Midwest what Springsteen had done for the then somewhat overshadowed New Jersey ten years earlier: Mellencamp gave rock n’ roll creedence to hayseeds from Ohio to, well, Nebraska. With the release of his second album in a mere 18 years, Brad Colerick’s ‘Cottonwood’ record gives a bluegrass/ Americana nod to living in the great Platte River valley in Nebraska. Having spent many a summer afternoon floating down the Platte River in car innertube tires, beer in hand, the massive Cottonwood trees towers along the banks of the river breaking into the endless skyline defining Nebraska summers. From the catchy opening track, "Come What May" Colerick uplifts the human experience that makes Nebraska what it is, a great place to live. While, "Come What May" is the easiest entry to the album, the third track, "Cottonwood" frames the album. ‘Time Away’ is a soft ballad with gentle Spanish influences as Colerick sings, "time takes time away." A touch of biblical humor rolls out when Colerick sings, "Till Eve ate the apple, now I gotta pay the price...I would’a held out for some Coconut Cream Pie." Near on a decade now, I tried to play a round of golf with Colerick while in Sothern California. I did say tried. Not only is Colerick one hellvua golfer, hence the name of his label "Backnine" but we had just finished four marathon days at a national pre-record music convention...by the fifteenth hole I could barely life the club anymore. It was a serious spanking among the palm trees and waterfalls. This is an excellent album that features Chris Hillman (Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman) as well as Gene Klosner, and Dave Navarro. No, if you wanna rock this isn’t the album you’re looking for, but if you want a rich emotional slice of Nebraska life, this is an excellent album to spend time with. The album’s packaging, a three panel, four color, glossy fold-out, is equally perfect at capturing a visual ‘experience’ of what lies within. - Homer's Records

By STEVEN WINE
Somewhere along the way, whether it was as a club performer in Nebraska or in the music production business in California, Brad Colerick developed an ability to write engaging melodies. That makes “Cottonwood” a delight. On his first album in 19 years, Colerick offers up 11 original tunes that will soon have a listener singing along. The centerpiece is the sweet, beautiful “Time Away,” which could have been a No. 1 radio hit in the days when Dan Fogelberg-types ruled the airwaves. “Cottonwood” is rooted in Colerick’s native Nebraska but benefits from a slight California sheen, with such studio stalwarts as Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen providing some of the picking. These songs are so good they’ll likely be covered by artists better known than Colerick, but he does them justice himself. Here’s hoping he doesn’t wait another 19 years to record a follow-up. - Associated Press 3/1/06

This is Brad Colerick's first album in 19 years, and it certainly seems to have been worth waiting for. It is a very impressive collection of songs , all written or co-written by Colerick, and all featuring simple, but exquisitley crafted melodies, and delivered in a voice that simply exudes California sunshine. Beautiful, soaring harmonies, and excellent playing from , among others, Chris Hillman, Herb Pedersen and Gabe Witcher combine to produce an almost faultless sounding CD. The predominant mood is acoustic, laid back country, with a strong bluegrass input, and Colerick's voice seems almost a perfect blend of his sidekicks Hillman and Pedersen. There is also a strong James Taylor influence in evidence in both his singing and songwriting style, and fans of 70s worthies such as Pure Prairie League, Dan Fogelberg and Jonathan Edwards will find much to admire in this collection. Highlights include the stunningly simple but effective "Every Single Day", the slow, burning melody and haunting harmonies on "Time Away", and the evocative title track. For those who appreciate quality country influenced songwriting, and playing that is the epitome of tastefulness, this comes into the essential listening category. - John Hishelwood, Americana-UK.com 3/23/06

Though he now lives in L.A., where he hangs out with the likes of Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen (both have cameos on this debut, along with a solid cast of other guests and backups) and there are probably precious few cottonwood trees, Brad Colerick's singing and songwriting resonate with the down home, down-to-earth sensibilities and emotions of the places where cottonwoods can actually be found - like Colerick's native Nebraska home. ?"Americana" may yet be more of a marketing term to some than a real genre, but Colerick makes a strong case for the kind of music that exhibits fluency in a variety of "roots" dialects. ?Although a few tunes carry a touch of electric instrumentation - and tastefully done at that - "Cottonwood" is essentially an acoustic collection, going as far as out-and-out bluegrass on tunes like "Til Something Better Comes Along" and "Eve Ate The Apple." Colerick's vocals and delivery carry the same warm and reassuring quality and conviction that have made singers like Bill Staines as popular among "country" audiences as "folk" audiences. More to the point, Colerick, like Staines, is the sort of singer who shows that there's really not all that much difference between country and folk.
- Country Standard Time

Odds are you have never heard of Brad Colerick, but it’s high time you allowed him to introduce you to his gifted singing and songwriting. Most artists of his ability don’t go 19 years between CDs, but life has a way of taking people where it wants to go. And with Cottonwood, Colerick has found his way back home. One also doesn’t typically hear singer/songwriters from Nebraska either, but the flatlands and prairies serve as sources of inspiration for this very thoughtful and melodic effort. This is the thinking person’s roots-folk-pop music that doesn’t leave a saccharin taste and may bring a tear to the eye on occasion. Songs such as “Come What May,” “’Til Something Better Comes Along,” and the title cut, “Cottonwood,” introduce the listener to a bare-bones acoustic masterpiece with understatement and professionalism as its parameters. With help from Chris Hillman (of Byrds and Souther-Hillman-Furay) Colerick combines the sounds of Appalachian banjo with folk guitar in “’Til Something Better.” And his lyrics are consistently story-telling authentic and heartfelt. “I drink from the well/because the water tastes like wine/ I live on this mountain/ and I call this mountain mine/ I keep on living/ like I’m living ‘til I’m gone/ ’Til something better comes along.” In “50 Miles,” “Time Away,” “Eve Ate The Apple,” and “Every Single Day,” the quality holds up and the stories these tunes tell are worth hearing.” This is good road trip or party music for those long rides down Texas highways. - By ANTHONY DAVIS / Texarkana Gazette 3/12/06

On the song "Paperboy," Brad Colerick romanticizes the newspaper profession in a blatant bid to win a favorable review from the press.
So here you go, Brad: "Lines in the Dirt" is a fine album.
Seriously, it is. The 11-song set shows that Colerick's excellent 2006 release "Cottonwood" — his first album in 19 years — was no fluke.
Because his tunes are so consistently melodic, the Nebraska-born, California-based singer-songwriter occasionally sounds like someone who made a living writing music for commercials, which he did. But Colerick's songs are sweet rather than saccharine, and they benefit from his wit, flair for narrative and diverse choice of subject matter.
Colerick's topics range from the news biz, immigration and the futility of war to young love, the art of courtship, fish tacos and sweet corn. He also covers the Carter-Cash gem "Ring of Fire" in a charming duet with Suzy Bogguss, who first met Colerick when both were struggling performers.
Bogguss is a star now, and "Lines in the Dirt" merits attention, too.

- Associated Press 7/10/08

BY NIZ PROSKOCIL
Many grow bored driving across Interstate 80. But Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Brad Colerick got inspired. During a recent road trip to visit his parents in Lincoln, inspiration struck as soon he reached the Colorado-Nebraska border. "I was thinking about them and all my relatives back there and what a different life I lead now," said Colerick, a Valentine, Neb., native who in 1986 moved to Los Angeles to work as a music writer and producer for films and commercials. "The song was finished by the time I hit Kearney." The song, called "Cottonwood," is the title track off Colerick's coming album, out Feb. 21 on Back 9 Records. He will perform selections from the record at separate concerts Friday and Saturday in Omaha. Like the title track, many of the songs from the disc, Colerick's third, were inspired by his family and home state. "It's very autobiographical. It's about my roots and where I am now and where I was. It's about the connection I feel," Colerick said by phone from his office at DeepMix, a music supervision and licensing company he co-founded a few years ago in Hollywood, Calif. In the early '80s, while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Colerick began writing acoustic folk-rock songs and started playing in clubs around Lincoln and Omaha. After moving to California, he focused on establishing a career writing music for ad campaigns. Over the years, he has worked with singer Amy Grant for a Target ad and the late Johnny Cash for a Sears commercial. In 2002, Colerick won a London International Advertising Award for his collaboration with blues great Buddy Guy. His industry connections helped him enlist an all-star lineup of guest musicians for his latest album, including bluegrass veteran Herb Pedersen and Chris Hillman, a founding member of the Byrds. "This record has taken on a little more rootsy, country-ish feel," he said. "I enjoy playing these songs so much. It's therapy for me to get out and play them. I can't wait to come back." - Omaha World-Herald

How did singer-songwriter Brad Colerick prepare for his first shows in support of the release of his latest CD release?
"I was up making pancakes early this morning," said Colerick by phone from his parents' home in Lincoln, Neb. He returned to his native Nebraska earlier this week to play a string of dates in Lincoln and Omaha in support of "Lines in the Dirt." The wonderful 11-song disc was released Tuesday by Back 9 Records.
"I used to play a lot back here before I moved out to California," Colerick said.
Colerick will be performing as part of the Living Traditional folk concert series in Anaheim later this month. That show will serve as a sort of homecoming, since Orange County was his first stop when he moved out west in 1986.
"I moved to California to really develop my songwriting, and looked to the advertising world to supplement my income; things went pretty well and things took off for me in that area (writing commercial music jingles) and I rode that wave for a long time."
Indeed, it was 19 years between the release of 1987's "Token Dreams" and his 2006 effort, "Cottonwood."
"Once that ('Cottonwood') was out I was so excited it didn't take long to get this one ('Lines in the Dirt') out," Colerick admitted. "I had a jump on it; 'My California' was written years earlier about my move to California."
The captivating mix of songs on "Lines in the Dirt" ranges from the breezy, country-flavored "We're Gonna Laugh" and "Let Her Fall in Love" to the introspective Americana-styled folk of "Paperboy" and "Juarez," as well as a poignant reworking of the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire."
"With my advertising stuff, I worked with Johnny Cash on a Sears commercial," explained Colerick, who now lives in South Pasadena. "He invited my wife and me out to Telluride at one of their last performances (Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, performed at Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado in June 1997). That was one of the reasons I did 'Ring of Fire'; June wrote it and Johnny sang it. I never recorded a cover before, but I wanted to do it because of my connection with him."
When longtime friend Suzy Bogguss heard Colerick's initial arrangement of "Ring of Fire," she asked if he would consider recording it as a duet.
"I was thrilled. I met Suzy years ago when we were struggling songwriters in Nashville."
In addition to Bogguss' vocals on "Ring of Fire," "Lines In The Dirt" includes appearances from famed multi-instrumentalist Herb Pedersen (Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt) and fiddler April Verch. And while Colerick is proud of his success as a producer and music supervisor for television commercials and films, he is most at home singing his songs to the accompaniment of his acoustic guitar in front of enthusiastic audiences.
"It's incredible just to be writing songs again and not be limited to 30- and 60-second jingles," Colerick said. - Orange County Register/ROBERT KINSLER

In 1985, with the release of his album, ‘Scarecrow’ John Mellencamp did for the entire Midwest what Springsteen had done for the then somewhat overshadowed New Jersey ten years earlier: Mellencamp gave rock n’ roll creedence to hayseeds from Ohio to, well, Nebraska. With the release of his second album in a mere 18 years, Brad Colerick’s ‘Cottonwood’ record gives a bluegrass/ Americana nod to living in the great Platte River valley in Nebraska. Having spent many a summer afternoon floating down the Platte River in car innertube tires, beer in hand, the massive Cottonwood trees towers along the banks of the river breaking into the endless skyline defining Nebraska summers. From the catchy opening track, "Come What May" Colerick uplifts the human experience that makes Nebraska what it is, a great place to live. While, "Come What May" is the easiest entry to the album, the third track, "Cottonwood" frames the album. ‘Time Away’ is a soft ballad with gentle Spanish influences as Colerick sings, "time takes time away." A touch of biblical humor rolls out when Colerick sings, "Till Eve ate the apple, now I gotta pay the price...I would’a held out for some Coconut Cream Pie." Near on a decade now, I tried to play a round of golf with Colerick while in Sothern California. I did say tried. Not only is Colerick one hellvua golfer, hence the name of his label "Backnine" but we had just finished four marathon days at a national pre-record music convention...by the fifteenth hole I could barely life the club anymore. It was a serious spanking among the palm trees and waterfalls. This is an excellent album that features Chris Hillman (Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman) as well as Gene Klosner, and Dave Navarro. No, if you wanna rock this isn’t the album you’re looking for, but if you want a rich emotional slice of Nebraska life, this is an excellent album to spend time with. The album’s packaging, a three panel, four color, glossy fold-out, is equally perfect at capturing a visual ‘experience’ of what lies within. - Homer's Records