A Chat with Brian Lambert (10.07.23)
Inspired by the likes of David Bowie, The Cure, Billy Joel and Foo Fighters, musician Brian Lambert embraces different flavours of rock with a nostalgic 90s flair. We speak with the US-based singer-songwriter about his latest single ‘I Don’t Believe In You’, what music means to him, future plans and more.
OSR: A cliché question but what drew you to music? Why did you choose to pursue a career in music?
Lambert: Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts about music. Music really spoke to me as a child. I remember being totally fascinated with MTV when it came out. One of my earliest memories was wanting to be Rick Springfield or in Duran Duran. As a kid, I would just lay on the floor and listen to Michael Jackson and the Footloose soundtrack. Later when the coming of grunge, I really felt understood. Like finally there is someone out there that gets me.
Ultimately that’s why I chose a career in music, to recreate that feeling for other people. Be another link in the chain of people making music for people. Also, I literally love making music and can do it 10-15 hours a day if left to my own devices. Having a career was the only way I could possibly justify the amount of music I want to play.
OSR: What inspires you to make music?
Lambert: Really everything, but other music to which I am listening or maybe it’s attempting to express a feeling. It’s such a part of what I do to simply function I can’t imagine not making music.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Lambert: Everything really. It’s life, everything from the beating of our heart to the rhythm of a conversation is music. It’s a lifeline, it’s a drug, it’s a way to connect with other people, it’s a marking of the passage of time. Tom Petty said something to the effect that if there is anything in the world that’s magic, music is it. Think about it, this invisible thing you feel totally changes your state and being. If that’s not magic I don’t know what is.
OSR: Generally, when an artist does a cover of a certain song, they have a connection to the track. Why did you choose to cover Jr Moz Collective’s ‘I Don’t Believe In You’?
Lambert: Mike sent me a voice memo of an acoustic demo, also out there for listening if one is curious, and it made me cry. It’s one of those things that I connected to the heart of the song right away. I know what Mike wrote the song about, but for me, it’s something different. I’ve always felt like existing power structures and cultural norms and I’ve never believed in them. They always felt wrong. This song, for me, is my ultimate rejecting of all of it. Not I don’t like it or no you’re wrong about your opinion. More extreme, a rejection of even the belief in you.
OSR: If Jr Moz Collective were to hear this cover, what do you think they would say about it?
Lambert: Well since we’ve talked about it I can tell you. He loves it. As soon as he heard it, he said I needed to release it. We’re friends, I produce him and we have worked on a ton of stuff together. He cut guitars and bass for Something To Believe. Since I produced his version I basically just used his parts and cut a new vocal and due to some computer issues ended up recutting the main synth part. My biggest thing is getting him to leave his version up. He wants to take it down, but I love it and think it’s great.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when recording ‘I Don’t Believe In You’?
Lambert: Mostly the pressure to really do it well. I had so much feeling attached to it that I got into one of those modes where I had to make it amazing. I must have done 40-50 versions of the mix and master to finally get it to where I wanted. Generally, I believe working fast and going with your instinct, what hits you right away is the right approach. When I start to get attached, it becomes difficult. That for me was a challenge. Also, the vocal part is right at the top of my range. I could only do so many takes with the intensity that I did before my voice was fried. It was worth it though.
OSR: If you could change one thing about the cover, what would it be?
Lambert: I’d add some backing vocals in the chorus. I tried to make them work but ultimately I couldn’t come up with a part that worked with this lone voice aesthetic I was going for. Like I wanted a backing vocal and if I could come up with an amazing one maybe that would work but that conflicted with the lone voice idea that was important. I know trying to do opposite things doesn’t make sense, but sometimes you can make it work.
OSR: What do you think makes you unique as a musician?
Lambert: I do believe that I have a few speeds and yet they all sound like me. I’ve done country music, some rap or spoken word, lots of different rock music and it changes from song to song. I also have a sound that is familiar but not quite like anything you’ve heard. You can always hear this nod to the past and yet the music sounds pretty modern.
OSR: I read that you completed The 52 Week Music Production Challenge. What was that experience like?
Lambert: It was, to say the least, a challenge. I did it in order to really get my recording and production skills on point. Having this strict deadline taught me to let go of a certain amount of preciousness around my work and that was good. It allowed me to explore a bunch of different styles and that was fun. Through it, I built what has become the core of my audience and many of the collaborations that I have been a part of. While it was crazy-making at times and wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to everyone, for me, it was worth it and made me the musician/producer I am today.
OSR: Describe your favourite and least favourite part of being a musician.
Lambert: Right now, I love mixing and mastering the most. It’s like painting with sound for me. I get obsessed with crafting the sounds in the mix. Also, there is a thrill from writing a song that gets me every time. It always feels good to complete one. Lately, I’ve been wanting to reconnect with other musicians and do more live stuff as a group because I miss playing music with other people in a room.
My least favourite stuff has to be paperwork and filling out forms like BMI or tracking where the pennies are going. Not glamorous, pretty monotonous, but it has to be done and right now I’m the person who has to do it.
OSR: Do you have any future plans as a musician?
Lambert: Immediately it’s to release an album with ‘I Don’t Believe In You’ and other works I have and also an album with my band The Star Crumbles. I’d like to do more production work with other artists because I love being in the role of helping people bring their vision to life. All of that while continuing to build my audience and making more music. It’s what I do and I know no other way to be. Thank you again for the opportunity to talk.
Many thanks to Brian Lambert for speaking with us! For more from Brian Lambert check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
