Interview with Brea and producer Joe Turner
How did you meet Brea?
I met Brea through a mutual musical friend and client of mine. I had done several projects with Dominic D’Arcy and he
kept telling me about this young and very talented girl he was working with. At the time she was fourteen, and he wanted
her to come into my studio to work with me, because he was totally blown away with her creativity and talent.
What did you think of Joe when you met him?
I was very nervous but excited at the same time, and I really didn’t know what to expect. I went with my Mom and Joe
listened to everything I said and he “got” me right away. I had about 5 notebooks full of songs, and parts of songs and he
and I got right to work about an hour after first meeting. I sang a few bars of a couple of songs, he picked up his guitar and
that was it. We finished off the night recording the first demo tune!
What did you think of Brea?
Well my partner and I agreed right away that Brea was tremendously talented and an original. She has a unique sound, and a
style that she has perfected to suit her voice, music and songs. The package was right there. That fact made moving forward
so much easier. We didn’t have to search for a sound …it was built right in. I knew right away that guitars were going to be
very important in the productions of her songs…so we took to the process like ducks to water.
Why Country music?
I began singing Country music early in my life and I’ve always loved it. When I first went into the studio we recorded an
EP called “Live No Lies” and it was obvious that country, a little pop and a little rock was where I was headed. I wanted to
get into my country roots and mix it up with some other flavours…what other flavours you ask, well I’m an Alanis freak; I
love Christina Aguilera; and I think that the Rascal Flatts are a godsend to Country music. Almost as soon as we finished
the EP we began to work on the full length CD…and let me tell you it’s been a trip!
Why do you say that?
I’m basically an optimistic person, and as a matter of fact people have often described my songs as inspirational …and that
makes me feel good. But I think I actually lived through a country-songbook melodrama during this production. I broke up
with my boyfriend, someone I thought I might marry one day and a week later my father left our household. My brother
and I were staggered because we always thought that our parents had almost the perfect marriage. I don’t think that I’m
over that yet. That meant a very hard struggle for my mother and brother and I, we were economically and emotionally
strapped. My brother and I both got part time jobs in addition to our studies... and that helped out a lot, but it was really
tough.
Is your father back in the picture now?
I don’t think he’ll ever be back in the picture. Shortly after he left, one of my best friends was killed in a car accident on the
highway that runs close to my house.., and about 5 months after that the lady whose gym I was working in fell ill and died.
I guess that’s when I learned that there are much worse things that what I’d been through. I threw myself into songwriting
and I managed to write a couple of great songs about all of these events and one made it to the CD …it’s called If I’m Not
Here Tomorrow.
How did You choose songs for "no regrets"?
Brea chose all of the songs, and it was obvious which ones that she just had to record. For this CD, we had a few people
listen along with us and everyone pretty much agreed on the final 16 …we all had our favourites.
How did you meet Stu Epps?
We met Stu through My Space. Way over there in England, he listened to my songs and he liked what he heard. He
contacted me and wondered if we could work together … so I put him in contact with Joe and before you know it, Stu was
here, recording in Joe’s studio with the band.
What’s Stu like to work with?
He’s terrific…we had so much fun. He gets right down to business in the studio and he’s a perfectionist like Joe. He had a
song that he had written and he asked me if I wanted to write lyrics to it …and I just rewrote everything …lyrics and
melody and he loved it. It’s on the CD and it’s called, “Just Another Day”.
When did you go to England to record?
Stu was here last August and Joe and I went to England in November to record lead vocals and some more guitar tracks. Stu
was the most amazing host and we worked with his awesome engineer Shaun Lowe. We worked at Prism Studio in Stoke-
On-Trent...I wanna go back!
Who are some of the “who’s who” that Stu has worked with?
I guess first and foremost would be Elton John, Stu engineered almost all of Elton’s albums. He’s also worked with Led
Zeppelin, Bill Wyman, Chris Rea, Oasis, Robbie Williams, Kiki Dee … and ME!! As a matter of fact, Stu's very best friend
in the world is Clive Franks, and he's been doing live sound for Elton since the beginning of his career. When Elton came to
Ottawa, Stu called Clive and he got us in to sit with Clive in the sound booth ...it was totally amazing man! Joe and I were
freaking!
How do you feel about the CD now that’s it’s completed and on the market?
I am very proud of this CD, a ton of blood, sweat and tears went into the creation of the songs, but also a ton of love,
respect and joy. I have grown up with this CD. I want to thank all of my co-writers, the musicians and everyone who was a
part of it. I look at this CD as something that Joe and I created together and we loved every second of it! This is a CD of
hope and inspiration. You know we can get through anything life throws at us with a little backbone and a lot of faith.
Contact LTE inc:
Mail:
23 Deerfox Drive
Ottawa, ON Canada
k2J 4W3
Phone: 613-823-3887
Fax: 613-823-9440
E-mail: info@breanoregrets.com
The Story of No Regrets |
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| ...Love and good luck wishes for you in your marvelous career!!! The world's your oyster...enjoy it all!! Greg in California!! |
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...."I've never heard of Brea's music before, but recently listened to it on my friends space, and i pretty much feeellllll in loveeeeeee with it!! She has such an amazing voice, and the meaning is so powerful..its amazinggg!!" Jason - Michigan USA |
| Producer Joe Turner |