Jul 6, 2007

Brothers rides indie film soundtrack's success to idyllic music 'State'

By Paul Freeman / Entertainment Writer

The Grammy-winning "Garden State" soundtrack brought pop-rock singer-songwriter Cary Brothers to worldwide attention. Now he's using talent and determination to hang onto it.

After buddy Zach Braff included the beautiful ballad "Blue Eyes" in the indie film phenomenon "Garden State," Brothers' songs were used in Braff's sitcom "Scrubs," as well as "Smallville," "Grey's Anatomy" and the movie "Last Kiss."

Having already built a solid fan base, Brothers has released his debut album, "Who Are You."

His songwriting comes from the gut - he waits for the muse to come out and play. "I wish I could just push a button and make it happen," Brothers says. "Sometimes the beginning of a melody will come in the middle of the night and I'll sit on it for two years. Sometimes I'll have the song done by morning. Every time it's a little bit different."

The Los Angeles-based performer grew up in Nashville where songwriters crowd every corner. "There were acoustic guitars everywhere you turned," he said. "My problem was, I hated country music. In the late '80s, it was even more obvious, even safer than it is now. I really reacted against (that music). I didn't trust it.

"Also, I associated it with the political stuff of the South - the racism and small-mindedness that surrounded me."

Brothers responded instead to Brit pop and rappers like Public Enemy. "Even if I couldn't physically get away from where I was, at least I could do it when I put a CD on."

A music career couldn't have been further from his mind. "I wrote songs therapeutically and never thought to try to take that out in the world."

At Illinois' Northwestern University, Brothers met Braff. He also formed a band, but his focus was on filmmaking. In Los Angeles, Brothers established a production company and made several films, including the clever country music mockumentary "Dill Scallion." But he became disillusioned.

"I realized that though I loved watching films I hate making them. I despised physical production. All the work I was doing helping young directors and writers figure out what they wanted to do, I realized one day that I needed to put that into myself.

"I was on the verge of being jack of all trades and I needed to focus on the one thing that I cared about the most, which was always music. With films, there are so many compromises. When I write a song, there's nobody in the way. The original intention of the song ends up in the final recording."

His friendship with Braff helped him get his recordings heard. "Zach and I always had a good creative rapport together. When we were both broke guys in L.A., I would run songs past him all the time. He would run script ideas. I gave him notes on the 'Garden State' script and saw that whole process happening."

Brothers helped Braff assemble a 25-song CD to send out with the spec script. "It was more like a mix tape than anything. It was a very natural, organic process of making music, as opposed to now, when I see more corporate-controlled soundtracks, where they're focusing on what's going to be the first single. They call and say, 'We want to put a "Garden State" soundtrack together.' I'm like, 'That's not going to happen - ever.'
"Sony didn't put any money into advertising that soundtrack. It was just something that happened in the most beautiful way - word of mouth, the way you dream it will happen, but never really think it will."

The Internet also helped Brothers find fans. "I guess now you can buy something that will add like eight billion MySpace friends. When I started, they didn't have that kind of thing, so I would stay up all night, e-mailing like 400 kids a night, then do it all over again the next night."

Hotel Cafe, a Los Angeles venue that launches many new singer-songwriters, also helped him emerge. Brothers organized Hotel Cafe tours, teaming up-and-coming artists to give them combined drawing power.

"We're going to do that every year till we're dead," he laughs. "That tour's just way too much fun. It's like summer camp for musicians on a bus."

Brothers views the tour as an ongoing opportunity to showcase new artists. "I'm in this kind of 'I want everybody to win' mentality."

Excited about embarking on a headlining tour with a full band, Brothers brims with optimism. "I just try to make sure something cool is happening every month. The record came out. Then the first video. Now the tour is going. After that, there'll be some songs in TV and movies. Then another Hotel Cafe tour.

"Long term, I want to be on a farm in Nashville, with a studio and my own label, producing other artists. Short term, it's just looking for that one thing to keep things going every month. That's as far into the future as I need to see right now."

Brothers isn't leaving his future to fate. "'Garden State' was a stroke of luck. Now I'm earning that luck back by getting out there and working my a-- off."

Hard work can accomplish as much or more than promotional dollars, according to Brothers, who spurned major label offers.

"There's less money, but I haven't had to sacrifice any control. I'm really happy with the way the record turned out and I know there's some things on there that I never would have gotten past a major label.

"I don't care about hits. Obviously, I want to be able to pay my bills. But I've lived in Los Angeles long enough to know it doesn't really mean anything to be a star. It means a lot more to be able to do what you want to do."