BRADMAN MUSIC
Song collector & multi instrumentalist, Brad Manosevitz was raised on Texas radio in Austin, and credits/blames his mother for relentlessly encouraging an interest in music. His time in Santa Cruz as a KPIG radio DJ has had the greatest influence on his present catalog: an eclectic mix of Americana, West Texas folk rock, bluegrass, classic rock & originals.
Bradman
has opened for Robert Earl Keen & Kinky Friedman, appeared on stage at The Wheeler Opera House & The Belly Up Aspen, and on KPIG (CA) Radio's "Please Stand By", KSPN, KSNO in Aspen, KDNK- Carbondale, KHEN in Salida, and KZMU in Moab.
“BRAD IS A TASTY CAT!”
About the songs…
CLIMBERS
This is the song that started it all. This song came to me in a dream in July. Songs have come to me (or I have gone out to find them) in many different ways, but this is the first song I have every dreamed. When I woke up from it, I knew if I didn't write it down, it would evaporate. So, half asleep, I stumbled out of bed, grabbed my phone, and made some notes. I went to my friend, Mike Martin, who has a recording studio in his basement, and told him I wanted to record this song. He said that if we were going to do one, we should do a few! POOF! - the Martini Ranch Sessions. I actually finished writing this song in Mike’s basement the morning we recorded it. It was mostly done but I wanted to make a few changes to some lines that were bugging me. The line “one climber holding, one climber held” was one of those last minute, late additions that I feel particularly good about. I really like how this one turned out.
OLD FRIENDS
This song was mostly inspired by my oldest friend, Steven Griffith, who I have known since 2nd grade. It was another old friend, Monte Warden, who I first heard say “You can’t make old friends”. Well, I just thought that was a song that needed to be written. I was down in Austin working at South by SouthWest, staying with Steven, who had this forgotten and forlorn nylon string guitar in a closet. I started writing this song on that guitar. This song took about 18 months - 2 years to fully form. I have some reservations about the line I lifted from Robert Earle Keen “The road goes on forever and the party never ends”. But, for good or for ill, it remains.
DEEP CUT
A “deep cut” is a song that is buried in an album and rarely, if ever, gets radio play. So if you’re going to hear a deep cut, you gotta buy the record and listen to the B side to find it. I thought of a “deep cut” in a different way for this song - a thought in my head that just repeats over and over again (This ever happen to you?). So I kept the “radio station” theme of the song and made a play on the "deep cut" concept. You dig?
SOLD AMERICAN
When Mike agreed to record with me, he made the suggestion that I do a cover. I thought about it for a moment and quickly settled on this Kinky Friedman song. I have a long history with the Friedman family and a personal tie to Kinky. I am an officially endorsed “Texas Jewboy” from the Kinkster himself. For many Summers I went to camp at Tom and Min Friedman’s Echo Hill Ranch in Kerrville, Texas. At that time, Kinky was this shadowy figure that we only caught glimpses of occasionally - like Sasquatch in the Texas hill country. He came to my bar mitzvah in his rhino foreskin boots and handed out cigars to all my 13 year old friends. I got to open for him when he came to the Belly Up. I last saw him in 2013 when I visited Echo Hill in the off season. The place was deserted except for Kinky and his dogs. Kinky left Planet Earth in June ’24. Covering one of his songs seems like a fitting tribute.
“My specialty is showing people a good time. I like honoring my heroes like Guy Clark, John Prine, Steve Earl, or Robert Earl Keen by covering their music. I feel good about sharing their music with audiences. And maybe, through me, someone will get turned on to something they've never heard before”.
In the Spring of 2009, Brad teamed up with Chris Klug; Olympic Snowboarder, organ doner recipient, & long time supporter. The Chris Klug Foundation is dedicated to promoting lifesaving donation and improving the quality of life for donors, donor families, organ transplant candidates and recipients. "I decided that I could put the music to work for a good cause by helping spread the message to each audience I play for" says Brad. More at chrisklugfoundation.org