Brian Smalley entertains live, on-line and on recorded media. The passion is for the guitar. Nothing is off limits. The well is deep. But the time is limited. So much still to do, and so few years yet remaining upon this earth to get it done. If you seek truly original music, then you will find on this website seven discs for purchase that will spark and delight, plus you will find hundreds of videos on fb & yt. If you seek a live performer, and your venue is serious about music quality and the atmosphere conducent to listening, then reach out to Brian Smalley via the email link below.
Bri@GRFF
An entire set with Brian Smalley courtesy of Hugh Malloch
All 7 of Brian Smalley’s Creations are
Available on Compact Disc…
…and Wax Cylinder Recordings for Your 1904 Edison Phonograph Machine…
…okay, that last part is a joke…
…there are no wax cylinder recordings. But it gets you thinking about dead media such as compact discs. Disc players are getting to be as rare as phonographs. Yet, for a musician to sell music on the internet streaming services is ridiculous! The artist gets maybe a penny for every dollar these companies make off our music. My hope is you will buy a CD, and if you’d like, message me for the google-drive-link. I’ll be happy to email this link to you, gratis. This way you can have both the hard copy, and the digital one too. Paying a streaming service for music does practically nothing to help the average musician. Buying a CD goes a long way to support the artist who has been hit so hard by the calamity of the past couple years.
CHOSEN
The newest release from Brian Smalley available now on compact disc. Take a listen to a few of the scenes.
What Are People Saying?
Gary Schwind / Americana Highways Magazine
“…captivating…the stories told in these songs make for a theatrical experience…”
Michael Stock / WLRN Miami
“…truly a work of art…”
Tom Haugen / Take Effect Blog
“…Smalley cultivates his own genre of music…where a theatric, sometimes dramatic, form of art unfolds across a fascinating body of work that you will want to revisit again…”
Richard Ludmerer / Making A Scene Magazine
“…this album is an ambitious undertaking and will certainly entertain you…”
Bao Le-Huu / Orlando Weekly
“…there’s a lyrical rabbit hole here that beckons you down, past the thin tourist facade of the Sunshine State, to the dark, swampy underbelly that's always lurked beneath.”
“Brian Smalley takes an ambitious approach to his new album CHOSEN, a concept album of sorts that shares stories of the people that worked in the sugar mills of the town of Chosen, a sister city to Belle Glade Florida, a place where immigrants and poor people were forced to work in deplorable conditions to keep the local economy alive. It’s a theatrical work in the truest sense, with the songs illustrating different scenes/chapters of Smalley’s self-described “acoustic novel.” With a variety of different vocalists singing the roles of the different characters on the lower side of the socio-economic and cultural divide, the album comes across as a neo-opera of sorts, with each performer contributing to the narrative via their dramatic dialogue. It’s a gritty tale overall, one that’s not widely known, but which clearly deserves to be known. Despite its bare-boned arrangements and folk-like tapestry, Smalley’s work still manages to take on epic proportions, making it a work that resonates remarkably.”
Lee Zimmerman
Goldmine / The Music Collector’s Magazine
CHOSEN is the only record from Brian Smalley to come out of a professional studio. Six previous projects were homegrown creations born on a digital multi-track dinosaur that has since landed in some landfill due to the fact that the hard drive for that particular machine is a thing of the forgotten past. Still, a lot of “blood, sweat and cursing” went into the work, and the music on these productions shines through. Even the packaging is homespun, each envelope is handmade, hand painted, and the disc too. No two are exactly alike. It’s a personal touch. Certainly not “Industry Standard.” No matter, that’s not Brian’s style. Here’s the rundown on these recordings:
Back in 2014, Brian Smalley made available his second acoustic novel KEY which regales us with the fictional antics and exploits of homeless Key West native, Painter Kellet. Often humorous, sometimes dark, the recording alternates between songs and spoken narrative. It’s all Brian on this one. No one else is involved, which is somewhat apropos, seeing as how the protagonist in this story is on his own too.
From 2013, Brian Smalley’s first acoustic novel ChickensPigs is historical fiction set in 1860’s Florida. The story of Son Calaway and a family torn apart during the American Civil War.
Great songs alternate with letters read by a talented cast,
spinning a deep and suspenseful narrative. This recording won Florida Times Union's "Best Folk CD Award" in 2014.
Jumper Creek Is Dry from 2009
finds Brian at a major turning point in his life.
The music mirrors this change.
A simplistic recording of complex songs.
One Guitar. One Voice. No multi-tracking.
No special effects. Pure music.
This 2003 compilation is a study on South Florida.
Off Season concentrates on The Florida Keys.
Some very funny stuff here.
And some starkly beautiful tunes as well.
Over twenty years ago, Brian Smalley put out Mangrove Run.
This recording stands out as a testament to desire, passion and…well, yes…fishing. But there’s so much more to this project. Each song has a ‘Twin.’ It’s all about Florida and exploration and memories.
Songs You Can Sing To Your Dog is Brian Smalley’s first solo record.
1998 was a very good year for guitar pickin’ and songwriting. The songs are wide and varied, drawing heavily on Brian’s love of family, history, road-trips and fur-babies.
CHOSEN
Brian Smalley’s first attempt at writing a novel. CHOSEN, from whence the acoustic novel/compact disc CHOSEN was born. (173 pages. approx 72,000 words. Paperback. 9”X6”)
Click the button for a free downloadable pdf which gives you the first three chapters of CHOSEN
Brian Smalley is a Florida guitar picker with ten crafty fingers, a variety of musical styles and multiple personalities
During his long musical career, Brian has worked to develop a motif that he describes as the “Acoustic Novel,” replete with plot and sub-text, providing a mental landscape that is something akin to aural musical theatre. First and foremost, these works are guitar albums, with the core purpose to produce pure original music; but there is something else here for those desiring to delve deeper. His newest project CHOSEN boasts a gaggle of talented folks who help to tell this nearly eighty minute story, and is particularly tasty when listened to on headphones. There’s something for everyone here, where there is a conscious effort to amalgamate many musical genres. Everything about this record is aimed toward the process of discovery, and there are many secrets hidden inside to unlock.
(Photo courtesy of Kathy Bernardi)