Brittney Wells
A little Q&A with vocalist and pianist, Brittney Wells.

Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself.
Brittney: You know that 6 year old little girl you see every once in a while that was obviously playing dress-up and somehow managed to convince her parents to let her venture about the town with glitter on her eyes and red painted on her lips, swimming in what's obviously her mother's dress, and wearing a multitude of necklaces that reach down to below her knees? Yep... that was me.

I was destined to have an audience from the time I came out of the womb. Quite literally, because there were complications with my birth and the cavalry was brought in to help with the C section!

Growing up, anything that required some sort of creativity had my name written all over it. In fact, I still enjoy a good Winnie The Pooh coloring book from time to time!

LB: How did you start out making music?
Brittney: I didn't always write songs. As a kid I was really involved in theater, because at the time it was the only form of art I knew of that involved performing in front of an audience.

I picked up the piano when I was in third grade (...either I was a strong kid, or it wasn't a very heavy piano) but it wasn't until high school that I started singing and began seriously considering music as my career.

I had a few friends in high school that wrote songs and played out at open mics. When I saw them doing this, man, I had to do it too. It called to me.

When I got into Berklee College of Music, I really delve into the songwriting world. Once I started, it was impossible to pull me away from my piano and my microphone. In fact, I had to get them both surgically removed... just kidding.

LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now?
Brittney: I actually didn't start listening to artists that influence my style of music until the past two years. When I discovered artists like Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor, Bon Iver, and Chris Thile, it was like being reborn. I became obsessed with their unique vocal lines and specifically, Ingrid's witty wordplay, Regina's quirkiness, Bon Iver's simple accompaniments, and Chris's vocal harmonies.

LB: Tell us about your latest release.
Brittney: My latest release is a 5-song EP titled "Anyway". While writing the songs to this record, I had a heaping pile of stress coming at me in every form possible: family troubles, relationship issues, and young adult woes to the max. The only way I knew how to solve them all and move on with my life was to take a deep breath, release an album, and shrug it all off by saying, "anyway"...

LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows?
Brittney: I get out and play my music live any chance I can get! I've played for private parties, backyard barbecues, city bars with wailing drunks, coffee houses with indie hipsters, college events, college radio shows... you name it.

My backing band is comprised of the best three guys a girl could ask for and I can always count on them to fill in space between songs by telling embarrassing stories about me. Believe me, they’re abundant!

If you ever make it out to a show and I know you, come say "hi" because I've missed you dearly! If you ever make it out to a show and I DON'T know you, definitely come say "hi" because I've missed not knowing you (laughs).

LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy?
Brittney: Writing a song is like having an epiphany, and at the same time it's an amazing release of emotions. I never get tired of playing my songs, because each time it reminds me all over again why I do music and why I write songs in the first place. My songs help me realize the things I'm too blind to see otherwise. It gives me the opportunity to see things from another perspective. In a way, songwriting helps me fix all the things that go wrong in my life... a form of self-help, I guess.

Recording gives me one of the best feelings I've ever gotten to experience, because it's like keeping a diary. I'll have those recordings forever, and when I listen back to them I can remember all over again how I felt when I wrote them. I only hope that listening to my songs can do for my audience, what writing them has done for me.

LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music?
Brittney: Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/brittneywellsmusic

CDBaby:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/BrittneyWells

Bandcamp:
http://www.brittneywells.bandcamp.com

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