Pennan Brae, the artist behind "Arcade"
Pennan Brae means guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and producer, do you prefer one of your talents or is the mixture of it all that makes your creativity so special?
I really enjoy song writing and screenwriting the most. It’s a lot of fun combining the two into a music video. Lately I’ve been more time with music.
You are back with another great album in your pocket, what can we and our readers expect from "Arcade"?
‘Arcade’ is 10 tracks of 1970s and 80s-influenced rock and roll. The music is in harmony with the album cover art of a large 1980s arcade console.Some of the songs on the album, such as ‘Jettison’ and ‘Stage Right’, have more of an Eighties pop-rock flavour. ‘Arrival Time’ is more of a ballad from that decade while ‘Shrug’ and ‘Rumble’ consist of driving rock and roll. The album was recorded at Blue Light Studio in Vancouver; I’ve released the first music video off the album and plan on doing more throughout the Spring.
If you take a look back, what song was the most time intensive to record on the album?
All 10 songs were fairly even in that regard. We begin by recording the guitars and then vocals. Then we move on to the rhythm section of drums and bass and finally vocals and harmonies.
Mixing and mastering, how would you value it (maybe a percentage) in terms of creating/working on an album?
Mixing is good fun. It can take a good amount of time to work out the creases and set the volume levels. Writing and recording takes the most time and is the most fun. Mastering is essential but less time consuming in the overall process. I’d put writing and recording at 80%, mixing at 18% and mastering at 2%; figures subject to change!
How many guitars do you call your own and what's your favorite one?
I’ve 4 guitars and my favourite is the Fender Mustang. I love this wonky, offset guitar. It has a small neck which I find comfortable. I got my first Mustang in 2003 after falling in love with it immediately in the store. I didn’t know too much about it before. All the songs on the ‘Arcade’ album were recorded on the Mustang.
What three songs of yours would you recommend to a listener, who has never listened to your music before?
From past albums, I’d recommend ‘El Camino’ off the ‘Lit’ album. It’s a summertime rock and roll song. From ‘The Astronot’ soundtrack, I’d recommend ‘Crashland’ which features drummer Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) and INXS bassist Garry Gary Beers. It’s more of a modern rock track. And for something different, check out ‘Weed and Whisky Women’ (Distilled Mix) off the ‘Cinema’ album. It’s produced by Kirk Kelsey (The Smashing Pumpkins) and is a trippy, psychedelic remix of the rock and roll version on the song also on the album.
You have an enormous number of great songs, any chance to see you somewhere live on stage?
Most likely not this year but hopefully the next.
And of course, what are your plans for 2023?
‘Arcade’ comes out Jan 20 so I’ll initially by busy it. I’m currently remixing the original ‘2 Below 0’ soundtrack with producer Kaj Falch-Nielsen at Blue Light Studio. We’re running all the songs through a new soundboard and remastering them. We tweaked some things in the mixes and feel they sound a lot better.
I hope to release the remastered tracks in an album called ‘The Big Day’ later this year. I’m also currently working on a completely new album to follow ‘Arcade’. It will be called ‘Portal’ and will be out most likely in Jan 2024 with possibly a single or two coming out prior to that.
