Brad Colerick’s new album “Nine Ten Thirty” (Photo – bradcolerick.com).
On his latest release, Nine Ten Thirty, singer-songwriter Brad Colerick crafts his signature story-driven lyrics and Americana/alt-country sound from source material close to home — the town of South Pasadena, whose zip code inspired the name of the album.
By Elle Larson
The result is a musical love letter to his chosen hometown of the past 30 years, including “all the great talent I’m surrounded by here.” Calling the 12-track collection a “musical barn-raising” owing to all the local collaborators who helped with the project, Colerick and company will celebrate its release on August 25 at the Arroyo Seco Golf Course’s second annual Bradfest, a day of music also featuring such local talents as Pasadena Playboys, Twanguero, Rose’s Pawn Shop, I See Hawks in LA, and Abby & the Myth.
The title track, which features Grammy award-winning pianist Billy Childs, is a lively lyrical tour of the “Norman Rockwell town” of only 25,000 people. Careful listeners can even spot the sound of a flock of the rowdy, red-crowned parrots — famous for roving above the Pasadena area — which opens the song. The closer, “Route 66,” is the only cover song on the album, and the perfect song to spotlight South Pasadena’s long history at the end of a highway famous for inspiring countless American travelers — musicians in particular.
The other songs range from toe-tapping numbers that hint at Colerick’s Midwestern roots and time spent in Nashville to slower ballads that highlight his warm voice with relatable tales of friends, travel and self-reflection. On “The Big One,” he wonders whether he will have fulfilled his goals by the time the San Andreas Fault finally splits open again and reflects on how the ever-persisting drought mirrors his own endless thirst for more in life. Backed by expert guitar work and pedal steel, the songs are reminiscent of Americana icon Rodney Crowell and Lyle Lovett’s country offerings. Locals who contributed to the project include David Plenn, Tim Fleming, Dave Tull, Luke Halpin, Sally Dworsky, Aaron Childs and co-producer Guillermo Guzman.
In addition to playing at Bradfest on the 25th, Colerick also hosts a weekly Wednesday Wine & Song night featuring other Americana artists in the Blue Guitar Club at the Arroyo Seco Golf Course in South Pasadena.
Elle Larson is a singer living in Los Angeles. She enjoys listening to and making folk and jazz music, and in her free time enjoys traveling and tennis.
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