For decades, the Classical Music world has been seen as aging, stale, and predictable. Enter The 5 Browns. Yesterday I interviewed The 5 Browns, and I was really excited to have the opportunity. They consists of 5 virtuoso piano players (Deondra, Desirae, Greg, Melody, and Ryan) who have went on to even Top the Billboard Charts with #1 CD Releases. After being on Sony Music‘s Red Seal since early in the decade, the 5 Browns are ready to launch their new CD “The 5 Browns Go Hollywood” on their new label, E1. With repertoire from Gershwin to Grieg, their performances are stunning. It was pretty fun being able to talk with young performers who I identify with – so much so, that after the interview I wanted to just keep talking with them and not keep asking ‘work’ questions – but we have our schedules! So, joining in this interview was Greg, Melody, and Ryan:
The 5 Browns and 88 Keys
My first question is from Sindia who twittered “How many crew members do they have to travel with for all their pianos?
Melody: 1 crew member. Steinway takes care of stage hands at each particular venue. Each venue also has their own crew usually, so that helps too.
Who does the arrangements?
Greg: All five of us choose the songs. Greg Anderson, my classmate from Julliard, who is the same age as me, actually arranges them. They’re usually very difficult to play. For our most recent CD “5 Browns in Hollywood“, we have 3/4 arrangers.
Do you arrange the pieces to be more difficult than your current ability, forcing you to grow in order to play the repertoire (similar to Dream Theatre)?
Melody: I have a feeling that Greg (Anderson) purposely arranges the music to be extremely difficult to play (laughs). Each piece is very technical, so that alone keeps us growing. It makes us happy, its challenging for us, and for the listener. We have a ’5 pianos and orchestra’ piece that is being commissioned – and that will be exciting too.
Coming from a background in Utah, I see there are no tour dates in that state – why is this, and are there plans to tour there soon?
Ryan: We love playing Utah. Just played in March of last year, and plan to play there again in 2011. We try and play every city every year. Usually certain concert venues only allow a performance every 2 years.
Most bands perform in one location for years and build up a following first. Do you ever get upset about the annual city performances?
Melody: We’re grassroots level. Its a little bit difficult, because summer is when we learn all new stuff, and then have to perform. Its difficult to keep coming back, but its important to build excitement and keep classical repertoire fresh every time we perform. Its different music, and by not performing in the same venue every 3 months, we keep things fresh for our audience.
Any new works coming up, or using technology with your audience?
Greg: Our ’5 Piano and orchestra’ concert we’re working on is going to be explosive. Our PBS special shows us live in concert, and there we talk to our audience between songs, and that’s how we really connect with them. Social media is important because of new mediums and new audiences.
I notice you perform at a lot of Universities and Theaters – why is that?
Greg: we try and keep balance – we’ll play big orchestral halls, try and get the music to be all people. Biggest goal to get people to come experience this music. From the small towns to the big new audiences.
How did the connection between you and RCA Red Steal first come about?
Greg: We all finished up Julliard, then got approached by a manager who set up auditions between record labels and agencies. Then we signed with Sony, and its been great. After our 3rd CD our contract was up, and we’re now signed to E1 Entertainment for The 5 Browns in Hollywood.
How long does an arrangement take to arrange, practice, master?
Ryan: It takes basically 3 months until each piece is set up. Then we separate each piece and oversee it and perfect it for concert and CD releases. We’re usually working on solos, duos, 5 piano (literature) and more all at once. Basically, it takes one entire summer to practice an entire concert.
Any future plans for more popular works performed on Piano? (Bon Jovi, Lady Gaga, etc.)
Melody: Our true love is Classical Music. We have branched out to do film music, which was a cool collaboration. Our favorite band is Coldplay, so we may play one of their songs one day during our set. I feel its best to leave the Madonna and Lady Gaga pieces up to them (laughs).
How has social media (Twitter, Facebook, Podcast) changed how you communicate with your audience?
Greg: The thing we love about those sites is that it keeps us in touch with the people that follow us directly. We’re not only on them for ourselves, it’s for them. We can discover new audiences, and allow audience interaction. I think about the 14 y.o. kid who is in Missouri that may not have found us if it weren’t for social networks.
Anything you should let others know about future plans?
We’re excited about our new CD – it’s our best work yet. Funny that its a Hollywood album.
Photo by Andrew Southam
Our iTunes Page
Songs We’ve Arranged
Buy Me A Pizza
Become A Fan
