Brandon Wayne DeMaris has been immersed in the landscape of the Austin music community for nearly 20-years and now with the release of his second full-length studio album, “We’ll Be Alright,” he adds one more patch to the quilt of cultural heritage that Texas is known for.
With hints of John Prine and Bob Dylan, DeMaris considers his latest release something of an homage to the legendary Texas song-meisters who came before him, including a track titled “Viva Terlingua,” a throwback to the late Jerry Jeff Walker who passed away in the midst of the recording process. In total, the album includes ten original songs professionally recorded at Same Sky Productions in Austin, TX, by producer David Messier together with co-producer and accompanying musician, Dave Madden. The album concludes with the title track, “We’ll Be Alright,” featuring a duet with songstress, Erin Ivey.
A Pennsylvania native, DeMaris studied drum set performance at Berklee College of Music with an idealized dream of becoming a “rock star.” Upon graduating in 2004, he made his way to Austin to forge a career in the music business starting out as an unpaid intern for blues icon, Jimmie Vaughan. The dream of stardom is still alive in DeMaris, however it has been humbly grounded by the unfavorable odds against professional musicians in this modern era. Today, DeMaris runs his own concert production company, Good Wolf Entertainment, serving the Austin music community and beyond including his own formidable involvement launching music non-profit Black Fret, and the MusiCares Sober Jam. DeMaris attributes his time spent investing in the Austin music community as one of the inspirations for his own transformation as an artist:
“I believe success is the pursuit of passion and for me, the centerpiece of my world has always been music. My hope is that in creating a better world for artists & musicians, I may widen the path for my own artistic pursuits. It was quite a journey for me to move from the drum kit, which is often unlit at the back of the stage, into the lime light as a multi-instrumental singer songwriter. My debut album, “Brave Bones” was a testimony to the many layers of fear I had to conquer in order to claim my place in this world as an Artist.
On the heels of 2020, a time of global pandemonium and perpetual unrest, DeMaris emerges with a soothing declaration, “We’ll Be Alright.” The album cover, a candid photo from the artist lounge at Same Sky Productions, taken by photographer Nicola Gell, pictures DeMaris gazing up at a mural of entangled squid legs surrounding a model human head. The image somehow perfectly encapsulates both the tragedy and bewilderment of our present times.
In conjunction with the release of “We’ll Be Alright,” DeMaris also celebrates his “Over-The-Hill” 40th birthday. For some, this is a point in life where we begin looking forward to retirement and contemplating our inevitable end. As for Brandon Wayne DeMaris, it is plain to see, he is just getting started.