Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Belmondo

Hi Brad, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

First of all, thank you again for letting me share my story. Since I can remember, I have always shared a special connection with music, rooting back to the early days in which I would pound incessantly on my Dad’s collection of synthesizers from the 80’s and also where I found myself with music in my head constantly. Whether it be each step I took having its own rhythm and tonality, or singing and dancing all the time, or even playing certain songs exhaustingly on loop, there was always this thing in my head pointing to music. It wasn’t until I found myself facing bullying and being excluded from the community in which I had always just wanted to fit into that it was clear in my mind that music brought me not only a clear career path but also the happiness that I had always taken pride in having. Going through middle school, I began taking a stronger interest in recording and writing music, both covers and also songs that I had written. It was then that I started to teach myself music production, synthesis, and composition, while also teaching myself how to play piano. In parallel to this, my career as a young trumpet player was just starting. Through high school, battling bullying from parents and students alike, I put my best foot forward in developing all of my musical skills equally, allowing me to attend prestigious events such as the New York State All-State Conventions for voice, trumpet, handbells, and electronic composition, all the way up to NAfME All-Nationals as a vocalist. With an early career as a producer, sound designer, composer, performer, and trumpeter trained in classical and jazz music, I set my eyes on whatever high goals I could imagine. As a side note, I feel that it is extremely important to emphasize how thankful and humbled I am to have been given all of the opportunities and support for everything that I have been lucky enough to do. My next step, even through the depths of COVID, was at my dream school, Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Off the heels of releasing my first album, completing my first symphony, and graduating high school, I arrived in Boston with my masks and a new perspective on life. Coming from the small rural town of Westfield, NY in Western New York, the city life of Boston gave me a grand new challenge. It was there that I found opportunities to perform as a pop/rock artist, progress my abilities in different styles and genres, and learn the ridiculous skill of talking about harmony until everyone leaves the room. As well as this, I also discovered my love for scoring film and video games. With the connection that I feel with music as a synesthete and chromesthete, being able to sculpt a score to fit what is needed is a massive joy to me. Now, yes, the past few years during my time at Berklee, I have witnessed too many sunrises before sleeping and way too many times in which I’ve had to carry half of my gear strung around my body through the streets of Boston in order to get to rehearsal. BUT, all of these experiences make me appreciate the fact that I truly love what I do. Although there is so much more to discuss about what got me to the place I am today, the most important thing for me to say, is in order for me to arrive at where I am now as an artist, producer, scorer, etc., my love and passion for what I do and for changing the world for the better has always pushed me to reach the highest mark. And I will always strive to do so, not only for myself, but for those I wish to inspire, as well.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

No road has ever been completely easy, and in no way ever smooth. The way I see it, I believe that almost all artists have a road that isn’t smooth and contains more than enough bumps and rough edges. These bumps and rough edges are the most important molders of who we are and the art that we make, so even though they affect us greatly, it remains part of the reason that we are here.
As I said previously, growing up in a small town and not inherently sharing interests, beliefs, or common relationships led to more than enough bullying for me. More times than I can count, I came home questioning my optimism on school and on my relationships with people I knew. From being humiliated publicly by my own classmates to being a token non-religious person in my town (there would be contests in which kids would win major points in their church if they found a way to bring me into a service, youth group, etc.), for some reason I was just never accepted as who I was.
I went months watching the community celebrate with firetrucks and hallways lined with cheering for my classmates who achieved honest, but small sporting goals. In my final year in school, I pushed myself as hard as I could and was accepted as an All-Nationals musician, selected from students all over the country for my singing and trumpet playing. There were no firetrucks. There was no sendoff. No one even knew. In fact, it was never talked about outside of the music wing when I made All-States, All-Eastern, or All-Nationals. Regardless, one thing stayed the same for me. I appreciated the work I did for myself. I appreciated the fact that every day for 4 years straight I would wake up at 6 and practice my synths or trumpet to make myself better. Since then, I am happy to know that my community has seemed to accept me once again, but I realized that I could be the better person, cheering for those who never cheered for me. And as the world continues to change every single day, I realize that everyone, no matter how corrupt or taken advantage of, deserves to be appreciated in some way for being on this planet. The hard truth is, we are all humans and we are all here together. I couldn’t be more thankful for having a family that has given me all of the love and support that one could ask for. But it really makes me realize that that is what we really need right now. To be confident in the way that we can all love each other, regardless of who we are, much like the way that I continued to love myself when others around me told me not to.
In times when struggles in our everyday lives might be a daunting block in the road for the goals that we look to, I think it is so much more important for musicians and artists to utilize the feelings and pain that they have inside to motivate their art for the betterment of the world and our lives. It’s our job as artists to help smooth the bumps on the road for others to follow and lead their lives.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

Here we go; hold your breath and get ready for this list (I say as humbly and well-intended as possible):
I am a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, producer, performer, multi-media scorer, and sound designer; and yes, somehow I find the time to do them all virtually simultaneously. Since I was little, I grew up on classic rock music (and will always be a massive fan of it), but since then I have had the pleasure of playing and loving classical, jazz, Latin, funk, reggae, prog rock, pop, and even Celtic/Appalachian folk music. As a producer and as a progressive pop/rock artist, I create and produce music in many genres and styles. With this, I have released numerous albums under my name and performed both domestically and abroad. Coming soon, I will be releasing an avant-garde project that utilizes an immersive storyline within my album. I do this all for one reason; I love what I do. Following my graduation from Berklee, I have also been contracted to write music for video games and films.
Again, all of this to say, I do absolutely everything that I can because it is what I live for. Creating music is my outlet, and what brings me an immense amount of joy. As important as it is to me that I share my music with those around me, everything I do and make is mainly for myself.
I am extremely proud of my persistence and my ever-reaching goals to do what I feel is right. As a perfectionist, I spend so much time focusing on what I hope will inspire others and make them feel the way that I do. I feel that what sets me apart from others lies in my optimism for hope in the world, the progression of music as a human language, my style of mixing music, and also my sheer love for what I do in every way. With all of the energy I have, every day, I do the best that I can do.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?

Being at Berklee taught me valuable lessons about networking. Everyone around you at all times can be a very important connection in various regards. Someway, somehow, the person sitting next to you on the train or in a restaurant or that you decide to help may be only one step away from getting you where you want to go. This being said, PLEASE, just be a good person to anyone you meet. I have had a few experiences in which, out of good faith, I gave my time to someone in need, and, without me knowing, a relative or good friend had major connections in different businesses. Ever heard someone say that we live in a “small world?” It’s even smaller than you’d think. Be a better person when something goes wrong. Never burn bridges. What I have lived by all of my life is the belief that a smile goes such a long way. Even in a world in which you may not see a lot of happiness at the forefront of everyday life, just one smile on the street can give a tiny boost to someone else’s day. I say this all to pinpoint that everyone is an ambassador of their beliefs and their feelings. Especially as an artist, you should demonstrate the regard of someone whom to look up to. Networking works in way more ways than just one, so being a confident beacon of what you want to share and what you stand for goes miles; confidence is more than just key.
As far as finding mentors, look for people who inspire you and do what you wish to. Be friendly and be confident and don’t be afraid to reach out to ask for help. If it doesn’t get you what you need, no harm done! Maybe it just isn’t meant to be. A mentor should be someone who genuinely helps you in some way, even in a minute way that you may not understand right away. There are people out there who would be joyful to mentor you… Go find them!

Pricing:

• Independent Contracting – $ Depending on job

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/brad_belmondo_music/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradbel442/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-belmondo/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCerQP3OWxx7UNjUeuXkQQsQ
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Gt7Daa8ISX7iUxMaKNkwn?si=r6pXXE_lR8eh_HB14gNXAw

Image Credits

Doug Belmondo
Eliott Allemand
Berklee Valencia