A SONGWRITER'S OBSESSION
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| Brian Larney at Factory Underground Studio |
NORWALK — Last summer, Brian Larney enjoyed a picnic at the beach, the details of which he still remembers vividly.
He was at the boat marina in Fairfield, not far from the Black Rock apartment he shares with his cat.
He ate a sandwich — turkey with cheese — and a side of chips with iced tea. Stuffed from his feast, he did what any reasonable person at the beach would do.
But when he awoke, it hit him. He’d been struggling to name his next album and suddenly — perhaps caused by a sandwich-induced euphoria — he had it. The collection of songs he’d written as his own response to current events would be called “The Town Hall.”
“I was taking a nap after I ate a sandwich at the beach and it just came to me,” Larney said. “I wanted something identifiable and simple.”
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| Brian Larney at Factory Underground Studio |
By day, Larney is a software engineer at Norwalk-based Factset, a financial data and software company. But by night — and pretty much any free time he can find — he’s a guitar-strumming, piano-playing, song-writing musician who’s just released a new album through the Factory Underground recording studio and label.
The album is a solo project filled with songs written by Larney. He said the album is more “socially aware” than his previous albums, and the songs are more about his reactions to current events.
“I write all my own songs,” Larney said. “It’s my main obsession. Lately I’ve been getting more world-aware. In the past, generally it’s been broken heart crap. Loosely it’s rock. Someone once called it smart pop ... I thought they meant college rock. I think I’m a little less angular than that.”
He’s never been injured enough to find out for sure, but Larney is pretty sure he would bleed music notes in a dire situation.
“I got in a fight once with a singer and he said, ‘If I cut you, you would bleed music notes,’ and I really think that’s probably true,” Larney said.
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| Brian Larney at Factory Underground Studio |
Larney first fell in love with music as a child in Fairfield where his father would constantly play old records. As he got older he only grew more obsessed with songwriting, and even taught himself how to play the piano by sneaking into the music room at Fairfield High School for 6 a.m. practice sessions. Eventually, the school found out and — after reminding him not to use the room outside of regular school hours — simply gave him a key to practice whenever he wanted.
“In High School I was kind of a dork,” Larney said. “I didn’t have a ton of friends. But I played electric guitar at an ongoing show my freshman year and after that it was easy. People respected people who played music. I formed a band after that and I haven’t stopped making music since.”
Even as a software engineer at Factset, a job he’s held for nearly a decade, Larney has found a connection between his work life and his music, as well as the ardent support of his coworkers.
“I know a lot of software engineers who are also musicians and I think there’s a reason for that,” Larney said. “When it doesn’t suck, it’s like writing a song.”
Larney said he’s often thought about making the leap to full-time musician and part-time regular adult, but hasn’t worked up the courage just yet.
”One day I’ll just do it,” Larney said. "I'll just stop and just do it. On tour, I always say I’m going to. It seems so easy, and the happiest time for me is on those tours where all I have to worry about is getting to the next show where I get to play again.”
Larney’s album, ”America Needs The Town Hall” is out now, and available on iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music and www.thetownhallband.com.
kkrasselt@scni.com; 203-354-1021; @kaitlynkrasselt
