By Chuck Whiting
MCAU Editor
NASHVILLE -- PJ Brunson
is a South Carolina-based singer, songwriter, composer, guitarist and pianist
who has performed extensively across the Southeast region, opening for
legendary artists such as
Lyle Lovett and
Nanci Griffith.
Known in
the Carolinas as the "female James Taylor", the acoustic folk/easy
listening artist delights audiences on guitar and piano with hints of
Americana, country, pop, blues, Celtic, new age, classical and rock. Her songs,
instrumentals and lyrics reflect her deep appreciation of poetry, art,
literature and Southern heritage -- with imagery-accented stories of love and
lore that appeal to audiences from all walks of life.
PJ has
received accolades from fans and the media alike. The publication Creative
Loafing named her Charlotte's "Best Acoustic Folk Act". Her latest
album, "Home To Me", was nominated for Folk Album of the Year by
members of the International Music and Entertainment Association.
PJ wrote
her first song at age 5 (a rewrite of the love theme from the movie
"Exodus") after she nearly drowned during a family outing to Santee
Lake in South Carolina. Her "beloved" adoptive father rescued her
just in time.
"I
remember being in a tunnel, seeing the light, feeling divine arms enfolding me,
and hearing a voice whisper 'it's alright'," PJ says. "In that
moment, I felt a peace unlike anything I have experienced since. And once on
dry land, I felt an overwhelming longing to return to that sense of peace. What
I ultimately hope to share in my music is the feeling, knowledge and hope that
peace exists beyond this world and beyond all of our problems."
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| PJ Brunson (Photo provided by PJ Brunson) |
Her
grandmother on her father's side paid for piano lessons after convincing her
mother to buy a piano. Her maternal grandmother bought PJ her first "real"
guitar when she was 16. She learned to play the instrument by observing a folk
guitar teacher on ETV. Her first paid gig at a local club led to a TV
appearance and opportunity to record in a real studio. She later studied
classical guitar and piano after landing a music scholarship to Limestone
College in Gaffney, S.C.
One of her
greatest accomplishments as a budding professional artist was opening for
Lovett and Griffith at Spirit Square in Charlotte and advancing to the second
round of the "You Can Be A Star" talent search. She has performed at
a host of prominent venues since then, including Nashville's Commodore Lounge
and Renaissance Hotel.
The
singer-songwriter has recorded six albums as a solo artist and/or member of the
New Age duo Ananda, with songs airing on radio stations and websites around the
world.
"I
describe my latest solo album, 'Home to Me', as a love-in-all-phases CD: the
good, the bad, and the ugly," says PJ, whose performances and recordings
feature some of the South's top folk and Americana musicians. "Performing my songs is the one thing I know
I can do to make the world a better place. It's the opportunity to share my
story and make someone smile, feel, think about something in a different way,
and even cry if they have to."
Fans have
praised the 14-song project as comforting, drifting, thought provoking, life changing,
and authentic -- a gentle way to find peace in a troubled world. The Herald
newspaper in Rock Hill, S.C., described her performances as "so clear and
captivating... she has often been compared to Joan Baez and Karen
Carpenter."
Using
lyrics that often sound like poems, PJ treats listeners and audiences to
metaphorical stories of life, love and legend. The songs are brought to life
with the artist's mesmerizing alto vocals and intricate finger picking on
acoustic guitar. Other musicians on the
project include violinist Glen Alexander, double bassist Tom Hildreth,
background vocalists Jessica Lynn and K deValk, flutiest Laurie Neal, and
percussionist Donny Fletcher.
"Hopefully,
my songs and performances are cathartic, making people forget about their
problems for a while and find something worth taking home with them at the end
of the night," says the artist. "It's my purpose -- What I've sensed
was my purpose since I was a small child."
PJ serenades
the Spirit of Love with the tune "Morning Song", blissfully
describing how euphoric she feels at various times of the day. "We'll
share our midnight dreams," she sings to her suitor. "...Holding on
until the morning light."
The artist reveals
her appreciation for Greek lore with "Pegasus", an ode to Poseidon's
winged stallion who scattered stars across the night sky. The singer longs for
something she doesn't or can't have and being shackled by things beyond her
control. "So, Pegasus fly me away on your wings... When the songs become
shackles a singer can't sing... A poet inspired but lonesome am I... For I want
the moon but I can't reach the sky."
One of the
artist's favorites is "Crystal Glass of Romance", a song about
someone who still believes in love even when relationships don't last. "I
have been a thousand times where some people only dream of... I've known the
peace of mind that the lonely never find."
The artist has
performed her original songs at restaurants, bars, churches, weddings,
bookstores, festivals, parks, private parties, and coffee houses. Other
appearances include the Charlotte Music Awards Singer-Songwriter Showcase; the
Awendaw (S.C.) Green Barn Jam; The Come-See-Me Festival in Rock Hill, S.C.; the
York (S.C.) Summerfest; St. John's United Methodist Church in Vacaville,
Calif.; Community Performance Center in Rock Hill, S.C.; the Sylvia Theater in
York, S.C.; Manhattan's in Knoxville, Tenn.; The Grey Eagle in Asheville, N.C.;
Cafe' 99 and Cumberlands in Charleston, S.C.; Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in
Belmont, N.C.; and various writers nights in the Carolinas and Tennessee.
According
to Kristy Marett, a writer for the blog Gig-Spotting, the artist
"effortlessly bridges the eras of our favorite music, and melds them
together with a flavor that's seasoned, yet fresh."
PJ's other solo albums are "Long Road -
Live" (2003) and "Come Hell or High Water" (2001). Her New Age
duo Ananda has recorded the albums "Comfort and Joy - Christmas"
(2013), "Dusk Till Dawn" (2012), and "Still Waters" (2010).
"A
gem... a real class act all the way through... clearly one of the very best
female guitarists in the area," raved Rob McHale, host of the Summit
Coffee Songwriters Showcase in Davidson, N.C.
The
singer-songwriter has received substantial news media coverage, appearing on
WMNF-FM in Tampa, Fla.; "The Session with Tzima Brown" on radio
station 95.9-FM The Point in Columbia, S.C.; WSGE-FM in Dallas, N.C.; WGWG-FM
in Boiling Springs, N.C.; and "The Bo Travis Show" on Charlotte Cable
Television.
PJ loves to
reflect on her South Carolina upbringing.
"I was
raised in Sumter, S.C., with "a lullaby running through my head...
literally," the artist laughs. "You can actually hear that line in my
song, 'Lullaby'."
She knew
she wanted to be a musician after watching a guitarist/singer perform on
television. Music was playing all around her. Her grandfather on her mother's
side played guitar on the front porch or in the living room, much like Andy
Griffith did in TV's Mayberry. Her great-grandfather on her father's side, whom
she never met, was a classically trained pianist who played ragtime in the
honky-tonks of St. Louis. Her mother and father, who were musically inclined
and could sing, encouraged her to develop her talents. Family members listened
to a wide range of recorded music by artists such as Johnny Mathis, Neil
Diamond, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Charlie
Pride. But growing up, PJ's favorite artists were Simon and Garfunkel, Jim
Croce, The Carpenters, and Harry Nilsson.
"I
want to touch hearts across the nation and around the world by writing and
performing powerful music that connects, heals and comforts people," PJ
continues.
