This is an exciting point in Adam Briscoe's newly-blossoming career. The Agassiz singer/ songwriter has a solid list of local performances in his c.v., having shared the stage with established acts like Trevor McDonald, Jeff Bodner and Darryl Weyman. He's rubbed elbows with movers and shakers in the Vancouver music scene, and played the local coffee shop and pub scene.
Now, the 17-year-old is focused squarely on his future in the music industry.
And that means tackling the media circuit. He's been working through his first round of interviews this month, with this newspaper and Shaw Cable. In May, he's got a spot on SFU's radio station, CSJF 90.1, where he'll play live on the air.
Briscoe will also be on stage when the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay comes to Agassiz on May 11.
And when he's not busy performing live and making connections with other artists, he's busy at home writing, practicing, and working on the other most important part of modern music — social media.
Like most other musicians, Briscoe uses a multitude of media to connect with fans. There's Facebook, where he loads photos, videos and updates on his music, including links to his YouTube channel. He's an avid Twitter user, and is linked up with ReverbNation, a popular site among independent artists.
Right now, he's promoting his most recent offering to his fans, five new original songs now available on iTunes.
"Everyone thinks it's really good," he says, of the music. And so it should be. Briscoe was brought up with plenty of diverse music in the house, and started singing in Grade 7. He performed in a talent show back then, and has been on the stage ever since.
Of all the music he was exposed to, it was The Beatles that have had the most influence on Briscoe. And when he graduates later this year, his plan is to visit London for a Fab Four-inspired pilgrimage.
On the list of of things to do? Get on stage at the Cavern Club, a famous Beatles venue.
He's collected all the Beatles album on vinyl, and similarly seeks out LPs from his favourite Canadian artists, such as Lights and Mumford and Sons.
He's proud of his most recent recordings, which were created with the help of Trevor McDonald, who has acted as a mentor to Briscoe recently.
But he's not stopping there. Briscoe has written about 10 songs since then, often staying up until the wee hours of the morning in his parents' basement. It will be time well-invested, and dad Don Briscoe has learned to sleep with earplugs to afford his son the chance to play more.
"We seldom ever ask him to stop," he says, although there is a certain hour when electric guitar is off-limits.
Briscoe plans to take a year off after graduating, to continue working and gigging — one of Briscoe's favourite regular gigs is actually volunteering at local retirement homes. Next fall, he'll be delving head-first into the music industry, enrolling in the Nimbus School of Recording Arts in Vancouver.
For six months of the program, he'll be learning about the music business, and another six months will be spent producing records for other artists — hands-on learning that results in real-world products.
Nimbus is where the smash hit Waving Flag was produced, and it caters to independent artists.
The current issue with graduation credits won't apply to Briscoe. Due to the ongoing job action by B.C.'s teachers, many students are having to rely on Grade 11 grades for acceptance to universities. Others are uncertain of how they'll show credits for courses taken with a final report card. Because band classes count as more credits than others, he has all his graduation requirements in the bag already. And the only requirements for Nimbus are a Grade 12 graduation, a desire to be in the industry, and a passion for music.
And it's easy to see that Briscoe has it all under control.
To hear Adam Briscoe's music, visit him online on his Facebook page, search him on iTunes, or watch his video blog on YouTube.
news@ahobserver.com