Bruns

With the breakup of his first band, Churchill, Tim Bruns left a single with radio airplay and a continental tour that would take him where every musician would conceivably like to go. This was supposed to be the stars aligned, the dream realized, or any other platitude that suggests success in an industry where most never get their first chance, never mind a second.

But it wasn’t right.

Tim tried swearing the business off altogether. He tried mowing lawns and working as a maintenance professional. He tried writing songs for other people but it only made the inevitable conclusion to his story come into focus.

It was out of this soul-searching that B R U N S, a classic American rock band, was born. Tim moved to Nashville and met Ryan Harris Brown, an incredibly talented guitar player and songwriter. Then came Tom Whall, a drummer that provided an essential backbone to their budding sound. They played together for almost seven months before the idea of a band became a reality. In that time, all three members gained a new appreciation for patience and crafting – an art form that Tim wanted to desperately protect as he returned to music.

A powerful self-titled five-song EP became an organic extension of everything Tim, Ryan and Tom had gone through in their journey to this point, neatly packaged by their simple vision for what an American rock band should be: Guitars, pianos, bass and drums; Catchy but overwhelmingly introspective; Jarring but inspiring. Dealing with pressure, expectations and the idea that everyone is getting older can be complex emotions, but in under 30 minutes their music provides a decade’s worth of therapy and encouragement.

B R U N S is a gospel-infused Tom Petty as much as it is Bruce Springsteen in the New South. While the rest of the country yearns for simplicity, they have somehow adopted a style of music that only becomes more complicated with the passage of time. B R U N S is a well-earned retreat from the modern noise. A real guitar band.

Tim’s vocals, reflect the intensity of a born musician finally playing the songs he was meant to play. Ryan’s guitar adds an element of vintage sheen that lends the band a signature sound amid a Nashville music scene teeming with hungry musicians. Tom’s rhythm, steady and simple, carries the sound from cover to cover.

It serves as proof that a dream deferred may be the best one.