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Category: Music
Not many artists can match the fascinating origin story of Philadelphia
songwriter Suzie Brown: she's a Cardiologist by day and a local
musician by night, and she's built a dedicated base of fans and an
impressive schedule of concerts in less than a year!
Suzie’s success is a testament both to hard work and authenticity. She
is in love with music, and her powerful, effortless vocals and catalog
of heartfelt songs never fail to charm fans in rooms, halls, and bars
across Philadelphia.
Fresh from a monthlong Saturday residency at The Fire and a spot sharing the bill with LP Artist Up the Chain
at Milkboy Coffee, Suzie opened up to LP about the dichotomy of her
careers, how writing songs can be easy, and what she hopes to achieve
in the coming year.
LP: You're a cardiologist, which is a fascinating career for a
songwriter to have. But, you almost pre-empted med school for music,
right?
SB: I started playing music very late - my last year of college
in fact. I joined an a cappella group on a complete whim. I had always
wanted to do it but never had the guts.
I loved it so much and was scared to lose music when i graduated, so I
bought a guitar and taught myself some chords. Two years later, I went
to Berklee College of Music Summer Performance Camp, during the summer
before I was to start med school. As had been the case when I sang with
the a cappella group, I was overwhelmed by the opportunity to "study"
music in an official way - I had never given myself permission to take
my love for music seriously.
I was petrified to start med school, and petrified to lose the part of
me I could express through music. But in the end I was given the
advice: go to med school, and make time for music. That's what I've
ended up doing!
LP: What was your greatest musical accomplishment in the past year?
SB: Writing my first song!
LP: What inspired it?
SB: I had wanted to write songs, but was so afraid to write something terrible that I was paralyzed. It's the type A in me!
I met someone at the gym who also loves music. We got together to play,
and when he heard me sing he said "Suzie Brown, I can't believe you're
not writing songs with how you sing!" And I told him about being scared
to write something cheesy. He told me that if I was going to write
songs, I had to accept that some of them would definitely suck, that I
should get over it and stop being such a perfectionist.
He was spot on. So I started carrying a lyrics notebook around, and
wrote down my thoughts. It's totally cliche but I had a break-up, and
was feeling really sad, and wrote “You Can Lie" - it all came out in a
couple hours! I was completely shocked.
LP: How did you go from one song to more than ten shows a month
in the course of half a year, and now to festivals and headlining the
Tin Angel just a year later?
SB: I'm so lucky! I already had a large community of friends in
the music world, because even before I was writing songs I spent every
spare second going to see music.
At first I think I was a bit of a 'novelty item'--I hadn't told any of
my music friends that I could sing, and people were surprised and
probably a little curious. So by the kindness of the music community in
Philly, I got some great opportunities fairly early on.
LP: Do you feel like you take a more scientific or "Type A"
approach to being an artist than some of your peers because of your
medical background?
SB: Definitely! It's a hard habit to break, and I think
it serves me well overall. The one difference with music is that it's
not goal-oriented to me. It's really the process I love, and the rest
is gravy.
LP: In your bio you talk about the difference between being a
pillar of strength for patients while showing a vulnerable side as a
songwriter. How does one inform the other?
SB: I think learning to be strong and assertive was important
for me. I was a pretty shy kid. Medicine gave me a reason to feel
self-confident at a time when I wouldn't have otherwise - it was
something I was good at that felt like it was of some value in the
world. But it's lonely too! I have a softer side that I can't show
(though I think it makes me nicer with my patients).
It's great to do both--I feel much more balanced.
LP: What can your fans look forward to in the upcoming year?
SB: I'm releasing an EP later in the summer/early fall -
plannin' on a CD release extravaganza! I'll also be cutting back my
hours at the hospital so I can start expanding my music life even more.
I am especially looking forward to playing in other cities. My first
Boston and New York shows are this summer.
LP: What have you done to elicit audience engagement in your performances and at your shows?
SB: Really I just focus on singing my songs as honestly as I can.
LP: What is the most useful thing a community can do to support local music?
SB: Come see us play, and bring your friends!
LP: Why should your fans come to BYM Fest?
SB: It's going to totally rock!
Suzie Brown shares here songs twice on the bill at BYM Fest on May
16, and headlines with a full band at the Tin Angel on May 29. Make
sure to become a fan of Suzie on MySpace for updates on future shows and her upcoming EP.
Don't forget to say yes to our Facebook invite and purchase discounted tickets too see Suzie Brown at BYM Fest on May 16. Enter discount code SBROWN at checkout for $15 tickets!
4:05 PM
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