Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Penington.
Brett, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Reader, be warned—there’s no wild rockstar tale here. I’m just a country boy from Bend, Oregon. My mom dreamed of music and lived it through us kids, while my dad worked his tail off to make it happen. The music scene in Bend was basically nothing—just the county fair and a couple of shows at the local amphitheater during the short summer. When I started learning music, it was confusing as hell. I was never great at school and my mind was always wandering. Sheet music and scales didn’t click at first. But somewhere in middle school I found a soul in my guitar. I went to my mentor Bill Hayes and told him I wanted to learn real music theory and how to write songs. He taught me scales, chord progressions, song structure, and the rules of songwriting. The more I practiced, the more confident I got.
At nineteen I recorded my first EP and released it in 2017. Those songs weren’t perfect, but laying down guitar licks and tweaking lyrics in the studio made me realize—I wanted to be a songwriter for the rest of my life.
The songs kept coming while I was working construction. I’d be driving a rock truck or shoveling ditches, stopping to record lyrics and melodies into my phone with the diesel engine roaring in the background. My coworkers looked at me like I was crazy.
Since there were no real venues or artists to pitch songs to back home, I moved to Nashville in 2018. That first week I played Douglas Corner and the Bluebird Café. One night at Douglas Corner I watched songwriter Troy Martin play one of his hits he wrote for George Strait. Hearing that song come from such an intimate stage pulled me all the way in. I’d never felt anything like the energy of that town—songwriters trading songs on back porches, harmonizing with people way better than me.
Covid killed my momentum and my gigs, but I linked up with an artist named Ashton Angelle. We recorded in incredible studios and I opened for some of my heroes. I had a big catalog and brought him in on those songs. Then, for reasons I won’t get into, he walked away from the project.
That hit hard. I felt abandoned after pouring everything into it. But my faith in the songs never wavered. I went back to a studio in East Nashville and tried again, only to have to start over once more…
I guess my story is the same as any Nashville story—I’ve heard no, I’ve had doors shut in my face, and I’ve been ground down by the nefarious Nashville machine…Still, I keep writing. Hundreds of songs in the can, only a few released. I just want to hear someone on the radio singing one of mine, a car full of people belting it out along with them. I got a lot of work left to do. Hope you’ll stick with me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve struggled financially for a long time now, but always managed to get by on my work ethic and finding ways to keep the lights on and strings on my guitar. My second biggest obstacle has been finding people who I can count on and trust.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Songwriter turned Artist, I’ve had some cuts by Ashton Angelle and Mattie Rose. I work construction during the day to pay my bills and I try to work extra so I have money to go record my songs. I’m proud of my songs and my music, but most importantly, I’m most proud of my resilience and staying in Nashville while so many have left. I guess what sets me apart from everyone else is that when I look you in the eyes, shake your hand and say let’s hang out I don’t want anything from you, I’m not trying to use you, I’m just always looking to make new friends.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you have the capability to put as much in as you can, and dedicate as much of your time as you can towards creating music and building relationships with musicians you can trust and be friends with… Do not wait!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brett_penington?igsh=MTJudnBjZGRldW51cg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brett.penington?
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@westerncharisma?si=HvVZKRsviX0Gou5l
