Brendan Hines

Contemporary folk, singer-songwriter

On his 2012 release, Brendan Hines comes off like a dreamy mix between M Ward, Conor Oberst, and the Mountain Goats. He lists among his influences folks as variant as the Clancy Brothers, Paul Simon, and John Prine, and would likely appeal to hard-core fans of each of these artists. His reserved, artful approach to his songwriting might also be of interest to fans of more stripped-down artists with more of an eye on traditional folk music (like that of some of Gillian Welch's moodier contemporary tunes, or anything by the Milk Carton Kids), even though Hines' music itself is decidedly not traditionalist.

Good for You Know Who (self-released 2008)

Small Mistakes (self-released 2012)

Brendan Hines' official biography starts off with the revelation that his parents were a nun and a priest of the Jesuit persuasion, who both left the church to pursue their relationship, and wound up teaching philosophy. According to a recent interview Hines gave to About.com Folk Music, the two had known each other in high school and had always been quite active in the church. They were friends, he says, who fell in love and had a change of plans.

As the son of two non-traditional people of faith, Hines grew up in the culture of the Catholic church and attended an all-boys Catholic high school in his hometown near Baltimore, Maryland. Discovering a lack of natural sports skill made him veer toward other activities within the school, as he searched for a social pocket of his own. He found what he was looking for in the theater department. The fact that no play could be produced without girls being shipped in from the sister school, didn't hurt his interest in the theater. Though he appeared in musical theater productions, his interest in acting mostly remained separate from that of music. He had picked up trombone in the school band and any interest he had in music was hard-focused in that direction.

After playing trombone for nearly a decade, his inspiration for that instrument started to wane and he migrated to the guitar - an instrument he credits with allowing him room to find his voice as a singer. His inclination as a songwriter, early in his interest in the craft, was one of "smart-alecky" adolescent music. But, after moving to Hollywood and making his way as an actor in the cutthroat television industry (he scored a recurring role as Eli Loker on the hit TV show Lie to Me and stayed with the series until it went off the air in early 2011), he found himself exploring the intricacies of life's intricate intimacies. Finding himself somewhat unemployed after a long stretch as a working actor, along with a songwriting friend named David Poe, Hines penned a handful of tunes about loneliness, heartache, and remorse.

The resulting album is set for release on Sept. 11, 2012. It will be his second self-released album, but marks a considerable departure from the first (which was titled Good for You Know Who). He describes the album as reaching for a "folk music from space" sound and indeed the album is built on a heady, atmospheric quality and rich, close harmonies which build an arc of tense emotion. In the wake of the release, he'll be on the road with the Milk Carton Kids before returning to LA for more music and acting pursuits. For a full list of tour dates, releases, streaming music, and other information, visit Brendan Hines' page on Facebook: The Brendan Hines.