Local artist ready to go
Bryan Hodge sits at Frank Dean’s Guitar Shop in red high-top tennis shoes and explains his love and admiration of The Beatles, especially Paul McCartney.
The Beatles are a major influence on his music. Hodge admires the use of chords and minors in many of The Beatles songs.
"All my favorite songs tend to have lots of chords and lots of minors," Hodge said.
The use of chords and minors give his music "lots of places to go," he said.
Hodge will play at the Jefferson Street Pub at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Hodge is a local musician, who was born and raised in Indianapolis. He said he used to make glasses in a factory, but his primary source of income has always been his music.
"The jobs I liked best are the most boring jobs," Hodge said.
His said he can write music while doing that kind of work.
Hodge taught himself to play the guitar at age 13.
"I would play until my fingers would bleed," he said.
His earliest music memories include listening to his mother sing his favorite nursery rhymes. He remembers thinking, "words over music — what a great idea."
When Hodge was three, his mother used to let him listen to records as a way to distract him while she did laundry. Her music collection ranged from Glenn Miller to George Jones.
Hodge said he likes to perform pop and folk country. He usually plays covers of popular songs from various decades as a way to reach out to a larger group of fans. He prefers to perform his own songs, but he will play what the audience wants during a show.
"What may work in the kitchen will not work when you go to a club to play," Hodge said.
Musicians who write their own music make up Hodge’s music collection.
"It’s taking thoughts and feelings and turning it into words and music," he said.
Some of his favorites include Snow Patrol, Lifehouse and Fountains of Wayne.
"It’s like finding a needle in a haystack," Hodge said of his difficulties finding quality music.
Hodge plays in different venues, which include Mass Avenue Wine Shop, a small shop in Indianapolis that only allows local music. He also plays at Naptown Restaurant and Wine Bar once a month, where he can play any song that he prefers.
Hodge has worked with several other local musicians, such as Frank Dean and Ralph Jeffers. He said that musicians of similar talent or genres tend to "gravitate" toward each other.
This is Hodge’s second trip to Franklin and he said he is "looking forward to coming back."
