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During the summer of 1998, Brax Cutchin raised money for studio time in hopes
of completing a solo project. He had played in numerous bands on the East and
West coasts and had worked in film and television, even going so far as to gain
admittance into the Writer’s Guild of America.
But never before had he been able to concentrate on his music full-time. By
October, Brax found his way to Big Fish Studio near San Diego, California with
ten songs in hand and a dream for his first album.
As sessions got under way with producer Ben Moore, new complexities and innovations
arose in the music underlying Brax’s vocals. Ted Pence had been playing
bass with Brax for more than a year, and when a new drummer and a guitarist
were needed, Ted introduced Brax to two of his former band-mates, Mike Bedard
and Dylan Ankney. And thus, the band was born.
The resulting album, entitled Thru, with its introspective lyrics and swirling
musical style captures the paradoxical time in which these artists honed their
creativity.
Lyrically, some songs speak morally to issues like material vanity- thru breast
implants (Love Ain’t No Drag), the sloth of home shopping (Catalogue),
and the evaporation of personal responsibility (Don’t Be So Hard On Me).
However, other tunes offer liberating hope, extolling the potential of calculated
risk (1974), an existential halt to self-absorption (Surprise Party), and the
critical evaluation of co-dependent relationships (Disciple).
To celebrate the release of the album, the band added a horn section especially
for a CD Release Party in the summer of 1999. The place was packed, and Dan
Trammell, Kevin Malmgren, and Jason Hicks made such an impression that they
were immediately asked to join the band.
The addition of the horn section has further defined the original sound of
Brax, which is evident in new songs like That Way Forever and the live-show
favorite, Dragonflies.
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1974