Ky J. Brandes creates indie-rock ear candy out of a small home studio in Nashville, TN. Brandes’ songwriting is earnest and vulnerable: punchy melodic bass underneath layered guitars, luscious strings, and tight grooves. After almost a year of recording and rehearsing new material with a full live band, Brandes is tackling Nashville with an intense energy and unique sound.  

It all started after leaving his dusty, dead-end hometown of Amarillo, Texas, when Brandes found a home in Nashville to pursue a bigger and better life. He enrolled at Belmont University as a commercial bass performance and audio engineering double major to perfect his craft for indie rock hit-making. Less than a year in Music City, Brandes was given the opportunity to join the university’s bluegrass ensemble as the upright bassist.

After a few years of playing in the school’s productions, late night bar gigs, and debuting with the Belmont Bluegrass Ensemble at the Grand Ole Opry, the twangy, honest, and raw qualities of bluegrass songwriting began to influence the way Brandes wrote songs. In 2023, he found the inspiration and calling to start releasing this earnest and heartfelt music to the public.

Following the release of a trilogy of singles in 2023, Brandes teamed up with producer, Oriana Flores-Lyon to start work on a six song EP titled Since I Left Amarillo aimed to capture a wide variety of influence in genre and style and craft a unique new sound. With euphoric, intricate guitars, punchy melodic bass lines, and guest appearances from extremely talented local musicians and friends, a new group of songs showcases years of growth and maturity. This catchy, indie-rock ear worm of an EP is scheduled to release October 25th, 2024.

Once recording was completed in spring of ‘24, Brandes introduced an exciting and hard-hitting live act with a little help from his friends. Since June of this year the Ky J. Brandes full band have been making their mark in Nashville’s underground scene.

For now, roll your windows down and press play on “Hunger ”, the lead single off the upcoming EP, to be immersed in the world of Ky J. Brandes.