Singer/songwriter/blues guitarist Brian Curran
is just south of Iowa City. He’s on his way back from a Des
Moines coffeehouse show, heading to Hannibal for an evening
restaurant gig. As we talk, his cell phone crackles and cuts out.
“Man, I’m losing you,” says the traveling
28-year-old troubadour. “I’ll call when I get through
this stretch.” A few minutes later, we’re back on the
phone. He’s at a rest stop, and the reception is much better.
After his Hannibal gig he heads back home to St. Louis for a
weekend of shows at various joints such as the Tap Room and the
Broadway Oyster Bar.
“I’m one of the luckiest guys in
town,” he says, “and St. Louis is one of the best
places to make a living playing music.”
Curran was born in Milwaukee and moved to the
Gateway City when he was 8. He started playing guitar at 12; by 18,
he considered himself a professional musician. Through solo, duo,
and band gigs he manages to stay busy. “I played almost every
day in May and June and sometimes twice on Sundays and three times
on Saturday,” he says. “When you’re doing it for
a living, you got to take what you can get when you can get
it.”
That’s a lot of playing time —
there must be a secret to his success. “I’m goofy and
silly onstage. I ramble a lot,” he says. “I think
I’m kind of shy, and that’s how I get over it, telling
stories and talking to the crowd.”
Four years ago, Curran signed a three-record
deal with St. Louis-based Wildstone Media. He has released two CDs and has plans for a new disc sometime in the
not-so-near future. “I’m going on an extended search for my
niche,” he says. “The next record I want to be more of a
reflection of where I’m at now.”
In addition to his steady St. Louis shows he
travels the Midwest, entertaining complete strangers for tips and
CD sales. “If I knew the music business was going to be like
this I would have never gotten this far into it,” he says.
Why not quit, then? “I couldn’t imagine doing anything
else,” he replies. “It’s fun. Making people happy
— that’s my goal.”
Brian Curran plays the Sun’s Up Koffee
Kafe, (1001 N. First, Friday, June 17, 7 to 9 p.m.
522-5348)
This article appears in Jun 16-22, 2005.
