Brad Wolfe and the Moon
Brad Wolfe and the Moon
© 2005 Brad Wolfe Music (837101049184)
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Pop/Folk Rock - Clever lyrics, outstanding vocals, unique guitar sounds, distinctive songs, and life-affirming attitude.
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Hailing from Los Altos, California, singer-songwriter Brad Wolfe and his band (Brad Wolfe and the Moon) have risen from obscurity to garner one of the biggest and most passionate fan-bases of any unsigned group in Northern California. They are one of only a handful of unsigned local bands in recent memory to start headlining and selling out some of San Francisco’s largest national venues. Since June they have sold out both the Great American Music Hall and the Independent, each of which holds over 550 concert-goers. Mega-site Tribe.net not only recently named Brad Wolfe and the Moon “Hot Band of 2005” but also deemed Brad personally “one of the 25 most interesting people in the San Francisco Bay Area you’ve never heard of.”
The music is certainly a large part of Brad Wolfe and the Moon’s rise. While young music fans might identify Brad Wolfe and the Moon with John Mayer, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, or Tracy Chapman, astute music observers, like the San Jose Mercury, declare that Brad should be “compared with Paul Simon and Cat Stevens for his intelligent lyrics and distinctive songs.”
But the audience’s passionate connection to Brad Wolfe and the Moon runs much deeper than the music itself. For them, it’s about the way Brad has turned a negative into a positive. It’s about the energy and the message he exudes through his songs. It’s about the amazing story behind Brad’s career and about what the music of Brad Wolfe and the Moon has come to represent….
In 2000, Brad was president of his junior class at Stanford University and planning to head to Washington D.C. for the summer to intern for a U.S. Senator. Though Brad had been writing and singing songs since he was 15, he viewed music as a passion and a hobby rather than a possible career ambition. But in May of that year, Brad’s life path was forever altered by unexpected tragedy. His best girl friend, Sara, confided to him that she had been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare and often deadly form of pediatric bone cancer. Upon hearing this news, Brad committed himself to helping Sara in her difficult fight. He turned to his music and penned a song of hope for her. One night, Brad gathered a group of Sara's friends together at his parent’s house and surprised Sara with his new composition, "Sara's Got a Sunbeam." The song became an anthem of sorts during Sara’s illness and, for that evening, feelings of love and friendship overshadowed the heartache of Sara’s disease.
As Sara's condition worsened and she became bedridden, Brad visited Sara in the hospital frequently. On one occasion, Brad brought his guitar with him and, at Sara’s request, performed a bedside concert of his original songs. As Brad played, Sara’s spirits suddenly improved. For those few moments, her pain actually seemed to diminish. Brad was grateful and was struck that his music had the power to make a difference in Sara’s life. Thereafter, bedside concerts became a frequent scene at the hospital.
Sara's fight against Ewing’s sarcoma was difficult, yet it was also inspiring. Her unwavering optimism and love of life moved not only Brad, but all those who knew Sara. Though Sara passed away at the age of 21, her impact on the world, on her friends, and on Brad was permanent. In her memory, Brad decided to pursue a new life path: he made a commitment to share his music with the world and to use his talent to make a difference in the lives of young people like Sara who are engaged in a fight against cancer.
With newfound inspiration, Brad began actively performing for the college community. As luck would have it, a fellow Stanford alumnus and musician heard Brad’s music and offered him an opening slot at a small San Francisco club, the Tongue and Groove. After just one performance, Brad was immediately offered a monthly show at the venue. His career was in motion.
Soon thereafter, Brad put together a band of talented Bay Area musicians collectively known as Brad Wolfe and the Moon and entered the studio with the hope of recording a new demo. As the project got underway and excitement mounted, it became clear that a demo just wasn’t enough—the full LP, “Brad Wolfe and the Moon” had begun.
Multiple songs on the album, including fan-favorites “In the Middle of a Dream,” “Tall Grass,” “If I Could” and “Sara’s Got a Sunbeam” were inspired by Sara, and as the album neared completion, Brad started thinking about a way he could use album proceeds to benefit young adults, like Sara, faced with pediatric cancer. When he shockingly discovered that there were no existing organizations that dealt specifically with Ewing’s sarcoma, Brad knew what he had to do. Recruiting help from Sara’s friends and family and doctors from Stanford University, he established the Sunbeam Foundation. Named after his song honoring Sara, the Sunbeam organizers aimed the foundation at promoting awareness and raising funds for research and treatment of sarcomas, such as Ewing’s sarcoma, which affect children and young adults.
In June, Brad launched the album and the Sunbeam Foundation simultaneously, and the response to both since then has been overwhelming. NBC11, KGO radio, Gentry Magazine, and the San Jose Mercury have all subsequently run stories on Brad Wolfe and the Moon and the Sunbeam Foundation. Tracks from the album have received airplay on Bay Area’s AAA station KFOG as well AC station Alice Radio, which featured Brad Wolfe and the Moon for an amazing 15 weeks in their Local Artist Spotlight. The band has shared the stage with Howie Day, Tim Reynolds, Anna Nalick, Missy Higgins, Rusted Root, and Sara Bareilles. What’s more, through Brad Wolfe and the Moon’s music, the Sunbeam Foundation has received over $75,000 worth of donations in just seven months.
Brad’s humanity, his music, and his career have intertwined themselves into a powerful package that differentiates Brad from most musicians and allows Brad Wolfe and the Moon to reach listeners at their core. “I have so much wrapped up in my music and in what it represents,” says Brad. “It’s not just about me—it’s about life, the goodness of the human spirit, and about giving back to the world.” So take a listen for yourself, and discover Brad Wolfe and the Moon.
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Smooth CD that keeps on giving; radio-worthy
author: AmyWith his debut LP, Brad Wolfe (and the Moon) has released a CD that rivals anything out there in mainstream pop. In addition to its quality, to my knowledge, part of the CD's profits also go to the Sunbeam Foundation (see above). Pretty cool, eh? Well, the tracks to look out for are "Caroline," a sweet and poppy number and "Knock Knock," which has a smooth latin groove. Brad's got a unique voice and lyrics that are catchy. It's partly mainstream, but the music also hearkens back to an older, soulful era. This CD is not to be missed!