A native of California, Brandon Henderson is a true independent. Writing, recording, and distributing his music on his own for the past four years, he has managed to reach a wide assortment of listeners thanks mostly to word of mouth and the internet. Residing and performing most frequently in Colorado, Brandon has built a loyal following by making sincere, acoustic-based music about the human condition. He recorded his first collection of songs, titled "Empty Room", while still a senior in high school and was surprised when, upon sharing the cd with friends, they wanted to buy it. "I really hadn’t planned on giving too many copies out, just to my close friends who had always heard the songs first. So when people I didn’t really hang with started asking for copies and how much they cost, I was pretty surprised. I suddenly had money for a ticket to go see Dave Matthews and for a Prom tux. I thought, this will work!" The following fall one of Brandon’s friends posted the disc on the download site Audiogalaxy and people started discovering it. "Empty Room" brought attention and e-mails from people all over the states wanting to know more about the budding singer/songwriter. Brandon continued developing his sound and the following spring he released his follow up, "Autumn." According to Brandon, it was his first "truly meant to be heard" album. "Autumn was something I actually was proud of and really wanted people to hear. It had a bit more instrumentation and was a bit more fully realized than "Empty Room," which was just a few weekends worth of recording at a friend’s house." "Autumn" helped to continue the growth of his fan base and garnered him his first attention from music review sites like crazewire.com and the since disbanded brokenstar.com. Brokenstar gave the disc five out of five stars. Brandon continued to gig around Colorado in support of the disc for another year moving to the college town of Fort Collins and playing regularly around the campus of Colorado State University. "Fort Collins was a good year for me because, never having gone to college, I didn’t get to have as much fun with my friends as them college folks tend to have. So I had a good time getting to be there with them. I also got to play with three good friends of mine on a regular basis and get my first taste of what it’s like to have a band." That same year, when Brandon wasn’t playing a gig or having a tasty bowl of Scooby-Doo cereal, he was busy refining and recording material for his next album to be titled upon completion, "Something True." The album would include contributions from his friends and part-time band mates and further his musical development into a style much more his own. It would also be the first album available to the masses via purchase from online music stores CDBaby and Awarestore.com. Over the next two years Brandon would split time between his native California and his family home in Colorado playing in support of "Something True" and using his travels as inspiration for new material. "California gave me a new environment to observe and absorb. I was able to use the time in relative solitude out there to really get focused and inspired to venture into new territory with the music. I was so inspired I just kept writing and eventually ended up with over thirty songs. Some of which I'm still working on." Out of that burst of creative energy came most of the songs on his newly released album, "Best Left Sketches". Named for it's scarce, solely-acoustic vibe and production, it is both an intimate journey through the mind and heart of Brandon and an exploration of his abilities as a storyteller. With the first track,"The Loneliest Girl at D.I.A.", Brandon endulges us to a scene he once witnessed between two lovers upon arriving from California at Denver International Airport and sets the tone for an album brimming with rich, memorable melodies and lyrics that are both thought provoking and lush with imagery. Other story songs include, "Lucy's Lucid", about a young girl who strives to see her dreams to fruition despite the toils of living in a domestic wasteland,"The Many Adventures of Billy Strong", about a young boy who uses his flair for drawing and the wonders of imagination to free himself from the confines of his wheelchair, and "Absolute Gray", a song that tracks the dialogue between a young hitcher trying to out run his troubles and the old man of the road who picks him up along the way. Ballads like, "Sea of Blue", "For What it's Worth", "How Bad Would it Be", and "Unwanted" reaffirm Brandon's talent for tugging at the heart and the angst-filled "Cold Air Burns the Lungs", and "Shot Glass" explore the more aggressive side of Brandon's sound. The song "Swing Set Junkie" reminds one of the simple pleasures of childhood and the albums spectrum of emotion is complete with the rousing, inspirational tracks, "Perfect Day", "King of Youth", and "Indemnity", a song that serves almost as a mission statement as far as Brandon is concerned. "It's more or less my stance on life and my retort to those who thrive on negativity and use it to try to bring me down. My great hope for that song is that it may serve as a motivator for anyone in pursuit of their dream should they need a little extra motivation." Brandon's main hopes for the future is to never stop growing as a person and an artist and to have as many listeners join him on the journey as possible. So if you’re looking for a fresh sound without the trappings of style and image over content and sincerity, then give his music a thorough listen. Oh yeah, and he hopes you dig it.