Brax Cutchin is a singer-songwriter who recently relocated to Los Angeles from San Diego. For the past three years, Brax has been singing and playing guitar with his seven-piece rock band throughout Southern California. His new release, March, demonstrates Brax's adeptness with pop hooks and intelligent lyrics, and showcases his strong, distinct vocals. The musicianship on March is top-notch, starting with the band's foundation: drummer Mike Bedard (who also sings excellent backing vocals) and bassist Ted Pence. Through melodic counter-point and vintage, moody tones, Mark Huls creates buoyant guitar textures that complement Brax's rhythm guitar. Horn flourishes by Dan Trammell (trumpet), Kevin Malmgren (trombone) and Jason Hicks (saxophone) add a unique dimension to the sound of the band, while Ben Moore's tasteful organ pads and quirky keyboard runs complete the sonic picture. Musically, Brax digs in. Listeners find rock 'n' roll guitar riffs, modern grooves, singable melodies, textural horn arrangements and harmonious vocals throughout. Comparisons to proven artists are varied: U2, Dave Matthews Band, The Police, Van Morrison, Radiohead, the list can go on. Ultimately one realizes Brax is Brax. It's passionate, literate pop songwriting with a little reggae, a little R&B and a bit of jazz, some 80's arena-pop and a whole lotta rock 'n' roll. Lyrically, Brax takes you there. Whether eyeing a woman across a bar and trying to muster the courage to talk to her by ordering "another pint of Guinness" (That Way Forever) or taking the red-eye across the country to be with distant loved ones (Another Planet), Brax sets a scene and brings the listener along. Creature Unreal is an enthusiastic romp through emotional revelation, and in Light Soldiers, the singer takes us onto the battlefield of self-examination, where we are surrounded and asked to put our "love on the outside." Bum's Rush rounds out the March EP by asking not to be ejected - perhaps from the bar in That Way Forever, but certainly from the CD player. The release of the new CD comes on the heels of an eventful year for the artist. Brax received nominations for two San Diego Music Awards in 2000: "Best Rock" and "Best Pop Album" for his first CD Thru. The band was also nominated for "Best Rock Band" in the 2000 San Diego Reader Best of San Diego poll. Brax was a featured artist on ESPN's national coverage of the 2000 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, and the single, Don't Be So Hard On Me, received radio airplay while that song's video became a staple on a local San Diego television station. Brax is a member of American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). History 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 bandmates, 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.