Show at Paper Heart marks homecoming for Hubbard - AZCentral.com

​Show at Paper Heart marks homecoming for Hubbard

Nicki Escudero
azcentral.com
Sept. 13, 2007 12:00 AM

He left Phoenix for a girl and a new career in Los Angeles, but former Valley musician Brodie Hubbard is coming back for his only Arizona show this year.

The indie country singer performs at the Paper Heart on Sept. 15.

Hubbard said he heard about some haters after he made the trek out West, but he insists he wasn't selling out for fame.

"When I first heard the idea (of him selling out), I thought it was silly," Hubbard said. "I was doing what was right for me. I had been in Phoenix all my life . . . I didn't come to LA to get away from Phoenix or to be a big star. I just came because that's the direction my life took me. That it happens to be the hub for entertainment, that's just an added benefit."

Hubbard said he didn't realize how hard he'd have to work as an aspiring script writer in Los Angeles, but he said he's happy with his decision to try something new.

"It's almost like retirement," Hubbard said. "I'm working, but I don't worry about the same things I used to. I don't worry about how I look, I don't worry about having to meet anybody. I don't worry about having to find a girl and somebody to be with because I'm with her."

Hubbard gained popularity while he was involved with Phoenix's local arts community with his solo performances. Hubbard hosted an open mike at the Willow House in Phoenix and was a co-host for the local talk show Grand Avenue Live!

Hubbard said he is eager for his first official homecoming.

"I miss Phoenix," Hubbard said. "I miss the support I had there from people who came to my shows and came to the open mikes. I am having to start over again as far as growing a base of supporters here of patrons who are going to come to shows."

Hubbard has played several shows in the Los Angeles area while doing freelance work as a production and editorial assistant, and he's also been featured in various acting projects.

He met his girlfriend of two years, who is a musician from Los Angeles, when she performed in Arizona. He said his love for her is why he moved, though he also was interested in pursuing a career in script writing.

Although Hubbard said he is happy with his life in California, most of the music he performs is dark. Some of Hubbard's earlier music was inspired by the end of his relationship with his ex-wife. His divorce affected him so negatively that he became depressed and drank heavily, which inspired some songs with violent, murderous themes.

Hubbard said he currently has a much more peaceful attitude, but he writes his new tunes as if he didn't have the good things he has now - he prefers crafting more sad tracks rather than romantic fare.

"I'm happy and I have it all," Hubbard said. "That's how I feel, but I have to put myself in a different perspective and remember what it was like when I wasn't happy and didn't have it all. I think people are much more interested in that."

Besides his brooding lyrics, Hubbard's musicianship also stands out because he performs his guitar on his lap - that's how he was taught to play, and he said he is content performing in this non-traditional way.

Hubbard is working on collecting polished tracks for an album he hopes to get nationally distributed, though he said it's hard for him to decide whether to focus completely on his music or his writing.

"I have to ask myself, 'Do I want to pursue all my energy towards getting signed and doing a tour, or do I want to direct all my energy to moving up the Hollywood system and 10, 20 years down the line and be a show runner?' " Hubbard said. "Can I do both? I honestly think I have more stories to tell than I do songs to write, but at the same time, I'm a lot more comfortable in my skin as a musician than I am as a member of a production crew."

For now, Hubbard is excited to be playing the show with his friend Mishka Shubaly, who comes from Brooklyn, N.Y.

"I truly believe he's one of the greatest songwriters alive right now," Hubbard said.

Hubbard said fans who come out to the Phoenix show will hear both old and new tracks in the honest, down-to-earth style Hubbard prides himself on playing.

"It's a celebration of life, warts and all," Hubbard said. "It's real, it's true, it's recognizing that it's not a pretty place we inhabit ... It's like going to church. Going to church and going to a show and going to a bar after a show and getting drinks are all the same things. It's people getting together to ask questions of themselves and ask questions of something bigger than them."