Bryan John Appleby
Bryan John Appleby is a singer/songwriter and composer living in Seattle, WA. After moving to the Pacific Northwest from Central Coast California in 2007 as a drummer in short-lived indie rock outfit, Bryan switched his focus to guitar and spent several seasons penning the songs that comprised his 2009 EP Shoes for Men and Beasts. Bryan’s early live shows – many of which took place at open mic nights, dubbed “the batting cages” – quickly earned him a reputation as a notable lyricist and a compelling solo performer, often surprising crowded bars and basements to a heady, affecting silence with his clear voice and intricately crafted lyrics.
Over the next few years, Appleby crafted a more expansive batch of songs, and the increasing involvement of a live band added complex and often unexpected instrumental layers to live performances. Following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign to make possible 2011’s debut LP release Fire on the Vine, he and the band spent much of the next year touring, most significantly in a spot supporting The Head and the Heart’s national tour.
This exposure established Appleby firmly within the thriving NW folk soundscape and garnered enthusiastic support from a widespread community of national and international listeners – Fire on the Vine was named Album of the Week by Bandcamp upon its release, and continues to receive heavy rotation on Spotify, with over 3 million plays for the song “Honey Jars” alone. Appleby’s music has been lauded by KEXP and Sound on the Sound, drawing comparisons to Damien Jurado and Devendra Banhart, and receiving placements in short films and TV. He and the band have performed around the US with Damien Jurado, Blitzen Trapper, Deep Sea Diver, Hey Marseilles, Pickwick, Pure Bathing Culture, and Gold Leaves, among others.