Americana Music Magazine – Bluegrass, Roots, Folk, Blues, and Old-Time
When singer-songwriter Brad Lauretti performs publicly, he bills himself under the moniker, This Frontier Needs Heroes. He’s released four albums under that title, and currently releasing the fifth, Go With The Flow.
Brad started out like many young men, playing in high school bands with his friends. He didn’t start taking the craft of writing songs seriously until he got to college. He continued to stay active musically with various different bands throughout his 20s, and even spent some time as a duet with his sister. “It eventually whittled down to just me as a solo act, especially while touring,” he said.
For musical influences, Brad’s dad played the piano some, but he recalls, “Growing up in an Italian/American house, we mostly listened to Frank Sinatra all the time. My mom was from South Carolina, and she loved groups like the Eagles, and the Allman Brothers; However, when I heard Woody Guthrie, that’s when I really started thinking, ‘wow; I really could write a song.’ Songwriting felt more accessible all of a sudden.”
Brad has now spent the last 10 years touring all over the world, and his Woody Guthrie revelation actually led him to the opportunity to perform at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, as well as, Folk Alliance International, Nordic Folk Alliance, Live at Heart, Magnolia Festival, Hickey Fest, Gamble Rogers Folk Festival, and Gram Parsons Guitar Pull, just to name a few. In 2020, he is currently a finalist in the Chris Austin Songwriting contest sponsored by Merlefest (Rescheduled to mid-September, 2021), and was the winner of the Artsville Songwriting Contest. He is also the founder of the Stetson Kennedy Songwriter Residency.
“I have always viewed my music as a continuum,” he said. “Go With The Flow is probably the most country tinged record I’ve released, so far. After spending the last few years in Nashville, going out every night listening to music, I think a lot of those indie/folk/country influences spilled over into my own song writing. I try to make every album different and not stay in one particular style.”