Berahmand? ….it’s my last name, Persian, from my Father’s family….I’ve had to piece most of it together , but from what I can tell , we come from great intellect and story telling…Intense passion and kindred spirit…I wasn’t raised by my father or in a traditional sense…this would find me in a family dynamic of addiction, abuse and constant chaos, attending over 26 schools across several states before I graduated high school…most times living in country nature, rough towns, tents , the bed of truck in the desert even …. somewhat homeless and holding on with dysfunctional parents, the struggle was real as they say….I’ve lived it….so my voice in the music is that of hardship and discovery of hope through observation, especially amongst a family I ultimately didn’t understand, or claim to find my identity amongst…This, I would find later is what led me to the music as a place of solace, and how I saw my existence with it and in life…I would say it’s been more a friend than a study…It’s truly led me to every doorway of my life one way or another…
Self taught, I started singing melody young…influenced by true classic soul music …My first concert I saw was a revival concert with The Platters at age 5…Inspired deeply , I always chased the melody , especially that of soul, because it had a tear drop in it I could understand..feel…The empathy was real to me, something I could find comfort and hope in..I identified greatly….You never really learn this till you get older and wiser to your journey. But somehow it’s become the contents of me….and I have no place to hide from it, so I accept it as me….Some probably wouldn’t first realize this about me, I guess I kinda manifested somewhat of an alternative life around all things possible, especially health and wellness…. but I was Born in 1975…And as a result, I was raised amongst a huge scope of great artists….in the 80’s I found artists Like Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and Phil Collins to have my ear greatly…I started playing drums by the mid 80’s in garage bands and of course would venture into Rock and Roll playing against Led Zeppelin and them groovy groovy Black Sabbath Albums….Looking back , I wasn’t really the heavy metal kid I really wanted to be , because there was too much death involved…haha ..Nah….I loved good Vibes, Love, and Positivity too much, and by the early 90’s would move along with my greater love and influence in RnB, Hip hop, Neo-Soul and Pop music..I couldn’t get enough of artists like Sade’, Lenny Kravitz , Outkast, Maxwell, Lauren Hill… on and on….It’s here I started writing, playing guitar, Bass and keys …Then on to playing in bands, busking, touring, and really honing my skills performing. Along the way I started producing and engineering , programming beats, working primarily with analog based equipment and diving into studio work with other artists as a true passion.
Based mainly in the greater Portland Oregon area , I played all the clubs in the 90s of course, touring the west coast , and just working the circuit. I had some great success working and opening with some top regional and notable national acts at the time, not really knowing a thing about how to navigate it all. More of a survivor in it, I was never really a dreamer of landing large stardom, but more a blue collar outlook to the music and it’s process in production and the lifestyle of being a floaty artist… With a mental library of sonics, tone, and a huge list of multi genre influences, I can truly say I loved to be in the studio and work on anything and everything music… the process of creating was and is my truest passion….At this point I was fronting my own projects and producing for artists, and my live skills were rather honed and seasoned in live production and stage performance. I was busy and that’s all that mattered. Surviving in the arts…
By the mid to late 2000’s, my personal life would have a toll on me , and I took a break from music. It’s here I took the opportunity to understand my upbringing and really get in touch with my inner being , the story , the hardships, the why’s..??? I had found myself in addiction and a vulnerable place reminiscent to my childhood, ignoring the story’s outcome, myself. So I took about 4 years off and started a new journey toward my health, living a life of true intent, getting married, and really beating the statistics one could say. But as my story goes, ya just can’t stay away from the music too long, your best homie that is…From here around late 2014, I caught a wind again, and I put together another incredible 6 piece band under my name “Berahmand” . This was off a new album I self produced titled “Empress” ; A collection of modern to classic style dance music, and hit again. This would go on to consistently sell out some of Portland’s most premier venues, land us on radio, some big shows with some more nationals at the time, and take us up the west coast playing live and mingling with a handful of other notable artists…This would ultimately land me more production work , which was kinda the whole idea to begin with… I’m telling ya, I can’t get out the studio!
By 2017 I was needing to expand my studio space , so I uprooted and moved 15 minutes outside the town and built a concept studio ( SunsetDigStudios.com ) to host artists out of town, as well as continue production work with a cool vibed out space. The idea was to make another album in the mix of it all ( which was being recorded at the time), to continue my artist work because the momentum was there. But after experiencing major family losses in 2019, then going through a world wide Pandemic months later, I put all that work on the back burner as many did…. From there I focused on the work I had with the artists I was involved with, going on to produce with some more majors and even mix and master for some of my childhood heroes..I also would find myself producing live sets , playing drums and doing all the things I do …In the process I was getting to a place again of inspiration and realization of my own work once again…
Listen , I need to stop here….One could say I am an oddity of sorts..…I feel like one that is…I have been in the musics all my life and don’t really see it different…I’m still rockin with fresh new artists, seekin out new sounds, and always pushing boundaries to allow the wonder to inspire….This most recent leg of my journey going into 2024 is…. lived … experienced….Tried… True …..Love , hope……you gettin all of me wrapped up in a self produced package , and I am beyond grateful to be inspired and sharing the music once again…Do enjoy , do be inspired, do understand the essence of a human will always live in their art….and do follow along and subscribe if you dig ….Thank you for reading and stopping in.
– Berahmand