With the backing of an all-star cast of rock musicians and producers, singer, songwriter, and screenwriter Pennan Brae’s 2020 album, 2 Below 0, is a rock lover’s record produced by genuine rock and roll veterans.
The album essentially is the musical soundtrack for Brae’s indie film of the same name. It’s part of a series of albums written, recorded, and released by Brae in recent years.
He released his first feature film soundtrack, The Astronot, in 2019. We thought that would be a great starting point for indie music fans that may want to check out his trilogy.
On The Astronot, there are plenty of solid tracks, some of which were repurposed for his second album in the trio, Gravity.
The top tracks that carry through the series are, in our opinion, “Strut 1980s,” “Crashland,” “Walk With Me” and “Synergy,” the latter of which is featured also on this year’s 2 Below Zero.
“Crashland” is a chugging, brooding rock number that is ripe to kick-back with on a hot summer day. His music is clearly influenced by rock styles of the 1970s and 80s.
The song was recorded at Blue Light Studio in Vancouver with additional sessions in L.A. It was produced by Kirk Kelsey and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Sean Magee at Abbey Road Studios.
Over the years, Pennan has filmed music videos in Bangkok, Osaka, Oregon, Hawaii & Vancouver. His 8th album, ‘2 Below 0’ dropped this year. He is currently writing his next film and album both of which are set for release this fall.
“Walk With Me” came about, he says “while playing a foot drum with an acoustic guitar. The two instruments locked in to create a driving beat and rhythmic hook. It turned out to be a simple song structurally and hence the lyrics reflect this also,” he says.
“I wanted to harken back to the early days of 1950s rock and roll in an efficient and straight-ahead structure. It was an honor to have legendary drummer Steve Ferrone and INXS bassist Garry Gary Beers provide a tight and rocking rhythm section throughout the track. The rock & roll nature of the song needed that.”
“Crashland,” he adds, served as the main single from the soundtrack and musical theme of The Astronot. “The lyrics convey a space theme which reflects the nature of the film. 1970s rock and roll is a major influence and I sought to keep the guitars honest and upfront.”
“Once again, Steve Ferrone & Garry Gary Beers provided the rocking rhythm section. I also love the background vocals which singer Tianna Ireland provided.”
While it is nearly impossible to list all of the contributing musicians and which songs they performed on one by one, the musicians include drummer Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Eric Clapton); bassist Garry Gary Beers (INXS); vocalist Tianna Ireland; Grammy Nominated musician Eric Alexandrakis.
That said, Brae wrote and composed all of the music on the album.
