the DIY...

Brad and his manager - who is also his wife - totally promote his music, book his shows, create his own merch, and get his music out there all by themselves. we think that's pretty impressive :D

where you have probably heard him...

his songs are actually everywhere and you've almost certainly heard him. his music has been featured on everything from shows like Laguna Beach, The Hills, and One Tree Hill, to a national GMC commercial.

Brad Skistimas, Five Times August Interview

Brad Skistimas, who is better known as 'Five Times August', is crazy busy doing all of his music promotion himself, but he still took some time to answer a few questions for us!

Pretty Princess Girls:

First off, thank you so much for doing this! Congratulations on "Life As A Song" too! We looove it! We literally just bought another digital copy for one of our moms because she loves it too. She always says "who is this guy? I like this guy!", whenever we play your songs, haha! Is it kind of funny to think that girls and their moms are listening to your music together all over the country? And we've never been able to go to one of your shows live, we know, sad :( , but do you get a big variety of fans? or is it a serious 'sea of girls'?

Brad of Five Times August

Thanks for the interview, my pleasure! I'm always appreciative of anyone who enjoys my music. A fan is a fan, and it's actually kind of cool that my music can be enjoyed by not only a younger crowd, but their parents too. I've had full families come out to shows in the past because they all were fans, I think that's a rare thing in the music industry today. Most bands are geared toward a specific crowd, style, and look. Although there are a lot of girls that come out to the shows, there are just as many aspiring guitar "dudes" that come out. So I'm happy to see my music is spread through such a wide demographic.

Pretty Princess Girls:

So many bands write songs about "girls" but the "girl" in the song doesn't really exist. We think it's so cute that you have a real life muse. So does your wife ever get to hear the songs that are about her while they are being created, or does she have to wait until they are recorded like the rest of us?

Brad of Five Times August

My wife and I are together literally 24 hours a day. Since we work together we're hardly ever apart. It took me a while to get used to having another person around while I write but eventually I got used to it. Most of the time I'll go into my studio room and write with the door closed, but if I get into writing a new song I'll play her a rough version of what I have and get her opinion. It's nice to have her around while I write, it's not only inspiration at times, but just to have some more input from another music fan is good to have too!

Pretty Princess Girls:

You've really done so much for your music with a major 'DIY' approach. We can only imagine how much hard work it has probably been, so was there ever a time where you we're worried it wasn't going to work out? Or did you always know you had to do this, and you wouldn't quit no matter what?

Brad of Five Times August

I still go through days where I'm worried it won't work out. It definitely is a lot of hard work, especially when you are trying to keep your fanbase interested and coming back for more. It takes a lot of money to market yourself and when you aren't on the radio every day like Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift, it's hard to keep people interested. I've definitely built a name for myself and my music, and I'm very lucky to get to do what I love for living. I definitely plan to do what it takes to keep going, but there are some days where all the responsibilities are too much weight on the shoulders. Eventually you just have to keep pushing past it and working at it even harder. I guess I'm too modest to sit back and go "Okay, I'm success - let's sit back and relax" - I feel like the moment I do that it will all unravel!

Pretty Princess Girls:

We read your blog about how you're excited to take some time off of touring and start writing again. So now that you've got the girl, you've got your dream job, and your music is successful, will it be totally different when you sit down to write?

Brad of Five Times August

I've been writing my own music since I was 18 years old and my style has developed a lot over the years. I find that every time I sit down it brings something new out of me, so I think this next time around the songs will definitely be different. As I get older I find myself maturing as an artist and songwriter, so I think the music will reflect that. I am excited though, it will be interesting to see what happens!

Pretty Princess Girls:

Your songs have been featured in a crazy amount of TV shows. Everything from Laguna Beach, The Real World, Army Wives, to One Tree Hill, which is so cool by the way, but since you are the soundtrack to so many TV Shows, and people's lives, what are 5 songs that are crucial to the soundtrack of your life?

Brad of Five Times August

That's a tough question!

• Smile - written by Charlie Chaplin
  It's a song that will always cheer you up and one I wish I had written myself. Check out the Nat King Cole version
• Yesterday - The Beatles
  Another song I wished I had written. It's the most covered song of all time. No matter who you are you know this song!
• My Love - Paul McCartney & Wings
  It was my wife and mine's first dance at our wedding.
• God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
  Beautifully produced song. The Beach Boys are definitely one of my favs.
• Songbird - Fleetwood Mac
  It was the last song my wife and I danced to at our wedding after everyone cleared out of the room. A memory I will never forget.

Pretty Princess Girls:

Thank you sooo much Brad, and have fun writing!

Better With You - Five Times August...

that's his super cute wife in the video playing the teacher :D ...

check out more FTA...

• Five Times August Twitter
• Five Times August Myspace
• Five Times August Facebook

download FTA on iTunes...

Life As A Song - Five Times August -