With introspective and reflective lyrics, Heath Brandon's songs are mini screenplays, snapshots of relationships and life experiences. Redefining the singer/songwriter label, misguidedly attached to every solo artist with an acoustic guitar, Brandon sets out on his own path, creating an entirely new genre of music.

Songs from the After Hours, Brandon's 2003 sophomore release from Swim Naked Records, features Brandon's smoky voice, coupled with soulful, jazz-infused grooves. The sharp lyrics create short films, dialogues that allow the listener to visualize a storyline. And whereas other artists write a 'sad' song, an 'angry' song, an 'empowering ' song, each of Brandon's songs are complete short stories that open a brief window into one of his experiences, and then close it with an inspired, but unforced conclusion.

While other artists wear their influences on their sleeves, the 24 year-old Brandon prefers to draw inspiration from the determination and risk-taking ethos of his contemporaries and idols. A documentary film major at the University at Buffalo, Brandon was moved by the truth in the films he studied, and has brought that storytelling method to his music. But because the creation of each song is a cathartic experience, Brandon pours all of his emotion into his lyrics, and then finds himself healed. 'I don't write to sustain,' says Brandon. 'I write as therapy.'

Though a drummer for most of his life, Brandon switched to guitar in his freshman year at college, and has been attached to it ever since. Songs from the After Hours, however reflects that rhythmic sensibility, in the English house beats of 'Goodbye, Morning Sky' the surging cymbals that introduce ' The Great One,' and the snare-drum centered 'Red Pesto.' But it is in his songwriting skills that Brandon really shines, as in the startlingly revealing 'Stupid Boy,' and the more vulnerable, 'Written & Directed By.' Brandon is also incredibly adept at arranging, as evidenced in the sultry first track, 'Ask,' written by college friend Christina Reilly who sings backup on the track. Says Brandon of the cover: “I wanted to arrange the song in such a way that I wasn’t copying her, but keep it similar enough that it wouldn’t lose what I originally loved about it.” There is a sense of wholeness in Songs From the After Hours, unusual for a newcomer to the music scene. Perhaps it is because Brandon defies conventions, not with forced rebellion but because his music has an intensity that surges out of preset boundaries. 'It would be easy to knock-off what is currently 'it' or to be what people expect a singer/songwriter to be, but I am determined to make the music that I want to make,' says Brandon. While others are busy following the trends, Heath Brandon has chosen to step out on his own. Watch his story unfold.