Brian Bielman Q & A

Starbucks shift supervisor by day, Moher drummer by night. You may recognize Brian Bielman as the guy who made your coffee at the Timberhill Starbucks in Corvallis, but behind the green apron is a musician with a passion to rock. For about three years now Brian has been leaving his day job to practice and perform with punk/rock band Moher, located in Eugene. The band just recently returned from a 21-day, 20-show tour along the West Coast.

Lauren: Have you lived in Corvallis your whole life?
Brian: Indeed I was born right up the road in Good Samaritan Hospital, lived here until I was 18 (1997) then went to school in Eugene and Chicago before moving back here for more school in 2007. Now that education is no longer a factor, I am interested in moving again to a more musical city. The job I have is just too good to leave though!

L: How long have you played music (drums)?
B: I began playing drums for my church's youth group about 15 years ago. I had never played before that and didn't own a set, so I'm not quite sure why they let me do that! I started playing guitar over ten years ago and keyboards about six.

L: What is your favorite part of playing?
B: There is an indescribable rush that happens when playing live, and that feeling never comes at any other time in my life. To hear and see the crowd after finishing a song is always thrilling. And I don't necessarily mean cheering and applause, it's equally fascinating to hear the silence and see the stunned faces that we occasionally cause

L: How did you meet your band mates?
B: I was approached by our singer, Erin, when she transferred to my workplace from California. She had heard that I played guitar and wanted to know if I was interested in working with her and her husband, so they gave me a demo CD, which I loved, and I joined up as a rhythm guitar/keyboard player!

L: How long have you been playing with Moher?
B: Well if you've ever played in a band, at least here in Oregon, then you know it's damned hard to find a decent drummer. Seeing as how I had some history on the instrument, we decided I'd save up, buy a kit, and switch instruments. That was about a year and a half of us doing nothing but writing and rehearsing together. Finally, in March of '09, we added a bass guitar player, and in April, played our first show.

L: Do you guys get along well?
B: We do, considering we have very little in common! Haha! We don't do anything together outside of the band, especially since everyone else lives in Eugene. But when we do get together it is a happy experience.

L: Where did you go for your tour?
B: The tour started in Olympia, and then made its way northward to Seattle, with a couple stops in between. We then headed south, playing a couple shows in Oregon before entering California and making our way down to San Diego. A few more shows coming back north and we were done! The best shows were Vancouver, Riverside and San Luis Obispo.

L: What do you like about touring?
B: Quite honestly there is not much to like about touring. It's considered lucky if you get to sleep in some one's house, even more so if you get to eat three square meals a day. Forget about showering and doing laundry as much as you'd like! And our van broke down right before we left, so all five of us crammed into a Ford Explorer for the entire trip, so there goes any chance of a personal bubble or any solitude, which I quite value. But what makes it more than worth it is being able to play! It's especially meaningful when people you've never met, who have never heard your music, end up hooting and hollering and sometimes even dancing to what you play them. That is why the temporary loss of all those amenities I take for granted feels like no big deal.

L: Is it hard to juggle work and the band?
B: No not at all! I have a boss who is also excited in what I'm doing, and I really don't have to request very much time off from him (with the exception of touring). The hardest part is getting my mates to remember that my work schedule is completed two weeks ahead of time occasionally, so they might not be able to schedule a rehearsal or show on the fly.