Review Fix Exclusive: Brandon Stansell Talks ‘Slow Down’ And More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Brandon Stansell, who discusses his new single, “Slow Down.”

About Brandon Stansell:

“Brandon Stansell is a fresh face onto the Country Music scene, but has always been nearby; honing his craft and finding his voice. SLOW DOWN, co-written with Mylen and the title track off his new EP, is the epicenter of his “California Country” sound with the raw emotion of those first moments in a budding relationship. SLOW DOWN was produced by Nashville-based producer, writer, and guitarist Erik Halbig. Stansell met Erik a few years ago through friend, Ty Herndon, who is featured on the track.

While his casual country sound is appealing, there is more that meets the eye with this crooner of Nashville roots. He is navigating the path of an openly-gay Country Artist. Brandon, while not the first to chart these waters, is one of few people in the industry willing to lay everything out for the listener and the result is an honest, beautiful musical experience.

Director Trent Atkinson, once again, joined his team directing the SLOW DOWN music video and building on the cinematic scope their first collaborative work, DEAR JOHN, which was released in early 2016.”

For More on Brandon, Click Here. 

Review Fix: About How important are LGBT issues to you?

Brandon Stansell: Extremely. I think if you have ever been in a position where policy dictates whether or not you get to keep your job and/or marry the person you love, politics and the fight for LGBT rights becomes really important really quick.

Even though things have been moving in a positive direction over the past few years, this past week is a clear indicator that not everyone feels the same way I do, and the fight for our most basic human rights is not over.

Though it can be tiring and often times frustrating to have to continually try to convince others that you deserve the same rights afforded to them, I will say, the upside to having to stand up for yourself so often is that your legs end up being a lot stronger than your counter parts’. And I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything, but I have some pretty big hams these days.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Stansell: I try and let the writing process happen organically. Sometimes I have ideas and fully fledged out lyrics for songs before coming into sessions, and other times I show up completely empty handed and empty headed.

Regardless, I do have one hard and fast writing rule and that is, “if you don’t have something better to contribute, then you can’t say no!” I find it’s more fun and freeing to go with the flow of the write and not shoot down ideas just because they weren’t yours and/or do don’t initially like or understand them. Let the idea evolve and grow on you. You may just end up with something so much greater than anything you thought it could be initially (eh hem…Spare Change).

Review Fix: What’s your standout song on the EP? How was it written?

Stansell: I am extremely proud of all the tracks from Slow Down. Overwhelming, though, people who listen to the EP seem to have fallen in love with Spare Change. I like to think that’s because not only is it upbeat it’s also uplifting lyrically. There is nothing like the freeing power of knowing that you have within yourself the ability to make your situation better. Change is possible if only we’ll allow ourselves to experience the slight discomfit that comes with shifting gears and trying something new.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2017?

Stansell: I have many, but I am mainly focused on writing to complete the full Slow Down LP to be release in the Fall of next year. I start writing for the project again in the next couple of weeks, so I am excited to begin pulling together the remaining tracks for what will be my first full length record!

Review Fix: What else are you up to?

Stansell: I am excited to announce we will be shooting a video for Never Know, the third track on the EP, in a couple weeks. Trent Atkinson, who directed the music videos for Slow Down and Dear John, will once again be heading up the project. We are most likely looking to release sometime in December or January!

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

Stansell: Most importantly, I want people to enjoy the music. The goal has always been to write things that people want to sing along to, whether it’s something fun and upbeat or something a little bit heavier on the heart. Regardless, I want my music to have a positive impact on people.

I want those listening to see themselves in the lyrics. I want people to walk away feeling that someone else has felt the way they do and that maybe we’re not as alone in this world as we can sometimes feel.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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