Seven years later, local Charles City musician continues dream job in music industry

Charles City musician Brad Moss persistence has resulted in a dream job in the music industry.

Andre' Jones photo

Seven years ago to the day of this newspaper release (Jan. 21), former Chronicle editor Alan Chamberlain interviewed three young men from Charles City who set out for a career in the music industry. And while two of those members have chosen to take their lives in a different direction professionally, one of those members continues to follow his heart and is now living his dream job.

Brad Moss pioneered a goal and has watched it evolve into a musical profession over the last seven years. As he removed the original article from his studio wall, he recalled how far he has come to where he is today.

“I can’t believe it’s been that long,” he said, looking at the article. “It’s kind of shocking to me.”

Moss grew up in a musical family, watching his father and grandfather play in a family funk band. His father bought him a keyboard at age nine and his love of music has blossomed ever since.

“We didn’t have much to do in Charles City, so it was either play basketball or music,” Moss commented. “So I chose music.”

Music led to Moss learning how to play the guitar. With a natural knack for melody and musical knowledge, he attended Appomattox Regional Governor’s School. In 2009 and at the age of 17, he paired up with friends Romaine Adkins (Main) and Marcus Peck (Kinetik) to form a group. Moss commented that Adkins still is involved in music, while Peck has moved on from the industry.

Moss’ work ethic after graduating high school and becoming a mainstay in the industry revolved around hard work and commitment.

“I’ve been a blue strap kind of guy,” he said. “I’ve learned that if I even don’t have the resources, I still have to come out with professional, quality results to make it in the business.”

That strive and determination opened new doors for Moss. For the last eight years, he has played on and off with The Bush League, with the last two years as its permanent guitarist. But the now 24-year old has a number of credentials to add to his resume’.

Moss began producing music and has recorded two albums of his own. He says that having a variety of talents has allowed him to maintain a steady career in the field he loves.

“Diversification is what you need to survive,” he commented. “You’ve got to wear all hats. I record albums, play with a band, offer guitar lessons, build websites, mix music, and I sell beats.

“I started doing my own records and that parlayed into others wanting me to do theirs,” Moss continued. “I kept getting asked so I had to learn the professional way to handle it and produce them.”

Moss has produced on more than 20 albums. Most notably, he produced a track for hip-hop artist Mike Jones.

And when the guitarist is not producing, he’s on tour with The Bush League. Recently, the band completed its “Juketober” tour in October, making stops in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama.

“Our band has been more focused on working with the blues community,” he commented. “There is a large following of that style of music that I never thought was there.

“We have performed at a number of places including the International Blues Committee (IBC) Convention and [actor] Morgan Freeman’s personal club,” Moss added.

Moss describes the music he caters to as FUBARR (Funk, Blues, Rhythm, and Rap) with an emphasis on modernizing old school Blues with new school flavor. But the humble musician said the 2009 article in the Chronicle was pivotal in making the decision to make his dream a reality.

“It really jumpstarted my career,” Moss said, rereading the original article. “I have had so much support from Charles City folks and they are usually the first ones to support me.”

As for the future, Moss said that a new project is in the works and should be released by the end of this year.

“The band has had a lot of success, specifically when we were listed on the ballot for the Grammys,” he said, mentioning consideration for the group in the category of American Roots Music. “Although we were not nominated, just being under that type of consideration is an honor.

“We have a show on Feb. 12 at Poe’s Pub in Richmond,” Moss added. “After that, the band will be going to Memphis to record our third album.”

The young musician also had some words of advice for people who make their home and living in Charles City.

“Don’t let your surroundings discourage you,” he said. “Just because we’re out in the country and don’t have the development currently doesn’t mean you can’t do what you want to do.

“The people in this county has been very supportive to my career and I can’t thank them enough for giving me the encouragement and words of wisdom to where I am today,” Moss concluded.

To learn more about Moss’ music producing career, visit www.the1stkind.com.

Moss (center), is shown here in a 2009 Chronicle article photo with original members of The New Age Marcus Peck (left) and Romaine Adkins (right).

Alan Chamberlain photo