CLEVELAND, Ohio – Brian Alan Hager is his own band. The Cleveland singer-songwriter released his debut solo album “The Condition of Things” on Monday, Jan. 24.
In the album, you’ll hear laid-back soft-rock tunes with otherworldly synth pieces breaking into the mix. Songs like “Living In Today,” “Walk It Off” and the bluesy “Frightened We Fall” serve as mantras, promoting peace and self-acceptance.
All of the parts were performed by Hager – vocals, guitar, bass and keyboard, along with programmed drums.
Though he took care of all the musical layers in “The Condition of Things,” Hager’s no stranger to being a member of a band. He was a member of local rock band Vanity Crash for a decade starting in 2005, was a part of glam-rock group The Chromes. He is also a member of Infinite Twelve with Guy Vincent.
Occasionally, Hager will perform his solo shows with a full band – and he’s hoping to coordinate more of those shows, he said. But in the past couple of years, Hager has largely performed solo, using loops to carefully layer his tunes.
“I just got tired of working with everybody’s schedule. I thought it held me back,” Hager said. “During COVID, it was really hard to get shows, but I was lucky. I was able to get a bunch of shows in 2020, playing outdoors in wineries. I thought it worked great with the direction I was going in. I could do them by myself, and get money.”
Outside of his time playing shows and working a day job as a programmer, Hager has spent most of his free time working on writing, recording and producing “The Condition of Things” in the past couple of years.
The album, Hager said, angles toward positivity and light, taking negative experiences and putting a positive spin on them. He also aimed for a more mellow sound, as opposed to the rock music he had created in past projects.
“I’m tired of distorted guitars. I’m tired of heavy music. It’s not in me anymore,” Hager said. “I wanted to express my non-angered inner self. In the past I always felt I was complaining about something in my songs, which now I feel is kind of silly.”
Hager started each song as an acoustic piece, then experimented with synthesizers to add an otherworldly feel to the project.
“I just wanted to write an album without really thinking about what I was doing, in a way,” Hager said. “I just wanted to express myself.”
“The Condition of Things” is available for order from Hager’s website, and can be streamed through most streaming services. To promote the album, Hager has a release show planned at Coda on April 22, performing both his solo set and with Infinite 12. Vanishing Shores will also perform.
The musician also has plenty of live performances planned at Bent Ladder, The Winery at Wolf Creek and more. Find more information at brianalanhager.com.
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