Today we’d like to introduce you to Brad Podray.
Brad, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 13 years old, I wanted to be a pianist more than anything. I won a talent show, and the first prize for the youth division was a large pizza from a local shop. The winner for the adult division got a cruise for 2 to an island.
When I was 15 years old, I recorded an NIN-inspired industrial rock album on a 4-track tape recorder with my best friend, Dan. We burned and sold 50 copies at a local record store. I felt like a musical diety.
When I was 19, I recorded an album with a friend I’d never met in person. We chatted on an online forum and created two albums. I went to the post office every day to ship CDs even though we’d put it up for a free download.
When I was 20, I was accepted into dental school at the University of Pennsylvania. I also created a stop motion animation video of pirate rapping with Dan from earlier in this story. It got 200,000 hits on youtube within about a month. That was a respectable number back then. That video would launch a wild and unpredictable stint in the nerdcore rap genre – we were pirate rappers.
When I was 28, I was accepted into Temple University for their orthodontic specialty program.
When I was 29, my parody pirate rap band was invited to perform on America’s Got Talent. I took a weekend away from my orthodontic residency in Philadelphia to participate. We were X’ed off almost immediately.
When I was 34, I was living with my present-day wife in North Hollywood. We met a host of filmmakers and music producers.
Now, at 37, I’ve plunged back into music with a project called PØDRAY. I enlisted a close friend in Culver city to make a music video for an electronica pop song called Uber GIrl. This is the first in a five track series that I’ll be releasing.
These are the major bullet points. I’m an orthodontist by day and a musician by night. I’ve written music for videogames, short films, and a whole lot of other things. To most people, I’m just a regular old orthodontist who treats the underserved in Ankeny, Iowa. However, I find myself in Los Angeles about once a month these days, still hacking at the dream.
I tried to keep it brief.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Balancing my education with my artistic obsessions has been difficult in terms of time management and how I have managed my personal life. Once I married the perfect woman for me, my focus became clear and set me on a new path.
What else should our readers know?
When I write a song on commission, the turnaround time is very fast.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Dan Dolan – my best friend and longtime collaborator.
Ilya Polyakov – An amazing LA director.
Hannah Sung – An artist and my inspiring wife.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bradpodraymusic.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/podray_official
Image Credit:
All the pro photos by instagram.com/ggrassphoto
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