The term B-side is used to describe the flip side of a phonograph record. In late 70’s DJ’s became very popular and during the disco era a DJ was proud to have hot tracks that no one else had. That DJ was forced to study his records and really seek the hot singles and the good B-side tracks. Later in the 90’s as hip hop began to peak in its popularity, record labels began to issue remixes on records. Still they manufactured the hit radio tracks on the A-side, but now they put hot remixes on the B-side with the album hit. To real DJ’s and MC’s, the B-side of the record became the reason to buy the record. To the real DJ and MC, the B-side became the best song or mix on the single release that wasn’t played out by the radio or commercial world that a DJ or MC could play proudly at his gig. Such is the style of Brandon Anthony a.k.a. B-side.
B-side, born Brandon Anthony Alvillar, grew up in Inglewood California. Through his childhood years he was highly exposed to diverse genres of music. The popular music of the time in Inglewood were artists such as the Gap Band, Parliament of Funk, and Earth Wind and Fire. However, as his father was more into the classic rock groups such as Led Zeppelin, Chicago, and Tower of Power, Brandon got a good mix of influence and rhythmic styles. At the age of 10, B-sides little sister began taking dance classes, and forced to attend to watch, he was exposed to more music. In watching these classes B-side got his first taste of Hip Hop and Jazz music. The teenage kids were dancing to Hip Hop groups like Heavy D, Run DMC, and LL Cool J. Brandon was intrigued, however was hooked when he accidentally walked into a tap dance class. At that point he was mesmerized by not only the Jazz music playing, but the ability of the teacher to make music with his feet. It was not long that Brandon was signed up for a tap dance class looking up to guys like Gregory Hines. The ability to create sounds and rhythms and experiment with different sounds and tones all with his feet gave B-side the same itch that plagues him today.
Later when Brandon grew and got into Jr. High School, he had to find a new release for his creative curiosity. So to relieve his musical itch, Brandon found the drums. In his first year of Jr. High he had taken over as the drum leader and by 7th grade was writing his first songs for the drum squad. He did well and grew his ability. When Brandon went onto high school however he unfortunately went to a school that had no band. So there again, Brandon was forced to learn a new craft to satisfy his crave to create. He then turned to DJ’ing. He caught on quick. Within his first year of playing records he had 3 residencies in clubs he was not even old enough to be in. Through his 4 years in high school he had played in just about every Los Angeles club venue and many rave parties playing House Music. House Music was Brandon’s choice genre when DJ’ing. His lack of patience attributed to such.
“I can’t stand just standing around waiting for the song to end to mix the next song. House Music and that style of loops allow me to just go and layer song upon song creating new songs at the same time.â€
Although he succeeded as a DJ for nearly 12 years, Brandon grew frustrated and missed creating his own sound and tones. Immediately after high school he went into music school began working to build his own studio. He was blessed with opportunities to be exposed to more intense Jazz music while studying piano and meet amazing musicians who not only helped refine his craft but teach valuable musician life lessons.
“I was incredibly blessed to encounter great musicians and professionals like Herbie Hancock’s camp, Quincy Jone’s camp, Frank Simes, and great new school pros like Shawn Sullivan, Stevie D, and whatnot. Those guys taught me more in short conversations than I learned my entire life playing instruments. The one common thing they had to say that makes me the musician I am today was to master my craft and never be complacent with my ability.â€
Several years later and with much hard work and hard money earned, B-side succeeded in his dream. He is now a writer/producer and stands by the meaning and tone of his name. Rather than creating the pop hits, he creates the songs people really crave for that take a little time to find but are the more timeless and more inspiring on the record. His rock, jazz, and hip hop influence can be heard in every song he works on and those songs simply feel right. His desire to create new tones and sounds, and get the best performances out of those involved in a given project bleeds through his music. He is truly a unique musician focused on making less beats and making more music – just as the musicians who taught him.
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