The Rockford native and one-time ‘Voice’ contestant played a holiday classic and an original for Local Spins on WYCE, which also debuted tracks by Joshua Rilko, Zebra 3, The Blue Pines, Vert Terms and more.
Embracing the Nashville Experience: Bradley Sinclair is working with a producer in Music City. (Courtesy Photo)
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Ever since he was a kid growing up in Rockford, Bradley Sinclair has adored Christmas music — especially the enduring classics performed by iconic singers.
“It’s one of the sparks of me loving music,” said the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. “Christmas music makes everyone’s hearts warm.”
The West Michigan native now based in Nashville has also hankered to emulate the vintage vibe of Frank Sinatra, the Rat Pack and Michael Buble: “It’s always been a dream of mine to play a show with a live jazz band.”
Now he’s getting his wish, times two.
Holiday Classics: Sinclair with keyboardist Chris Corey, who will be part of an all-star band Dec. 17. (Photo/Local Spins)
The singer who made a splash on NBC’s “The Voice” earlier this year will play two holiday shows at Grand Rapids’ Listening Room on Dec. 17 with an all-star jazz band, unfurling the warm and fuzzy seasonal fare that has long inspired him.
The hometown concerts, billed as Bradley Sinclair & The Corey Sound, will feature saxophonist and flautist Sam Corey (who has arranged the songs “from the ground up”), his father, Chris Corey, a renowned keyboardist, trombonist Wyatt Forhan, saxophonist and flautist Eric Law, trumpeter Austin Muthyala, bassist Jonathon Muir-Cotton and drummer Nick Chard. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. shows are $20 and available at listeningroomgr.com.
For this week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE, Chris Corey accompanied Sinclair for a rendition of “The Christmas Song” (popularized by Nat King Cole), with the singer accompanying himself on piano for a performance of his own song, “Leave You Wanting More,” which he released as a single earlier this year. Watch a video of his performance of the latter here; scroll down to listen to the full radio show podcast and a video of ‘The Christmas Song.’
VIDEO: Bradley Sinclair, “Leave You Wanting More” (Local Spins on WYCE)
Holiday tunes aside, Sinclair — whose music oozes an indie-pop and indie-rock vibe — has been trying to make the most of his national television exposure on “The Voice” as well as his time in Nashville, rubbing elbows with a bevy of talented artist populating Music City.
He’s writing and co-writing songs for a full-length solo album being produced by Jason Wozniak, with plans for releasing it sometime next year.
Performing His Passion for ‘People Paying Attention’: Sinclair aims to tour in 2022. (Courtesy Photo)
“Life in Nashville has been really cool. I’ve enjoyed my experience a ton,” said Sinclair, 23, who began performing in middle school and later performed in the West Michigan bands Sparkplug and Leland Blue, among others. “It is a bit intimidating, stepping into that realm.”
Although Sinclair — a big fan of Coldplay, Young the Giant, James Arthur, Lewis Capaldi and a host of older artists such as Elton John and Stevie Wonder — eventually lost out to another Michigan singer during “The Voice” competition in April, he said the vocal coaching and guidance from award-winning musicians on the show were invaluable in pushing his singing and his career forward.
“It’s a little weird coming down off of that cloud nine,” he conceded. “The best part about it was just getting to sing and do my passion with people paying attention.”
Sinclair aims to continue making people pay attention in 2022, with shows in Nashville, West Michigan and beyond.
“I hope to book some shows on the road and make my rounds,” he said, “while continuing to build my relationships in Nashville.”
In addition to spotlighting Sinclair, the Nov. 26 edition of Local Spins on WYCE — which showcases Michigan-bred music at 11 a.m. Fridays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org — featured the on-air debut of new music by Joshua Rilko, Zebra 3, The Blue Pines, Vert Terms, Cal in Red and Ed Englerth, as well as tracks from Michigander (this week’s musician’s pick by Sinclair), Hank Mowery and Larry McCray. Listen to the full radio show here.
PODCAST: Local Spins on WYCE (11/26/21)
VIDEO: Bradley Sinclair & Chris Corey, “The Christmas Song” (Local Spins on WYCE)
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