Before Brett Young was able to make his living full time in music, he was a bartender in Southern California, and it was through that job that he was able to create music opportunities by identifying a need in his work place.  Brett explains, “You’re in these establishments that as a bar or restaurant you’re mostly successful on the weekends and you’re always looking for things to plug into your off days during the week. And being a musician who had played bars and restaurants I was bar tending somewhere that had a slow Tuesday or Wednesday I’d be like, ‘Hey, and by the way, you should have a live music night.’”

Since Brett was helping to organize the music nights, it gave him a chance to get on stage and work on his own music and he says, “Had I not been bar tending in those rooms I probably wouldn’t have had the ability to identify a place that needed live music. And so it was not just a fun way to spend a Tuesday, Wednesday night but it was also a way to basically call practice work and get paid for it.”

These days he’s getting paid to play music, but it’s his full time job and he’s playing in venues a lot bigger than the bars he used to play.  Plus he’s got two number one songs to his credit and his third song, “Like I Loved You,” is making its way up the charts.

Brett Young – bartending before music  :50

“We all have to have jobs in order to support our musical habits, you know.  I bar tended for a lot of years and it always, A) it’s just a great source of income and it frees you up to have your days to write songs but B) you’re in these establishments that as a bar or restaurant you’re mostly successful on the weekends and you’re always looking for things to plug into your off days during the week. And being a musician who had played bars and restaurants I was bar tending somewhere that had a slow Tuesday or Wednesday I’d be like, ‘Hey, and by the way, you should have a live music night.’ So it turned into when I was in Orange County, five nights a week at different establishments, in L.A. it was three nights a week, which is really hard to do. And I think you know had I not been bar tending in those rooms I probably wouldn’t have had the ability to identify a place that needed live music. And so it was not just a fun way to spend a Tuesday, Wednesday night but it was also a way to basically call practice work and get paid for it.”