After beginning his solo music career on humble street corners in Mexico, UCLA alumnus Bret Polish has drawn enough ears in his direction to gain performance access to some of Los Angeles’ most historic venues.
While he spent many years hitting the books, receiving his undergraduate degree in history in 2005 before completing his master’s in education in 2007, Polish has also spent many years on the music scene.
Although many of those years went to performing as a member of other bands, the folk/rock guitarist’s drive to connect with people and have his opinions heard have inspired him to play his own creations and even head to the studio. And on Aug. 1, he’ll head to the Cabana Club to perform his newly perfected tracks.
Polish wasn’t always ready to embrace the bright lights, however. He first gave it a try in Mexico. Having spent some time performing with others and doing covers, Polish decided he needed to create his own identity as a musician, even if it meant facing his fear of the spotlight. Fortunately, being across the border, where he was attending a Spanish-language program to help with his teaching career, allowed him to do just that.
“My music has always met with some kind of criticism from my mother, family or other people. If I played my own stuff, they’d say, “˜I don’t recognize this, I don’t want to hear it. This song’s too dark and depressing.’ Out in Mexico, there was nobody telling me this,” Polish said. “I didn’t know anybody there, and I was singing songs in English and most people there only spoke Spanish, so it was kind of an anonymous experience.”
His success playing guitar and singing in the streets gave Polish the confidence boost he needed to perform on the other side of the border. Once back in California, he began performing his own material at open-mic nights and doing unpaid gigs at coffee shops.
Each performance added to both his confidence and his fan base, and soon enough, the songwriter had earned earn spots performing at Hollywood haunts such as the Whiskey a Go-Go and the Pig ‘N Whistle. While Polish said he felt honored to perform at such historic venues, he also said that the true glory lies in connecting with his audience.
“The best songs are the ones that, the more you listen to them, the more layers are revealed,” Polish said. “That’s the kind of song I want to write more of. … A song that makes you want to listen to it and hear more, because it goes deeper. That tends to connect with people.”
Although Polish draws inspiration from classic rock artists such as The Beatles, The Moody Blues and Bruce Springsteen, he believes his music retains its own sound.
“I wish I could say I was just a rock artist, but I think I fit more in with alternative folk and acoustic rock. I’d love to sound like (my influences), but I think my sound is a bit more contemporary,” Polish said.
Polish’s reluctant move away from his musical idols wasn’t for lack of trying.
“At first I was upset with myself because I wanted to write a Beatle-ish song. I wanted to write a song that anyone could hear over the radio and connect with … but I just really can’t seem to write a Beatles song,” he said. “After a time, I came to terms with it. I’m not The Beatles and I don’t want to be. I don’t want to pretend to be something I’m not, and I’m not necessarily that commercial. I think my sound falls in between them and some of my darker influences.”
Last Friday, Polish reached another milestone in his musical career: He recorded an album in a professional studio. The CD, however, will not be hitting Amoeba’s shelves any time soon.
“I am planning on giving (the CD) away at concerts ““ I really think music ought to be free. Even though I’m an independent artist, and yes, I need the money, I feel like music ought to be accessible and available to everyone,” Polish said. “I just really want it to be heard.”
More important than making his music accessible, Polish wants his music to be inspirational.
“I want people to connect with it. I want to inspire people to do better things with their lives or to keep going, to keep faith in themselves,” he said. “I think when music costs money, it becomes inaccessible to people, so I’m probably just going to … give it away at shows and hope people like it,” Polish said.
Even though so much has happened to him, Polish credits much of his success to his years spent at UCLA.
“The strength in myself I developed at UCLA, and the strength to challenge other people,” Polish said. “When I really want to express something about myself, I am no longer afraid to sing about it, regardless of what people think. UCLA really helped me develop that confidence.”