WILLIAMSBURG— Tunes in Town is an occasional series that catches up with some of the local musical talents that call Hampton Roads home.
Brian Elder used to line up his stuffed animals and perform for them as a baby. He also loved to perform shows that he was watching on television during the commercial breaks.
It wasn’t until fourth grade, when he and his friends created a band, that music became something he wanted to do long term.
“We created this band and we never practiced. We had a band called Brian Elder and the Noise Boyz. It was around when Def Leppard was big and we had the same font as them. We never played anything, but we just were known as a band and we sang to our class,” Elder recalls.
While Brian Elder and the Noise Boyz never went far, Elder knew he had unlocked a passion during that fourth grade year.
“I watched a movie called “La Bamba.” I just loved music so much. I watched that movie and my mom had just gotten me an acoustic guitar the year before for Christmas. I remember watching and I remember saying to my mom that music was what I wanted to do when I grew up,” Elder said.
Throughout high school, Elder performed in talent shows and began writing his own music. His first song was a Valentine’s Day gift for his then girlfriend.
“I recorded it in a friend’s basement and the song was terrible,” Elder recalls.
Those early years in music led Elder down a path of playing in local bars and clubs. His first professional gig came when he opened for Papa Roach at the NorVa. He also opened for Bret Michaels twice when Michaels began his solo career.
In December 2023, Elder released his EP, “Passenger Side.” The EP has a band version of Elder’s song “I Do,” which he recently re-released as an acoustic single.
Elder, who met his future wife while working at Busch Gardens, wrote “I Do” as a way to express his wedding vows.
“We had talked about writing our vows and speaking them at our wedding. I started writing them and I thought it was really cool. I wrote parts of the chorus and I remember thinking to myself that I was better at writing words when it comes to music than to speak them. I decided to write a song and play it for her at the wedding,” Elder said.
For Elder, music has always been an outlet, but he’s grown to love it even more as he’s gotten older.
“Back when I first started music, I just loved playing. I don’t know what it was, but it was something that just came naturally to me. It was something I enjoyed doing and something I wanted to do. I was chasing that dream, but now, I love the whole artistic process. I like taking something and saying something in a way that nobody has before. Music allows me to share my emotions and my feelings in a creative way,” Elder said.
An artist who enjoys giving back, Elder spends a lot of his time as a touring artist that serves on a prison ministry. He will head out on his next prison ministry tour in May.
Elder is also continuing to write music and is working on a concept for another album.
Elder’s music is available on all streaming platforms. To find out his performance schedule and more, visit brianeldermusic.com.