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That's just what he did. In 2013, Brooks participated in the Music Revolution Project, a program by the Grammy Museum that debuted in Kansas City, Mo., in 2012. The education director, Kate Stuebner, took notice of Brooks and told him about Grammy Camp, a summer music education program.
He applied among thousands
music. A lot of people are trying to do that, attempting to get out there but Brooks has just shined."
She said Brooks still mentions his dad during interviews, stating that he is his momentum for pursuing music.
"Even when we aren't working on music, he'll bring up memories," she said. "Pieces and elements [of his music] are so nostalgic; if his dad was here it would definitely make
BROOKS BROWN Producer and Songwriter
of other applicants and became one of the youngest finalists at 14-years-old in the 2012 Grammy camp. After that first camp, Brooks went on to apply for and attended the 2013 Grammy Camp in New York as well as the 2014 Grammy Camp held in Los Angeles. These camps are a four-week program that selects a small group of about 20 to 30 high school students involved in the music and arts scenes.
"I'm a teenager, [but] I'm my own worst critic - always trying to perfect."
There, he honed his skills, learned to network and booked gigs around the U.S. He played at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, where he met his future producer whod connect him with a publicist. During camp, he reconnected with a fellow songwriter-turned-best-friend, Madi Walsh, a 16-year-old from Temecula, Calif.
Before camp, he messaged Walsh on Twitter solely based on how much he enjoyed her music. Then, their friendship kicked off at the camp and almost immediately after, they started vibing and collaborated on a song included in Brooks' debut EP. Sidetracked.
"It was an instant click," Walsh said. "We both wanted to do this mellow electronic
him proud."
The two plan on collaborating more in the future, but for now they're partaking in high school duties. This year, he flew out to California to take her to prom.
"Iimagine this: handsome Kansas boy escorts stunning California Valley girl to the party of the year on the U.S.S. Midway, aircraft carrier in the San Diego harbor. Once on board, their single 'Sidetracked' is blasted throughout the ship. Doesn't get much better than that, huh?" his mom said.
And with his mom's help, someone who he considers his personal cheerleader and biggest support, and his producer and publicist, his album got more than 18,400 plays and almost 500 "loves" on Sound-cloud.
sounds of future R&B, traditional sound writing and technicality."
When it comes to his sound, he said his style inspiration began with "90s hip-hop with bands such as TLC, a band held listen to often when he was eight. Brooks also said today's current artists, naming off Drake, help him curate what sounds he creates in his own mixes. His sounds are an amalgamation of, in his own words, "future bass vibe, innovative of
"It becomes a spontaneous thing hear something in my head, build something off," Brooks said of his writing process. "I'll write something and it'll evolve later. In those kind of moments, it's also hardest to be consistent."
However, he makes it a point to sit down every day, focus and write.
"On average I spend, per session, an hour and a half [to] two hours, take a break and think," he said. "My production is where my pride is.
"I'm a teenager, [but] I'm my own worst critic — always trying to perfect."
His mom agrees, beaming with pride. Not yet a high school senior, Brooks is still a teen with a mission.
- Edited by Kelly Cordingley
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The teen musician said his dad's memory keeps him motivated and focused to creating his music. Brown has seen success with his debut album after attending Grammy camp
Brooks Brown began playing the guitar at nine years old. Brown was close to his grandpa, also a musician.
MIRANDA OSBORNE/KANSAN
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'No Escape'a hellish thriller with a serious Owen Wilson
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Wilson drops his gee-whiz persona real quick, switching from a jokey dad in a foreign land to a father running on survival instinct, trying to protect his family from the bloodthirsty rebels all around them. And because the movie presents this transformation in such a lean, thrillingly immediate and realistic (enough) package, we follow right behind him.
The last time Owen Wilson went to an exciting foreign country, in "Midnight in Paris," it made for magical escapist entertainment. "No Escape" is basically the complete opposite, with an absolutely hellish trip this time and a memorable and serious turn for the comedic actor.
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Jack Dwyer (Wilson) brings
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his wife Annie (Lake Bell, primarily a comedic actress) and their two daughters (Sterling Jerins and Claire Geare) to an unspecified Southeast Asian country (seemingly Cambodia) for his new job, unknowingly arriving on the eve of a coup. They barely have time to worry about what doesn't work in their hotel room before they find themselves in a situation far scarier than any horror film.
A funny scene between Jack and a street vendor who speaks no English comically illustrates the fish-out-of-water dynamic, right before riot police and an angry mob suddenly appear on both sides of him, both marching toward an ugly confrontation. This jaw-dropping turning point sets the tension rocketing off with a rapid escalation of violence and danger, as Jack frantically navigates his way
All that really matters is to continue moving to stay alive, as the attackers are always on the tail of Jack and his family, savagely killing everyone who is like them. That focus on survival, and doing whatever it takes, maintains the intensity of the captivating journey — even in the sequence destined for Internet memes, where Jack throws his kids off the hotel roof to his wife on a neighboring roof.
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out of the market and back to the hotel. It's much worse there, as those from his company and all other westerners are being targeted like fish in a barrel.
In this Fourth World city, the natives are pissed at all the white people staying in the nicest place in town. That's all the explanation for motivation needed to get on board with this thriller.
At its core, this is a chase
After Vince Vaughn and Wilson showed that they weren't crashing weddings anymore with the misfire "The Internship." Vaughn impressively switched it up as an anti-hero gangster in "True Detective" season two. Wilson's big move here also strongly satisfies and comes off far more naturally.
And as great as Owen Wilson will be returning as Hansel in "Zoolander 2," hopefully he gets out of his comfort zone more often too, because, surprisingly, he can effectively carry an energetic thriller, not just deliver laughs.
Filmmakers have a hard time escaping the horror genre after succeeding within it, but the Dowdle brothers prove themselves even better at visceral action thrillers. Hopefully this won't be their only project in that realm.
film, keeping the narrative extremely simple so viewers' pulses are pounding as constantly as the characters' adrenaline is flowing. There's just enough characterization to grasp onto and hold tight through the brutal experience, but not so much that the momentum ever slows. Pierce Brosnan's role as a sort-of sex tourist who helps the Dwyers out of some danger feels a little cheesy and is the only element to pull you out of the moment slightly, but he's enjoyable nonetheless.
The duo of brothers behind "No Escape," John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle, made their bones on several guilty pleasure horror flicks with clever conceits ("Quarantine," "As Above So Below"). That background shows in this assured jump to the next level marking their best movie yet.
Three out of four stars.
ROLAN NEVEAU/THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
ROLAN NEVEAU/THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
Owen Wilson and Lake Bell star in "No Escape."