Meet Brian Cox

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Cox and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
In shorthand, to have a sense of community and connectedness. I have always had a gift of bringing people together, whether it is organizing a camping trip, throwing a party, or jamming with someone so they can shine and music can flow. There is a very unique bond that occurs when you get in a flow state with someone else musically and something organic pours out. I am at a stage in my life where I am feeling called to dig deeper and explore my gifts to the fullest potential, and to me that is bringing people together on an emotional level. Through releasing music publicly I am opening myself up to hopefully feel more relatable to others so they can connect on an emotional level; a so called “emotional networking”.

I love playing music, painting, and the arts in general, and I want to do what I can to continue playing music while supporting other’s talents as well. I want to create a place where like-minded creatives can have an avenue to share, collaborate, or just exist together. We have so many friends that are amazing artists, authors, and movie directors, and we want to be able to collaborate with them while also providing a space to showcase their work as well. Very few of us would be where we are without the help of others and we want to embrace that. I am learning how to do web design so that we can create a path for us that we want, such as making music videos, producing albums, promoting other artists, designing band posters, etc.

That goal is to create The Ayurvedic Collective; a source of good things to consume in a variety of ways that allows us and our friends to share our gifts to the world in a positive and healing way. Ayurveda is the knowledge of life and focuses on what the senses take in on every level; visually, auditorial, orally, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Ayurveda is about cultivating joy in life and finding balance that works for each person individually.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My musical journey began back in 1995 when I was in the 5th grade and I began playing guitar because my older brother started. Throughout junior high and high school, I played in various bands where I was able to continue to discover myself and the things in music that really drew me in. Through music, I met some of my favorite people in the world whom I still consider to be some of my best friends.

In college, I continued to surround myself with people who loved to play music. This consisted of late-night jams, and this is where I recorded music for the first time with one of my friends. We spent countless hours in our garage in Huntsville learning how to record while recording, and we made a ton of mistakes. We recorded a bunch, but we never finished a project, which seems to be a recurring theme for much of my life, especially when it comes to personal projects.

After I graduated college in December of 2009, music seemed to take a back seat. Yes, I had opportunities to record and create, but my focus was not on bettering myself or honing my craft as a musician. I ended up jumping into a relationship that I should not have been in, eventually getting married. We did not make each other better people and we were way more focused on having a good time rather than becoming better people.

In 2016, another one of my best friends paid for myself and a couple of friends to record the debut album of Golden Holiday, self-titled (link below). This was a delightful experience, and I cannot thank him enough. Being able to meet at the studio, record, and improvise to create a completed project was a game changer! I had never felt the sense of accomplishment that came out of creating and releasing an album until that point, and I was 31. If it seems like there was a lot of wasted time from 1995 until 2016, there was.

After that album was released, music took a back seat once again for the next few years until Justin Cutburth, another great friend, wrote and directed his first short film, “Extraction” and he asked me to be the lead character and to write the score, which I jumped at the opportunity. I have always had an affinity to collaborate with people and I had always wanted to attempt acting, and this project was so much fun to work on. Once we finished that film in 2019, Justin began working on his second short film, “Repentance”, where he asked me to be the lead and write the score again. We learned so many things from “Extraction” that really made “Repentance” a much greater film and soundtrack, which was released in 2022.

I was not in a good headspace during this time of my life. I was depressed and didn’t know it. I had accepted death as this only way out of my relationship. I was raised in the church, so “Till death do us part” was drilled into my head, and divorce was not an option. For anyone reading this that might need to hear this, divorce is ALWAYS an option. If you are not happy and you realize that you are not making each other better people, you are never stuck. This is very easy to say, but when I was in the middle of it, I did not have this clarity. I was so focused on my appearance and what people would think of me that I maintained this extremely unhealthy relationship, so I continued to self-medicate and self-destruct. This bled into my musical journey. Unless someone else was playing music, or needed help with a project, I did not pick up a guitar. I did not have the intrinsic motivation because I was in a pretty dysfunctional marriage. My wife at the time did not support my creative endeavors, and when I would have concerts or art displays, she would say I was being selfish and making everything about me. This caused me to retreat internally, not knowing that being proud of something I’ve created was a perfectly normal reaction. I needed to hear that it is ok to share the things you love with people around you, and if they love you back, they will be just as happy as you are.

In 2021 I got a divorce, and it was the greatest decision for both of us to move forward and truly find ourselves. The self-love I was able to get back was astronomical! After the divorce, I began dating my best friend and co-creator of Dr. Babe, Ashley Forester. After several months of long distance dating, I sold my house and moved in with her and her two kids in South Dakota later in the year. The entire house is full of creatives and creative spaces. Corbin, who is 19, has been recording and releasing his own music since he was in junior high, so seeing someone so young being able to do all this on his own was motivation to begin pursuing what I love doing most in this world again. The creative process with Corbin began with him asking me to lay down a solo on one of his songs the first time I came up to visit simply as a friend about four years ago. Since that first song, we have collaborated on multiple albums, be it laying down tracks for a song of his or him helping lay down beats for one of mine. He is a brilliant producer, musician, singer, and songwriter. Dylan, my step daughter, is a hopeless romantic with endless songs in her heart, and there is not a day that goes by where we do not hear her beautiful voice coming from her room. She also plays guitar, flute, ukulele, and kalimba and has been writing her own songs since elementary school. She has a beautiful voice that carries emotion and I can’t wait to see what she does with her gifts. Ashley is a beautiful poetess and plays the guitar as well, so combined with my musical abilities, we began writing original songs almost immediately. She is the most supportive person I have ever been around, and she loves listening to me play and sing, and especially loves watching her words come to life with music. Since I’ve moved in, Ashley and I have written and recorded 2 full albums and 1 single under the name Dr. Babe. When you look at the track record of my life, these past 4 years have been an explosion of creativity, and I have my beautiful, creative family to thank for that. It is pretty exciting to think that this is just the beginning and it’s already been such a productive period of my life.

In the words of Ram Dass, we are all walking each other home and our goal with our music is to be some of the soundtrack for that walk home. Life can be hard, life can be phenomenal, and life can be everything in between, so we are just trying to connect with people through our personal experiences being part of the bigger shared experience. I think this first album, “Be Whole”, is special because it’s a moment in time we can always come back to and remember how happy, in love, and even lost we were in the early part of our relationship (link below). We had a host of love songs we could have put on the first album but wanted it to be a little more multidimensional and acknowledge that shadow side of life too so it was important for us to add some not so happy songs on the album too. But mainly, I think we just want people to listen to the music and feel good about it because they have shared a similar experience or thought. Love is a powerful emotion and I think at times, it is a huge part of the driving force behind creativity for us and I hope we’re always able to tap into that and keep writing meaningful music.

One of the biggest challenges I faced moving up here was completely adjusting when and how I work on music. Before, when I was self-medicating and drinking too much, I would work through the night and sleep during the day. I was trying to escape my life and find solace where I could, and I was causing some serious damage to my body and mental well being. Since moving up here, I have quit smoking, stopped self-medicating, gave up drinking, stopped taking Adderall, and I am the healthiest and happiest I have ever been. Getting sober has been its own journey but having a fiancé and 2 kids to live for has helped tremendously. I used to think that I could only be creative if I had some sort of chemical catalyst first and really worried how getting sober would affect my art. Ashley shared something that has stuck with me since the beginning, “If you can create music when you’re under the influence, you can create music sober. All of that energy, creativity, and information is still there for you to access without the aid of substances. You’re lying to yourself if you think otherwise”, and she is absolutely correct. I have learned to listen to my body and understand the natural changing rhythms of the day to harness my best energy, which is from 8 am to around 2 pm. When I work on music, that time slot is usually when I have the most natural energy during the day and feel most motivated to work. There is a book by Rick Rubin titled, “The Creative Act: A Way of Being” that has been a huge help in the process. He talks about how we need to ride the wave of creativity because we might not ever get back to that exact same moment again, and that has stuck with me. When you have the energy, roll with it for as long as you can.

If I could leave you with any bits of advice, it’s to surround yourself with like minded creatives who are supportive of you, who push you to be a better person daily, and are willing to be honest with you. Never stop learning, never stop reading, never stop trying to change bad behaviors, and most of all, take care of yourself because we all deserve to be loved. In the words of the wise RuPaul Charles, “If you can’t love yourself, then how in the hell are you going to love somebody else”. I would not be the person I am right now or have done the things I’ve done over the past 4 years if it wasn’t for Ashley living by example through those principles.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many beautiful hikes and waterfalls that I always take people to the first time they visit; The Badlands, Roughlock Falls, Spearfish Falls, Devil’s Tower, Devil’s Bathtub, and Bridal Veil Falls.

If you are looking to have one of the most fun nights you will ever have, Abys Feed and Seed in Rapid City hosts a drag show once a month. If you have never been to a drag show, please take time out of your life to attend and support the wonderful world of drag. Drag is art and you will feel welcome and loved.

As far as food, Kathmandu Momo House in Rapid City is the greatest food around! Coming from Houston, we are used to food having spice and flavors, and in the midwest that is hard to come by. Kathmandu will not disappoint. I have yet to find something on the menu I do not like. Another wonderful restaurant is Ramen Soto in Rapid City. The Stampmill in Lead is another wonderful restaurant with a fantastic owner. He just recently renovated the entire place and revamped the menu to accommodate most everyone’s need.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For starters, I would not be near the person I am today without my fiance and other half of Dr. Babe, Ashley Forester. She constantly pushes me to dig deeper, go internal, and be the best version of myself. Together with our 2 kids, Dylan and Corbin, we are a tribe that strengthens, encourages, and loves each other unconditionally.

Justing Cutburth, the creator of DarkAbyss, has been a solid friend over the years, providing me with opportunities to create 2 soundtracks and act in his 2 first short films “Extraction” and “Repentance”, and I am currently working on a third soundtrack for his next film, “Desolate”. He’s been a wonderful sounding board for demos and always provides wonderful feedback.

My sister, Julie Brawner, has been my number 1 fan from the start and I cannot thank her and her family (Dave and Adia) enough for all of their support.

Andy Kirkendall has inspired me through his art, and he is always willing to take time out of his day to provide feedback for anything I’m working on.

Thank you Mark Lancaster for making sure Golden Holiday got into the studio and helping with logos and other designs along the way.

Other people who have been there for me along the way are Jordan DePrang, Justin Uselton, Jonathan Charbonnet, Chris Cowand, Rob Brock, Stephen Duffy, Steve Thoroughman, Heston Barnes, and Wade Forester. Thank you all, you are my family and I cannot imagine life without any of y’all.

Thank you for making my life better.

Website: https://drbabemusic.com/

Instagram: dr_babe_music

Youtube: @drbabemusic

Other: https://fanlink.tv/bewhole https://fanlink.tv/a_trip_around_the_sun https://fanlink.tv/goldenholiday https://open.spotify.com/artist/4GoThyQ7JlWJSKOnxtKOJF?si=VE0hWoI3SNajh4WzTVmbcg https://open.spotify.com/artist/2SmeuhEl8SLzYcOTOkdGqr?si=B-_g-ZPZRpmHVNLDvK6XeQ

Image Credits
Ashley Forester