"I am the type of person that has to know what makes things tick. I suppose that's how I got into making drums, pipes, music and understanding clothing. Brandon Brooks, courtesy Pipesmagazine.com
While understanding and learning the basics are in the technical arena, truly understanding and execution of these is an art form unto itself. Some art forms require building and structuring. Others require stripping away parts and pieces. I am on a constant quest for this knowledge and experience.
Brandon Brooks lives in Georgetown, KY and is the proud father of two great young men.
His background in the arts ranges across the spectrums of visual, theater and especially music. He was a music major in percussion at the University of Kentucky.
Brandon has played and taught percussion since graduating from UK and worked in the music instrument industry for several companies. Being the tinkerer that he is, Brandon first learned to do repair work on drums and eventually started building them.
After moving back to KY from Nashville, TN, Brandon sold custom clothing for about 8 years and now utilizes his understanding of color and coordination in his pipe designs and finishes. It was around this time he took up pipe smoking as a remembrance of his grandfather, as many a pipe smoker does.
The tinker mind kicked in and Brandon decided "I bet I can make one". It was really ugly, just a dog. He usually won't show it to anyone. He keeps it around as a reminder of where he started. He swears he cannot emphasize enough how awful it is.
He has been making pipes since early 2007 but around 2012 decided to really dig in and become serious with the craft. Brandon is inspired by the works of Bruce Weaver, Trever Talbert, Pipe Volpe, Nate King, and Michael Lindner.
You may also enjoy listening to:
Brian Levine's interview with Brandon on the Pipes Magazine Radio Show.
Mike's interview with Brandon on Pipe and Tamper Podcast.
Interviews: