Will-o’-the-Wisp

October 14th, 2016

In early 2011, I was ready to record my next album, Will-o’-the-Wisp, but the night before our first studio session I was hit by a car in a crosswalk at 40 mph on the highway in front of my apartment. The survival rate at that speed is about 5%.

11-23-2010: “Abe asked if I’m ready to join Backline Records”

12-5-2010: “Backline Records will be taking new artists in 2011 under the condition that you you keep going no matter what trys to stop you. This next year will be big. We plan on bringing through some national acts to help break in our Artists. I have always respected you as an Artist, Brady. It’s gonna be cool to hear some new Brady Beard tunes. Your heart is in the right place.” Abe Holderman (Dream Killer) – Backline Records

2-1-2011: “I’ve finished the album front to back and ready to record it and release it and move forward. The fire inside is always growing..”

3-21-2011: “Solo show Saturday went well, the place filled up.. I want to start booking our trio soon..”

My traumatic brain injury was diagnosed 9 months later; my upper cervical spinal injury, 7 years. There was zero protocol for traumatic brain injury where I was treated and as a result I struggled to navigate a road to recovery. I spent 8 months in a wheelchair with repeat leg surgeries and other complications but once I was back on my feet I ditched the prescription medication protocol and found a new neurologist to focus on the lingering cognitive dysfunction. After a year of ongoing therapies I had run out of options with Western medicine. In the years following, I struggled to find my way.

In 2016, I made the critical decision to prioritize myself and began pursuing alternative therapies such as Neurofeedback Training, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Near-Infrared and Far-Infrared Light Therapy. The results have been life changing. I eventually found an Upper Cervical Chiropracter (NUCCA) in 2018 and discovered that I had a significant spinal injury at the base of my skull. My rehabilitation is a result of a combination of several interventions, but I had to first accept that I had a choice to change how I prioritized myself in order to reach those opportunities. From my experience I’ve helped to increase awareness of and accessibility to hyperbaric oxygen therapy and other modalities for those living with traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome.

I began recording Will-o’-the-Wisp at home in 2012. An instrumental version of the opening track, Escaping The Storms In Your Eyes, was made available in 2016 amid ongoing medical setbacks. The original release concept for the full length album was lost in time but involved a schedule of video song releases leading up to the official album release.