Music Is Personal For Robert Bruey

Robert Bruey does not put much space between himself and the music he creates.

Not even the thin plastic of a guitar pick separates him from the six strings of his instrument. With his acoustic guitar, notes are picked fingerstyle. And the lyrics he composes originate from a place which is highly personal. As a result, the space which Mr. Bruey invites listeners to occupy is an intimate one.

The journey to his destination today has been a difficult one at times, he said in a recent interview. But despite the challenges faced, the guitarist has taken his life experience and the hopes he has for the future and molded interpretations of each into his music and lyrics.

Mr. Bruey, a self-taught musician, is father to Jenny, Kelly and Tom and lives in Southold with his fiancée Dana. He first began playing guitar 16 years ago but discovered a taste for song writing only a couple of years ago. Song writing was a bit tricky, he said, adding that he at first attempted to compose his lyrics poetically.

“I would convert poetry into music but it didn’t work for me, really. I found it was more about the way the music made me feel and that allowed me to write and thoroughly express myself,” he explained.

His first album, “Songs from the Path,” which was released in 2009, contained songs which were inspired from the personal heartaches and pains of a life which had often been punctuated by turmoil. The results were cathartic. And well received.

“I had never performed publicly before I put ‘Path’ together but I enjoyed playing guitar and I had reached a point in life where I was looking for a different path and a different way to express myself,” he said.

“Path” launched Mr. Bruey onto the Long Island music scene. Not long after, recognition by local media followed. According to Mr. Bruey, WPPB 88.3 (then WLIU 88.3) radio host Bonnie Grice passed along samples of his music to Bill Herman of Paradiddle Records, a Long Island-based record company. Word of mouth spread and only a short three weeks ago, Mr. Herman added Mr. Bruey to his record company’s “Best of 2010 Singers-Songwriters” list.

“That was a real honor,” he noted.

With his first album under his belt, Mr. Bruey continued to give concerts at various venues on the North Fork, the Hamptons and points further west. From there, the path he found himself on was one which led to the creation of his second and latest album, “Silver Burning Sky,” which launches Tuesday, January 25.

“This album is more about being by yourself but not wanting to be alone. In a way, it’s about wanting to be home,” he explained.

In the process of finding a way home, songs from the album, such as the introspective “Flicker,” provided a sort of metaphorical place marker for Mr. Bruey’s continued sojourn.

“‘Flicker’ is about surviving and figuring out where you are in your life ... It’s about the times when you’re backed up against the wall emotionally and you find yourself asking the world, ‘What’s going on here?’” he said.

Since, Mr. Bruey suggested he has found some solace in the chaos of life’s day-to-day confusions.

“I don’t always know what will happen, but I know this: I’m not giving up or letting go that easily,” he laughed.

The musician is staying quite busy these days. Last weekend, he played “unplugged” at the Bridgehampton Historical Society’s “Parlor Series.” Coming up, on Saturday, January 22, Mr. Bruey will give his fingers no rest with yet another performance at Sherwood House Vineyards in Jamesport at 2 p.m.

According to the musician, a busy schedule is a surefire way to stay adept.

“I usually play every night,” he said. “For concerts that might showcase songs I don’t have an opportunity to play all that frequently, I require more rehearsal time. But overall, staying active and constantly in practice keeps me sharp.”

At present, the busy musician is straddling the line which divides the world of necessity from that of desire. A salesman by day, he faces a conundrum common to many creative types. “It’s a tough balance trying to do what you love and what you need to do in order to survive,” he said. “It can be really difficult.”

However, new ideas and sources of inspiration are never far behind. Mr. Bruey has already amassed enough material for another album. And ultimately, he said, he hopes to make the world of music the only one he walks in for awhile.

According to the Southold entertainer, with a new fiancée and a slew of concert dates lined up, the future looks promising. And as he recently suggested, if the past is any indication of what’s to come, the next album will expose yet another aspect of his musical and personal life.

Smiling, Mr. Bruey said, “Sometimes my children have asked me, ‘Why is your music so personal?’ and I tell them: ‘Because this is how I express myself. This is me.’”

Concert dates, musical samplings and information on how to purchase a copy of Robert Bruey’s latest album, “Silver Burning Sky” are available on Mr. Bruey’s website, robertbruey.com.