In a hyperconnected world where every chaotic moment is a hurricane of selfies, apps, shallow hype and empty glitz, you find yourself longing for the simple beauty of an earlier time… for the Way It Used To Be.

 

Enter Michael Lee Brown.

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Raised in a sleepy satellite suburb of Philly, M.L.B. began songwriting at 8 years old.  By 14 he was playing coffee houses, then studied music and the arts at Marymount Manhattan College, within striking distance of NYC, where he started performing in earnest. Having booked “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway in 2016, MLB has is currently wowing new and old fans as well on a new kind of stage.

 

Self-described as a “poppier Jack Johnson,” his world is one of rich, uplifting, melody-driven, pop/rock/folk, calling back some of his biggest influences such as the Goo Goo Dolls, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Butch Walker, Life House, Gin Blossoms, Michael Jackson, and Queen.

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The songs on “Way It Used To Be”, bubble with heart, spirit and a refreshing brand of sing-along familiarity that veteran songsmiths struggle to achieve. To produce, Michael enlisted brit Actor/Producer Matthew James Thomas. Both were starring in separate Broadway productions at the time, so arrangements were fleshed out in-between performances. To record, the two road-tripped to Garrison, NY, where they committed to a 3-day sleepless marathon session at friend Duncan Sheik's “charmingly cluttered” upstate home studio. “It may not be the coolest or edgiest thing to say, but when we disappeared to make this EP, the three aims we set out to achieve for this recording were honesty, simplicity, and truth.”

 

Mission accomplished.

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Michael is currently working on an album that will be released TBA...

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