Meet Brandon Gorman and Michael | Wild Love

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brandon Gorman and Michael and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandon Gorman and Michael, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Michael: I think putting yourself out there in any way, whether that be making art, starting a business, really investing in anything that doesn’t pay right out the gate is inherently risky, as you’re giving up other opportunities, investing in something that you don’t know the outcome of, all of which is especially risky with music. But I think when you know the risks, you know what you’re getting into, that’s part of the thrill and what makes pursuing a career in music special: you do it despite all the risks, and that makes it all the more meaningful.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s been a long path, a lot longer than I had expected to get to this point. The band started in high school after I emigrated from Ireland. We eventually moved to Nashville because we felt we needed to really challenge ourselves, and honestly, it was a lot more challenging than expected. From changing band members to being accepted in the scene, to just life and the balance of it all. We have always said attitude is a word we want to embody in this band, and that was the guide for everything. Have an aggression towards challenges and know you just have to keep hammering away. And look, our story is no different from the thousands of others who have come before us, but learning to break down doors rather than knocking is something you just have to do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Michael: Portland Brew East feels like home. That’s where Brandon and I meet to catch up, go over stuff with the band, and I know it’s where we both go on our own to knock out a bunch of work on a saturday afternoon when we need to just get out of the house and focus. Also Frankie’s is a new pizza spot in East that has blown all the other ones out of the water.

Brandon: I love that angel wings mural in The Gulch.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Michael: We have to shoutout to Gil Costello and Taylor Cole, who book for The Basement and The East Room respectively. Not only have they both treated us incredibly well, helping us put together a great headlining night when it’s been the time to have one over the years, but also for years they have both been huge champions of the local music scene here. You can see in their work and the way they interact with the scene that they truly care about the development of the scene and helping grow artists here. Truly some of the unsung heroes of this town.

Brandon: Could not agree more. I also have to shout out Nicole Beaubien, who is behind a lot of the songs, co-writing them with me. She is someone I love to write with and is so incredibly talented. She has been helping bring out the best in our music for a couple of years now and more importantly, is such a gem of a person.

Website: wearewildlove.com

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Image Credits
All photos by Destiny Keller