Meet Brev Sullivan | Multi genre guitarist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brev Sullivan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brev, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from Hollywood Fla. My family was very artistic. My mother is an artist and singer. My father was Jazz legend Ira Sullivan. Musical instruments were very prominent in our household and eventually I just started playing whatever instrument that was laying around the house. My family never forced me to follow a music career but they were very influential in my decision to study music and eventually become a musician.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Im a Florida based guitarist, keyboardist, and vocalist. and have performed with and appeared with artists such as Lita Ford, Kip Winger and played as a soloist in the Miami Symphony Orchestra.. I was in the Warner Bros Movie Rock of Ages (2012) with Tom Cruise in the fictional band Aresenal. I’ve had the pleasure of touring with my Father Jazz legend and 5 time Grammy Nominated Ira Sullivan.

What’s sets me apart is that I play vastly different styles of music in very different settings and speak the language as authentically as possible.. Many musicians who play rock, only play one style.. On the other hand, it’s very rare that a Jazz musician can go from performing intimate Bossa Nova’s one night and the next night play full out Hard Rock or Metal in costume.
I’m most proud of this achievement and I would compare the ability to play many musical genres while fitting into the role, to what a movie actor does when they do method acting. The actor must achive a complete character transformation from role to role to be truly convincing.
It took me a long time to develop the musical skills to cross over to different genres on command. The easy part is that that process is fun and I never get bored cause I’ve so many colors and musical styles to choose from. Knowing multiple styles also takes me to more places and can perform in a variety of musical situations. The Hardest part is that it takes more time to maintain and practice multiple skill sets and multiple instruments. I have to perform daily warmups on guitar, voice, and keys. Then I have to chose different days of the week to write, record, and choose between, jazz, rock, or experimental. That’s like running a full time business in itself.
I always think of what I’t would be like to niche down to one style or one instrument but I’d get bored of just one thing.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is to learn as many tunes from all eras as you can. That way your never limited as a musician and you can work with anyone. For young musicians starting out I recommend learning as many ways to play the blues and in all keys.
Ultimately you should dream big and never stop chasing that dream.
I’d love to share as much music as I can with the world. I hope people get the same joy listening as much as I do performing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Typically the Keys is place to start for some quiet time and beaches. Lorelei is a wonderful place to dine in the keys I also reccomend Ft Lauderdale (Lauderdale by the Sea) which is great for select live music. However one of Miami’s must see and do is the Fishouse Miami/ Backroom Live. It’s an authentic seafood music venue with a New Orleans meets the Keys vibe with live jazz, blues, and select solo artists each week. Another great place is the Hard Rock Guitar Hotel in Hollywood

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?
My Shoutout is to my Father Ira Sullivan. He was a huge influence to generations of jazz musicians. He mentored Jaco Pastorious and taught countless young musicians the language of jazz. He performed with almost everyone who is anyone in jazz from Miles Davis, to Charlie Parker and beyond.

Website: https://www.brevsullivanguitar.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brevsullivanguitar?igsh=MThjb3dxaDQxYmhhZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brevsullivanguitar?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@BrevSullivan?si=5JvmUQPJ_Q12ONVa