"You are the song I hear the whole day through.
You are the song that's made my life brand new.
Deep in my heart, in everything I do
You are the song I'll sing 'til life is through."
- You Are My Song, by Brian J. Underhill
Brian is a long-time author, songwriter, and musician, and divides his time between his two loves - music and writing - down to this day. A native Oregonian, Brian currently lives just across the Columbia River in southwest Washington State.
After learning the banjo at age 5, piano at age 8, and guitar at age 14, Brian became the driving force behind the original Brian Underhill Band, who had their heyday from 1979 to 1984. As a songwriter, he was responsible for much of the band's original material, including both their 1982 regional releases, Call on Me and The Girl on Your Mind. In 2002, after reuniting with long-time friend and bass player Tom Cramer, Brian began preliminary work on bringing together three of the four original members and expanding the band's complement to include his niece Krista Richardson and brother-in-law Stefan Rijnhart. His sister (and original member) Diana Rijnhart rounds out the aptly named New Brian Underhill Band.
With the band's recent reincarnation, Brian has turned over the bulk of the songwriting duties to his niece, Krista, allowing him to spend more time as manager and producer. He is, however, reprising his role as lead singer and guitarist, occasionally expanding the band's sound with harmonica, mandolin, banjo, accordion, and more.
Despite being raised on country music, Brian's musical tastes vary widely. He still loves country legends like Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson, but he is more often found listening to a variety of music including Bruce Springsteen, the Texas Tornados, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Buckwheat Zydeco, Sheryl Crow, and Frank Sinatra.
More information about Brian's career as a writer and game designer can be found on the main web site.