Yoder Talks to Strangers

Embodying his own lyrics, Brad Yoder truly knows how to "talk to total strangers like you've known them all your life." This phrase from the hit song "Skyler," is just one in the seemingly endless repertoire of witty, inspirational, and powerful lyrics the Pittsburgh-based singer-songmaker claims to his name.

Armed with a well-trained voice, a comprehensive use of chord structure, excellent guitar skills, and a pick-hand complete with five double-length, double-thick fingernails, Brad Yoder swept the Common Grounds audience off their feet and didn't let them relax until the show was over.

When Brad Yoder takes the stage, he doesn't just sing and play guitar. He tells stories, interacts with the audience, chats with friends, chats with total strangers, makes jokes, and sometimes even has a spot for audience sing-alongs. In other words, Brad Yoder is more than a musician, he's a true entertainer.

His lyrics are full of nostalgic analogies and metaphors, and his melodies are complemented by intricately layered instrumental counter-melodies. On top of his ability to perform and entertain, by the end of the show he somehow managed to leave the crowd with the feeling that they had somehow just gained a friend.

Yoder has been performing for over 10 years and recently has played roughly 150 shows a year. He enjoys a "quasi-celebrity" status in the Pittsburgh music scene, which affords him the occasional, "Oh yeah, I've heard of you," or even a break on a traffic ticket. His music has been used for such productions as the sitcom "NUMB3RS," the fifth season DVD of "Dawson's Creek," and a fake-documentary (mock-umentary) on an authentic Icelandic "woman-band" called "The Housewives."

What's in Brad Yoder's imaginary 5-disc CD player? A classic album by The Clash, "London Calling;" The Best of The Replacements; "Warehouse: Songs and Stories" by the 80's pop-punk scene forerunners Hüskerdü; Joni Mitchell: "Blue," and Ani DiFranco: "Out of Range."

And what does Brad Yoder have to say about everything in general? "Tricky."

The first reason Brad Yoder writes music is simply because he enjoys it. He says that enjoyment of the music is the only thing that can sustain a long-term career in the industry. It also is a way for him to make use of the things that happen to him in daily life, from the insane to the mundane. Brad also says that there is a certain rush you get from writing a song and loving it. This may be the rush that keeps a songwriter coming back to write again.

Writing a song and performing it for people also "affirms the connectedness" of the human race for Brad. For instance, the way a song can have meaning for a total stranger, or when a total stranger mouths the words to a song that at one time only existed in Brad's mind. In these instances, Brad cannot help but believe in a deeper connection with humankind than that of who you know and who you don't.