Brooke Pennock: Bio
Brooke Pennock - Singer/Songwriter
The Gift
"I don't know where this stuff comes from. The songs write me, I don't write them. I certainly have tons of life experiences and a great imagination, but sometimes the beauty or perfection of a line I've just written can surprise me. I think it's a gift, I really do."
And her gift of writing is given to us.... insatiable teasing, crippling self doubt, shattering honesty, true love and true hate, the words that explain what we feel but can't speak.....perfectly.
"I have a very full life."
Brooke's juggler logo sums it up. "Balancing my life generally starts somewhere up in the air, most the time I'm a pretty good catch, but every now and then I drop it all!"
A pipefitter by day and singer/songwriter by night, it's only a matter of time before all the world hears the gifts that Brooke's music gives.
Wendy McDowell - Bass player/vocals
Finding her home
After years of asking her to leave Florida and return to Washington, Brooke’s life-long friend, Wendy, has finally come home. In 2004, Wendy joined up with the band and has been booking shows, managing press, selling swag, running sound, singing backup vocals, filling in on drums, bass, and lead guitar.
“Wendy has a basic instinct for Brooke’s music…she gets it; she understands what the music is saying and how to compliment it.” says BPB guitarist Charles Eliot.
An accomplished singer/songwriter herself, watching Wendy perform in Florida was a turning point for Brooke. “I went for a visit and got a chance to watch Wendy work and play a couple songs with her…and damn! She just inspired me! To have her here with me now; to have her as a part of this band, it’s just amazing.” says Brooke
To top it all off, Wendy and business partner Stacie Balwig have just opened Eddie’s Trackside Bar and Grill in Monroe. And it was her draw to music that started the idea. “I was really frustrated with the lack of real quality places to play music in this area. I wanted to find the perfect place to book Brooke, so…I built it myself! And it is perfect!”
Dave Walker - Drums/percussion/vocals
Making Time to Keep Time
While his forte is playing many different styles of music, Dave isn’t content to just sit in the back and blend in. From playing classic rock to punk, to Brooke Pennock’s soulful acoustic rock, Dave lays down the grooves and adds the foundation for two bands and teaches drumming as well.
"Dave started out as my back up drummer and as quick as he'd say yes, we grabbed him full time," says Brooke Pennock, " Good drummers are really hard to come by and even harder to hold on to. I'm honored to be playing with him".
When he’s not drumming,
Dave is an avid road cyclist and mountain biker. He owns four bikes (four!) and rides them all regularly, averaging 200 miles per week in the summer months. He recently completed the Seattle-to-Portland ride in only 11 hours. He lives in Lake Stevens with his girlfriend, Kimberly, who can occasionally be found drafting behind him.
So how does he find the time to do it all? “It’s a balancing act, “ said Dave. “I balance a bike on top of the drumset in my truck, and off I go!”
Charles Eliot - Lead guitar
The Master
During rehearsal, following yet another amazing practice solo, Charles launches into an explaination of the particular playing technic he just used, where it originated, who perfected it, what instument they played and where it was recorded.
His band mates just grin.
He is brilliant.
He is classicaly trained.
He has more information in his head than most small librarys.
And he's a monster on that damn guitar.
Of course, he also plays piano, drums, directs plays, is a completely committed father, and a very successful exec.
"It's how I live my life. I want to be involved in everything that I can."
And when Charles gets involved, great things happen.
His Telecaster solos go from scream to whisper, finding their way to the exact note your ear was hoping for or surprising you with the perfect passage you hadn't expected.
And his acoustic is heaven on earth. A perfect hand in hand stroll with Brooke's rythum guitar.
Charles clearly knows what the music is asking for. If it's a fat, in-your-face- bar chord or one harmonic note placed right......there....it is perfect.