VIDEO: And So it Goes: Darrin Bradbury, Eavesdropper, Songwriter

You might want to watch what you say when Darrin Bradbury’s within earshot: The 24-year-old folk singer just might get his next song idea from your own mouth.

“I like hearing people’s conversations, I like the minute details of mundane things. They’re really interesting to me,” the village resident and regular at Ridgewood Coffee Company (RCC) said, explaining where he draws his inspiration.

“I just like to write what I see…There’s a lot of sarcasm in [my lyrics].”

Describing himself as very “Kurt Vonnegutty,” Bradbury’s music style is “all-around folk music.”

“Every song [I write] in parenthesis afterwards, could have ‘And so it goes,” he said, referencing Kurt Vonnegut's popular book "Slaughterhouse Five."

Bradbury, who grew up in Dumont, heard folk music for the first time while visiting a commune in Virginia when he was 16. He was able to teach himself the guitar, banjo, and mandolin by watching others, and eventually began performing folk music at the age of 18.

For Bradbury, music paves the way to his greater passion: writing.

“I started writing songs basically when I was five years old,” he said. “All I’ve ever wanted to do my entire life was write songs. And the actual music is just a means in which to write songs," which, he says often results in “the same three chords over and over again.” 

During the day, he works at the vintage clothing store Udelco in Hawthorne, but remains focused on his performing career.

Bradbury estimates he has averaged 120 legitimate “gigs” every year for the past five years. In addition to the RCC, he performs at Mexicali Live in Teaneck and Maxwells in Hoboken. He has also opened for the likes of acoustic folk rock singers Dan Burn and Willie Nile.

When he isn’t performing solo, he also plays with his band, Big Wilson River, who have gained recognition throughout the Ramapo area and have toured nationally, even performing at the South by Southwest music festival. They play completely different music from the folk tunes Bradbury enjoys playing on his own.

“We have some music on iTunes and we just recorded an album that should be released by Thanksgiving,” he said.

Bradbury is currently in the process of putting all of his own songs on iTunes. In the meantime, he will continue performing gigs and playing open mic nights at the RCC.

“Between the weekends when we’re out playing gigs, [performers] can get depressed during the week. Coming to the RCC to play is a lot of fun,” he said.

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