LYNN — Brian Maes has released two new books on his music career and his time spent touring the world, playing at local venues, and opening for celebrity acts including U2, Aerosmith, and the Kinks.
This three-part book series titled “Brushes with Greatness” is written in a diary form of his recollections throughout his nearly 50-year musical career.
The second book starts off with his graduation from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1979, where he majored in piano, and goes on to discuss his time entering the Boston music scene.
In the second book, Maes reflects on the experiences and people he encountered while he was starting his career in the music industry.
During his time at Berklee, Maes worked at Kelly’s Roast Beef on the beach in Revere where he said all of his coworkers were very supportive.
Maes was featured on the “Five All Night, Live All Night” late show on Channel 5, which he said was amazing because his role model from growing up, Rex Tailor from Boomtown, was also on the show.
“I went to perform that night on live TV, and I wore my Kelly’s T-shirt, and was on the same show as my idol, so it was really cool,” Maes said.
Maes ended up leaving Kelly’s, due to the commute from Berklee to Revere, and got a job during his senior year at the music store E.U. Wurlitzer, which was near his school.
Maes started playing the piano at the age of 15, so when he was at Berklee studying piano, he spent five to six hours a day practicing, thus needing a job closer to his campus.
“I got a job at this music store, and they were the biggest music store around anywhere,” Maes said. “Wurlitzer was where everyone went, including the national acts that played at the garden and the Orpheum.”
His time at Wurlitzer introduced him to famous musicians, and his coworkers helped him get his foot in the door.
“The friends that I made there became real key players,” Maes said.
One of Maes’ coworkers from Wurlitzer got him an audition with the band Orion The Hunter, who’s lead guitarist Barry Goudreau used to play for the rock group Boston. Maes then went on tour opening for Aerosmith during the summer of 1984 with Orion The Hunter.
“That was a real big step for me,” Maes said. “Suddenly I was going from playing locally and doing some big shows for sure, but this was a tour with a tour bus and my own hotel room. It was the big leagues. It was really exciting.”
The third book starts off with Maes recalling his time opening up for Aerosmith, playing in the United Kingdom with the Robert Ellis Orral band from Lynnfield, performing at The Main Act on the Lynnway, and opening for The Kinks, U2, and Robert Palmer.
The time frame that the third book discusses was when Maes realized that he was never going to do anything else besides play music for a living. But Maes said making it in the music industry can be difficult, having a period where everything is going great to it just ending, which he experienced during his career.
When writing the third book, Maes said he wanted to include a message about not giving up on your dream.
“I never stopped being a musician, but it was difficult at times,” Maes said.
After his time on tour with Aerosmith, the band Orion The Hunter disbanded, but Maes started it back up with someone else.
From then on, he played with a few more bands and did solo acts, performing around the North Shore and playing gigs in bars six days a week.
“I was able to become a full-time musician,” Maes said.
His original plan for these books was to write three of them reflecting on his career, but the third book ends in 1984, so he wants to write more to continue his story.
“I hoped to get it all summed up in three books, but I didn’t want to miss things and leave out details,” Maes said. “After 1984, when the third book ends, there are so many more incredible things that happened.”
In the next books, Maes is going to write about his hit songs, more tours, music videos, playing at the Boston Garden, and touring with the Giles band around the world.
He thinks that there will be two more books to sum up his career, but said the books are easy to read, as they are about 200 pages each.
To purchase the books, visit Maes’ Facebook page. Books can also be ordered by sending a $20 check to Briola Records, P.O. Box 538 Lynn, MA 01903.
