I'm Brendan Forrest, an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, lyricist, arranger, and music producer with a B.A. in Music, over 150 published songwriting credits, and thousands of hours of professional recording and production experience.

I work with artists at every stage of the creative process—from developing a song's lyrics, melody, and arrangement to recording instrumental...
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I'm Brendan Forrest, an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, lyricist, arranger, and music producer with a B.A. in Music, over 150 published songwriting credits, and thousands of hours of professional recording and production experience.

I work with artists at every stage of the creative process—from developing a song's lyrics, melody, and arrangement to recording instrumental parts, producing sessions, and bringing a project across the finish line. Whether you need a single guitar overdub or a creative partner to help shape an entire record, I bring musical versatility, technical experience, and a collaborative spirit to the process.

MUSICAL BACKGROUND & SPECIALTIES

My work is rooted in Americana, rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, country, and acoustic traditions, but my musical background extends considerably further. With formal studies in jazz, pop, classical, and electronic music, I'm comfortable navigating a broad range of styles, from traditional acoustic music to contemporary, experimental, and genre-defying productions.

As a guitarist, mandolinist, composer, lyricist, and arranger, I approach each project with an understanding of how melody, harmony, rhythm, lyrics, and production work together to tell a story.

RECORDING, SONGWRITING & PRODUCTION

I operate a professional home recording studio and work primarily in Logic Pro, with experience in Pro Tools, Ableton Live, FL Studio, and other recording platforms.

My services include session guitar and mandolin, songwriting and co-writing, lyric development, composition, arranging, music production, instrumental overdubs, and creative consultation.

I can work from demos, charts, stems, reference tracks, or an initial musical idea. Rehearsals are welcome but not required, and I can deliver professional multitrack recordings and individual stems according to your project's needs.

I'm available for remote collaborations worldwide and travel nationally for studio sessions and production work.

RECORDING CREDITS & RECOGNITION

My recording collaborations include Grammy-winning musicians and acclaimed artists such as Michael Cleveland, Dominick Leslie, Woody Goss (Vulfpeck), Penelope Antena, Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Anders Nordstrom, Sam Hudgens (Mon Rovîa), and Denmark Vessey, among others.

I'm a winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and the 2026 Telluride Blues Challenge, a two-time recipient of the City of Chicago Individual Artists Program grant, and a two-time Telluride Arts grantee.

MY APPROACH

I believe the best musical collaborations begin with listening. Sometimes a song needs a bold arrangement or an unexpected musical direction. Other times, the most meaningful contribution is knowing when to leave space.

I'm equally happy taking direction or contributing creative ideas, and I value clear communication, curiosity, and making music that feels honest.

Whatever the genre, instrumentation, or scale of the project, my goal is always the same: serve the song.
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