“Funkhouser’s brand of ‘Virginia-grown Americana’ is just beginning to blossom.” - Alchemical Records
Brent Funkhouser began writing songs to quell his adolescent boredom, and quickly fell head-first into a life-long obsession. Growing up in a small town on the edge of Appalachia meant entertainment options were limited, and music provided a creative remedy. Not quite fitting the mold of country despite his Shenandoah drawl, Brent half-jokingly describes his music as y’alternative (or as a friend once said, “not redneck, but redneck adjacent”).
Today, Brent is a dyed-in-the-wool troubadour with hundreds of shows under his belt. Live performance has taken him from the hills of western North Carolina to the coastal communities of Rhode Island, winning over attentive audiences and opening for legends like Judy Collins and Phil Vassar along the way.
Brent’s achingly uplifting lyricism is punctuated by his storytelling prowess. His 2021 debut full-length The Next Karaoke Star was propelled by a fan-powered vinyl campaign and received attention from Whiskey Riff and Adobe & Teardrops. Brent’s upcoming releases showcase his writing at it’s sharpest, embodying sympathetic characters and accented by a poetic flare.
“Blackberries” - Lyric Video
Watch Brent’s set at the Songwriter Association of Washington’s 2022 Summer Songwriter Sessions:
Watch Brent perform “The Blues, Mary” at the 2021 Shenandoah Valley Music Festival:
In the News
Brent Funkhouser Keeps His Chin Up with “We Get By” (Alchemical Records) 6/28/2023: LINK
Musician’s Cafe Podcast, Ep. 49 - Brent Funkhouser, 6/7/2023: LINK
Brent Funkhouser is Growing Blackberries in Folksy New Single (Alchemical Records) 3/1/2023: LINK
Songwriters In The Round Comes to Pearl Street Warehouse (Alchemical Records), 1/1/2023: LINK
Voted “Best Local Music Performer,” Nothern Virginia Daily “Best of Awards” 2021: LINK
WhiskeyRiff New Music Friday 3/12/2021: LINK
Americana Highways, 2/28/2021: LINK
Release Radar Saving Country Music: LINK
New Releases the Musical Divide: LINK
Adobe and Teardrops Podcast Episode 158, 2/12/2021: LINK
Last Day Deaf, 12/3/2020: LINK
Americana Highways, 10/25/2019: LINK
Virginia Craft Beer Magazine, Oct/Nov 2019: LINK
The Breeze, 9/26/2019: LINK
Shenandoah Valley Music Festival, 8/20/2019: LINK
Northern Virginia Daily/Daily News Record, 7/25/2018: LINK
Americana Highways, 5/8/2018: LINK
Accolades
Founder of The Travelin’ Round songwriter series and the Rising Virginia Americana Playlist
Over 350+ Performances in 9 states
3x opening act for ASCAP-Award winning hit-maker Phil Vassar
Opening act for Grammy-winning folk legend Judy Collins
Opening act for All That star Danny Tamberelli’s band Jounce
Performed at the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival in 2019 and 2021
Voted “Best Local Music Performer” in the Northern Virginia Daily’s Best Of Awards 2021
