ABOUT BRAD COLE

The songs of Brad Cole address the ups and downs of the human condition with both wit and raw insight. His passionate and distinctive delivery of roots-based folk music glides on an eclectic mix of old school jazz, rhythm & blues and rock, moving listeners in a direction that is both unexpected, yet perfectly familiar. 

A solid 12-years of touring has brought Brad to many great notables stages and venues, including  Lincoln Center, Wrigley Field, City Winery (Chicago, Boston, Nashville), The Hotel Cafe, The Ark, Rockwood Music Hall, The Cutting Room, Landmark on Main, The Steven Talkhouse, as well numerous festivals including recent tours of the UK and Ireland. Cole has shared the stage with marquee performers including Chris Stapleton, Ingrid Michaelson, Hothouse Flowers, Shovels And Rope, The James Hunter Six and Dave Davies of the Kinks, to name a few. 

Cole’s recording career began in Chicago at Rax Trax Studios with his neo ska rock band Treatment 's Musical Therapy in the early 90’s. Followed by his first straight up rock EP The Second Story (1998). His solo albums include Highway 200 (2008), Exile (2010), and Down The Line (2012). Cole’s fourth full-length album Lay It Down has received critical praise. Recorded in East Nashville, with producer Joe McMahan and a veteran cast of musicians has resulted in a project that is perhaps Cole’s most soulfully eclectic and cohesive work to date.  

Cole’s cut his teeth performing in the Chicago club scene, initially performing along side artists that make up the fabric of the city’s musical legacy including Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Uncle Tupelo and the Smashing Pumpkins. His several Chicago-based bands including Treatment, The Second Story, Psycholove, and Check with Lucy. 

Cole’s numerous side projects include: the jazz / blues project Bossa Blue and the acclaimed trio Cole, Nakoa & Treacher. In 2016, his life and music became the subject of a short film titled Cole Soul by award-winning film maker Steven Weiss. In 2021, Cole launched his Sci-Fi musical Songs From The Moon as a 1 man show and as a podcast series. Currently Cole lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.