He wrote and cut three albums since moving to Sedona area

By Lu Stitt

Larson Newspapers

Brandon Decker said his creative juices seemed to kick in when he moved to Sedona, although he started playing music and performing 13 years ago elsewhere.

Decker is a singer and songwriter based in Sedona, the city Decker calls his hometown. Since moving here, he wrote and recorded three albums.

“I feel at home here. People talk about vortexes and crystals but I just feel like this is where I’m supposed to live,” Decker said. “You can’t deny there’s an energy here, but there’s no mention of crystals in any of my albums — they talk about life.”

Decker’s grandparents first introduced him to the Verde Valley and Sedona area when they moved to Clarkdale in 1998. Decker came to visit. The next year he and a friend came to Sedona to camp in Oak Creek Canyon. It was night when they set up camp, so his first view of the canyon was early morning when he stepped out of his tent.

“I was mesmerized at the sight,” Decker said. “It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, looking up at those rocky cliffs edged with the morning sun and covered with deep green trees. Then there were the red rocks. It’s not difficult to see why so many people come here.”

However, Decker went back to St. Louis after his camping trip. He started to travel and play concerts. He lived in several areas like Denver, Louisville, Ky., Houston and Los Angeles and played his music. For a short time, Decker even lived in Phoenix and Flagstaff before settling on Sedona.

“I’ve never lived in any state, or place, more than seven years. Now I’ve been in Sedona going on eight years,” Decker said. “Besides, I have a 6-month old and think it’s a better place to raise a child than in a big city.”

Decker started writing his own music at the age of 21 while living in St. Louis. Decker is his own manager but said a few friends help him with paperwork, booking and promotions.

“They really relieve me to concentrate on my music,” Decker said.

As far as genre, Decker’s music received has garnered numerous descriptions, but what he writes and performs cannot really be pigeonholed. It comes from the influences during his life that molded who he is, he said.

“My music is an outpouring from within me and from without. It encompasses several genres: folk, rock ’n’ roll, a little old country. I just write what I like — what appeals to me,” Decker said. “A big theme is salvation and redemption.”

Decker has a background in philosophy and theology.

A music blog in Phoenix named Decker Songwriter of the Year, and a Phoenix tabloid featured Decker in a mid-December issue.

Most recently Decker has toured with a seven-piece band called simply Decker. Chicago musician Judson Claiborne has joined Decker for a series of concerts throughout Arizona. They will play together Friday, Jan. 6, at 7 p.m. at Studio Live in West Sedona.

“My band is me plus whoever wants to play with me at the time. Right now all of my band members are from Sedona,” Decker said.

His hope is to create a cohesive group of musicians who feel the music, rather than just play it technically.

“That’s when the sum of the parts is greater than the individuals,” he said.

Decker released his third album, “Broken Belts, Broken Bones” in October. On the cover is a drawing of a mule, designed after a Grand Canyon mule named Decker.

“When a friend told me his name, I just had to include his likeness on the cover,” Decker said.

Lu Stitt can be reached at 282-7795, ext. 122, or email lu@larsonnewspapers.com