If you follow the American reggae-rock scene with some degree of regularity, you likely have come across the name Brendan Clemente. You may recognize his name from years past as a blogger covering the scene for Hill Kid, a clothing company founded by Rebelution’s bassie, Marley D. Williams. In recent years, you may have seen him listed as a musical collaborator on tracks from Alific, Drifting Roots, and/or Mellodose/One Culture. 

If you’re fortunate, you’ve encountered him at a reggae show or festival, because Clemente is one of the warmest, most humble and kind people you could ever meet.

Earlier this year, along with Johnny Cosmic who helped compose and produce the album, Clemente released a debut LP of his own titled Peaks & Valleys, which features guest appearances from notable names like G. Love, The Elovaters and KBong. 

The path to this significant achievement took many years to manifest. It started well over a decade ago, when Clemente left his home in New Hampshire to move to San Diego, California. There, he paid his dues as a fledgling musician. He recalled that he could only afford a comically small amp, which he used when attempting to audition for a metal band. He was abruptly told not to bother, as he wouldn’t be heard over the drums. 

Photo cred: Sean McCracken

Eventually, despite the size of his amp, he joined a punk band called The Stircrazies, which gave him an opportunity to learn the ropes of the music business. “When I moved to San Diego, I didn’t know anything about being a musician. I was just a kid sitting in his room with a guitar, dreaming,” Clemente said. “The Stircrazies changed that. Basically, I learned how to build a band from scratch…how to survive in relationships with four different band members who all think and feel differently, how to write songs that actually mean something, how to record albums, book shows, promote shows, market yourselves, deal with the stress, and keep going when it felt impossible.”

Clemente said his experience with The Stircrazies, who rehearsed at the same studio as bands like Tribal Seeds and Stick Figure, as well as his writing for the Hill Kid blog, allowed him to meet a ton of people in the scene. “San Diego was my musical education, and it built my network. It got me in the room with and to be friends with people who were already doing big things,” he said.

Clemente looked back fondly on his time with The Stircrazies, recalling that the band had some great moments such as playing the main stage at Cali Roots in 2014, which was the same year Stick Figure played the afternoon slot on it for the first time. Despite this,  he never felt quite at home in the band. “After six years with that band, I knew it wasn’t my project. I wasn’t free. I realized that if I ever left, I’d be replaced. Even though the singer Cole and I are still best friends and he even plays with me and helps me on the road now, I just didn’t feel like that project was right for me. And as scary as it was, I knew I had to walk away and start over.”

He said that the hardest part was realizing he didn’t believe in himself yet. “I had the network, but I didn’t think I could write good songs or even sing,” he said.  “I had to get my skills to the point where they’d be good enough for someone to reach out to me. So, I basically went underground. I spent years teaching myself quietly—learning how to produce, how to write, how to sing, and how to make something real.”

Eventually,  after ten years of pursuing his dream of making music in San Diego, Clemente relocated to Minnesota with his wife to be closer to her family. While on the surface that decision may have seemed to be a step in the opposite direction, as it turned out, that’s when things really started to happen for him.

His big break came when Johnny Cosmic heard Clemente’s song, “Time,” and reached out to work with him. To fully understand what this meant to Clemente, some backstory is necessary.

Clemente  first met Johnny Cosmic backstage at a Stick Figure show at The Greek in L.A., back when he had just joined the band. “He still had that unmistakable, wide-eyed, new-to-the-road energy,” Clemente recalled. “I’d known the Stick crew for a while. I met Scott back at a college house party in Vermont, and the other guys once I moved out to San Diego. But I’d heard that a new guy had joined the band, and that Johnny was not just an incredible guitar player, but a wildly talented producer. So I sought him out, and we ended up walking around the back of the venue, talking about music, his journey, and what it felt like to step into major tours with one of the biggest bands in the scene. I ended up writing a blog about his story.”

Photo cred: Darrin Williams

They stayed in touch over the years. “As I taught myself how to produce music, Johnny was always there for me. He offered advice, guided me, and helped out when he could. But I never wanted to ask him for a collab. Not because I didn’t want one, but because I wanted it to happen for the right reasons. I didn’t want it to be a favor. I didn’t want handouts. I wanted my music to be strong enough to speak for itself. I only wanted it if he genuinely believed in what I was making. My mindset was: make the music good enough that someone like Johnny wants to work with you.”

Years went by, and it didn’t happen. Clemente kept grinding. He kept writing and producing. Then, during a low period filled with doubt about whether his music was ever going to take off, he challenged himself to write, record and release a song in seven days. He rose to the occasion and produced the song, “Time,” which he posted a clip of online. 

Then, the opportunity Clemente had been working towards and hoping for finally came. Cosmic messaged him, ““Yo, this song sounds rad. Want to collab on it?”

That moment changed everything.

“I freaked out when he messaged me. I ran to my wife like a giddy kid,” Clemente gushed. “I had literally visualized this moment for years. And now it was real.”

Cosmic’s contributions really leveled up the tune. “Johnny took ‘Time,’ – which had the core energy but was rough – and turned it into something polished, beautiful, and alive.”

To Clemente’s delight, this was just the beginning of their collaboration. “After that, we worked on ‘All Love’ together. Then more songs. Eventually, he called and said, ‘What do you think about making an album?’ I told him I didn’t think I had one in me. He has this funny way of convincing you of stuff – he sort of said, ‘Hmm…I think you do.’ And that’s all it took. He pushed me off that cliff, and next thing I knew I was writing an album.”

The two worked together for the next couple years, both remotely and in person at Great Stone Studios in Oakland (Scott Woodruff’s studio which used to be owned by Green Day).  ”I’d send him rough mixes from my home studio, and we’d build from there. I learned so much. Not just about production and arrangement, but about belief. Johnny helped me believe in  myself. That’s what changed the course of my life more than anything.”

Clemente expressed great admiration for Cosmic’s talent as well. “Johnny’s meticulousness in the studio, his ear for sonic detail, the way he places mics, designs sounds, builds a mix until it feels like a living thing – it’s inspiring. He’s one of the most talented artists and mix engineers I’ve ever seen or heard. He really gets both the science and art that goes into turning a hundred or so separate parts into one, cohesive, whole. He understands at an incredible depth how to tell a story sonically. And beyond all that, he’s generous with his time and a brilliant teacher. Just last night, he hopped on a call with me for over an hour, teaching me stuff in Pro Tools. The dude’s a legend.”

Brendan Clemente & Johnny Cosmic

Cosmic had kind words to say about Clemente as well: “Brendan is one of the most talented songwriters I’ve met,” he told me.  “He has an amazing way with words, a great ability to express emotion and a fantastic sense of melody. He also has such a generous heart, always finding ways to lift others up. Getting the chance to work with him is an honor and I’m so proud of his accomplishments as a musician and human being. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

The fruit of this collaboration, of course, is the aforementioned album, Peaks & Valleys, a delightful fusion of gentle reggae beats and easy-going rock with a pop sensibility. This collection of music seems like the perfect soundtrack to start your day slowly, a leisurely Saturday morning with a cup of coffee, or perhaps unwinding after a long week with a soak in the tub. 

The first song on the album, “Thailand,” has the vibe that Clemente had hoped to create, thanks to Cosmic. “Sometimes you have a really cool idea for a song, but it’s hard to actually make it sound like you heard it in your head. What Johnny did with the production completely blew me away. The textures he added – hearing what he turned it into – was one of those you’re a genius moments.”

About the song’s inspiration, Clemente detailed, “It’s about wanderlust on the surface. Just a deep desire to escape, shake up routine, and chase something new. But on a deeper level, it’s about wanting to run away from yourself and start fresh. I wrote it after waking up one morning in Minnesota, really longing for the same adventure and excitement I felt when boarding the plane to Thailand for my honeymoon.”

“Later In June,” a song that pensively contemplates a past relationship over the changing of the seasons, stands out with relatable lyrics, a chorus that gets stuck in the head and resounding guitar work, especially the crescendo at the end. 

I lie awake for an hour or two

Guess I can’t turn off my mind

I watch the clock turn a quarter past 2

Guess I can’t stop the time

Yeah we’re always

Getting older

Watching all the seasons change

When the leaves fall

And it’s colder

Yeah it’s time to turn the page

Can’t help but feel sometimes

The world is spinning out of control

I find that music’s more than rhythm

It’s the key to my soul

I’ll find and use it

Like a gun that just shoots flowers in bloom

Goodbye I’ll miss you maybe see you sometime later in June

“Northern Lights,” has another sing-along chorus and brings in a touch of country with slide guitar. A vocal feature from Jackson Weatherbee of The Elovaters, who has an undeniably beautiful voice, makes this track especially memorable.

“Life’s Better with Sunshine,” an upbeat, acoustic reggae number, features a guest appearance from the revered hip-hop blues rocker,  G. Love, and is sure to brighten days.

Another standout tune also pays homage to the golden orb:, “Sunshine on My Brain.” This trippy modern-rock/reggae mashup dazzles with cleverly subtle rhymes and vocal help from Vana Liya, the ukelele songstress with a golden honey voice. Her sleepy, saccharine delivery, sweetened further with a brilliant touch of echo, makes you want to float away on a bed of clouds:

Been down this road

Please believe me it’s not paved in gold

Despite all the stories told

Don’t lose your heart to gain your soul

High in the clouds like a feather in the sky falling down

Leaving all my worries on the ground

Lift me up and take me home

Another song on the album, “Strange Trees,” is a melodic and lyrically powerful song that explores the hypocrisy of how clearly we may see certain aspects in others but struggle to recognize these in ourselves. Clemente said, “It’s about cognitive dissonance, the blind spots we all carry, and the uncomfortable truths we unintentionally tend to ignore.” He says the song came from a place of clarity he has felt for a long time, noticing how often people point fingers outward, without turning inward and examining their own thoughts.

I go where I want to go

I’ll make you go there too

I see what I want to see

It’s just my point of view

I steal what I want to steal

Just please don’t take what’s mine

Life moves in a circle

But I only see a line

“Johnny really connected with the message, and musically, what he added took it to another level,” Clemente shared, adding “Johnny’s ability to arrange strings is next-level, and I think this track is a brilliant example of just how talented he is.”

And of course, there is the song that changed Clemente’s life: “Time.”  Written during an uncertain period after moving to Minnesota, Clemente reflected on how he felt leaving behind the center of the music scene which he belonged to. “Streams were low, momentum was nonexistent, and I was questioning whether music would ever really work out,” he detailed.  But after writing and recording the song in a course of a week and having Cosmic reach out to him, everything shifted from there. “That was a major turning point for me,” Clemente reiterated. “It told me someone I deeply respected believed in what I was doing. ‘Time’ isn’t just a song about appreciating moments as they pass. It’s the moment that marked the start of a whole new chapter for me. While I’m incredibly proud of the songs we made, I know this is just the beginning. There’s so much more to come.”