Holly Brook

Metal MC Shinoda, Mellow Singer Brook Reveal How They Hooked Up

6 Jun 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Linkin Park/ Fort Minor rapper touts rawness of his 'Where'd You Go' partner, whose debut drops Tuesday.
By Corey Moss

Holly Brook
Photo: Warner Bros.

Mike Shinoda is a hip-hop head who makes his money in a metal band, but when his manager slipped him a demo of singer/songwriter Holly Brook, he was hooked.

"Her style of music is really rooted in the songwriting," Shinoda said. "You don't need all the frills and the production. You can put her on a $50 mic in a room and she sounds just like the record because the talent is really there. A lot of artists rely on tricks to make their stuff sound a certain way, but we all appreciate the rawness of what she does."

"We" meaning the rest of Linkin Park, who immediately signed Brook to their Machine Shop Recordings imprint. Shinoda then turned to Brook's angelic voice while he was recording his Fort Minor side project to sing the hook on his multiformat smash "Where'd You Go."

With Brook's debut, Like Blood Like Honey, due Tuesday (June 6), rapper/producer/multi-instrumentalist Shinoda showcased another skill — interviewing — for an exclusive one-on-one with his protégé for MTV News.

Shinoda: You've been singing for a long time. Did you always know you wanted to be a singer?

Brook: I didn't really have a choice in the matter, because I came from a very musical family, so it was just in my blood.

Shinoda: How long have you been performing?

Brook: Well, I started performing when I was 6 with my mom, and we sang folk songs and kid songs. And we made three independent albums together. We had some interesting song titles, like "We Are the Colors of the Rainbow" [both laugh] and "Grandma Slid Down the Mountain" and, what else? Oh, they're all crazy, like "Hurricane Mom."

Shinoda: I know you play piano and guitar. Are there any other instruments you play?

Brook: I also play an instrument called the dulcimer.

Shinoda: Enlighten the kids.

Brook: OK. A dulcimer you play in your lap — well, there's two kinds of dulcimers, but the kind I play, you play in your lap — and it's got four strings and you strum it. And I picked it up because my mom had one around the house when I was growing up, and there's not really that much to do in Wisconsin so I was bored.

Shinoda: And there are some artists that you like that played dulcimer, right?

Brook: Joni Mitchell, she was a big influence of mine growing up.

Shinoda: Who were some of your other musical influences growing up?

Brook: Bob Dylan and Neil Young, Sarah McLachlan and a newer band that I really like is Death Cab for Cutie, which you actually turned me on to.

Shinoda: So a lot of people are surprised that you're signed to my band's record label, Machine Shop. I'm sure that was a little bit surprising to you when you first got offered the deal. What was going on through your mind at that point?

Brook: Yeah, it was a little bit of a surprise that somebody like you guys would sign somebody like me.

Shinoda: How did your part in "Where'd You Go" come about?

Brook: Well, you already had the song written and you had your voice on it and wanted a female touch I guess, and so since I was already on the label and you wanted to keep it in the family ... you just asked me to sing it, and then I went to the studio and sang for about a half-hour and left.

Shinoda: As you know, the song "Where'd You Go," I wrote it for my wife, Anna, who you know. A lot of people do songs about being on the road, and I wanted to do this song about the opposite perspective: the people who are at home, your family, your friends, your loved ones who are at home. Have you done a lot of touring? Do you have people at home that miss you?

Brook: I haven't done that much touring, but I can definitely relate in the sense that I made a big move from Wisconsin to L.A. and left all my family and friends there. So I can definitely relate in that way.

Shinoda: The video for "Where'd You Go," that was the first video you've ever done. What was that like?

Brook: Well, it was fun, but there was a lot less shooting time than I thought there would be. I thought it would be a full day of being on camera, but most of the time was actually getting my makeup and hair done.

Shinoda: So you've got an album coming out [Like Blood Like Honey]. Tell us a little about that.

Brook: I'm very excited about it. It's quite a bit different than the stuff that you'd hear right now, because we kept it really organic. We actually recorded a lot of the songs live in the studio with live musicians on analog tape.

Shinoda: And for a lot of people who don't know that much about recording, a lot of studios and even places that manufacture analog equipment are going under — like analog is outdated, it's harder to find, harder to do. So is there a reason why you wanted to do that?

Brook: Well, it gives everything a much warmer sound, kind of like older records, like some of my favorites. So I wanted to capture that. So it's pretty organic and stripped down, and it lets the songs speak for themselves.

Shinoda: Well thanks very much, Holly. Good to see you again.

Related Artists

New Releases 6/6/06: AFI, Ice Cube, Head Automatica, DJ Khaled, Oakenfold, Holly Brook, Live, Hush Sound & More

6 Jun 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: Bouncing Souls, Psapp, Elvis Costello, Camera Obscura, Cracker, Paper Chase, Joan Jett.
By Kurt Orzeck

AFI's Decemberunderground
Photo: Interscope Records

Finally, the fated 6/6/06 has arrived. But what's to show for it? Where's Slayer's LP, intended for today? Alas, still in purgatory (a.k.a. production). Deicide and Entombed also missed deadlines. But have no fear, Beelzebub believers. Artimus Pyledriver and Sikth are repping. As are new grindsters Genghis Tron. There's the End Records' black-metal tutorial. And don't forget the "Omen" soundtrack.

Are you pent up with pentagrams? Not feeling horny for devil's horns? There's a heavenly corner as well. Amps for Christ, Combichrist and Evangelicals.

And there's loads more, of course. Here goes, each in six words:

The Despair Faction Weep With Joy: That would be AFI's fan club. Sobbing at the arrival of Decemberunderground. It's the band's seventh time out. Replete with requisite choruses and bombast. No limited editions or video enhancements. Just 12 doses of strident punk. You've already heard "Miss Murder" tirelessly. So check out "37mm" and "Affliction."

More Crying, Courtesy a Rap Legend: Ice Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later. It's another classic West Coast hoedown. Snoop and WC, all over it. Plus Lil Jon's helping out, too. Just "Go to Church" for proof. Swizz Beatz and Green Lantern produce. Scott Storch polishes off two tracks. And don't miss Mike Epps' spot. Come on, "Holla @ Cha' Boy." Make LP #7 worth Cube's while.

Head Automatica Graduate to Become Sophomores: Daryl Palumbo is at it again. Decadence followed Glassjaw's hiatus — now this. Fourteen tracks' worth of power-pop prickliness. "Graduation Day" is all over mtvU. The band is "Laughing at You." While you're "Lying Through Your Teeth." Don't miss "God" or "Curious," either.

DJ Khaled Brings the Miami Heat: DJ Khaled's Listennn ... The Album arrives. And it's presented by Terror Squad. Kanye and Jeezy also on here. Beanie Sigel and Lil Scrappy, too. Plus Clipse, Freeway, Pitbull and CTE. Now that's called a star-studded LP. It's devoted to Khaled's Miami hometown. ("Future of Dade" says it all.)

Paul Oakenfold's Aged Oak-Barrel Wine Flows: At last, Oakenfold's A Lively Mind. This one has been bumping forever. But it's well worth the wait. Pharrell and Grandmaster Flash both appear. Plus 8 Mile-r Brittany Murphy, incredulously. On "Faster Kill Pussycat," no less. This is the producer's second LP. Emphasis on the unquenchable, club-ready beats. Fall Out Boy need new shoes.

The Fort Minor Queen Steps Out: She's half of "Where'd You Go." You know, Mike Shinoda's "TRL" tune. Now, time for Holly Brook proper. Like Blood Like Honey is piano-heavy. Many a heart-wrenching confessional as well. "What I Wouldn't Give" is ubiquitous. It's on TV's "Conviction" and "Related." Is this 20-year-old ready to break? Will she be the next Dido? Only time will tell, they say.

Some People Just Won't Say Die:

Cheap Trick's Rockford
Cracker's Greenland
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' Sinner
Live's Songs From Black Mountain
The New Cars' It's Alive!
Frank Sinatra Jr.'s That Face!

A Rose by Any Other Name:

Joe Bonamassa (You & Me)
Donavon Frankenreiter (Move by Yourself)
Heideroosjes (Royal to the Bone)
Janez Detd. (Like Cold Rain Kills a Summer Day)
Kraak En Smaak (Boogie Angst)
Shakatak ("Live at the Playhouse" DVD)

They Are Singing the Body Electric:

Amps for Christ (Every Eleven Seconds)
Elevator Action (Society, Secret)
The Robot Ate Me (Good World)
Scanners (Violence Is Golden)
Soft Machine ("New Morning: The Paris Concert" DVD)
Stereo Fuse (All That Remains)

Yeah, They Decided to Take Off:

The Bottle Rockets (Zoysia)
Camera Obscura, as they declare Let's Get Out of This Country
Jefferson Airplane (The Worst of Jefferson Airplane)
Jet Lag Gemini (Business)
Ladyhawk (Ladyhawk)
Metallic Falcons (Desert Doughnuts)

Are They Rivals in the Making?:

The "Cars" soundtrack vs. the New Cars (It's Alive!)
Cheap Trick (Rockford) vs. Cheap Sex (Written in Blood)
Jet Lag Gemini (Business) vs. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Sinner)
Oakenfold (A Lively Mind) vs. Oakley Hall (Gypsum Strings)
Henry Rollins (Sweatbox) vs. Sonny Rollins (The Impulse Story)
Divided by Zero (The Black Sea) vs. Zero 7 (The Garden)

They Need Direction in Their Lives:

Drift (Scott Walker)
Compass (Susanne Abbuehl)
Floating World (Anathallo)
Koast II Koast (Kottonmouth Kings)
The River in Reverse (Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint)
The Search Party Never Came (Vanna)

The Song Title of the Week:

"Hanasakajijii" from Floating World by Anathallo

Six More Notables for Your Consideration:

The Hush Sound's Like Vines: They opened for Fall Out Boy. Actually, they're on Pete Wentz's label. Like Vines is Hush's second effort. Their first for Wentz's Decaydance imprint. FOB singer/guitarist Patrick Stump co-produces here. Don't miss "Magnolia" and "Wine Red."
Psapp's The Only Thing I Ever Wanted: Domino Recording Co. is still gold. These Londoners follow Franz Ferdinand's lead. Except they're even goofier and quirkier. Their bleeps made it to radio. Go, Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant. Psapp us of all our energy.
Camera Obscura's Let's Get Out of This Country: How apropos: this is a sextet. And this is their third release. One album for every other person. "If Looks Could Kill," they say. On the new LP, that is. Even comes with a free-MP3 coupon.
Amps for Christ's Every Eleven Seconds: Recorded in L.A.'s San Gabriel Mountains. Unbelievably, this is Amps' ninth LP. An age-old German standup bass — check. Washboard, autoharp, sitar and electronics — check. Some lyrics about time travel — check. Yup, it's all right in there.
The Paper Chase's Now You Are One of Us: Which makes us one of them. It's subversive racket, through and through. Harrowing pianos about to burst apart. Squawky vocals that make you shudder. If this sounds appetizing, click "buy."
Mojave 3's Puzzles Like You: This is Mojave at their poppiest. Neil Halstead gets slightly more accessible. One song by drummer Ian McCutcheon. Glorious pencil artwork adorns the cover. "Breaking the Ice" video is included.

New Releases:

Susanne Abbuehl - Compass (ECM)
AFI - Decemberunderground (Interscope)
Buy Now: Decemberunderground (Interscope)
Amps for Christ - Every Eleven Seconds (5 Rue Christine)
Anathallo - Floating World (Nettwerk/ Artist Friendship)
Artimus Pyledriver - Artimus Pyledriver (Sever/ DRT)
B-Real - The Gunslinger (BCD)
Joe Bonamassa - You & Me (Premier Artists)
The Bottle Rockets - Zoysia (Bloodshot)
Bouncing Souls - The Gold Record (Epitaph)
Buy Now: The Gold Record (Epitaph)
Holly Brook - Like Blood Like Honey (Warner Bros.)
Peter Brötzmann Group - Alarm (live; Atavistic)
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country (Merge)
Cheap Sex - Written in Blood (enhanced; Punkcore)
Cheap Trick - Rockford (Cheap Trick Unlimited/ Big3)
Buy Now: Rockford (Cheap Trick Unlimited/ Big3)
Combichrist - Get Your Body Beat (EP; Metropolis)
Conner - Hello Graphic Missile (Sonic Boom)
Barbara Cook - The Metropolitan Opera Presents: Barbara Cook at the Met with Special Guests (DRG)
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - The River in Reverse (version with DVD due same day; Verve Forecast)
Buy Now: The River in Reverse (Verve Forecast)
Cracker - Greenland (Cooking Vinyl)
Decyfer Down - End of Grey (SRE)
The Derailers - Soldiers of Love (Palo Duro)
Divided by Zero - The Black Sea (Corporate Punishment)
Drag the River - It's Crazy (Suburban Home)
Elevator Action - Society, Secret (MoRisen)
Evangelicals - So Gone (Misra)
Jon Faddis - Teranga (Koch)
Etran Finatawa - Introducing Etran Finatawa (World Music Network)
Fleshies - Scrape the Walls (Alternative Tentacles)
Buy Now: Scrape the Walls (Alternative Tentacles)
Fort Knox - The New Gold Standard (Fort Knox Recordings)
Pete Francis - Everything Is One (with bonus DVD; Scrapper)
Donavon Frankenreiter - Move by Yourself (Lost Highway)
Buy Now: Move by Yourself (Lost Highway)
Freeheat - Back on the Water (Planting Seeds)
Genghis Tron - Dead Mountain Mouth (Crucial Blast)
Gracer - Voices Travel (Revelation)
Greeley Estates - Far From the Lies (Record Collection)
Head Automatica - Popaganda (Warner Bros.)
Read: "Daryl Palumbo Spreads Head Automatica Popaganda"
Buy Now: Popaganda (Warner Bros.)
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid - The Exchange Session, Vol. 2 (Domino)
(Hed) p.e. - Back 2 Base X (Suburban Noize)
Buy Now: Back 2 Base X (Suburban Noize)
Heideroosjes - Royal to the Bone (I Scream)
Micah P. Hinson - The Baby & the Satellite (EP; Jade Tree)
The Husbands - There's Nothing I'd Like More Than to See You Dead (Swami)
The Hush Sound - Like Vines (Decaydance)
Buy Now: Like Vines (Decaydance)
Ice Cube - Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob)
Read: "Ice Cube Wants The Last Laugh With Independent LP Featuring Lil Jon, Snoop"
Buy Now: Laugh Now, Cry Later (Lench Mob)
In Strict Confidence - Exile Paradise (Metropolis)
Janez Detd. - Like Cold Rain Kills a Summer Day (I Scream)
Jarboe - The Conduit (Atavistic)
Jet Lag Gemini - Business (Doghouse)
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Sinner (enhanced; Blackheart)
Buy Now: Sinner (Blackheart)
Mike Johnson - Gone Out of Your Mind (Up)
DJ Khaled - Terror Squad Presents DJ Khaled: Listennn ... The Album
Buy Now: Terror Squad Presents DJ Khaled: Listennn ... The Album
Kraak En Smaak - Boogie Angst (Quango)
Kottonmouth Kings - Koast II Koast (Suburban Noize)
Buy Now: Koast II Koast (Suburban Noize)
Ladyhawk - Ladyhawk (Jagjaguwar)
Live - Songs From Black Mountain (Epic/ Red Ink)
Buy Now: Songs From Black Mountain (Epic/ Red Ink)
The Mag Seven - The Future Is Ours, if You Can Count (End Sounds)
Katie Melua - Piece by Piece (Dramatico)
Metallic Falcons - Desert Doughnuts (Voodoo-Eros)
Jeff Mills and the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra - Blue Potential (live; Uncivilized World)
Brian Stokes Mitchell - Brian Stokes Mitchell (Playbill/ Legacy)
Juana Molina - Son (Domino)
Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You (4AD)
Monsters Are Waiting - Fascination (Retone)
Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequence (Zero Summer)
The New Cars - It's Alive! (live; Eleven Seven)
Oakenfold - A Lively Mind (Maverick)
Buy Now: A Lively Mind (Maverick)
Oakley Hall - Gypsum Strings (Jagjaguwar)
Oppenheimer - Oppenheimer (Bar None)
The Paper Chase - Now You Are One of Us (Kill Rock Stars)
DJ Papito Red - El Más Esperado (Esntion Silver)
Danielle Peck - Danielle Peck (Big Machine)
Patent Pending - Save Each Other: The Whales Are Doing Fine (We Put Out)
Portastatic - "Who Loves the Sun" soundtrack (Merge)
PovertyNeck Hillbillies - PovertyNeck Hillbillies (two CDs; Rust)
Psapp - The Only Thing I Ever Wanted (Domino)
Buy Now: The Only Thing I Ever Wanted (Domino)
John Ralston - Needle Bed (enhanced; Vagrant)
The Robot Ate Me - Good World (5 Rue Christine)
Scanners - Violence Is Golden (Dim Mak)
Sha Na Na - One More Saturday Night (Titan/ Pyramid)
Sikth - Death of a Dead Day (Bieler Bros.)
Frank Sinatra Jr. - That Face! (Rhino)
Sleepaway - Sleepaway (No Milk)
Smoosh - Free to Stay (Barsuk)
Sound Team - Movie Monster (Capitol)
Amy Speace - Songs for Bright Street (Wildflower)
Richie Spice - Spice in Your Life (VP)
Stars of Track and Field - Centuries Before Love and War (SideCho)
Stereo Fuse - All That Remains (Toucan Cove)
Syd Matters - Syd Matters (V2)
Trio Beyond - Saudades (two CDs; ECM)
Vanna - The Search Party Never Came (Epitaph)
The Wailin' Jennys - Firecracker (Red House)
Scott Walker - Drift (4AD)
Katharine Whalen - Dirty Little Secret (MC)
Yung Joc - New Joc City (Bad Boy)
Buy Now: New Joc City (Bad Boy)
Zero 7 - The Garden (Atlantic)
Zox - The Wait (Side One Dummy)
Various artists - The Dark Psyche: An Aural Exhibition of Black Metal From Top Scholars in the Genre (The End)
Various artists - Imaginational Anthem, Volume Two (Tompkins Square)
Various artists - The Rough Guide to Bachata (World Music Network)
Various artists - The Rough Guide to Planet Rock (World Music Network)
Various artists - SMACK: Streets Music Arts Culture & Knowledge - The Album, Volume 1 (with DVD; Koch)
Various artists - Unsound (with bonus DVD; Epitaph)
Various artists - Warped Tour '06 (two CDs; Side One Dummy)
Various artists - "Cars" soundtrack (Disney)
Various artists - "Jesus Is Magic" soundtrack (Interscope)
Various artists - "The Omen" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

Bill Anderson - The Definitive Collection (MCA Nashville)
Au Pairs - Stepping Out of Line: The Anthology (Castle)
Albert Ayler - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Gato Barbieri - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Bee Gees - Children of the World, Their Greatest Hits: The Record (two CDs), One Night Only, Size Isn't Everything, Spirits Having Flown, Still Waters and This Is Where I Came In (Rhino)
Charo and the Salsoul Orchestra - Cuchi-Cuchi (Salsoul)
Alice Coltrane - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
John Coltrane - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Will Downing - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Will Downing - The Millennium Collection (Hip-O)
Dr. John - An Introduction to Dr. John (Fuel)
Robert Fripp - Exposure (limited edition two-CD version due same day; Discipline)
Great White - Rock Me: The Best of Great White (Cleopatra)
Lee Greenwood - The Definitive Collection (MCA Nashville)
Groove Coverage - Greatest Hits (Universal)
Tony T. Hall - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
(Hed) p.e. - The Best of (Hed) Planet Earth (Jive)
Imperative Reaction - Eulogy for the Sick Child (Metropolis)
Keith Jarrett - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - The Very Best of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (Jive)
Jefferson Airplane - The Worst of Jefferson Airplane (RCA)
Alexis Korner - Kornerstoned: The Anthology 1958-1983 (Castle)
Lighthouse Family - Greatest Hits (Fontana)
Meneguar - I Was Born at Night (Troubleman Unlimited)
Charles Mingus - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Mint Condition - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Mint Condition - The Millennium Collection (Hip-O)
The Muckrakers - Front of the Parade (Universal)
DJ Quik - Greatest Hits Live at the House of Blues (Mad Science)
The Ramones - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
Lou Rawls - The Very Best of Lou Rawls: You'll Never Find Another (Capitol)
Henry Rollins - Sweatbox (two CDs; 2.13.61)
Sonny Rollins - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Pharoah Sanders - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Marvin Sease - Candy Licker: The Sex & Soul of Marvin Sease (Jive)
Archie Shepp - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
George Strait - The Ultimate Collection (Madacy)
Maxine Sullivan and Her Jazz All-Stars - Memories of You: A Tribute to Andy Razaf (Empire Musicwerks)
Survivor - Reach (Frontiers)
Harry Taussig - Fate Is Only Once (Tompkins Square)
Ernest Tubb - The Definitive Collection (MCA Nashville)
McCoy Tyner - The Impulse Story (Impulse)
Whodini - Funky Beat: The Best of Whodini (Jive)
World Party - Bang! and Egyptology (enhanced; Seaview)
Various artists - Dance Essentials: The Collection, Vol. 1-3 (three-CD box set; UBL)
Various artists - The House That Trane Built (four CDs; Impulse)
Various artists - Pure Trance 6 (Water Music)
Various artists - This Is How We Lounge, Vol. 2 (Sunshine Entertainment)

Music DVDs:

Abba - "The World's Greatest Albums: The Gold Singles" (Classic Rock Legends)
Accept - "Metal Blast From the Past" (DualDisc; Music Video Distributors)
Black Uhuru with Sly & Robbie - "Dubbin' It Live" (Music Video Distributors)
Kate Bush - "Under Review" (Music Video Distributors)
Donavon Frankenreiter - "The Abbey Road Sessions" (Lost Highway)
John Hammond - "Paris Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
Keith Jarrett - "Tokyo Solo" (EMC)
Moistboyz - "Live Jihad" (Music Video Distributors)
Pete Doherty - "Who the Hell Is Pete Doherty?" (Image Entertainment)
Shakatak - "Live at the Playhouse" (Music Video Distributors)
Tupac Shakur - "Tupac Unauthorized: So Many Years, So Many Tears - Anniversary Edition" (Music Video Distributors)
Soft Machine - "New Morning: The Paris Concert" (Music Video Distributor)
Tiamat - "Church of Tiamat" (Music Video Distributors)
Two Tons of Steel - "Live! From Gruene Hall" (Palo Duro)
The Who - "Quadrophenia Live With Special Guests" and "Tommy Live With Special Guests" (Rhino)
Various artists - "Antone's Home of the Blues: A Legend Every Night" (Koch Vision)
Various artists - "ATL Underground Live" (Carlos Glover)
Various artists - "Bastards of Young" (two DVDs; Image)
Read: "Loud-Rock Docs Rely On Fall Out Boy, Korn For The Undistorted Truth"
Various artists - "Classic Rhythm & Blues, Volume 5" and "Volume 6" (Music Video Distributors)
Various artists - "Metalmania 2005" (Music Video Distributors)