By John Lind
Meet Brandon Sterling. He’s a sophomore at Northern State University in Aberdeen. A Rapid City native, Brandon has plenty of interests: soccer, ultimate Frisbee, and he works out regularly. He loves the outdoors and has always dreamt of being a doctor.
Oh, and he plays piano too.
Sterling, at only 19 years of age, is quickly becoming a household name, both in the Black Hills and throughout South Dakota. He released his first CD, titled “Fresh Out of My Mind” in December 2007. Since then CD has experienced what some would call “unexpected” success, selling remarkably well on at least 15 different websites.
We meet for the photo shoot one cold Sunday morning–the FACES staff, Brandon, and his producer Vernon Paulson at the Black Hills Piano Gallery. Within seconds of sitting down at the piano, Brandon is playing a soft, sensuous melody with his right hand while his left hand sketches powerful, moving chord progressions. I ask him which song that is. “I don’t know,” Brandon replies. “I’m just playing whatever comes to mind.”
(Read the rest of this story in Winter ‘09 FACES)
