Musical Path

With a family lineage of musicians, Brett Vaughn grew up exposed to a diverse array of artists and styles. Northern California served as the backdrop of Vaughn’s youth, with his musical tastes eventually steering towards the hard rock and early heavy metal of Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

Having formed bands in his teens, Vaughn opened for some of his favorite metal bands (Testament, Overkill, Amon Amarth, Vital Remains, Deicide), gaining a significant local following. Yet, just when it seemed his fate as a metal musician was sealed, Brett’s evolving tastes changed course. The soul and magic of blues, jazz and folk, as well as new sonic vistas in avant-garde electronica and art rock showed Vaughn how much more there was to explore.

This desire to learn and expand led Vaughn to Berklee College of Music, gaining a strong jazz foundation in both playing and arranging. Brett’s experiences at this renowned Bostonian institution provided him a deep musical approach and philosophy that could then be applied to virtually any music.

Since graduating from Berklee, Brett Vaughn has played across the West Coast in a variety of styles and ensembles. Vaughn’s Progressive-rock and jazz-fusion trio The Mindful released their debut album, Full Blown Gallery, in 2019, garnering coverage by Relix Magazine (NYC) as well as The Lock’n Times (of the mammoth sized LOCKN’ Festival), while being featured on their respective Spotify playlists. The Mindful became a staple of the local scene, playing various regional festivals and opening up for Japanese pyschedelic rock band Kikagaku Moyo. Vaughn’s playing also found its way onto folk, country albums and a Top 10 Billboard charting Blues record.