.jpg)
Brian Ochab was born and raised in Warren, Michigan. As a child he showed an early aptitude for music, playing the piano by ear and picking out songs he would hear on the radio or television. At family gatherings he was often requested to perform various songs, including the Charlie Brown theme or as it is formally known Linus and Lucy, a particular favorite among his relatives. Like many musicians, he got his start in music by singing in the church choir and participating in various local musicals. He began taking formal piano lessons at the age of 12.
Brian would eventually travel to Los Angeles where, in a strange life twist, he established himself as one of the top close-up-magicians in the world and earned the title International Magic Champion. His sleight of hand skill garnered him multiple awards throughout the world including the first place championship at the prestigious International Brotherhood of Magicians’ Gold Cups Competition. He was also the first magician in the history of magic to receive the People’s Choice Award from both the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society of American Magicians. His fall residency headlining at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood is considered one of the most popular and requested shows at the venue.
With serendipitous timing, six months before COVID-19 hit, Brian was gifted with a beautiful Stieff baby grand piano by Illustrators’ Hall of Fame poster artist, Drew Struzan (Star Wars, Back to the Future, The Thing). When the pandemic halted all in-person performances from Broadway to the NBA, Brian redirected his focus to his long-lost love: music and piano. Taking full advantage of the stay-at-home orders, Brian began a writing frenzy that would produce enough original material for at least two albums. His demos caught the attention of several high-profile music insiders who encouraged him to record several of this songs. This would result in his first EP release entitled West Coast Wave.
The quality of this songwriting attracted some of the best musicians in the country including legendary Grammy winner, producer and Barbara Streisand’s musical director, Randy Waldman. Renowned drummer Buddy Gibbons also came aboard the “Ochab Train” as he likes to call it. In addition to playing drums on all the tracks, Buddy also produced and arranged the EP. Composer Kyle Newmaster, known for scoring the hit CBS TV show Blood & Treasure, arranged the strings on several of the songs.
Brian is steeped in the tradition of the piano player singer/songwriter. With his catchy melodies and vivid lyrics, he has quickly made a name for himself on the LA music scene. While maintaining a modern rock sound, Brian has drawn some comparisons to an early Billy Joel, which suits him just fine as he cites Elton and Billy as influences. Those comparisons also extend to the actual songwriting process itself. Unlike many music artists today whose songs routinely use multiple writers, Brian is a true solo artist, writing, composing and playing all his own material.
Brian is currently gearing up to record a full album, and a planned tour is currently in the works.