Brandon Bids Farewell

Brandon Apeles is moving to LA to further his career as a music manager and promoter
LAWRENCE TABUDLO PHOTO

“I feel like I’ve done everything I can here, and my dream was always to be a tour manager,” Apeles says.

LA, he says, is the spot to do it. He is scheduled to leave in mid-August, but before he says goodbye, he’s hosting a final show, the Brandon Apeles Farewell Fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. July 24 at Crossroads at Hawaiian Brian’s. The show will bring together many popular local musicians — friends of Apeles — including Zack Shimizu, Ron Artis II, Erika Elona, Erin Smith, Amanda Frazier and more. Part of the goal of the show is to help Apeles raise money to fund his move and get on his feet in LA. (To this end, Apeles also is seeking donations via a GoFundMe campaign. To learn more and to donate, visit gofundme.com/branapeles.)

Once in LA, Apeles plans to pursue getting onto a tour. While he admits that he doesn’t exactly have a solid plan — “I’m basically just going and seeing what happens” — he feels that any uncertainty will be worth the chance to pursue his goals. “I feel that I need to do it,” he says.

The reason for his doggedness is that he ultimately hopes his move can better serve local bands on a larger scale. From LA, he anticipates, he could work to bring local bands to the Mainland, as well as serve as a point of contact to help visiting bands navigate the scene. Plus, two musical acts that he has close ties with — Crimson Apple and Aidan James — both have recently moved to LA.

“We feel like we are all a part of a family — all the acts that I’ve worked with,” he says.

“I feel like I need to be there just to help everyone,” he adds.

If anything speaks to just how well loved Apeles is in the music scene here, perhaps it’s illustrated in the off-the-cuff way he put together his final show: “I basically texted everyone I knew and asked,” he says. A simple text got him a pretty impressive turnout.