Brainium Sounds Off
Local band Brainium tells stories about playing live (anywhere from bars to parking lots), recording music starting in the 80s (cassette tape) through today (DAW), their eventually-to-be-released stage musical, and more. Self-described (in the song “Our Kind of Town”) as “Two guys in disguise as a pseudointellectual music machine” Brainium is guitarist (and much more) Thom Ciezki and keyboardist (and much less) Gary Schmid. Both (especially Thom) have played in other local bands but only Brainium has endured through the decades. Weird, witty, and rarely dull, hear stories about music-making from local guys who haven’t made it big (yet) but have had a great time getting...nowhere. “Oh, that magic feeling...”
Local band Brainium tells stories about playing live (anywhere from bars to parking lots), recording music starting in the 80s (cassette tape) through today (DAW), their eventually-to-be-released stage musical, and more. Self-described (in the song “Our Kind of Town”) as “Two guys in disguise as a pseudointellectual music machine” Brainium is guitarist (and much more) Thom Ciezki and keyboardist (and much less) Gary Schmid. Both (especially Thom) have played in other local bands but only Brainium has endured through the decades. Weird, witty, and rarely dull, hear stories about music-making from local guys who haven’t made it big (yet) but have had a great time getting...nowhere. “Oh, that magic feeling...”
Episodes

Jan 16, 2026
AI in Music?
Jan 16, 2026
Jan 16, 2026
23 min
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is being used for more and more tasks, not always for the best. What about music? Specifically, creating music. Does AI have a place in the creative process? You just know Brainium has some thoughts about that!
Jan 16, 2026
23 min

Jan 2, 2026
Managing Personalities
Jan 2, 2026
Jan 2, 2026
30 min
Any time you have people working together, conflicts are bound to occur. These can be creative, technical, administrative, etc. But sometimes it's just a conflict of personalities. That can certainly happen in bands and is a big reason many of them break up. (Unlike Brainium, of course.) How do these personality conflicts play out (pun intended) in local bands? Just ask the boys from Brainium!
Jan 2, 2026
30 min

Dec 19, 2025
Lyrics!
Dec 19, 2025
Dec 19, 2025
31 min
Lyrics are the words to songs. Guys like Bach and Beethoven didn't use them, but more modern music almost always does. What do the boys of Brainium think about them?
Dec 19, 2025
31 min

Dec 5, 2025
Playing Keyboards in a Band
Dec 5, 2025
Dec 5, 2025
40 min
Playing keyboards is much different than playing piano. Except when the keyboards are playing just piano sounds, of course. Learn about the behind-the-scenes duties of the unsung (but possibly singing) keyboard player.
Dec 5, 2025
40 min

Nov 21, 2025
What to Wear On Stage
Nov 21, 2025
Nov 21, 2025
28 min
Costumes aren't a big thing for local bands, but you have to wear something! And what about successful bands that wear elaborate costumes? Let's Sound Off!
Nov 21, 2025
28 min

Nov 7, 2025
Picks (as used on a guitar)
Nov 7, 2025
Nov 7, 2025
33 min
Who would have thought we could do an entire episode on guitar picks? Brainium Sounds Off about these little tools that are so important to playing stringed instruments. (And keyboards???) Believe it or not, after we finished recording this episode, Thom thought of a couple of other picks he could have discussed. Could there be a Part Two? (No.)
Nov 7, 2025
33 min

Oct 24, 2025
Song Origin: Bad Decisions
Oct 24, 2025
Oct 24, 2025
28 min
It's time to explore the origins of another Brainium classic, the song "Bad Decisions".
Oct 24, 2025
28 min

Oct 10, 2025
Slap that Bass
Oct 10, 2025
Oct 10, 2025
29 min
Bass is an integral part of most rock music. Most common is the bass guitar, but there's also standup bass, keyboard bass, and more. Let's talk low frequency!
Oct 10, 2025
29 min







