Brad Tursi formed his first band as a 15-year-old student at Staples High School. (They dubbed the band Cyrus McCormick—Cyrus for short— after the inventor of the mechanical reaper whom their drummer learned about in history class.) “Since then, I’ve never not been in a band,” Brad tells Westport Lifestyle. “I knew right away it was what I wanted to do.”
Brad taught himself guitar after finding his dad’s in the attic of their Westport home. “I remember opening the case up— it was this bright red velvet— and I was just like what is this thing? I never really put it down after that." He would listen to artists like Alabama, James Taylor, the Allman Brothers, and Guns ’n' Roses, learning to play by ear. For two summers, he went to the National Guitar Summer Workshop, a program in Litchfield. “I spent all my waking moments practicing,” he says. After Cyrus, he joined another band in college at James Madison University, and another after graduating.
In 2012, Brad joined country group Old Dominion as their lead guitarist, alongside fellow James Madison alums Geoff Sprung and Whit Sellers. Since joining, Brad has written many of the band’s songs, and has penned tracks for other artists like Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney. But over the years, he also wrote songs that were more personal, more acoustic— ones that didn’t feel right for anyone else but him. “When I start writing [something] about my life, I don’t want to take that to anyone else,” he says. Eventually, he accumulated enough of these type of songs to try his hand at a solo record, which came together as his 2024 album Parallel Love.
It's his first solo effort, and exploring his craft as a solo artist has been an invigorating experience for Brad. Though he loves Old Dominion, “I had been playing the same songs for 12 years,” he says. “It’s been fun getting to play music with new people, and making different music,” he says. (Brad describes his solo style as more “folky and vibey” than his band's.) The title track Parallel Love— which is about a romantic relationship– also took on a second meaning as Brad explored recording and touring on his own, alongside his career in one of the biggest country acts. “It didn’t dawn on me right away, but I realized: not only is this a great message for relationships, it’s my journey as a musician,” he says. “Musicians ebb and flow and grow together. It really made sense [to name the album after that song] when I started thinking about it like that.”
This past October, Brad returned to Westport to headline at the Levitt Pavilion in a homecoming show. “I’ve played thousands and thousands of shows, but touring [this record] almost feels like the first time I’m doing it again, which feels really good,” he says. “The Levitt was where I played one of the first shows I ever played, with Cyrus. It was incredible to be back, with so many old friends and parents of old friends and people from the community.” (The after party was even held at the brand-new restaurant The Bridge at Saugatuck– owned by Brad’s high school friend and fellow Staples alum Doug Pardon.) Being back was also a reminder of how special it was to grow up in Westport. “I didn’t realize how lucky I was to be surrounded by a culture that supports the arts and allows kids to dream, surrounded by people who have accomplished a lot,” he says. “I think that’s something that I took from being raised in Westport.”
Brad is still on his Parallel Love tour— his next appearance is on February 22 in Milwaukee—and enjoying every minute. “I think the thing that’s most amazing to me is that this album has kind of allowed me to have a rebirth in an industry I’ve been in my entire life,” he says. “It felt great to write the songs, to record the songs, and to have people respond to the songs. It’s given me a new appreciation for how lucky I am to be able to do this. I’m very grateful for it all.”