Punk Globe: Thanks for the interview Brentley. Can you give the readers some background on yourself? 

Brentley: I was born and raised in Nashville. I left Nashville to move to NYC to go to a performing arts school. But I got bored and wanted to move to Los Angeles in the early 90s. So I did and a year later I auditioned and got the role of Matt Garrison on the NBC television show California Dreams, which aired in over 48 countries. The show was fun for a year but I got bored and asked them to give me a drug problem or something juicy but they wouldn’t.  So I asked to leave the show after the 2nd season. I did an off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks and won an Ovation award. Then I joined a band called “Vinyl” but quit because I was confused. So I started doing some solo recordings. My first LA recording was with Josh Freeze(now in the Foo Fighters) and Dan Rothchild at DRIVE BY STUDIOS. As a result, I got offered a 1 million dollar German BMG record deal (asking me to cover Love Hurts) but my heroin-addicted manager at the time told me I should (we would) get an American “deal” instead. So I turned it down. That was a big mistake because the American deal never happened. So I joined the band “King Straggler”, made 2 records, and did 2 American van tours with them (John Hawkes and Rodney Eastman). Following that I had some production deals with Alan Kauffman and Lawman (Greg Lawley and Bill Pfordrescher) where I did exactly ONE Sony Showcase that went nowhere. Although, I did sing a Blur Song at Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s wedding when she walked down the aisle with a 40-person gospel quire backing me. That was oddly fun. Eventually, I started an album with producer Don “Redcloud” Smith, who recorded albums with Tom Petty and the Traveling Wilburys, Keith Richards, and the Rolling Stones. “Redcloud” (Keith Richards named him this) was incredible. I had high hopes for this batch of songs. But he passed away before we finished. So I moved back to Nashville. 

Punk Globe: You are currently in Nashville living.  Tell us about your move to California. Was it for your series California Dreams?

 Brentley: No, the first job I had was working as a waiter at this new restaurant I help open called Roxbury. The one next to Chateau Marmont. I met everyone there. That was my first year before the TV show and was my introduction to Hollywood. 

Punk Globe: I remember The Roxbury.. California Dreams focused on your family moving from Iowa. There was also a band involved. If memory serves me right Was being a musician what landed you the role of Matt?

Brentley: Yes, my audition process for California Dreams was to do the acting bit and then they had us sing some songs in Steve Tyrell’s Studio on Sunset, next to the hippy, vegetarian restaurant. I played some Acoustic covers (can’t remember what) and an Elton John song on piano. After 7 auditions, I got the part. I did 36 Episodes I think.

Punk Globe: You left the show after season 2 because of the direction your character was being written. Did you have other projects lined up?

BRENTLEY:  No, I just wanted to play music and MAYBE do some acting. I basically ran around Hollywood in the rock clubs. I remember one night passing out on the concrete floor and Tamie Downs (Faster Pussycat) was standing over me when I came to saying, “Brentley’s fine, he’s just taking a nap.”  This became my new lifestyle in a band called Brentley and The Unknowns that Chad Stewart helped me put together, playing Dragonfly and places like that.

Punk Globe: How long of a run did California Dreams have? 

Brentley: They did 4 or 5 years I think.  I did 2. 36 episodes I think 

Punk Globe: I saw a YouTube video of a reunion of the cast on Jimmy Fallon. Did you partake in the reunion?

 Brentley: Yes, I did that. I wanted to be way more disruptive and probably should have but I was pretty tame and had just cut all my hair off like an idiot and was on good behavior.

Punk Globe: You mentioned meeting Legs about a film project, Tell us about that.

Brentley: There is a book he wrote called Please Kill Me that they were planning on making into a film! God I would have loved to have done that gig. But apparently it just never got made. We had all met at Chateau Marmont. I think that Scott Richardson from “SRC” introduced us and I was down to do it… but you know, things happen and then things don’t.