For Nampa, Idaho, resident Brian Tooley, returning to Lewis County is more than just a walk down memory lane. The Adna graduate’s connection to his hometown is so strong that he decided to write songs about it.
During a trip back home a few summers ago, Tooley’s family was struck by his vivid memories of his formative years in Lewis County. “My wife turned to me and said, ‘You literally have a story for every spot we pass in this town.’ And I was like, I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood, honestly. It’s such an amazing thing to be raised in a small community.”
Fast-forward to more recently, Tooley decided to set his lyrics to music using artificial intelligence. “Music has always been a creative outlet for me,” he says. “So, when these tools came along, I was like, man, I can literally create music that’s been in my head for years.”
Growing Up on Twin Oaks Road
A line from Tooley’s song “Adna” captures his sentiment, “Twin Oaks Road will always be home and where my memories roam.” Followed by an account of his personal experiences with friends, “living each night like it was our last and it was gone way too fast.”
“I don’t know if it’s just getting older or what it is, but Adna has always held really personal feelings for me,” he shares. “It’s a place that is just full of memories.”
One of those fond memories includes nights at Hoppers, where everyone would gather around the bonfire, listen to music and have a good time.
“The best part about those times back then was that there were no cameras or the internet, because we did so much crazy stuff, and I’m very grateful it wasn’t captured,” says Tooley. “It’s really an era that I don’t think we’ll ever get back to, where there was a lot of freedom. It was definitely a great time to be alive and live in Lewis County with those hometown people.”
It Starts With a Feeling
Titled “Country, Rock and Rhymes Vol. 1,” Tooley’s music compilation is very eclectic and evokes a nostalgic feeling in many of the songs. “It’s got a mix of everything,” he says. “Welcome to Lewis County, Ya’ll” is the opening track and starts with the line “We all still wave when we drive by.” “A View of Rainier” recounts a day in the life of a hardworking logger.
“Something will spark an idea, then I’ll sit and start putting down words,” Tooley says. “It’s almost kind of just like a flow that begins.”
Other projects include bands he’s created, including a heavy metal band called Retribution’s Son, a hardcore punk group called Lockstep, a metal/rap ensemble dubbed Xercising Demons, found here and here, and Stranger Sounds featuring Stranger Things music, found here and here.
Tooley even created personal music for his three oldest daughters, who are currently living in Florida. “I told them, I’m going to make playlists of different songs that you all can listen to while you’re out there,” he shares. “Then you’ll always have these songs to remind you of the time that you lived in Florida. So, I started making different songs for them of things that inspired me that I just wanted to write about.
Songs About Lewis County Lore
In “Welcome to Lewis County,” Tooley references the tenacity of the region’s residents by recalling the eruption of Mount St. Helens. “Nothing fazes us around here, and if Mount St. Helens blows, we treat it like snow,” he recalls. “I remember as a kid, waking up in the morning, it looked like midnight outside, and everything was covered in ash. As a kid, it looked like snow falling in the dark.”
In remembering the times when the Chehalis River flooded its banks, Tooley’s music says, “We just go fishing straight from the kitchen.”
Beyond the natural disasters of the time, Tooley’s music also vividly recounts taking his stepdad’s work van to Rainbow Valley. Those of a certain generation who grew up in Lewis County either have a personal epic story of a time at the notorious party land outside of Grand Mound or know someone who does. “We had a good time,” Tooley says with a laugh.
An Entrepreneur and Veteran
As a former Army counterintelligence agent, Tooley served a tour of duty and returned home to pursue his entrepreneurial side.
“I’ve always wanted a creative outlet, so I started a clothing company called Driven,” he says. “It caught the attention of a company called the Backstage Artist Lounge, which outfitted bands before they hit the stage on tours. That was cool because I started working directly with them, attending the events, connecting with the artists, and outfitting them on the spot. Then I started shipping directly to them for music videos. We’re in some Korn music videos. It was all hard rock, so bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Korn, Nonpoint, and P.O.D. It was super cool and a fun experience.”
Nowadays, Tooley has found success with a business he started with a friend and fellow veteran called Bravo19Group. What began as a sales rep group connecting Turkish shotgun manufacturers with U.S. retail chains, such as Rural King, has expanded to include large corporations like Disney and Target.
“We help companies get their products on store shelves. We now rep a bunch of different product lines, anything from products like jerky to candies to fuel transfer tanks.”
It’s impossible not to enjoy Brian Tooley’s heartfelt tribute to the hometown that shaped him, demonstrating that a creative drive never fades and possibility often shows up in the most unexpected places.
“Don’t ever discount someone who is your creative type and a misfit out there,” he says. “They may be a little lost at a moment in their life, but they can always pull out of it. So, I always try to treat everybody the same and view them as having potential because you just never know.”
Follow Brian Tooley on Instagram, where he shares all of his music.
