With the release of PICTURES OF US, BRADEN GATES has proven himself to be deserving of a wider audience and worthy of the attention he’s received in five short years as a performer. Writing layered songs that bounce from those that brim with emotional depth and stark imagery to those that find the humour in life, Gates has quickly created a body of work that is impressive for its sheer volume. More importantly, his growing audience is moved by the poignancy and the poetic turns that bind his material. The touchstones of his talents are many and his influences run from traditional roots music to contemporary singer-songwriters, many of whom he continues to study.