Brisbin had a knack for songwriting at a young age – composing his first songs at the tender age of 13, which has led him to write more than 150 songs over the course of his career.

Today, Brisbin is a seasoned live performer who has played roughly 500 shows throughout the Northeast over the course of the past eight years. He recently recorded his debut album “Uncharted Waters,” which will be released later this summer. I sat down with Brisbin to talk with him about his songwriting, live performances and the highly anticipated release of his new album.

How did you get started writing music?

When I was around five or six I started writing songs and dreaming about guitars – as crazy as it sounds. Then when I was 13, my dad and I went halfsies on my first guitar, which I paid for through a paper route I had at the time. I took one lessen, but I couldn’t afford it. I eventually bought a chord book and it was off to the races.

Who are your major influences?

I am one of those crazy people who when I hear a song I want to know who wrote it. Lennon and McCartney were where it all started for me because they wrote tremendous songs with great structures and weird chord changes. But there are many other songwriters like John Hiatt and Tom Waits who have influenced me throughout my career. But most of them are songwriters, not just one particular band because you can have the best band in the world, but if you don’t have the best songs it doesn’t matter.

How do you approach writing a song?

Well it’s kind of different every time. I wrote my last song when I was going to work and passed by the cemetery and saw this old man sitting in a folding chair in front of this tombstone and I just knew in my heart this guy was visiting his wife or his daughter or his son. The gravestone was right near the edge of the road, so I took note of which one it was and when I was on my way home that night I went back and found that it had been his wife he was talking to and she had died a year and half ago. So I wrote a song titled “Nothing Lasts Forever,” about just imagining yourself sitting in a chair talking to your deceased wife. Sometimes it’s an idea – sometimes it’s a chord progression – sometimes the words come first and sometimes someone just whispers something in your ear that sparks something from within – it’s strange how it happens, it really is.

What are the meanings behind most of your songs?

I can’t write a song like “Baby, You Can Drive My Car,” because it has to be about something that touches me in some way. The whole goal for me is to write a song that people can relate to and hopefully it will touch them in some way and make them think…For me, the songs that are my best ones are the songs that come right from my heart.

What can fans of your music expect from your new album “Uncharted Waters?”

I am usually just a guy with a guitar, so I originally intended to just make an acoustic album in order to make it sound like my live shows, but then Vince Arpey, who produced the album with me, took all of the various parts that I had in my head and made it come to life. It was a lot of fun and I am extremely proud of it.

What is your favorite part about performing music live?

When I can get the audience to listen. I don’t want to be like some radio or jukebox playing in the background because I truly want people to listen. The covers I do are only songs I love singing and I try to put my own spin on them to make them my own by rephrasing lines or even occasionally changing the songs tempo. I love to play live.

You have performed across the Northeast. What do you like about performing in Saratoga Springs as opposed to other parts of the country?

Well it’s my hometown for one, so I usually know a lot of the people, but I must say that this is probably one of the most sophisticated cities of its size. When I play out, there always seems to be a group of younger people there and I’ll play these old songs and they will know them as good as I know them and in between songs they will come up to me and talk about the song. Its people like that who help make Saratoga a special place.

What is in store for the future?

Well I intend to release the album sometime in August or September. I am also currently working with a promoter to set up a tour in some small clubs to help promote the album and if we can do that I think we are going to be on to something.

To learn more about Jeff Brisbin, visit: www.myspace.com/jeffbrisbin