For ‘Sports Science’ Host Brenkus, Rocking Out Is a Family Affair

By Buzz McClain (Special to Vienna Patch)

VIENNA, VA -- The temptation is to start with the star, John Brenkus, host and creator of “ESPN Sport Science.”

Who knew he played guitar, something he picked up after graduating in 1989 from Vienna’s Madison High School? Or make that, guitars. He plays all of them on the new collection of rock originals for the debut EP of his band Brink of Midnight.

But who knew his wife Lizzie could sing? Not even her husband fully realized what she brought to the table.

“I was determined to get back into guitar after years of not really working at it,” says John, who has always had a Fender and Les Paul leaning on stands in the corner of his office. “Once I got serious about it, I just started writing my own songs for the fun of it.”

During one of these writing sessions his wife walked past the office door. And then she sang. But not only did she sing, she added a countermelody that was in the right key—and was super catchy.

“I literally could not figure out how she did that,” says John. So he asked his wife of then 10 years what was up with that?

“It made me laugh,” Lizzie says with another laugh. “I had to remind him that starting as a kid I was classically trained and sang with the Long Beach Opera Company and other theater productions. I performed on stage as a singer or dancer up until we met.”

John, ever the entrepreneur, saw an opportunity to start an ensemble, with him playing all the guitars (to avoid artificial beats, a live drummer was hired) and Lizzie composing melodies, writing lyrics and singing.

Behold Brink of Midnight.

“There’s a play on our last name,” Lizzie says, “but we found once we got the kids in bed and began to write and record together it was usually the ‘brink of midnight.’ It’s the magic hour for our creative process and making music."

The result is a six-song EP of originals that defies the idea of what might be perceived as a “vanity project.”

In fact, their first song charted.

“It was like hitting a home run without even knowing you were at bat,” says John.

Their first fully realized song, 2014’s “Christmas Is My Favorite Time of Year,” became an instant perennial on holiday radio programming, made an appearance on the Top 30 Holiday Adult Contemporary list, found season-long play on Sirius XM’s popular “Holly” channel and saw more than 3 million views of their athlete-studded video on YouTube.

And why? It’s a good song. It’s upbeat, poppy but with a rock bottom holding down the mandatory holiday jangle.

The EP is, happy to say, more of the same, and a tad more mature. Lizzie’s vocals hew a fine line between smoldering and vulnerable, with her voice gathering strength as the songs climb in tempo and emotion.

Brink of Midnight’s first single, “Wake Up Your Soul,” is available for a pay-what-you-like download.

PHOTO: Lizzie and John Brenkus discovered they could make cool rock music together by accident.
Photo by Samantha Jacoby Photo Studio

Visit brinkofmidnight.com to learn more and to have a listen.