BRADLEY J. STRATTON
1967–2022

“Milluj mnohé, důvěřuj málokomu a pádluj vlastní kánoi.”
“love many, trust few, and paddle your own canoe.”
It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Brad Stratton, who suffered a fatal heart attack in the early morning of Sept. 21, 2022, at his home in Brooklyn, New York, in the loving embrace of his wife of 21 years, Dana Stratton, and with his two children, son Zachary (16) and daughter Toby (13).
Brad could always find the right words. Now, in our shock and grief, we struggle to find them. We wish he were here to help, which is what Brad did. More than that, we wish he could bask in the vast outpouring of love and admiration that he inspired and feel in his heart how successful he was. Brad was widely beloved, and his sudden death is being grieved from Maine to Prague to New York City and beyond.

Bradley Joseph Stratton was born on March 24, 1967, in Bangor, Maine, the only child of parents Mary (O’Connor) and Kenneth Stratton. As a boy, he loved nature, played sports, excelled in school, played saxophone, and became a master debater, winning regional and national competitions. Brad graduated Winthrop High School in 1985, and then completed a second diploma (A.F.S. Foreign Exchange Student) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1986. He graduated from Bates College in 1990 with a BA in Philosophy.
While still in high school, Brad bought his first guitar with money he earned working at a shoe store. What does a natural civic leader do when he is also a talented musician? He forms a band, of course, and walks both paths for a time. At college, and later while living in Portland, Maine, he performed as The Jesters. But, when you also have the skills to become a lawyer, you have hard choices to make. In 1992, Brad was working as a Legal Assistant at Drummond,
Woodsum & McMahon when the call came from his future, in the form of a conversation with his college friend Matt Pollitz. “I’m going to France and Prague for six weeks, man, come with me.” Brad answered that call. He quit his job and went to Europe.
Brad stayed in Prague for six amazing years. Unlike many ex-pats in the Czech Republic, he learned the language and became immersed in the culture and music scene, first as the front man for his acoustic band Snake Eaters, and then as the founder of the rock band Circus Praha. He also produced a well-regarded electronic music project Aurobora. In a nation just emerging from communist austerity, Brad was admired for never acting like an “entitled American” and for bringing a new approach to rhythm guitar to the burgeoning rock scene. It now seems commonplace to call someone a “rock star” but in mid-1990s Prague, Brad Stratton was an actual rock star. When The Red Hot Chili Peppers played to massive crowds in Prague in 1996, Circus Praha was chosen as their opening act.
The relationships Brad made in the Czech Republic would be lasting, especially with the woman he would marry, Dana (Koutníková) Stratton. In early 1999, Brad had moved to New York City, and Dana followed that summer.
It is notoriously difficult for creative people to support themselves with their art form in general, let alone in New York City. Brad did it anyway. Using his genius for sound, he built a successful career and strong reputation as an audio and music production professional. He worked as a creative director and head of production for an indie podcast publisher, as an executive producer for commercial music & audio post-production companies, and as VP/head of music production for a large New York advertising agency. His roles spanned producer, editor, mixer, composer, sound designer, field recordist, and record producer. He was even a voice over artist for a variety of projects, including a soon-to-be-released sci-fi animated short. At his core, Brad was a songwriter and performing musician, and his music and influence will live on through the numerous people he hired, trained, mentored, helped, and collaborated with over the years.
It is also extremely difficult to buy a house in NYC, but Brad was always a consummate problem solver. His family motto is “love many, trust few, and paddle your own canoe”—and paddle his own, he did. In 2004, he and Dana bought a fixer-upper in the Bed-Stuy area of Brooklyn and renovated it themselves. In 2006, they welcomed their son Zachary Jan, followed by their daughter Toby Olga in 2009. As he had in Prague, Brad became immersed in his Brooklyn community, building meaningful bonds with his neighbors and with the parents of his children’s classmates. He regularly played pick-up basketball in the local park, rode his single speed bike all over NYC, and loved just sitting on the stoop with friends, tenants, and neighbors, talking about anything and everything.
To his wife and kids, he was a dedicated husband and dad, working hard to provide, teach, share, guide, and love. Visits to the cabin upstate, winter ski trips, and summer returns to Prague will live forever alongside the countless everyday memories…mornings and evenings at the kitchen table, music sessions and sing-a-longs in the car, soccer games and swim lessons, and all the other moments and memories that we hold close to our hearts.
He lived a full life in his chosen home city, as a husband, father, friend, neighbor, engaged citizen, and highly regarded professional. He will be profoundly missed by all who knew him.
To quote Brad’s lyrics, “Time moves so slow / See the seasons come, and then they go / And you are growing old / Some day in the mountains / When all this is done / There will be a place for me / To watch the rising sun”
We wish you had stayed with us to keep watching the rising sun, beloved Brad.

Brad Stratton is survived by his wife Dana, his children Zach and Toby, his parents Mary and Kenneth Stratton of Winthrop, Maine, and extended family in Maine and Canada. He had a special bond with his cousins Kristine Stratton of Portland, Maine, and Jon & Kat Stratton of Scarborough, Maine, whose recent wedding brought Brad back to his home state for one last glorious visit just weeks before his sudden death.
There will be a celebration of Brad’s life, open to all, on Sunday, November 6, 2022, from 4:00 PM-6:30 PM at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church at 157 Montague Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11201-3587.
The family has suggested that in lieu of flowers, donations in Brad’s memory can be made to WNYC, which was a constant source of fuel for his bright mind and endless curiosity.

UP THERE
Lyrics and song by Brad Stratton, from On The Air,
performed by Brad and Bohemian Radio, 2013
Up there with the mountains
Fall to the sea
There’s a place, heaven’s grace, there’s a place for me There’s a place for me
Well up there, in the mountains
There’s a simple life
Work all day, get your pay
Sleep right through the night
Sleep right through the night
Came down from the mountains
To see what I could see.
Nature boy, child of joy
Ain’t no stopping me.
Ain’t no stopping me.
Time moves so slow
See the seasons come, and then they go
And you are growing old
Down here in the city
There’s a different way
Hear the sound of the underground
Working night and day
Working night and day
Found a place in the city I could call my own
Comes a time to draw the line
And say that you are home
Say that you are home
Time moves so slow
See the seasons come, and then they go
And you are growing old
Some day in the mountains
When all this is done
There will be a place for me
To watch the rising sun
To watch the rising sun
Because up there with the mountains
Fall to the sea
There’s a place, heaven’s grace, there’s a place for me There’s a place for me
There’s a place for me
There’s a place for me
There’s a place for me
There’s a place for me
We’ll be adding Brad’s music. Here is a link to Brad’s online discography.