NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Brant Bjork

Brant Bjork (born March 16, 1973) is an American musician from Palm Desert, California, who is a drummer, producer, guitarist and one of the more notable figures in the stoner rock and desert rock, and Palm Desert scenes. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California approximately 110 miles (177 km) east of Los Angeles and 140 miles (225 km) northeast of San Diego. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Stoner rock and stoner metal are interchangeable terms describing sub-genres of rock and metal music. ... Desert Rock is a term given to several bands from the Californian Palm Desert Scene. ... For the popular-music magazine, see Musician (magazine). ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making music. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Duna Records is a record label founded by desert rocker Brant Bjork. ... is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Palm Desert is a city located in Riverside County, California, in the Palm Springs area, approximately eleven miles east of Palm Springs. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Stoner rock and stoner metal are interchangeable terms describing sub-genres of rock and metal music. ... Desert Rock is a term given to several bands from the Californian Palm Desert Scene. ... The Palm Desert Scene is a name given to a group of closely related bands and musicians which originated in the early nineties in Palm Desert, Southern California. ...

Musical career

Early career

While in high school, Bjork got together with locals Josh Homme, Chris Cockrell, (later Nick Oliveri), and John Garcia resulting in the formation of Kyuss. Kyuss was signed to Elektra Records and became the first desert rock band to achieve international success. Bjork helped issue what has become one of the decade's landmark releases, 1992's Blues for the Red Sun, which helped create the ensuing stoner rock movement. In 1993, Bjork left the band following the release of Welcome to Sky Valley citing that it wasn't fun anymore. After Sabbath’s Ward and the Melvins’ Crover, Bjork is the name most often cited as an influence by other drummers in the burgeoning genre, based primarily on his groundbreaking playing on the first few recordings by Kyuss: Wretch, Blues for the Red Sun, and (Welcome to) Sky Valley.^[1] Joshua Michael Homme (born May 17, 1973[2] in Palm Springs, California) is an American Rock musician. ... Chris Cockrell is an American musician, who played bass on Sons of Kyuss as part of a band of the same name, later shortened to just Kyuss. ... Nick Stephen Oliveri (born October 21, 1971 in Los Angeles) is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. ... John Garcia (born September 04 1970) is a vocalist who has been a member of Slo Burn, Unida and, most notably, Kyuss and is now the vocalist of Hermano. ... This article is about the band. ... Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, and today operates under Atlantic Records Group. ... Desert Rock is a term given to several bands from the Californian Palm Desert Scene. ... Blues for the Red Sun is a 1992 (see 1992 in music) album by stoner metal band Kyuss. ... Welcome to Sky Valley is the third album by Kyuss on June 28, 1994. ... Look up wretch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Named for “the sons of Kyuss,” monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Kyuss first came together around guitarist Josh Homme and vocalist John Garcia in the small Southern California town of Palm Desert in the late ’80s. The band members moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and signed to Chameleon Records after 13 performances in the big city. All of their dreams seemed to be coming true, but after two years of non-stop touring, Bjork abruptly quit and ceded the drum throne to his friend and fellow desert rat, Alfredo Hernández.^[2] This article is about the role-playing game. ... Palm Desert is a city located in Riverside County, California, in the Palm Springs area, approximately eleven miles east of Palm Springs. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area City 1,290. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Alfredo HernÃ¡ndez is an American drummer best known as a member of desert rock bands Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Brant Bjork and the Bros and Yawning Man. ...

Post-Kyuss

The aspect of Bjork’s playing that other drummers love most is the huge wash of a massive ride cymbal that hovers over a heavy riff like an ominous storm cloud. “It probably comes from growing up in the garage,” he says. “It was loud, and I was never the best drummer. I was never technically very good—I taught myself how to play—and I just wanted to be heard and to make noise. I didn’t know what the difference was between a ride and a crash. When you’re playing punk rock and heavy rock as a kid with loud guitars, there were a lot of areas where in between riffs where the music would breathe, and I didn’t want to hear that little ping-y sound. When you ping on the ride, it’s almost like playing a note on the guitar, and when you crash on the ride, it’s like playing a power chord on the guitar. So I just kind of filled up some space.”^[4] A Zildjian 22 Z Custom Power Ride A ride cymbal is a type of cymbal that is a standard part of most drum kits. ... For the handheld type of cymbal, see Clash cymbals. ...

Bjork has always filled a bigger role than just playing drums; he also plays guitar and bass, and he wrote some of Kyuss’s most memorable songs, including the anthemic “Green Machine” and "50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up)". He contributed to the songwriting for Fu Manchu and produced the band’s first album, 1994’s No One Rides for Free.^[5] This article is about the fictional literature character. ... No One Rides for Free was the debut album released by the band Fu Manchu. ...

Bjork joined Fu Manchu as the drummer for 1997’s Action Is Go - a role he continued to fill until his departure prior to the tour for their 2002 album California Crossing.^[6]

He has also recorded several solo albums including the psychedelic and soulful, Jalamanta (Originally released on Man’s Ruin, 1999), Brant Bjork & the Operators (2002), Keep Your Cool (2003) and Local Angel (2004), the latter three being released on the music label Bjork founded, Duna Records.^[7] Jalamanta was stoner rock legend, Brant Bjorks debut solo effort after leaving Kyuss and joining Fu Manchu. ... Brant Bjork and the Operators is the self-titled album by desert rocker Brant Bjork. ... Keep Your Cool is the third solo album by desert rocker Brant Bjork. ... Local Angel is the fourth solo album by desert rocker Brant Bjork. ... Duna Records is a record label founded by desert rocker Brant Bjork. ...

As for how his drumming has developed, Bjork is self-deprecating to a fault. “I was never a studious drummer; I was interested in playing great songs,” he says. “Let’s face it: It begins and ends with songs. If you don’t write great songs, big deal. In Kyuss, I never even thought like, ‘I’m the beat guy and I’m gonna lock in with the bassist to play a tight rhythm.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna lock in with Josh and watch the way he strums and the way we move from chord to chord and the progressions and I’m just gonna roll with him.’ It was just kind of a natural thing.”^[9]

Proudest recorded moments: “There’s a song on Welcome to Sky Valley (Elektra Records) called ‘Demon Cleaner’; it was a first take, and there was a roll that was kind of my version of Ginger Baker. It probably sounds nothing like Ginger Baker, but that’s kind of where my head was at at the time—this rhythmic roll thing on the toms. And I really liked the drumming on the first track of the last Fu Manchu record [King of the Road, Mammoth Records], ‘Hell On Wheels.’ I thought that was a good one; it just had a lot of energy and it kind of flowed nicely. I always like to hear flow.”^[10] Peter Edward Ginger Baker (born August 19, 1939, Lewisham, South London) is an English drummer who gained fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organization (GBO) and Cream from 1966 until 1968. ... A tom-tom (not to be confused with a tamtam) is a cylindrical drum with no snare. ...

Brant Bjork and the Bros

In 2004, Brant Bjork toured Europe and the US under the title "Brant Bjork and the Bros." He was backed by the talents of Dylan Roche on bass guitar, Michael Peffer on drums, and Cortez on guitar. In 2005, the Bros went into the studio and recorded Bjork's fifth album Saved by Magic. It was released on August 1, 2005 and features 2 full discs. The music style is a mix of Jalamanta, and The Sounds of Liberation. Brant Bjork and the Bros. have opened for bands such as Danko Jones and surf rock pioneer Dick Dale.^[12] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The city of Exeter is the county town of Devon, in the southwest of England, also known as the West Country. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jalamanta was stoner rock legend, Brant Bjorks debut solo effort after leaving Kyuss and joining Fu Manchu. ... Che was an American stoner rock band. ... Danko Jones live in Milan 2006 Bass player John Calabrese live in Milan 2006 Danko Jones is a three-piece hard rock band from Toronto, Canada. ... In the early 1960s, one of the most popular forms of rock and roll was surf rock. ... This article is about the surf guitarist. ...

2006 saw the release of Sabbia, a stoned-out "visual soundtrack" by film maker Kate McCabe. Sabbia brings the low desert and landscapes of California onto film with a full soundtrack by Bjork. Brant cites that the motivation of Sabbia was to bring the desert scene to a lot of people who haven't experienced it for themselves.

A new live DVD and 3 new records are on the shelf; one with the Bros and a couple of solo efforts.^[14] The first solo album, entitled Tres Dias was released on February 27, 2007 followed by a Bros album Somera Sól, May 2007. On September 25 2007, "The Native Tongue", a song from "Tres Dias', was featured on a Poison Tree Records compilation called Road To Nowhere. During 2007, the label Duna Records failed and has changed to Low Desert Punk Recordings. Brant cited that it was a beast requiring too much time and energy. ^[15] The first release on the new Low Desert Punk Recordings will be Punk Rock Guilt, May 2008. This album had previously been known as the untitled "New Jersey Sessions" recorded back in 2005. The album title comes from a common phrase used by, Queens of the Stone Age frontman, Josh Homme used to express the break-up of Kyuss. Tres Dias is the 6th album to be released from desert rock artist Brant Bjork. ... is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Somera SÃ³l is the 7th album to be released from desert rock artist Brant Bjork and the second to have been recorded with the Bros (consisting of bassist Dylan Roche, guitarist Cortez and drumming stoner-icon Alfredo Hernandez) Turn Yourself On Love Is Revolution Shrine Communications Oblivion The Native... Road to Nowhere is a cheerful song about death by the Talking Heads, from the 1985 album Little Creatures. ...

Discography

The Bro's Equipment

On a gig on April 18th 2005 at the Mudd Club in Berlin-Mitte, Brant Bjork was playing a Fender guitar and used a Marshall JCM 900 amplifier. Berlin-Mitte or Mitte is the central-most borough of Berlin (Mitte is German for centre). ... Fender redirects here. ... The Marshall Logo Marshall Amplification is a British company which designs and manufactures music amplifiers. ... For the British rock band of the same name, see Amplifier (band). ...

Addendum: Normally Brant Bjork plays a Fender Stratocaster (Sunburst, post CBS, small headstock) through a Marshall Plexi (also known as Superlead) 100 Watt Amplifier. However, the Sunburst was smashed at a recent (July 2005) Italian gig, so now he's been seen using a white Fender Stratocaster (with a Muhammed Ali picture near the jack). On July 19th 2006 in Exeter Brant was using a sunburst Stratocaster with a Squier neck and a sticker of the Virgin Mary by the bridge pickup. This went into a fuzz, then a wah, then a Boss Blues Driver, with the Marshall Plexi and a Marshall 410 cabinet the amplifier used.

See also

The Palm Desert Scene is a name given to a group of closely related bands and musicians which originated in the early nineties in Palm Desert, Southern California. ... Stoner rock and stoner metal are interchangeable terms describing sub-genres of rock and metal music. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. ... This article is about the band. ... John Garcia (born September 04 1970) is a vocalist who has been a member of Slo Burn, Unida and, most notably, Kyuss and is now the vocalist of Hermano. ... Josh Homme (born Joshua Michael Homme on May 17, 1973 , in Palm Springs, CA) is an American rock musician. ... Chris Cockrell is an American musician, who played bass on Sons of Kyuss as part of a band of the same name, later shortened to just Kyuss. ... Nick Stephen Oliveri (born October 21, 1971 in Los Angeles) is an American musician from Palm Desert, California. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alfredo HernÃ¡ndez is an American drummer best known as a member of desert rock bands Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Brant Bjork and the Bros and Yawning Man. ... Sons of Kyuss was the original name for the stoner rock group Kyuss. ... Wretch is the debut album by Kyuss, released in 1991 (see 1991 in music) after forming and renaming the band from their original name Sons of Kyuss. ... Blues for the Red Sun is a 1992 (see 1992 in music) album by stoner metal band Kyuss. ... Welcome to Sky Valley is the third album by Kyuss on June 28, 1994. ... ...And the Circus Leaves Town is the fourth and last album by Kyuss, released on July 11, 1995 (see 1995 in music) before disbanding in October. ... Wool chronology Your Choice Live Series (1995) Shine! / Short Term Memory Loss (1996) Alternate cover Back/Side B Shine! / Short Term Memory Loss is a 1996 (see 1996 in music) split single by stoner rock band Kyuss and rock band Wool. ... Kyuss/Queens Of The Stone Age is a split EP which was released in December 1997, it includes 3 songs by Kyuss, as well as 3 songs by guitarist Josh Hommes band after Kyuss, QOTSA. It includes a cover of the song Into The Void by Black Sabbath from... Stoner rock and stoner metal are interchangeable terms describing sub-genres of rock and metal music. ... Desert Rock is a term given to several bands from the Californian Palm Desert Scene. ... â€œAt Desert Sessions, you play for the sake of music. ... This article is about the American rock band. ... Nick Oliveri and the Mondo Generator (formerly known as Mondo Generator) is an American hard rock band fronted by bassist Nick Oliveri (formerly of Queens of the Stone Age). ... Hermano is a music band which formed in 1998 as a side project and in doing so became a mini super group in stoner rock circles. ... Fu Manchu is a Southern Californian stoner rock band, who released their debut single Kept Between Trees in 1990. ... After the dissolution of Kyuss, and a short aventure in Slo Burn, John Garcia (vocals) comes back with Unida also featuring Arthur Seay (guitar), Dave Dinsmore (bass) and Mike Cancino (drums). ... Slo Burn was a short-lived stoner rock band formed in 1996 in the wake of Kyusss demise. ...

Contents

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