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The Bravery Biography
The HQ is on the corner of Mott and Broome, on the edge of New York’s Chinatown. Push through the graffiti-ed door, clamber up the rotten stairs, past the sweatshops and you’ll find the place. It’s where The Bravery have spent the past two years planning operations, obsessively working up their wirey garage-electronics and occasionally venturing out into the city to play the results.
Their first gig was in The Stinger Club in Brooklyn in 2003. 12 months later, their name was plastered all over the Lower East Side to celebrate a sold-out residency at Arlene Grocery on Stanton. In that time, The Bravery (and that’s singer/guitarist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, bassist Mike H, keyboardist John Conway and drummer Anthony Burulcich) had honed their sound to a dark garage-electro and made sure everyone knew what they were all about.
“We’re called The Bravery because that’s the mindset I was in when I was writing the songs,” explains Sam now. “Everyone in my age group wants to know what they’re going to do with their lives. They all think that they’re worth nothing and they’re heading nowhere. People are drowning in these thoughts and I just got sick of it. I didn’t want to be like that.
“The name is also connected with living in New York in this really weird time. People are constantly waiting for something bad to happen. I wrote these songs and formed this band to make sure I didn’t get overcome by that sense of fear. That’s what this band is about – standing tall and not being afraid.”
Sam has no time for excuses. He grew up in Maryland, in the DC suburbs, and was heavily influenced by the area’s intense post-punk scene. He’d go and see bands like Fugazi and Jawbox and be impressed by their DIY ethic. He quickly adopted it as his own philosophy and it’s something that feeds directly into The Bravery. They do everything – they make the records, the artwork, the videos, everything. They know what they want and how they want to do it.
“I don’t really like mainstream music at all,” admits Sam. “When I listen to the radio or watch MTV, 99% of it is like listening to an air-conditioner or a hair-dryer. Sometimes, though, something comes along that jolts you. When I was growing up, it was bands like Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction. Those bands elevate culture. I don’t think there’s any point in aiming for anything less.”
One thing that sometimes puzzles people about The Bravery is why they sound electronic when all the bands they like are punk guitar bands. Sam doesn’t know why they sound like they do. He just wanted to do something different.
Of course, the circumstances in which they recorded their album (most of it was constructed in Sam’s bedroom with Radio Shack mics and an old iMac) and the fact that Sam’s best friend John Conway is totally obsessed with analog keyboards obviously helped shape their sound.
The Bravery are now signed to Loog in the UK and Island Def Jam in America. Their first release arrives this November in the form of a brilliant three track EP and they play the UK at the same time. The album will follow in the new year. In the meantime, all communications with the band should be directed through Rachel Hendry at the Darling Department and Lauren Schneider at Island in the US.
Their first gig was in The Stinger Club in Brooklyn in 2003. 12 months later, their name was plastered all over the Lower East Side to celebrate a sold-out residency at Arlene Grocery on Stanton. In that time, The Bravery (and that’s singer/guitarist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, bassist Mike H, keyboardist John Conway and drummer Anthony Burulcich) had honed their sound to a dark garage-electro and made sure everyone knew what they were all about.
“We’re called The Bravery because that’s the mindset I was in when I was writing the songs,” explains Sam now. “Everyone in my age group wants to know what they’re going to do with their lives. They all think that they’re worth nothing and they’re heading nowhere. People are drowning in these thoughts and I just got sick of it. I didn’t want to be like that.
“The name is also connected with living in New York in this really weird time. People are constantly waiting for something bad to happen. I wrote these songs and formed this band to make sure I didn’t get overcome by that sense of fear. That’s what this band is about – standing tall and not being afraid.”
Sam has no time for excuses. He grew up in Maryland, in the DC suburbs, and was heavily influenced by the area’s intense post-punk scene. He’d go and see bands like Fugazi and Jawbox and be impressed by their DIY ethic. He quickly adopted it as his own philosophy and it’s something that feeds directly into The Bravery. They do everything – they make the records, the artwork, the videos, everything. They know what they want and how they want to do it.
“I don’t really like mainstream music at all,” admits Sam. “When I listen to the radio or watch MTV, 99% of it is like listening to an air-conditioner or a hair-dryer. Sometimes, though, something comes along that jolts you. When I was growing up, it was bands like Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction. Those bands elevate culture. I don’t think there’s any point in aiming for anything less.”
One thing that sometimes puzzles people about The Bravery is why they sound electronic when all the bands they like are punk guitar bands. Sam doesn’t know why they sound like they do. He just wanted to do something different.
Of course, the circumstances in which they recorded their album (most of it was constructed in Sam’s bedroom with Radio Shack mics and an old iMac) and the fact that Sam’s best friend John Conway is totally obsessed with analog keyboards obviously helped shape their sound.
The Bravery are now signed to Loog in the UK and Island Def Jam in America. Their first release arrives this November in the form of a brilliant three track EP and they play the UK at the same time. The album will follow in the new year. In the meantime, all communications with the band should be directed through Rachel Hendry at the Darling Department and Lauren Schneider at Island in the US.
The Bravery All Music Guide Biography
Formed during the height of New York City's post-punk revival in 2003, the Bravery took equal influence from dance music and stylish indie rock. Comprising Sam Endicott (vocals/guitar), John Conway (keyboards), Anthony Burulcich (drums), Michael Zakarin (guitar), and Mike H. (bass), the band got its start in early 2003, several years after Vassar College classmates Conway and Endicott (formerly of the Pasties) performed in the collegiate ska outfit Skabba the Hut. After relocating to the Big Apple, the two assembled the Bravery and began performing stylish dance rock. An introductory gig at Brooklyn's Stinger Club gave way to a residency at Arlene's Grocery, and whispers on the street eventually led the Bravery to a recording contract with Island Def Jam in the States. They also signed with Loog in the U.K.
After the Unconditional EP appeared in early 2005, critics quickly pounced on the band, with the Village Voice proclaiming the Bravery as "New York's Official Next Big Thing" while MTV and Rolling Stone deemed them an artist to watch. A co-headlining tour with Ash in spring 2005 coincided the release of the Bravery's self-titled album, which produced two moderately successful singles in "An Honest Mistake" and "Unconditional." After more rounds of touring, the Bravery eventually decamped to the studio with producer Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against the Machine, Neil Young) to work on their next album. Splitting their recording time between Atlanta and N.Y.C., the group's resulting The Sun and the Moon, which explored added textures and new instrumentation, surfaced in May 2007. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
After the Unconditional EP appeared in early 2005, critics quickly pounced on the band, with the Village Voice proclaiming the Bravery as "New York's Official Next Big Thing" while MTV and Rolling Stone deemed them an artist to watch. A co-headlining tour with Ash in spring 2005 coincided the release of the Bravery's self-titled album, which produced two moderately successful singles in "An Honest Mistake" and "Unconditional." After more rounds of touring, the Bravery eventually decamped to the studio with producer Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against the Machine, Neil Young) to work on their next album. Splitting their recording time between Atlanta and N.Y.C., the group's resulting The Sun and the Moon, which explored added textures and new instrumentation, surfaced in May 2007. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
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