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Brain Storm Biography
BrainStorm: with the Baltics under their wing
Today they?re the big pride and hope of Latvian rock?n?roll. Ten years ago they were five 13 and 14 year-olds with one original song (they never played covers) and a few fans at their school in the provincial town of Jelgava. Their story started in 1989, when Reynard Cowper heard Depeche Mode and thought u wow, that?s cool, let?s form a band.
The choice of line-up was more logical than musical because all of them u Reynard Cowper (vocal), oMagico (guitar), Peter Scott Jr. (bass) and Nick William Simon (drums) u were in the same class at school. Only Mike Minolta (accordion and keyboards) was one year younger, that?s why he joined the gang several months later. In any case, half a year after their first rehearsal (at local registry office!), BrainStorm?s line-up was complete and hasn?t changed to this day. As soon as they started to play their first concerts it became obvious that BrainStorm was an outstanding as a live band and Cowper a ready-born showman able to perfectly communicate with his audience. And even the fact that guys have only since this time learned to play their instruments couldn?t keep BrainStorm from establishing an extremely loyal following. In 1992 their National debut with the As You?re Coming single jumped straight to the Latvian Top 10, mostly thanks to fans from band?s native Jelgava. Their next single Winter succeeded even better, reaching #2 in the national airplay charts. The subsequent Latvian Music Award as Best Newcomers was just a logical progression for the band.
The release of the highly acclaimed More Than Loudly album (1993) was marked with a vast outdoor concert in the center of the Latvian capital of Riga. It is not always easy to understand why, but the work was compared to U2, Simple Minds and R.E.M. The next release, the self-issued Winter EP reflected deeper fascination with Western alternative rock and the use of trumpet and cello. Unfortunately audience seemed to be confused by this new direction and success was quite limited. In spite of their first international performances in Copenhagen, at the Rock Summer ?95 festival in Tallinn, and Ringfest in Cologne, it was a difficult time and a long winter for BrainStorm.
Aeroplanes, an old and for some time even forgotten song from the group?s early days, came to the rescue. Released in the autumn of 1995, Aeroplanes became the all-time best-selling single in Latvia and the Song of The Year for Radio Super FM. BrainStorm took advantage of the song?s popularity during the Aeroplane?s tour by collecting ransom money for a Latvian aircraft being held hostage in Moscow.
BrainStorm regained its reputation as the good guys of Latvian rock with the 1996 release of the Veronica album. Here the band returned to more mainstream, more joyful and melodic sound where the Beatles meet not just Crowded House but even the Cure. The proof that ogoodo doesn?t mean oboringo was a 60-show tour around Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Russia, performances at the Baltic Culture Days in London (BrainStorm writes and sings in three languages u Latvian, Russian and English) and the Grand Prix prize at the largest festival in Latvia u Liepajas Dzintars. And as if that weren?t enough, their new hit Under My Wing after nine weeks (including Christmas week) at the peak of the Latvian Airplay chart became the best-selling single of 1996.
In 1997 BrainStorm signed with Microphone Records (the company representing EMI in the Baltic countries) as it?s hottest priority artists and their next release Everything Goes Just As You Like It was one of the first albums in Latvia to go gold. The album was promoted with a competition for the project of a BrainStorm monument. The monument is now under construction.
BrainStorm since 1998 has been impossible to stop u they received three prizes at the Latvian Music Awards ceremony and the first international single Under My Wing was recorded at the Maryland studio in Germany. It was produced by Volker Hinkel (of the German band?s Fools? Garden hit Lemon Tree fame) and received praiseworthy airplay all over the Baltics as well as in Sweden, Slovenia, Russia, Finland and Turkey. This success was followed by instant triumph at the Karlshamn (Sweden) festival where BrainStorm with their explosive stage show became the Grand Prix winners and the collective favorites. The excited media praised Cowper?s charismatic showmanship and vocal skills. (Kaupers, by the way, has a bachelor?s degree in journalism.)
At the end of the year while their current single Half Of Your Heart was enjoying its usual #1 success back home, the band recorded 5 tracks at Denmark?s PUK Studio together with producer Lars H. Nissen for their first international album, set for release in Spring, 1999. 3/4 of the album tracks has been recorded in EMI Studio Stockholm with producer Stefan Andersson . Second single o Weekends Are Not My Happy Dayso from their forthcoming album o Among the Suns o already reach the #1 At Latvian airplay chart just in second week and still there!
a10 years have passed since BrainStorm?s beginnings. The members are still young and still the best of friends. They have fresh and exciting songs, a carefree and easy image loved by everyone who knows them, a hard working attitude and a strong commitment to what they?re doing. For this reason BrainStorm spent these first 10 years more than loudly and everything goes just as you like it. And now they?re ready for the next 10. In fact they?re ready for everything u including the world under their wing.
CONTACT : Guntars Racs / A&R and Marketing Director / Microphone Records
Muitas str. 1 , Riga, Latvia, LV 1010
Today they?re the big pride and hope of Latvian rock?n?roll. Ten years ago they were five 13 and 14 year-olds with one original song (they never played covers) and a few fans at their school in the provincial town of Jelgava. Their story started in 1989, when Reynard Cowper heard Depeche Mode and thought u wow, that?s cool, let?s form a band.
The choice of line-up was more logical than musical because all of them u Reynard Cowper (vocal), oMagico (guitar), Peter Scott Jr. (bass) and Nick William Simon (drums) u were in the same class at school. Only Mike Minolta (accordion and keyboards) was one year younger, that?s why he joined the gang several months later. In any case, half a year after their first rehearsal (at local registry office!), BrainStorm?s line-up was complete and hasn?t changed to this day. As soon as they started to play their first concerts it became obvious that BrainStorm was an outstanding as a live band and Cowper a ready-born showman able to perfectly communicate with his audience. And even the fact that guys have only since this time learned to play their instruments couldn?t keep BrainStorm from establishing an extremely loyal following. In 1992 their National debut with the As You?re Coming single jumped straight to the Latvian Top 10, mostly thanks to fans from band?s native Jelgava. Their next single Winter succeeded even better, reaching #2 in the national airplay charts. The subsequent Latvian Music Award as Best Newcomers was just a logical progression for the band.
The release of the highly acclaimed More Than Loudly album (1993) was marked with a vast outdoor concert in the center of the Latvian capital of Riga. It is not always easy to understand why, but the work was compared to U2, Simple Minds and R.E.M. The next release, the self-issued Winter EP reflected deeper fascination with Western alternative rock and the use of trumpet and cello. Unfortunately audience seemed to be confused by this new direction and success was quite limited. In spite of their first international performances in Copenhagen, at the Rock Summer ?95 festival in Tallinn, and Ringfest in Cologne, it was a difficult time and a long winter for BrainStorm.
Aeroplanes, an old and for some time even forgotten song from the group?s early days, came to the rescue. Released in the autumn of 1995, Aeroplanes became the all-time best-selling single in Latvia and the Song of The Year for Radio Super FM. BrainStorm took advantage of the song?s popularity during the Aeroplane?s tour by collecting ransom money for a Latvian aircraft being held hostage in Moscow.
BrainStorm regained its reputation as the good guys of Latvian rock with the 1996 release of the Veronica album. Here the band returned to more mainstream, more joyful and melodic sound where the Beatles meet not just Crowded House but even the Cure. The proof that ogoodo doesn?t mean oboringo was a 60-show tour around Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Russia, performances at the Baltic Culture Days in London (BrainStorm writes and sings in three languages u Latvian, Russian and English) and the Grand Prix prize at the largest festival in Latvia u Liepajas Dzintars. And as if that weren?t enough, their new hit Under My Wing after nine weeks (including Christmas week) at the peak of the Latvian Airplay chart became the best-selling single of 1996.
In 1997 BrainStorm signed with Microphone Records (the company representing EMI in the Baltic countries) as it?s hottest priority artists and their next release Everything Goes Just As You Like It was one of the first albums in Latvia to go gold. The album was promoted with a competition for the project of a BrainStorm monument. The monument is now under construction.
BrainStorm since 1998 has been impossible to stop u they received three prizes at the Latvian Music Awards ceremony and the first international single Under My Wing was recorded at the Maryland studio in Germany. It was produced by Volker Hinkel (of the German band?s Fools? Garden hit Lemon Tree fame) and received praiseworthy airplay all over the Baltics as well as in Sweden, Slovenia, Russia, Finland and Turkey. This success was followed by instant triumph at the Karlshamn (Sweden) festival where BrainStorm with their explosive stage show became the Grand Prix winners and the collective favorites. The excited media praised Cowper?s charismatic showmanship and vocal skills. (Kaupers, by the way, has a bachelor?s degree in journalism.)
At the end of the year while their current single Half Of Your Heart was enjoying its usual #1 success back home, the band recorded 5 tracks at Denmark?s PUK Studio together with producer Lars H. Nissen for their first international album, set for release in Spring, 1999. 3/4 of the album tracks has been recorded in EMI Studio Stockholm with producer Stefan Andersson . Second single o Weekends Are Not My Happy Dayso from their forthcoming album o Among the Suns o already reach the #1 At Latvian airplay chart just in second week and still there!
a10 years have passed since BrainStorm?s beginnings. The members are still young and still the best of friends. They have fresh and exciting songs, a carefree and easy image loved by everyone who knows them, a hard working attitude and a strong commitment to what they?re doing. For this reason BrainStorm spent these first 10 years more than loudly and everything goes just as you like it. And now they?re ready for the next 10. In fact they?re ready for everything u including the world under their wing.
CONTACT : Guntars Racs / A&R and Marketing Director / Microphone Records
Muitas str. 1 , Riga, Latvia, LV 1010
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