Burden Brothers

Infobox musical artist
Name = Burden Brothers


Img_capt = Burden Brothers
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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Dallas, Texas
Genre = Hard rock, Post-grunge
Years_active = 2002–Present
Label = Kirtland, Last Beat
Associated_acts = Toadies, Reverend Horton Heat, Tenderloin, Izzy Stradlin Band, Doosu, Jump Rope Girls, Clumsy, GWAR, Ministry
URL = http://www.theburdenbrothers.com/
Current_members = Vaden Todd Lewis Patrick "Taz" Bentley Casey Hess
Past_members = Corey Rozzoni Zack Busby Casey Orr

Burden Brothers is a Hard rock Supergroup formed in Dallas,Texas by Toadies lead singer/songwriter Vaden Todd Lewis and Reverend Horton Heat drummer Patrick "Taz" Bentley. The band currently consists of Vaden Todd Lewis (Vocals/Guitar), Taz Bentley (Drums/Vocals), and Casey Hess (Guitar/Vocals). The band is currently on an indefinite hiatus, due to the Toadies reunion and other interests.

History

Lead singer/songwriter for the band, Vaden Todd Lewis was recently coming off of a short-lived reunion of his legendary platinum-selling 90s band Toadies, and after an unsuccessful album release and tour, the band once again broke up. Main members Patrick "Taz" Bentley and Vaden Todd Lewis were both residents of Dallas, and had met on tours, in which the Toadies and Reverend Horton Heat often played together. The two began jamming together, and eventually decided to start a band.

The band began in 2002 with three EPs which were recorded by Lewis and Bentley as well as a revolving door of other musicians. The EPs, titled "8 Ball", "Queen O' Spades", and Beautiful Night. After warm reception to these EPs, and radio play of their promotional single "Beautiful Night" in Tulsa, Dallas, and Houston areas in heavy rotation, the band decided to release a full-length album. Thus, the band ended up keeping Corey Rozzoni who worked with Clumsy, and Casey Orr who was famous for his work with Ministry. The band became a Supergroup, with each member having been in a formerly relatively successful band.

Early Years

After winning on-air "smash or trash" radio competitions in Austin, Texas for several weeks with a demo of "Beautiful Night", the single became added into heavy rotation in the area. The single spread fast into Dallas, Houston, and Tulsa radio markets, before the band signed with Kirtland Records, a rising independent label. Their new album was to be produced by David Castell (Space Cadet, The Buck Pets), and was said to be a throwback to classic arena rock mixed with grunge, and a bit of modern rock.

In 2003, the band released "Buried in Your Black Heart" in 2003. The album was a hard rock throwback that many critics stated as "fresh, driving, and fun." Dallas Observer noticed the album was "early Soundgarden. Think 70's arena rock." MTV said the album was "Tough, driving metal & head-bobbing arena rock." The album received fairly positive reviews, as they sighted it was fairly fresh, catchy, and fun. Lewis described the album as "good old fashioned rock n' roll", and later stated that they "didn't take much risks recording the album." Led by lead single "Beautiful Night" (which charted at #24 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts) and follow-up single "Shadow", the band received national recognition, touring with bands like Velvet Revolver, Papa Roach and Finger Eleven.

After the successful release of their debut album, the band recruited yet another guitarist in Casey Hess for their remaining tour dates and later, for the recording and tour for their second album, Mercy. During their extensive touring, the band recorded a live DVD, entitled RYFOLAMF. Buried in Your Black Heart went on to sell over 100,000 records in the United States, and have become one of Kirtland Records highest selling artists. The single "Beautiful Night" is used during Dallas Stars games often to this day, due to the line "It's a beautiful night/to watch the Stars."

Mercy Years

In 2005, the band went back to the drawing boards for their next release. They wanted to keep that fairly catchy, edgy sound, but this time, they wanted to take risks by experimenting more with their music. The recording sessions finished in early 2006, and in 2006, they released their newest album, Mercy. The album was produced by Grammy award winning producer Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins, Beck, Hole, U2) and David Castell. Vaden Todd described the album as "moody". The album's lyrics approached the downfall of society and finding out "who you are at the core." The album includes unorthodox instruments for a rock group, such as strings, bells, etc. Mercy once again had a relatively positive critical and fan reception, which track "Everybody is Easy (We Sink/We Swim)" receiving moderate airplay across the country. "Shine" was also released as a single, but did not chart as well as "Everybody is Easy".

However, the album did not sell as well as Buried in Your Black Heart and did not receive near as much promotion by their record label as their debut. The band did not have much of a successful tour for the album as well, and the commercial failure of the album was one of the many reasons for the departure of much of the band. The album has gone on to sell around 50,000-70,000 records in the United States, well below Buried in Your Black Heart's total.

Future Plans

After touring for Mercy disagreements ensued between bandmates, as Corey Rozzoni, Zack Busby, and Casey Orr all quit after the touring. After Rozzoni, Busby, and Orr all quitting, the band was then put on indefinite hiatus. Lewis claims the band is still together, they are just pursuing other interests; notably Lewis's Toadies. The Toadies will release an album on August 19, 2008, leaving many questions about the future of the Burden Brothers.

Band members

Current members

* Vaden Todd Lewis – vocals, guitar
* Patrick "Taz" Bentley – drums
* Casey Hess (formerly of Doosu and Jump Rope Girls) – guitar

Former members

* Corey Rozzoni (formerly of Clumsy) – guitar
* Zack Busby (Currently with Only Crime, formerly of Slow Roosevelt and Halls of the Machine) – bass
* Casey Orr (Currently with Rigor Mortis, formerly of Ministry, GWAR, Speedealer, Blohole, The Hellions, and X–Cops) – bass
* Mark Hughes (Baboon) – bass
* Mike Rudnicki (Baboon) – guitar
* Zach Blair (Rise Against, GWAR, Hagfish) – guitar
* Josh Daugherty (Dovehunter, Pinkston, Earl) – guitar

Discography

Albums

*"Buried in Your Black Heart" (2003)
*"Mercy" (2006)

EPs and singles

*"8 Ball" (2002)
*"Queen O' Spades" (2002)
*"Beautiful Night" (2003)
*"Shadow" (2004)
*"Walk Away" / "Jailbreak" (2005)

Live DVDs

*"RYFOLAMF (Rock Your Face Off Like A Mother Fucker)" (2005)

External links

* [http://www.theburdenbrothers.com Burden Brothers official website]
* [http://myspace.com/burdenbrothers Burden Brothers myspace page]
* [http://www.fancorps.com/burdenbrothers Official Burden Brothers Street Team on Fancorps.com]
* [http://www.lamf.org/ Burden Brothers - Austin Chapter]
* [http://www.hovergame.com/bb Burden Brothers Hovercraft]
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