The Bran Flakes

The Bran Flakes are a sound collage pop group with members in the United States and Canada who specialize in creating music from pre-existing sources. The group's members include Otis Fodder (in Montreal, Quebec, Canada), Mildred Pitt, Susan DeLint and The GRDNR (in Seattle, WA).

Along with other bands such as Negativland and Evolution Control Committee, the Bran Flakes make extensive use of sampling, recontextualizing the samples into new works. The group scours thrift shops for obscure and quirky LPs; some of their songs also make use of recognizably famous basslines, television shows, and soundtracks from video games. The unauthorized nature of much of their work has prevented the band's work from wide commercial release.

Following the 1998 release of "I Remember When I Break Down" on Ovenguard Music, on which Otis Fodder was sole writer, the group's first album as a duo (Otis Fodder and Mildred Pitt) was in 1999, with "Hey Won't Somebody Come and Play" on Ovenguard Music. 2001 saw the release of "I Don't Have a Friend" on Lomo Records. Their 2002 album "Bounces!" was released on the band's own Happi Tyme Records, and contained one of their most popular songs; "Good Times a Goo Goo", which sampled extensively from Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear's performance of "Moving Right Along" from "The Muppet Movie".

In 2008 the band signed with the label Illegal Art, known for such acts as Girl Talk and Steinski, and a new album "I Have Hands" will be released first part of 2009.

Discography (CD)

* The Bran Flakes - I Remember When I Break Down (1998, Ovenguard Music)
* The Bran Flakes - Hey Won't Somebody Come and Play (1999, Ovenguard Music - Reissue 2003 on Happi Tyme)
* The Bran Flakes - I Don't Have A Friend (2000, Lomo)
* The Bran Flakes - Bounces! (2002, Happi Tyme)
* The Bran Flakes - Bubbles (2007, Happi Tyme)

Remixes

* R. Stevie Moore - Midi-Bran Piano-Rolls (2001, RSM Compact Cassettes)
* Tipsy Remix Party (2002, Asphodel)
* End - The Sick Generation (2005, Hymen)
* Jean-Jacques Perrey & Dana Countryman - The Happy Electropop Music Machine (2006, Oglio)

Compilations

* This Is Ovenguard Volume 1 (1998, Ovenguard Music)
* This Is Ovenguard Volume 2 (1998, Ovenguard Music)
* This Is Ovenguard Volume 3 (1999, Ovenguard Music)
* Meet The Sonicabal (1999, Sonicabal)
* Industrial Goat Frenzy (2000, Noisegood)
* Commercial Ad Hoc (2000, Illegal Art/Seeland)
* The R. Stevie Moore Family Album Volume 3 (2001, RSM Compact Cassettes)
* Various Artists - Sonicabal 2 (2001, Sonicabal)
* Various Artists - We Bore 2 (2003, Toast & Jam)
* Various Artists - My Malady (2003, Mental Monkey)
* Various Artists - Porky Pig: New Music Series No. 1 (2004, Standard Oil)
* Various Artists - Il Programma Di Religione (2005, Boyarm)

External links

* [http://www.thebranflakes.com/ The Bran Flakes website]
* [http://www.happityme.com/ Happi Tyme Records]
* [http://www.otisfodder.com/ Otis Fodder's website]
* [http://www.libsci.com Mildred Pitt's band Library Science]
* [http://www.happityme.com/twizzle.html Mildred Pitt's band Twizzle]

Interviews

* [http://www.some-assembly-required.net/blog/2006/02/episode-99-some-assembly-required.html Radio Feature] , The Some Assembly Required Interview with The Bran Flakes.
* [http://shuffleboil.com/2007/11/08/otis-fodder-and-the-365-days-project/ Interview] , Interview with Otis Fodder.