Burning Brides

Infobox musical artist
Name = Burning Brides


Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Genre = Hard rock Heavy metal Stoner rock
Years_active = 1999 - present
Label = File Thirteen Records, V2
URL = [http://www.burningbrides.com burningbrides.com]
Current_members = Dimitri Coats Melanie Campbell Pete Beeman
Past_members = Mike Ambs Jason Kourkounis

Burning Brides is an American hard rock band. They are partially known for their live performances, such as in 2002 playing selected dates as the opening band for …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Queens of the Stone Age, and Fu Manchu. In 2004, they toured with A Perfect Circle and in 2006, they went on tour supporting Eagles of Death Metal and Peaches. They have also supported Zion, IL power duo Local H and have opened for melvins in their home town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

History

The Burning Brides formed in Philadelphia in early 1999. Dimitri Coats and future wife and musical partner Melanie Campbell joined together after graduating The Juilliard School. They spent two years traveling the country together, reportedly living in San Francisco, Portland, and Boston before settling in the Philadelphia area. [http://www.burningbrides.com/bio.php Burning Brides band bio] . Retrieved June 3, 2007.]

Coats and Campbell soon found drummer Mike Ambs to form the band. Burning Brides played their first large concert in May 1999, opening for Queens of the Stone Age. The Brides saw popularity in their local shows and live performances, and record companies began scouting them in attempt to sign them to a label. Eventually they signed with File Thirteen Records, a local recording company. The band then took a U.S. Tour with musicians and groups such as Zen Guerilla, J. Mascis, and Greenhornes. They were also building a steady fan base at their live shows.

Burning Brides' first album, "Fall of the Plastic Empire" was released on April 17, 2001. "Fall of the Plastic Empire" is sometimes considered the best by fans but nevertheless did not succeed particularly well in the market. The album, while only costing $5000 to make, did not sell an extensive amount of copies. The album did mildly successfully overall, grabbing the attention of some music magazines, writing that Burning Brides were somewhat a garage rock band on the verge. The biggest hit off the album was "Arctic Snow", the band's first single, though it did not rise to any major charts. File Thirteen dropped the band and another record company, V2, picked them up. V2 re-released the album in 2002, giving it much more media attention, thus giving the Brides some popularity. The New Musical Express rated the album five out of five.

Burning Brides second album "Leave No Ashes" was released on June 29, 2004 with a new drummer, Jason Kourkounis, formerly of Delta 72 and Hot Snakes. It was produced by George Drakoulias (Tom Petty, Black Crowes). While "Leave No Ashes" was not as successful as "Fall of the Plastic Empire", the most successful song of the album, hit single "Heart Full of Black," received some radio airplay. "Heart Full of Black" was also featured in two video games, Guitar Hero and Burnout 3.

Jason Kourkounis left the band after the band's first and only headlining tour. Coats and Campbell admitted to being on drugs and "onstage hating each other every night," which gave Kourkounis probable cause for departure. They replaced him with the hard-hitting Pete Beeman, formerly of the Guzzards, who worked very well with the pair on the coming album.

The band released their third album, "Hang Love", independently on June 19, 2007 to some early critical acclaim. Dimitri Coats produced the album. The band teamed with engineer Mathias Schneeberger (Joseph Arthur, St. Vitus, Mark Lanegan), whom Dimitri and Melanie met while contributing tracks to Lanegan’s ‘04 Bubblegum album. Hang Love was recorded in just a month and a half at Shneeberger’s Arcadia, CA studio.

The band has just finished recording a new album to be released later this year.

Personnel

Current members

* Dimitri Coats - Electric guitar, vocals (1999-present)
* Melanie Coats - Bass (1999-present)
* Pete Beeman - Drums (2005-present)

Former Members

* Mike Ambs - Drums (1999-2002)
* Jason Kourkounis - Drums (2002-2005)

Discography

* "Fall of the Plastic Empire" (2001, re-release 2002)
* Gimme Skelter: Buddyhead Presents--Compillation CD (2003)
* "Leave No Ashes" (2004)
* Buddyhead Suicide--Compillation CD (2004)
* "Hang Love" (2007)
* "" (1999)

Trivia

* The song "Heart Full of Black", featured in the videogame "Guitar Hero", seems to have been inspired by the ending theme from the Super Nintendo game "Battletoads in Battlemaniacs" released in 1993, mostly noticeably the guitar riffs. The soundtrack for the game was composed by David Wise.

References

External links

* [http://www.burningbrides.com Burning Brides Official Website]