Brazzaville (US band)

Infobox musical artist |
Name = Brazzaville


Img_capt = David Brown, the second from the left, with the European lineup of the band
Img_size = 220
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Los Angeles, California, USA
Instrument =
Genre = Romantic melancholy pop music
Years_active = 1998 - present
Label = V2, Soyuz, Bus Stop Label/Parasol, South China Sea
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.brazzaville-band.com/ www.brazzaville-band.com]
Current_members = David Arthur Brown
Richie Alvarez
Paco Jordi
Brady Lynch
Ramon Aragall
Past_members = Joel Virgel Vierset
David Ralicke
Kenny Lyon
Mike Bolger
Joe Zimmerman
Danny Frankel
Smokey Hormel
Notable_instruments =

Brazzaville was formed by David Arthur Brown in Los Angeles in late 1997. They have released 7 CDs since then:

2002 (also known as Brazzaville) (1998- JVC, South China Sea, Soyuz)
Somnambulista (2000- JVC, South China Sea, Soyuz)
Rouge On Pockmarked Cheeks (2002- JVC, South China Sea, Soyuz)
Hastings Street (2004-Soyuz)
Welcome to Brazzaville (2004-Web of Mimicry, Soyuz)
East L.A. Breeze (2006/2008-V2, South China Sea, Soyuz)
21st Century Girl(2008- Soyuz)

Early Years

Brazzaville’s early years (1997-2003) were spent largely in Los Angeles. They recorded and released 3 full length albums during that time and played countless shows in L.A. With the exception of two East Coast Tours in 2002, they did little touring due to David being on the road with Beck. David and Beck were friends from the East Hollywood coffeehouse scene of the late 80s/early 90s.

Brazzaville’s first 2 albums, 2002 and Somnambulista, were produced by Michael Rozon at the S.S. Clove Factory in North Hollywood. They featured musicians such as Smokey Hormel (Beck, Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Smokey and Miho), Danny Frankel (Lou Reed, Fiona Apple, K.D. Lang), David Ralicke (Dengue Fever, Beck), Kenny Lyon (David Baerwald, Lemonheads), Joel Virgel-Vierset (Nina Hagen), Joe Zimmerman and many others. Their third album, Rouge On Pockmarked Cheeks featured production work by Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck, Travis, Sir Paul McCartney) and Tony Hoffer (Air, Beck, Belle and Sebastian, Supergrass, Granddaddy) as well as Michael Rozon.

The Move to Europe

In 2003 David moved to Barcelona, where he formed his European version of the band. Brazzaville’s fourth studio album, Hastings Street (2004), was recorded in both Los Angeles and Barcelona and was mixed in Los Angeles. It featured musicians like Victor Indrizzo (Willie Nelson, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Gahan, Red Kross), Greg Kirstin (Beck, Action Figure Party), Erica Garcia, Joe Zimmerman, Mike Bolger, Kenny Lyon, David Ralicke and many others.

In 2006, Brazzaville released their first CD recorded entirely in Barcelona. It was entitled East L.A. Breeze and featured members of Brazzaville’s European line up: Brady Lynch (bass), Paco Jordi (guitar), Richie Alvarez (keys) and Pep Terrecabras (drums). The record reached the top of the charts in Russia due to its version of Star Called Sun, by the legendary Russian rock band, Kino. In 2008, East L.A. Breeze was released in parts of Western Europe by V2 Records.

In late 2007, Brazzaville finished their 7th studio album, 21st Century Girl. It was released in Russia in Feb. 2008 and will be released in the US and Canada on the Bus Stop Label in August 2008.

Since moving to Europe, Brazzaville has played sold out shows in such diverse places as Moscow, New York, Barcelona, Istanbul, Amsterdam and many more. They have been favorably reviewed in The New Yorker, The L.A. Times, Afisha, Time Out New York, The Onion, La Vanguardia, Telerama and many other publications. They enjoy a cult following in many countries.

In 2008, Brazzaville has tours planned for Europe, Russia, China, Turkey and the USA.

Members

*David Arthur Brown: Songwriter, vocals, Guitar.David was born in Los Angeles on June 19, 1967. He was a runaway on the streets of Los Angeles at the age of 15. It was during this period that he began keeping a journal and writing poetry. At the age of 18 he wound up living in San Francisco, washing dishes at a local punk rock/gay restaurant to save up money to buy a saxophone. Through much effort and low budget travel (India, South America, Europe and the Far East) he was able to hone his skills to a level of mediocrity that landed him gigs with the likes of Beck, Siouxie Sioux, Ben Lee and Jude. In 1997 while on tour with Beck, David got the idea to form Brazzaville. He bought a little guitar on a trip through Barcelona and in the wee hours of touring began writing the songs that would become the first Brazzaville record. Currently, David lives in the Eixample neighborhood of Barcelona with his wife and two young children. He enjoys reading before bedtime.

*Richie Alvarez: keyboards.Richie was born in May 1981. He studied classical piano in Girona. He has played in bands from Barcelona and Girona such as Holland Park, Sanjosex and The Bontempis, in which he played Hammond organ and keyboards.

*Paco Jordi: guitars, backing vocals.Paco was born in August 1981. He is also the lead singer and songwriter in the Spanish band Pony Boy. In addition, he has played in many other bands of the Barcelona scene such as Psychoine and Sanjosex. He studied classical guitar and trombone at the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona. He also plays sitar.

*Brady Lynch: Bass.Brady Lynch was born in Guam in 1971. He started playing bass when he was 11, and at the age of 14 he was performing and recording with local bands in Portland, Oregon (USA). He continued to play with different bands in Oregon and California until circumstances which remain unclear lead him to leave the country in 1992. Subsequently, he travelled around Europe, eventually residing in France and Spain, where over the years he has played in groups with musicians from all over the world. For the last ten years he has established permanent residence in Barcelona where he has been part of such memorable ensembles as the Azucarillo Kings, La Sinfónica de Gavà.

*Ramon Aragall: drums.Ramon was born in Barcelona on July 10, 1977. At the age of 10 he began studies of theory and solfeggio at Conservatorio del Liceo. At the age of 15 he began playing drums, self-taught. After forming a part of several bands , at the age of 20 he began the Heike project, a band in which he had the opportunity to record his first studio album, produced by Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins). The above-mentioned formation toured and promoted his songs all around Spain until its final split. Later, he decided to extend his studies of percussion with Salvador Niebla, and in parallel, he continued performing or doing studio sessions with other bands such as Mürfila, Fulanitos de Tal, Caspar David, Luna Roja, Rodamons, The Linn Youki Project, Daniel Higiénico, Carles Mestre and Sinfornica de Gavà, Erm or Electric Barbarella, among many others. His musical experience is summarized in a dozen published records and in more than 500 shows. In 2007, he joined David and the guys of Brazzaville for a Russian tour, living one of his best experiences as a musician. At present he is continuing his singing lessons with Jaime Aragall in parallel with his continuous growing as a drummer by following the Berklee method with jazz drummer Ramón Ángel Rey.

Discography

Albums

* "2002 (Brazzaville album)" (South China Sea Records|South China Sea, 1998)
* "Somnambulista" (South China Sea Records|South China Sea, 2000)
* "Rouge On Pockmarked Cheeks" (South China Sea Records|South China Sea, 2002)
* "Welcome to... Brazzaville" (Web of Mimicry, 2004), (Soyuz Records|Zakat, 2005) – a greatest hits album, features songs from the first three/four albums as well as several new songs.
* "Hastings Street" (Soyuz Records|Zakat, 2004)
* "East L.A. Breeze" (V2 Europe, Soyuz Records|Zakat, 2006), (Vendlus Records, 2006)
* "21st Century Girl" (Soyuz Records|Zakat, 2008), (Bus Stop Label, 2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.brazzaville-band.com/ Official Brazzaville site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/brazzaville Brazzaville's MySpace Page]
*amg | id = 11:frpzefykogf3 | label = Brazzaville
* [http://www.brazzaville-band.com/music/lyrics.htm Brazzaville songs lyrics]
* [http://www.wimstream.com/artists/Brazzaville Brazzaville page at Wimstream.com]