Brian Chippendale

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Brian Chippendale

Background information
Born 1973
Genre(s) Noise rock
Occupation(s) Musician, comic artist
Instrument(s) Vocals
Drums
Saxophone
Label(s) Load Records
diarreahRama Records[1]
Associated acts Lightning Bolt
Mindflayer
Black Pus
Lord Sun Sun
Pissants

Brian Chippendale is a musician and artist based out of Providence, Rhode Island. Chippendale is best known as the drummer/vocalist for the bands Lightning Bolt (alongside bassist Brian Gibson) and Mindflayer (alongside Matt Brinkman). He also plays saxophone and drums in a solo project called Black Pus. Chippendale also illustrates his own comic book series, Ninja, and a number of other one-shot, limited-publication comics. As a result of playing drums in front of Lightning Bolt's amplification setup, which often exceeds 3000 watts, Chippendale has been reported to have suffered considerable hearing loss. Before its destruction, Chippendale was a member of Fort Thunder, part of an abandoned, pre-Civil War textile factory in Providence, Rhode Island known as a work-space for local, avant-garde artists. Chippendale grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA, and started drumming with his first band, the Pissants, in 1989.

Contents

[edit] Sound

Chippendale is known for his fast-paced, frantic drumming. In the Peter Glantz and Nick Noe film The Power of Salad, revolving around a string of Lightning Bolt performances across America, Chippendale likens his drumming to his drawing style: "I feel like everything I do has something to do with filling up space. I dunno, almost the way I drum is the way I draw: it's like I'm covering every little space with a beat or a hit or something."[2]

[edit] Equipment

Lightning Bolt is known for their dynamic and often hodge-podge setups. Chippendale does, however, have a fairly consistent equipment set-up during live performances:[3]

[edit] Drum setup

Though the composition of Chippendale's drum setup is fairly consistent, the positioning of them is not. Usually the kick drum and cymbals are to his right, the floor toms in front and to the left, and the single snare drum directly in front of the floor toms. During more recent concerts, Chippendale has added a smaller tom and moved one of his floor toms to the more conventional place, to his right.

During Mindflayer and Black Pus performances, Chippendale also tends to employ a second Ludwig-Musser snare drum.

[edit] Microphone

As a vocalist for Lightning Bolt and Mindflayer, Chippendale eschews the usual microphone stand and conventional microphone, instead using the type of microphone built into a household telephone receiver, held in his mouth or attached to a hood.[4] This microphone is then run through an effects processor to alter the sound further. Chippendale often warbles or makes nonsensical sounds into the microphone, so the vocals typically come out extremely distorted and almost incomprehensible. More recently, Chippendale has used a Line 6 delay pedal to delay and repeat his vocals while drumming.[5]

[edit] Effects

  • Line 6 DL-4 Delay Modeler (two when performing as Black Pus)
  • Boss SD-1 Overdrive pedal
  • Morley Wah pedal
  • Boss OC-3 Super Octave Pedal
  • Death by Audio Interstellar Overdriver Pedal – used to add noise to drums
  • BIAS Coron DS-7 Drum Synth – a simple drum-synth module attached to bass drum

DigiTech Wammy pedal when performing as Black Pus

[edit] Comics

Panel from Protista Inspections
Panel from Protista Inspections

Aside from music, Chippendale is also a prolific comic-book artist. He's created the album art for all four Lightning Bolt releases[6] and draws a number of other, usually one-shot comics. Chippendale's drawing style, like his drumming, is very busy and full of small, perhaps unnecessary details. Chippendale's style has been described as "almost a little too enthusiastic". The same reviewer continues: "The manic detail and cross-hatching on every page, the Winsor McCay level of ambition in creating a beautiful page layout -- it's all a little hard to process."[7]

In October 2006, Chippendale released his long-awaited Ninja comic book, an epic 80-page graphic novel five years in the making. [1]

[edit] Other projects

Chippendale performed drums on Björk's 2007 album Volta.[8] He also did a remix for Björk's single "Declare Independence" under the alias Black Pus.

In 2003 Brian played on at least one occasion with Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore under the label Nuntronix,[9] which seems to be a catch-all moniker for Moore's free improvisation collaborations.

Brian participated as drummer 77 in the Boredoms 77 Boadrum performance which occurred on July 7th, 2007 at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in Brooklyn, New York.

[edit] Discographies

[edit] Solo projects

  • Appears as "Gleemun" on the Sonic Chimp compilation LP (Sealed Hotel, 1996)
  • Black Pus I (2004)
  • Black Pus II (2005)
  • Black Pus III: Metamorpus (2006)
  • Black Pus IV: All Aboard the Magic Pus! (2008)
  • Olneyville Providence Live Compilation (10 CD-r handmade bootleg boxset) (no label) (2005)

[edit] Lightning Bolt

Main article: Lightning Bolt discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] DVD / Video

[edit] Mindflayer

[edit] Self-released

  • Raise Your Tentacles and Yell! (released on official website) (2000)[10]
  • Live CD-R (released on official website) (Bulb) (2000/2001)[10]

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] 7-inch singles

  • Split (with Prurient) (Important Records) (2007)
  • Split (with Deep Jew) (not not fun) (2007)

[edit] Appearances on compilations

  • Old Tyme Lemonade compilation (Hospital Productions) (2004)

[edit] Pissants

  • Mindless Little Insects (1990)
  • Aphidz Army Anarchy (1991)

[edit] Collaborations

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stosuy, Brandon (2006-12-05). Interview: Brian Chippendale. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  2. ^ Peter Glantz, Nick Noe. The Power of Salad [DVD]. Load Records.
  3. ^ http://www.laserbeast.com/photos/090405/Lightning-Bolt-Earthunder-1.jpg
  4. ^ Maerz, Jennifer (2003-02). CD Review Revue (Wonderful Rainbow). The Stranger. Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  5. ^ Licht, Alan (2005-01-12). Lightning Bolt. The Wire #262. The Wire Archive. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
  6. ^ Sisario, ben (2004-12-02). The Art of Noise. Spin. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
  7. ^ English, Austin (2002). Ninja #4. The Comics Journal. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
  8. ^ Volta is the name and the date is.... Bjork.com (2007-03-02). Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  9. ^ Updated: July 2, 2004 (2004-07-04). Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  10. ^ a b Mindflayer (songs). Retrieved on 2007-03-21.

[edit] External links

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