| Brant Bjork | |
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Brant Bjork at the Eurockéennes de Belfort 2011 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 19, 1973 |
| Origin | Palm Springs, CA, U.S. |
| Genres | Stoner rock, desert rock |
| Occupations | Musician, record producer |
| Instruments | drums, guitar, bass, vocals |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Duna Records |
| Website | www.lowdesertpunk.com |
Brant Bjork (born March 19, 1973) is an American musician from Palm Desert, California, who is a drummer, producer, guitarist and one of the more notable figures in the stoner rock and Palm Desert scenes.
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While in high school, Bjork got together with locals Josh Homme, Chris Cockrell, (later Nick Oliveri), and John Garcia resulting in the formation of Kyuss (previously known as Katzenjammer and Sons of Kyuss). Kyuss was signed to Elektra Records and became the first desert rock band to achieve international success. Bjork helped issue 1992's Blues for the Red Sun, which helped create the ensuing stoner rock movement. In 1993, Bjork left the band following the release of Welcome to Sky Valley.[1]
Named after “the sons of Kyuss,” monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Kyuss first came together around guitarist Josh Homme and vocalist John Garcia in the small Southern California town of Palm Desert in the late ’80s. The band members moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and signed to Chameleon Records after 13 performances in the big city, but Bjork quit after two years.[1]
Bjork joined Fu Manchu as the drummer for 1997’s Action Is Go - a role he continued to fill until his departure prior to the tour for their 2002 album California Crossing.[1]
He has also recorded several solo albums including the psychedelic and soulful, Jalamanta (Originally released on Man’s Ruin, 1999), Brant Bjork & the Operators (2002), Keep Your Cool (2003) and Local Angel (2004), the latter three being released on the music label Bjork founded, Duna Records.[1]
In October 2003, Brant Bjork toured Europe under the title "Brant Bjork and the Bros." He was backed by Dylan Roche on bass guitar, Michael Peffer on drums, and Mike Pygmie on guitar. Pygmie left the band after the tour and was replaced by Scott Cortez for further touring in the US and Europe in 2004. In 2005, the Bros went into the studio and recorded Bjork's fifth album Saved by Magic. It was released on August 1, 2005 and features 2 full discs. The music style is a mix of Jalamanta, and The Sounds of Liberation.[1]
2006 saw the release of Sabbia, a stoned-out "visual soundtrack" by film maker Kate McCabe.
A new live DVD and 3 new records are on the shelf; one with the Bros and a couple of solo efforts.[2] The first solo album, entitled Tres Dias was released on February 27, 2007 followed by a Bros album Somera Sól, May 2007. On September 25, 2007, "The Native Tongue", a song from "Tres Dias', was featured on a Poison Tree Records compilation called Road To Nowhere. During 2007, the label Duna Records failed and has changed to Low Desert Punk Recordings. Brant cited that it was a beast requiring too much time and energy.[3] The first release on the new Low Desert Punk Recordings was Punk Rock Guilt, May 2008. This album had previously been known as the untitled "New Jersey Sessions" recorded back in 2005. The next Low Desert Punk release followed in March 2010 called Gods & Goddesses which featured a new lineup including Billy Cordell from Yawning Man on bass guitar.
In November 2010, it was announced that Bjork will be part of a newly formed Kyuss (now known as Kyuss Lives!) with a new lineup, consisting of Bjork, Bruno Fevery (who is replacing founding member Josh Homme) on guitar, Nick Oliveri on bass and John Garcia on vocals. The band are midway through a European, Australian and New Zealand tour, which takes place March to May 2011.[4] A new studio album is also in the works.[5] As of September 2011, Scott Reeder, formerly of Kyuss, has replaced Oliveri on bass for all Canadian tour dates.
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