brainpolice

Formed on New Years day,1992,as Infected Gash. The new band's name caused so much trouble with clubs that the Connecticut trio decided to use the name of their record label instead. In the spring of 1992,Brain Police were born, and their first demo,boldly titled, "Fuck Seattle" drew interest from indie and major labels. A showcase in NYC in July '92 turned into a free for all, as guitarist,Bob Butler,and drummer,Brad Keeney exploded into an all-out brawl on stage in front of a few important A&R men and a shocked audience. Realizing that their chance of signing to a major label were slim,at best,at this point,the band decided to hit the road to prove themselves.Setting out in the US with no gigs and a brand new van,(that they had no idea of how they were going to pay for)Brain Police started to gain a reputation in the underground as "the band that just shows up".Like hungry,stray pitbulls,the Brain Police would pull into town,find the club and talk themselves into an opening slot. This seemed to be working well,as the guys were soon getting the recognition that they were looking for.During this early period,money was tight to say the the least,and the guys got good at stealing gasoline, and sleeping in truck stop parking lots. At this point,life in the van was rough,as tension between Butler and Keeney was running high. Rarely did a show go by without a brawl of some kind. Eventually the first question asked by fans was,are you guys gonna fight tonight?. Happy to oblige,the terrible two,began to include violence as a regular part of the setlist. Starving and tense,Brain Police was an electrified wrecking crew, who somehow managed to travel the US,scamming gigs,gobbling cheap beer and LSD at every turn,and earning the respect of some of their favorite bands,such as Sepultura,Fudge Tunnel,and Prong. Fudge Tunnel bassist Dave Ryley eventually started his own label(BGR),and released the band's first LP,"Drain".Reviews were strong,and eight months later, the band excitedly unleashed their second full length for BGR."Fuel" was released to equally strong reviews in mid '94, and a tour of Europe,opening for Fudge Tunnel,was offered to the band later that year. Drummer Keeney had just left the group,so the guys,quickly replaced him with old friend,Todd Schoonmaker , but working papers could not be cleared for the new drummer,and the tour was offered to another BGR band.Dissappointed by this blown opportunity,the new line-up retreated to their studio,and came back with a new 2 bass attack. Double-bass Brain Police was born,and the results were powerful on tape,and devastating on stage. BGR,doing their best to keep things alive, assembled a headlining tour for the band in the UK for early 1995.At this point,monster-bassist Dave DiCandia said he'd had enough,and quit Brain Police to go back to college. Schoonmaker, figuring this was the end of the line,also quit.Now bandless,Butler decided to forge on with two new members for the UK tour. Joining Bob on the month long jaunt was none other the label head,David Ryley on bass,and Fudge Tunnel soundman,Dean Selby on drums. After one weeks rehearsal,the new Brain Police found themselves before a packed London showcase and an audience that was not giving an inch. Butler turned in one of his most powerful performances to date, and won the hearts of critics in attendance.(See Metal Hammer review,in photo section) After a successful tour,including shows with fellow American noise merchants Killdozer,the band assembled for a one day marathon recording session in Nottingham at the end of May '95. Although a couple of tracks have turned up on the internet,the bulk of this days efforts remain unreleased.Returning to the USA at the beginning of June '95, Butler assembled yet another version of Brain Police,with drummer Ritchie Casters,and bassist Sonya Decman, AKA Patti Wagon. This group instantly got to work recording the EP, "I'll be dead by Wednesday". A weak effort by BP standards,It was roundly panned by critics and did nothing to forward the bands reputation in Europe.The group then hit the road,to tighten,and toughen up. Back to the van for the remainder of the year. This version of the group soon became hardened and efficient. Coming off of the road at the end of '95 the band recorded the LP that became many BP fans favorite."Gear" was mastered and sent to BGR in December 1995. Label head Ryley was confused by the lack of guitars on the double bass heavy LP,and urged Butler to return to the studio and overdub some guitars onto the recordings. In Butler's opinion the album was finished,and by the time a solution could be worked out,Ryley had folded the label,and took work at a booking agency in the UK. Left without a record deal,the band went back to their touring ways and wound up stuck in a blizzard in the hills of West Virginia in the winter of '95. Spending a week of downtime,the three fell in love with the area and decided to relocate as fast as they could return to New England,and rent a U-haul. Stationed in an apartment above a downtown bar,Butler began to write new material,while shopping the "Gear" LP to labels. The hillbilly vibe was creeping into the music and causing concern among the other band members,as well as confused fans. Drummer Casters was the first casualty,leaving Brain Police in October of '96.Butler and Decman continued with a drum machine ala Big Black,before adding Woody O'hara on drums for a few performances in support of the "Gear" LP in the winter of '96. Tensions between Butler and Decman increased over the new Rock-a-billy styled direction,and Butler decided to go solo. Armed with 4 tapedecks of drumloops,delay pedals,and two young pretties on rollerskates,"Bobby Lane and the rollerskating bitches from hell" hit the midwestern states with an act that was so bizarre and different ,that Brain Police soon became just a memory for Butler.The story refuses to end,as 2008 brings about rumors of a Brain Police comeback. At the moment,rehearsals are taking place in West Virginia,and original drummer Brad Keeney has talked of becoming involved.Will it happen? If so,the question some may ask is,"are you guys gonna fight tonight?" we'll see-JP