WHISKEY RIOT ADD US NOW!!! BRAIN DEAD HAS BROKEN UP, THIS IS OUR NEW BANDBrain Dead saw many changes over its 8 year run in the South Bend punk scene. Early on we were inspired by local bands like The Dead Popes Society, Regional Acts such as Despite and Ant-Flag (both different on the musical sound spectrem). In the process we grew up adding a slight mixture of ska and metal and finally progressing with the final line up doing street punk and Oi! with heavy Non Racist skinhead culture being the driving force.
Brain Dead was founded in 1998 when Beau Viscious and Heath Hooligan started haning out in highschool and listening to local punk as well as bigger bands. They decided to start a band originally billed as STILL IN PROGRESS. With help from Eric From DPS and Phil of DPS loaning them gear and practice space they got started. A revolving door of members insued including a highschool friend Tony, Tim Batzel, Kyle Moore as well as a few others that were forgotten along the way. Brain Dead played their first show Oct. 31 1999, it was an up hill battle after that.
The original recording line up consisted of Matt (Beau's brother) on lead vocals, Mike Perez on 1st guitar, Heath Hooligan on 2nd guitar, Beau Viscious on drums and James Cunningham on bass. This line up recorded a DIY, beer fueled 10 song cd that never got much exposure. Drama soon followed and the band lost some of its close ties to the Dead Popes as well as other members of the local scene. In 2000, Heath left the band (personal issues with Mike), Matt was kicked out and the rest of the guys continued on playing open mic nights and various small shows. In December 2002 Heath and Beau ran into each other at a local mall and decided to start Jamming again.
James Cunningham rejoined the Band with Heath and Beau and James Waymouth was added. The group decided to bring Matt back because Heath didn't want to do vocals and play guitar. Matt was detained by the police one night before this line up was set to record a 3 song demo, and quickly turned to a friend of James W. and Heath's named Anton. Heath and Anton split vocal duties and recorded what would become the Beer, Sex and Cheetos album. This lineup lasted almost a year, but problems soon arose within the band, and Heath and Beau decided they weren't going in the direction they wanted to go. James C. left the band to be a family man. So Nick Horrific of Berrian Springs' Clean By Comparison was recruited to play bass. This is when the band started to edge towards Street Punk and Oi! Nick and Heath became more involved in the skinhead scene and drew fire from most of the local scene.
James W. didn't like the direction the band was being taken and decided it was time to move on. So Nick recruited Adam Wood of South Bend's Cowpunk rockers Garage Sale Porno. The new line up recorded 6 songs for the split cd with Couldn't Care Less "Attack of the Suburbanites," as well as a 3 song "South Bend Punks and Skins" Demo. This line up would get the most amount of exposure being played by various internet radio stations, and constantly playing a barrage of out of town gigs. South Bend soon lost it's apetite for the line up that constantly played fucked up, fought with the crowd and even more tired of the hard line ideology being promoted by Nick, as well as Heath's drunken rages at shows. Everything came to a head at the Attack of the Suburbanites release party when after playing a blacked out set, Nick helped kick a hole in a bath room door. This caused a lot of tension within the band and Brain Dead never recovered. Nick and Heath's relationship wasn't able to work itself out, and tension kept growing. Wood moved home, so Josh Hall filled in for a couple of shows. Nick told the band he was going into the national guard (due to unknown circumstances he still moved back to Michigan) and Brain Dead played a few shows as a three piece.
Through all the tension and fighting, and wanting to help build the scene instead of be associated with people that just wanted to do whatever they could to destroy it in the name of "Im more punk than anyone in thise scene," Heath and Beau Felt it was time to move on, and start a project that was going to be what they had originally intended Brain Dead to be, a socially aware, fun loving punk band that wanted to help build a better stronger scene through DIY ethics. They were Joined by Travis of the Malones and Mark of American Graveyard. This line up is playing the last few gigs, and have formed a new band that is definatly a much needed breath of fresh air. This new band will debut on Nov. 18th at the PNA club in South Bend, IN.
WHISKEY RIOT ADD US NOW!!! BRAIN DEAD HAS BROKEN UP, THIS IS OUR NEW BAND
We'd Like to Thank The Kinky Wizzards for free promotion. Fowler, Garth, Bill Finn, Squared Off, Smoking-Cat.com, Jess, The Destrukters, The Urinal Mints, Garage Sale Porno, Couldn't Care Less, The Malones for letting us borrow Travis, Chad in Illinois, our family in Squared OFF: Hoser, Ryan and Joe, Fear City, Boots and Bracelets, Brigid in Detroit, First Offense, Beantown Booking, Memories on Montrose and Cicero, Sudsy Malones, 1123 Club in Evansville, Torg, Club Cackle, Nanna and Beth, Dirty Joe, Zoe, Heather and Davey and Every one that supported us along the way. Please Support the New band... we will have a sneak peak and the official name drop at the PNA.
WHISKEY RIOT ADD US NOW!!! BRAIN DEAD HAS BROKEN UP, THIS IS OUR NEW BAND
