Brainiac | |
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| Also known as | 3RA1N1AC |
| Origin | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
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| Spinoffs | Enon |
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| Website | 3ra1n1ac |
Brainiac (also stylized as 3RA1N1AC), is an American indie rock band from Dayton, Ohio. It was formed in January 1992 by Tim Taylor, Juan Monasterio (Monostereo), Michelle Bodine and Tyler Trent. They disbanded after the sudden death of lead singer Tim Taylor in a car accident on May 23, 1997.
Brainiac was formed in Dayton, Ohio, United States in January 1992 with vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player (particularly Moog synthesizers) Tim Taylor (July 20, 1968 – May 23, 1997), [3] bassist Juan Monasterio (Monostereo), guitarist Michelle Bodine and drummer Tyler Trent. [4] On March 12, the band played its first show at Wright State's University Cafeteria, under the name We'll Eat Anything.
After a slew of singles, they released their debut album, Smack Bunny Baby , on Grass Records in 1993. [4] Shortly after the album's release, Gary Gersh offered Brainiac a $2 million record deal with Geffen Records; allegedly, the band's response was to tell him to "fuck off." [5] In November 1993, Bodine left the band, and was replaced by John Schmersal. [6] The band's next album, Bonsai Superstar , was released in 1994. [4] In 1995 they played on the Lollapalooza side stage and recorded four songs in the UK for the BBC Radio 1 Peel Sessions. They joined Touch and Go Records and released Internationale , produced by Kim Deal (of The Breeders). The following year, their third album, Hissing Prigs in Static Couture , was released on the Touch & Go label. [4] All three of their albums were produced by Eli Janney (of Girls Against Boys).
Brainiac generated buzz as a live act to see that resulted in opening slots on tours for Beck, the Breeders and the Jesus Lizard, and received offers from major labels. The most prominent bids came from Elektra Records and Interscope Records, although it looked like the band would be signing with Interscope. [4] [7] In 1997, they released an electronic-based EP called Electro-Shock for President which turned out to be their last record. On May 23, 1997, while driving back home, Taylor lost control of his vintage Mercedes car and crashed into a lamppost, which burst into flames. [8] [9] According to Schmersal, a post-mortem toxicology report indicated that Taylor had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, and was dead before his vehicle crashed. [8] [9] The group, who were in the middle of pre-production for their fourth album, soon disbanded. [4] A benefit show featuring The Breeders and Guided By Voices took place a few months later. [10]
After recording a solo album under the name John Stuart Mill, [11] guitarist John Schmersal later went on to form Enon. Monasterio directs music videos, including two for Enon, and released in 2008 an EP with a new band called Model/Actress with Curtis Mead and Charlie Walker from Chamberlain and ex-Bullet LaVolta drummer Philips; Schmersal makes appearances on this album. Trent briefly joined the Breeders and most recently played with The Dirty Walk. Bodine became the guitarist and singer of O-matic and Shesus.
In early 2019, a documentary entitled Transmissions After Zero [12] was released by director Eric Mahoney to favorable reviews. This included several live performances at various locations, with friend Tim Krug including New York, Los Angeles and their hometown of Dayton, Ohio. [13] The film was released on DVD and streaming on February 21, 2020. [14]
The surviving members of Brainiac also appeared on an episode of Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal [15] to discuss the career of the band, the death of Tim Taylor and the documentary.
In 2022, the band was announced as UK tour support for Mogwai for February 2023. [16] These dates were followed by a headlining tour in the UK, again in February 2023. In January the band released The Predator Nominate EP featuring never-before-heard demos. [17]
Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie claimed Brainiac influenced his work on Narrow Stairs . [18]
Matt Bellamy of Muse claims that a certain section in the song "Exo-Politics" from Black Holes and Revelations was heavily influenced by Brainiac. [19]
Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodríguez-López of The Mars Volta state Brainiac, specifically Electro-Shock for President as an influential record. On their influence Cedric states:
Nearly every band is indebted to Brainiac: Blood Brothers, The Locust, At the Drive-In, also The Faint owe them a lot, and they wouldn't be afraid to admit that. Brainiac were at least the first to have this certain Devo-thing - even though it's not that, obviously: absurd vocals, heavy synths, samples of dogs and trains. All the electronic stuff on this album was done by Steve Albini and Jim O'Rourke. Brainiac recorded only three albums because the singer died in a crashed car. It's like a dark secret you can discover. [20]
During a BBC radio session, Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor commented on Brainiac that they were a major influence on him, "from a sonic standpoint." [21] He also revealed that while recording 2005's With Teeth he would use Electro-Shock for President as a "sound reference."
Brainiac was a band that, on this particular record, the sound would be something we'd reference, because it sounded very low tech electronic garagey sounding. It has an interesting low tech sound to it that was inspiring. Even thinking about that visually would lead us into certain paths of production ideas.
Touring members
Past members
Studio albums
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Smack Bunny Baby is the debut album from the band Brainiac, released in 1993 via Grass Records. It is the only album by the group to feature founding guitarist Michelle Bodine. The LP edition of the album includes the track "Velveteen" that was not found on the original CD edition. An unknown number of the LP copies were pressed on turquoise-marbled vinyl.
Bonsai Superstar is the second album from the band Brainiac released on November 21, 1994. It is the first album on which guitarist John Schmersal appears, who remained as the band's lead guitarist until their break-up in 1997.
Hissing Prigs in Static Couture is the third and final studio album by American indie rock band Brainiac, released on March 26, 1996. It is the band's second release through Touch & Go Records, following the Internationale extended play released the year prior. The album incorporates more electronics than previous Brainiac releases, and hints towards the more synth-based electropunk style that the band would later focus on for their next extended play, and final release before Tim Taylor's death in 1997, Electro-Shock for President.
Electro-Shock for President is the second extended play from the band Brainiac. The band decided to use only electronic equipment instead of guitars to demonstrate the band's ever-evolving sound. This EP was intended to be a teaser for Brainiac's fourth album, expected to be their major label debut on Interscope Records. However, vocalist and keyboard player Tim Taylor died in a car accident shortly after the EP's release.
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Internationale is the first EP by experimental indie band Brainiac, released on October 10, 1995. It was their first release after signing to Touch & Go Records and was produced by Kim Deal of The Pixies.
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The Predator Nominate is the third extended play by American indie rock band Brainiac, released on January 20, 2023, through Touch & Go Records. It is the band's first release of new music in nearly 26 years, and consists of old demos that were recorded for the band's planned major label debut on Interscope Records, prior to the death of frontman Timmy Taylor in May 1997. Guitarist John Schmersal called The Predator Nominate "Brainiac’s last concerted effort, our last complete thought, before the end.”
The discography of the American indie rock band Brainiac consists of 3 studio albums, two compilation albums, three EP's, six singles and two music videos.
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