Brandon Curtis | |
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![]() Curtis performing with Interpol in 2015 | |
Background information | |
Genres | Alternative rock, space rock, indie rock, post-punk revival, new prog |
Instrument(s) | vocals, bass, keyboard |
Years active | 2000–present |
Labels |
Brandon Curtis is the vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist in the space rock band The Secret Machines. Originally from Norman, Oklahoma, he was friends with members of The Flaming Lips, The Chainsaw Kittens and Tripping Daisy. Brandon and his brother Benjamin moved to Dallas and formed The Secret Machines in the early 2000s with drummer Josh Garza. The trio later moved to New York City, where Benjamin eventually left the band to pursue a career in his previous side project, School of Seven Bells.
Brandon's atmospheric keyboard style shows signs of influence from 1970s Krautrock bands like Can as well as progressive rock artists such as Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, and Roxy Music. [1]
Brandon Curtis and his brother Ben also formed UFOFU with Joseph Butcher, touring locally and recording several albums between 1993 and 1997. [2] Brandon was in Captain Audio as well, where he first played with Secret Machines' drummer Josh Garza.
Curtis performed lead vocals on "Don't Fall Softly", a track by UK synthpop band Filthy Dukes which appears on their 2009 release "Nonsense In the Dark". He also mixed/produced two records by South African rock band BLK JKS.
In June 2010, Curtis joined the touring lineup of Interpol, on keyboards and vocals. [3] In 2012, Brandon joined Interpol front man Paul Banks' live band, and he contributed to Banks' 2012 EP entitled "Julian Plenti Lives...".
Curtis contributed to the production, recording, and mixing of EmptyMansions debut album "snakes/vultures/sulfate", released in April 2013. EmptyMansions is the side project of Interpol drummer Sam Fogarino. Curtis toured with EmptyMansions in Spring 2013, on bass/vocals.
Curtis has produced three albums for the American post-metal band Russian Circles: Geneva (2009), Empros (2011) and Memorial (2013). [4]
On October 30, 2013, Curtis' new band Cosmicide released a new song entitled "Talos' Corpse" and announced a few US tour dates. [5] "Talos' Corpse" was written/produced by Brandon Curtis and mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer, who has previously worked with Paul Banks, Johnny Marr, Kaiser Chiefs, and more.
Brandon's brother Benjamin died at the end of 2013.
Cosmicide played three live shows in early 2015 (Philadelphia, Providence RI and Teaneck NJ), playing a nine-song setlist, including Talos' Corpse, consisting mostly of songs from material that is recorded and in a finished state but unreleased. In addition to Brandon, the band consisted of drums, a second keyboardist, and a guitarist.
In August of 2020, The Secret Machines released an album titled "Awake in the Brain Chamber". Curtis performed keyboard and vocals on the album. [6]
Interpol is an American rock band from Manhattan, New York. Formed in 1997, their original line-up consisted of Paul Banks, Daniel Kessler, Carlos Dengler, and Greg Drudy (drums). Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino. Dengler left to pursue other projects in 2010, with Banks taking on the additional role of bassist instead of hiring a new one.
Cinderella was an American rock band formed in the suburbs of Philadelphia in 1983. The band emerged in the mid-1980s with a series of multi-platinum studio albums and hit singles whose music videos received heavy MTV rotation and popularity. Cinderella initially had a glam metal sound throughout the late 1980s before shifting into a more blues rock-based sound during the early to mid 1990s.
Turn On the Bright Lights is the debut studio album by American rock band Interpol. It was released in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2002, and in the United States the following day, through independent record label Matador Records. The album was recorded in November 2001 at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and was co-produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Katis and Gareth Jones. Its title is taken from a repeated line in the song "NYC".
Secret Machines are an American alternative rock band, originally from Dallas, Texas, United States, before moving to New York City. The original lineup consisted of two brothers, Brandon and Benjamin Curtis, and Josh Garza (drums). Benjamin left the band in March 2007 to focus on his work with School of Seven Bells, and was replaced on guitar by Phil Karnats. The re-activated band is a two-piece, with the remaining members being Brandon Curtis and Josh Garza.
The Buckinghams are an American pop band from Chicago. They formed in 1966 and went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed in 1980 and as of 2022 they continue to tour throughout the United States.
Samuel J. Coomes is an American musician, and one half of the indie band Quasi, along with his ex-wife, drummer Janet Weiss. Coomes was also a member of the mid-1980s underground pop band The Donner Party and replaced Brandt Peterson as the bassist for the 1990s Portland indie rock band Heatmiser, playing on their final studio album, Mic City Sons.
Samuel Joseph Fogarino is an American musician who is the drummer of the band Interpol. He has played in bands such as the Holy Terrors, Gus, the Wahoos, Napoleon Solo, the Ton-ups and the Last Night.
Now Here is Nowhere is the debut studio album by American rock band Secret Machines. It was released on May 18, 2004. The songs on the album are reminiscent of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, with krautrock and shoegazing influences.
September 000 is the first EP by the American rock band The Secret Machines.
The Road Leads Where It's Led is The Secret Machines' second EP, released in 2005. In addition to the title-track, a single from their first album, Now Here Is Nowhere, the EP includes several cover versions, including Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" and Bob Dylan's "Girl From the North Country," and a new song called "Better Bring Your Friends."
Ten Silver Drops is the second full-length album by the American rock band The Secret Machines. It was released exclusively through the iTunes Music Store on February 28, 2006, while the street date for the CD was April 25, 2006. The first single from the album, "Alone, Jealous and Stoned", was released in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2006, and in the US shortly thereafter. On January 29, 2006, Ten Silver Drops leaked onto file sharing websites following the release of the album's lead single in the UK.
The Cross were an English rock band formed in 1987 by Queen drummer Roger Taylor.
Keys of the Kingdom is the fourteenth album by the rock band the Moody Blues, released in 1991. Although some of the tracks recall the songwriting on Sur la Mer, the failure of Keys of the Kingdom to produce any major hit singles would mark the beginning of the Moodies' decline in popularity with mainstream audiences after their success in the MTV video generation.
Josh Garza is an American musician and drummer for the New York City–based rock band The Secret Machines, as well as the Los Angeles–based rock band EFG. Originally from the Dallas, Texas area, Garza formed the Secret Machines with brothers Ben and Brandon Curtis, and EFG with guitarist and vocalist, Imaad Wasif, later joined by bassist and engineer, Tom Biller.[1] He was part of the original lineup for the noise pop band COMET, and in the late 1990s, Captain Audio.[2]
School of Seven Bells was an American indie rock band from New York City, formed in 2007. It originally consisted of Alejandra Deheza, her sister Claudia Deheza and Benjamin Curtis. Claudia left the group in 2010, and Curtis died of lymphoma in 2013. Using demos of songs Curtis had written prior to and during his illness, the band's fourth and final album, SVIIB, was completed posthumously and released in February 2016.
Secret Machines is the third album by the alternative group The Secret Machines. The band self-released the follow-up to 2006's Ten Silver Drops in the US on October 14 and it was scheduled for release in Europe in mid-January 2009. The album was recorded in New York City and produced by the band and Brandon Mason. It is their first album with the band's new guitarist Phil Karnats, who replaced Benjamin Curtis after he left the group in March 2007.
Riot House Records is an independent record label specializing in rock, indie, and punk bands.
Crown the Empire is an American metalcore band from Dallas, Texas formed in 2010. The band comprises vocalist Andrew "Andy Leo" Rockhold, guitarist Brandon Hoover, bassist Hayden Tree, and drummer Jeeves Avalos. They are currently signed to Rise Records and have released five studio albums. Their most recent studio album, Dogma, was released on April 28, 2023.
El Pintor is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Interpol. It was released through Matador Records and Soft Limit on September 8, 2014, internationally, and on September 9, 2014, in North America. El Pintor is the band's first album without bassist Carlos Dengler, who departed Interpol after the release of the band's eponymous album in 2010.
Awake in the Brain Chamber is the fourth full-length studio album by American indie rock band Secret Machines, released by TSM Recordings on August 8, 2020. The album has received positive reviews from critics and is a comeback recording after the band had been dormant for several years and features some posthumous recordings from former frontman Benjamin Curtis.
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