Brian Larsen

Last updated

Brian Larsen
Brian Larsen, 2006.jpg
On stage in Baltimore, May 2006
Born
Brian Charles Larsen

(1986-04-09) April 9, 1986 (age 37)
Laurel, Maryland, U.S.
Education University of Maryland (BS)
University of Virginia (MBA)
Occupations
  • Musician
  • Producer
  • Entrepreneur
  • Business Executive
Title

Brian Larsen (born April 9, 1986, in Laurel, Maryland) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, record producer, entrepreneur and business executive. [1] Larsen has released ten albums, eight under the name "Twilight's Moon" and two under his own name, 2009's Breaking and 2012's Building. In late 2012, it was announced that Larsen's eleventh album would be titled Being and is to be released in 2021. [2] Larsen is also the co-founder, President, and CEO of the company RestoraPet. [3]

Contents

Early life

Born in Laurel, Maryland, a small suburb of Washington, D.C., Larsen was the fourth and youngest son in his family. [4] Larsen's first forays into songwriting took place while he was still in elementary school. Inspired by his older uncle, Bryon Moore, who achieved success in music through his popular South Carolina band Uncle Mingo. [5]

Career

Twilight's Moon

In 1996, Larsen officially formed Twilight's Moon with schoolmates Trevor Hunter, Alex Masonis, and Andrew Jones, though Masonis and Jones left the band less than a year later over creative control disputes. Hunter and Larsen continued recording, with Hunter assuming Jones' role as drummer and Larsen assuming Masonis' role as keyboardist. Hunter vacated his role as performer, agreeing instead to concentrate on acting as Larsen's manager, and in response, Larsen agreed to assume all musical roles within the band. [6]

The album, Pi, was released in September 1998 and sold several hundred copies. [6] Larsen immediately began recording The Classics, a disc composed solely of original and interpreted classical songs. The album was released in February 1999 to positive reviews but poor sales. The next year, Larsen began writing and recording demos for what would eventually become The Slope, his first internationally distributed album. The album was released on August 3, 2000, to mixed reviews, but became a modest hit thanks to the instrumental track "Zoo II". [7]

Larsen returned to the studio to record a follow-up album with the specific intention of recording tracks that were more radio-friendly. The resulting album, ClockWork, was released on January 23, 2001, and featured a guest performance from Larsen's uncle, Bryon Moore. Overall, the album received a positive commercial and critical response. Inspired by this success, Larsen performed live in support of the album but quickly returned to the studio to record a follow-up album using digital recording equipment. That album, Emergency Exit, was received even more enthusiastically by critics and fans alike, being called "the beginning of Larsen hitting his musical stride" and "the best Twilight's Moon album to [that] point" by noted critic Steven Thomas Erlewine. [8]

After the release of Emergency Exit, Larsen took an extensive vacation from the music industry while attending high school. He released Close to Me, a five-track EP, on his 16th birthday, but stated on his website that he intended to begin work on an album of trance music. That album, Electric, took nearly two years to complete, but was met with great commercial success upon its release in 2003, supported by the album's self-titled single as well as the track "Casino", both of which received rotation in American and Asian dance clubs.

Demand for a new album led to Larsen recording his first original tracks of rock music in two years. Broken Windows, a mixture of original tracks and cover songs, was released on December 23, 2003, to mixed reviews. Some critics criticized Larsen for his use of cover tracks on the album. B-sides from the Broken Windows sessions were collected and released as Mind Candy in early 2004. Similar to the quick follow-up of Emergency Exit to ClockWork (spaced ten months apart), Larsen indicated that his desire was to release a follow-up album to Broken Windows, tentatively titled The Last of the Romantics, sometime in late 2004. Writer's block and Larsen's involvement in other projects stalled the album, however, and its release date was pushed back several times. In June 2005, the album was listed on Amazon.com as being available for pre-order, selling enough copies to enter Amazon.com's best-sellers list before the release date was changed once more. [9] Several singles have been officially released from the album, however, including "In the Fall", "In the Summer", "Goodnight", "I Tried", and "In the Meantime", all of which have received significant downloads on Larsen's official website and MySpace. [10] A six-song EP, In the Meantime, was released in August 2007.

Solo artist

Larsen in Toronto, Canada in April 2013. Brian Larsen Toronto April 2013.JPG
Larsen in Toronto, Canada in April 2013.

On October 10, 2007, Larsen announced on his official website that he intended to disband Twilight's Moon and stated that he was in the process of writing and recording music under his own name. [11] The resulting album, Breaking , was released on August 4, 2009, to mostly positive reviews. [12] [13] [14] In the summer of 2009, Larsen assembled a permanent touring band composed of guitarist Anne Muntuerto (of the Philippines-based band Cattski), bassist Devon Eason, and session drummer Lydia Lewis. Brian and his band toured the United States through the end of 2009, and Larsen (sometimes accompanied by Muntuerto) toured the country again, performing acoustic version of his songs during the first half of 2010, including a Los Angeles charity concert on the evening before the 52nd Grammy Awards to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. [15]

In 2010 Larsen announced via his Twitter account that he was in the process of writing and recording his 10th album. [16] In November 2010, a YouTube video was released announcing that the album would be titled "Building". It was released on April 17, 2012, and was Larsen's first album to earn a Parental Advisory warning for explicit lyrics. [17] In late 2012, Larsen announced via a YouTube video that he was in the process of recording another album of new material, to be released in early 2014. [18] It was later announced that the album would be titled Being. [1]

Business

In 2014, Larsen created the company RestoraPet with Kenny Kramm, the founder and former CEO of FLAVORx. [19] Larsen was inspired to start the business after witnessing the death of his childhood Siberian Husky. The company develops and manufactures over the counter supplements for dogs, cats, and horses. The products were invented and researched by Larsen, who has a background in chemistry and pharmacology. After Kramm's death in 2016, Larsen took over as president and CEO of RestoraPet, growing the company's sales to $2 million in 2019 and $10 million in 2020. [3] Larsen holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. [20] In April, 2020 amidst shortages of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, RestoraPet began producing hand sanitizer to donate to hospitals and nursing homes. [21] Larsen's company, RestoraPet, was listed as the #1 fastest growing pet company in the US and the 218th fastest growing of all businesses in the US in the 2021 Inc. 5000 list. [22] [23]

Discography

Albums

YearAlbum
1997 Pi
1998 The Classics
1999 The Slope
2001ClockWork
2001 Emergency Exit
2002 Close to Me (EP)
2003 Electric
2003Broken Windows
2004 Mind Candy (Soundtrack)
2007 In The Meantime
2009 Breaking
2012Building
2021 Being

Singles

YearSongAlbum
1997"Picture (in my Mind)"Pi
1999"Zoo II"The Slope
2000"I Have My Doubts"ClockWork
2000"Can't Walk Away"ClockWork
2001"Circles on the Water"ClockWork
2001"The Game"ClockWork
2001"I Should Know"ClockWork
2001"Anyway"Emergency Exit
2001"I'm Not Your Psychiatrist"Emergency Exit
2002"Sunday Funday"Emergency Exit
2002"Close to Me"Close to Me (EP)
2002"Electric"Electric
2003"Casino"Electric
2003"I Tried"Broken Windows
2004"1,000 Other Things"Broken Windows
2004"I'm Letting You Go"Broken Windows
2004"Mind Candy"Mind Candy (soundtrack)
2004"Kelly"Mind Candy (soundtrack)
2005"In The Fall"The Last of the Romantics
2006"Goodnight"The Last of the Romantics
2006"In the Summer"The Last of the Romantics
2006"I Tried"The Last of the Romantics
2006"Kelly (Remix)"The Last of the Romantics
2007"In The Meantime"In The Meantime (EP)
2007"In The Fall (2007 Version)"In The Meantime (EP)
2007"Slip Away"In The Meantime (EP)
2009"Hang On"Breaking
2010"Frozen"Breaking
2011"Hold Me Down"Breaking
2011"Stand My Ground"Breaking
2012"How Long?"Building

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilco</span> American alternative rock band

Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004 the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released thirteen studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with the Minus 5.

<i>Pet Sounds</i> 1966 studio album by the Beach Boys

Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966 by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Top LPs chart. In the United Kingdom, the album was lauded by critics and reached number 2 on the Record Retailer chart, remaining in the top ten for six months. Promoted there as "the most progressive pop album ever", Pet Sounds was recognized for its ambitious production, sophisticated music, and emotional lyrics. It is now considered to be among the greatest and most influential albums in music history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air (French band)</span> French music duo

Air is a French music duo from Versailles, consisting of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Their critically acclaimed debut album, Moon Safari, including the track "Sexy Boy", was an international success in 1998. Its follow-up, The Virgin Suicides, was the score to Sofia Coppola's first movie of the same name. The band has since released the albums 10 000 Hz Legend, Talkie Walkie, Pocket Symphony, Love 2, Le voyage dans la lune and Music for Museum. The band is influenced by a wide variety of musical styles and artists.

The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band. Active throughout the 1990s and up until 2005, the band re-formed in 2011. The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling over three million records worldwide, including four double-platinum awards, one platinum and four gold albums in Canada. Between 1996 and 2016, The Tea Party was the 35th best-selling Canadian artist in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Peacock</span> American singer, songwriter, pianist, and author

Charles William Ashworth, known professionally as Charlie Peacock, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, and author. His albums include Love Press Ex-Curio, Arc of the Circle and No Man's Land (2012). He is the founder of re:think, a record label that signed acts such as Switchfoot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leæther Strip</span> Danish musical project

Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on 13 January 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and electro-industrial genres. Leæther Strip was one of the earliest and most prominent acts on Germany's now defunct Zoth Ommog record label. For distribution outside of Europe, the music has been licensed to the U.S. labels Cleopatra Records and Metropolis Records. After the demise of Zoth Ommog in 1999, Larsen signed to Bloodline Records, which only released a single before also going out of business. In 2005, Leæther Strip signed with the Belgian-based label Alfa Matrix. On 3 June 2011 Larsen announced his split from Alfa Matrix in order to self-release future material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mnemic</span> Danish metal band

Mnemic was a Danish heavy metal band formed in Aalborg in 1998. The band personally described themselves as "Future Fusion Metal".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Boys</span> Canadian electronic pop group

Junior Boys are a Canadian electronic pop group, founded in 1999 in Hamilton, Ontario by Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark. Dark left the project shortly after, and was replaced by engineer Matt Didemus. The duo initially gained critical praise for their 2003 single "Birthday" and 2004 debut album Last Exit. Their work incorporates disparate influences from 1980s synthpop, UK garage, techno, and R&B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Martin (Canadian musician)</span> Canadian musician (born 1969)

Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer, best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. He began his career as a solo artist in 2005, when The Tea Party went on hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blondie Chaplin</span> South African musician; member of the Beach Boys

Terrence William "Blondie" Chaplin is a South African singer and guitarist from Durban, where he played in the band the Flames in the mid to late 1960s. From 1972 to 1973, he was a member of the Beach Boys and contributed to their albums Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" (1972) and Holland (1973). During his stint with the Beach Boys, he sang the lead on the popular song, "Sail On Sailor". Chaplin was a long-term backing vocalist, percussionist, and acoustic rhythm guitarist for the Rolling Stones on their recordings and tours over a 15-year period, starting in 1997. Chaplin has released two solo albums, Blondie Chaplin (1977) and Between Us (2008).

The Audition is an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of singer Danny Stevens, drummer Ryan O'Connor, guitarists Seth Johnson and Timmy Klepek and bassist Joe Lussa. The band's first release was a six track EP titled All In Your Head. In early 2005, they signed to record label Victory Records and released their debut album, titled Controversy Loves Company. In early January 2008 they released their second studio album Champion. On April 28, 2009 they released their third studio album Self-Titled Album. Their latest full-length album Great Danger was released on March 16, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Twilight Sad</span> Scottish post-punk/indie rock band

The Twilight Sad are a Scottish post-punk/indie rock band, comprising James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane (guitar), Johnny Docherty (bass), Brendan Smith (keyboards) and Grant Hutchison (drums). They have released five studio albums, as well as several EPs, live recordings and singles. Their 2007 debut album, Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, drew widespread acclaim from critics, who noted Graham's thick Scottish accent and MacFarlane's dense sonic walls of shoegazing guitar and wheezing accordion. The Twilight Sad's notoriously loud live performances have been described as "completely ear-splitting", and the band toured for the album across Europe and the United States throughout 2007 and 2008. Sessions inspired by stripped-down and reworked live performances yielded the 2008 mini-album, Here, It Never Snowed. Afterwards It Did.

<i>Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters</i> 2007 studio album by The Twilight Sad

Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters is the debut studio album by Scottish indie rock band The Twilight Sad, released by FatCat Records on 3 April 2007 in the US, and 7 May 2007 in the UK. The album features production from guitarist Andy MacFarlane and was mixed by Peter Katis. It was recorded over a short period of just three days, and the songs featured were the first ones the band had ever written. The album's influences include Van Dyke Parks, Phil Spector, Daniel Johnston, Arab Strap, Serge Gainsbourg, and Leonard Cohen.

<i>The Twilight Saga: New Moon</i> (soundtrack) 2009 soundtrack albums

The Twilight Saga: New Moon is the official soundtrack to The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The score for The Twilight Saga: New Moon was composed by Alexandre Desplat while the rest of the soundtrack was chosen by music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who also produced the Twilight soundtrack. The New Moon – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album was released on October 16, 2009 by Patsavas' Chop Shop label, in conjunction with Atlantic Records.

<i>Asylum</i> (Disturbed album) 2010 studio album by Disturbed

Asylum is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Disturbed. It was released on August 31, 2010, in the United States through Reprise Records. The album is meant to take a fresh direction in the band's music career, while remaining consistent with the band's previous albums. Most of the lyrical content was inspired by aspects of frontman David Draiman's life prior to making the album. Asylum is also the third consecutive Disturbed album to not feature the Parental Advisory label. A tour in support of the album, titled the Asylum Tour, started in late August 2010.

<i>The Twilight Saga: Eclipse</i> (soundtrack) 2010 album by various artists

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), commonly referred to as Eclipse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), is the official soundtrack to Eclipse, released on June 8, 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Heavy Pets</span> American jam band

The Heavy Pets are an American jam band based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, renowned for their funk, jazz and reggae-infused brand of rock and roll. Officially formed in 2005, the band tours nationwide and appears regularly on the summer music festival circuit. Currently, the group is composed of guitarists Jeff Lloyd and Mike Garulli, keyboardist Jim Wuest, bassist Chris Patsis, and drummer Jamie Newitt. In 2010 they released their second studio LP The Heavy Pets. The album was dubbed a "Top 10 Album of 2010" by The Huffington Post.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Lung</span> Canadian punk rock band

White Lung was a Canadian punk rock band. The band consisted of Mish Barber-Way (vocals), Kenneth William (guitars) and Anne-Marie Vassiliou (drums). They have released two albums on Deranged Records and their latest two on Domino Recording Company. Exclaim! named the band's first full-length album It's the Evil as 2010's punk album of the year. The band was nominated for Punk/Hardcore Artist/Group of the Year at the 2011 Canadian Music Week Indie Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk the Moon</span> American pop rock band

Walk the Moon are an American pop rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song "Walking on the Moon" by The Police. Although the band is best known for their most successful hit single to date "Shut Up and Dance", other notable songs include "Anna Sun" and "One Foot".

Neil Larsen is an American jazz keyboardist, musical arranger and composer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Sarasota, Florida before relocating to New York and then, in 1977, Los Angeles.

References

  1. 1 2 University of Virginia Darden Executive Businesscasts: Brian Larsen , retrieved July 12, 2019
  2. ↑ Brian Larsen - Being , retrieved January 12, 2018
  3. 1 2 "His Mentor's Tragic Legacy Motivated Him to Launch a Pet Care Company. Now It's On Track for $10 Million in Revenue". Inc. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Brian Larsen Biography: Allmusic.com." URL last accessed 2007-05-10
  5. ↑ "Jacob Interviews…Brian Larsen". Jake's Take. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  6. 1 2 ""Twilight's Moon: Overview.” URL last accessed 2007-05-19
  7. ↑ ""'The Slope' Album Review." URL last accessed 2015-11-15
  8. ↑ ""'Emergency Exit' Album Review." URL last accessed 2007-05-09
  9. ↑ "“The Last of the Romantics: Amazon.com.” URL last accessed 2007-05-10
  10. ↑ "“Twilight's Moon: MySpace.” URL last accessed 2007-05-16
  11. ↑ "“Time For A Change – www.TwilightsMoon.com.” URL last accessed 2007-10-10
  12. ↑ "“Wildy's World: Review: Brian Larsen – Breaking” URL last accessed 2010-08-06
  13. ↑ "“Breaking by Brian Larsen” URL last accessed 2010-08-06
  14. ↑ "“Brian Larsen – 'Breaking' Review” Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine URL last accessed 2010-08-06
  15. ↑ "“Brian Larsen's Pre-Grammy Party and Benefit” URL last accessed 2010-08-06
  16. ↑ "“Twitter – Brian Larsen” URL last accessed 2010-08-06
  17. ↑ "Building by Brian Larsen". Music.apple.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Brian Larsen - Surprise Trailer for New Album (Coming 2013) - YouTube". Youtube.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  19. ↑ "RestoraPet Company Profile: Valuation & Investors | PitchBook". Pitchbook.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  20. ↑ "“The ExecMBA Podcast, Episode 60: An Interview with Brian Larsen, GEMBA Class of 2020” URL last accessed 2019-07-25
  21. ↑ "Why This Pet Industry Entrepreneur Pivoted Production To Help Fight COVID-19". Forbes. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Inc. Company Profile: RestoraPet". Inc. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  23. ↑ "RestoraPet Ranks as Number One in Inc. Magazine as Fastest Growing Pet Company in The U.S." Pet Business Magazine. August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.