Jonathan Bree

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Jonathan Bree
Jonathan Bree.jpg
Jonathan Bree still from the filming of the music video for "You're So Cool"
Background information
Birth nameJonathan Owen Bree
Born (1979-09-01) September 1, 1979 (age 44)
Origin New Zealand
Genres New wave, indie pop, chamber pop, baroque pop
Occupations Record producer, musician, singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, keyboards, drums [1]
Years active1990s–present
Labels Lil' Chief Records
Website Lil' Chief Records

Jonathan Owen Bree is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and producer, best known for his work as a solo artist, as well as co-founding the indie pop group The Brunettes, in 1998 and Lil' Chief Records, in 2002. He frequently collaborates with label-mates as a musician, engineer, and record producer.

Contents

Early life

Jonathan Bree was born in New Zealand. [2] Mark Lyons, frontman of indie pop band The Nudie Suits, was both Bree's cousin and a mentor in Bree's formative years. [3] When Bree was ten, Lyons introduced him to Modern Lovers, with Bree becoming a long-term fan. [4] At 12 years old, Bree first played live (and recorded) as the drummer in Lyons' band, The Plaster Saints. [5]

Music career

The Brunettes were formed in Auckland in 1998 by Bree and Heather Mansfield. According to Bree, "My cousin had recorded her band Yoko and I thought she had a great natural voice, no silly effected delivery. I was looking for a girl to sing on some duets I had written so I tracked down her number." [4] The band independently released its first recording Mars Loves Venus EP in 1998. [6]

In 2002, Bree founded Lil' Chief Records [6] with fellow indie pop musician Scott Mannion of The Tokey Tones. The two men had met that year in Marbecks Record Store in Auckland, where Bree was working at the time. [7] The Brunettes' album Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks released in 2002 [8] was the debut release for the label. [7] The album received a glowing review from AllMusic, [8] as did the label's second release, The Brunettes' 2003 The Boyracer EP . Bree produced both albums. [9] The next two albums on the label were released simultaneously in 2003 by The Tokey Tones, and Bree guested on some of the tracks. [10]

Bree went on to release several more albums on Lil' Chief with The Brunettes. Their second album Mars Loves Venus was released in June 2004 [11] followed by 2005's EP When Ice Met Cream . In 2004, Ryan McPhun started playing in band, who opened for The Shins 2005 tour of North America. They have also opened for Rilo Kiley, The Postal Service, Broken Social Scene, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, [12] and Beirut and played at the 2006 Big Day Out festivals in New Zealand and Australia.

The Brunettes' album Structure & Cosmetics was released in July 2007 in New Zealand and August in the US, on Sub Pop. Their UK profile was lifted after their track "BABY" was featured in a UK campaign in December 2007, and the release of their music video. [13] In 2008, The Brunettes covered The Cure's "Lovesong" for American Laundromat Records tribute compilation Just Like Heaven – a tribute to The Cure. [14]

In 2009, The Brunettes released the Red Rollerskates EP on Lil' Chief, shortly followed by Paper Dolls. In 2010, their song "Red Rollerskates" was included in soundtrack of the 2K Sports video game NBA 2K11 . "Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth" was featured on an extended advertisement for Hollyoaks in the UK.

His first work post-Brunettes was as a co-producer on the Princess Chelsea album, Lil' Golden Book. He also supplied vocals for the song, "The Cigarette Duet" and directed the accompanying music video, which subsequently went viral – reaching nearly 40 million views in the years that followed.

Bree's first work as a solo artist came in 2013 with the release of The Primrose Path. His next album, A Little Night Music, followed in 2015. Yet his big breakthrough came in the lead-up to his third album, when the song "You're So Cool" became a sensation on YouTube – drawing viewers with its odd depiction of a 1960s-style band whose faces were covered in spandex masks. [15] It soon surpassed 1 million views and is currently at 30M views as of June 2023. [16]

Discography

Brunettes albums

Compilations

Solo releases

Collaborations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Brunettes</span> New Zealand pop band

The Brunettes were an indie pop group from New Zealand formed in 1998 and lasting until 2009. The group consisted of core members Jonathan Bree and Heather Mansfield, with additional contributions from part-time members such as Ryan McPhun and Chelsea Nikkel. The group had released several well-received albums such as Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks (2002), which received 4.5/5 stars from AllMusic. Signed to Lil' Chief Records, they had opened for bands such as Rilo Kiley and Beirut.

<i>Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks</i> 2002 studio album by The Brunettes

Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks is the first full-length album released by twee pop group the Brunettes. It was released in 2002 as a joint release between Lil' Chief Records and EMI New Zealand.

<i>Mars Loves Venus</i> 2004 studio album by The Brunettes

Mars Loves Venus is the second full-length album by The Brunettes. It was released in 2004 on Lil' Chief Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lil' Chief Records</span> New Zealand indie pop record label

Lil' Chief Records is a New Zealand–based indie pop record label formed in 2002. Operating from the Auckland suburb of Mt. Eden, it was founded on releases by The Tokey Tones and The Brunettes. The label's roster now includes a collective of pop artists such as Jonathan Bree, Princess Chelsea, The Ruby Suns, and Edmund Cake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Listen to What the Man Said</span>

"Listen to What the Man Said" is a hit single from Wings' 1975 album Venus and Mars. The song featured new member Joe English on drums, with guest musicians Dave Mason on guitar and Tom Scott on soprano saxophone. It was a number 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US the week of July 19, 1975 and reached number 1 in Canada on the RPM National Top Singles Chart. It also reached number 6 in the UK, and reached the top ten in Norway and New Zealand and the top twenty in the Netherlands. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.

Andrew Mark Brough was a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Dunedin, New Zealand. Best known for his work with the Straitjacket Fits, he later led the band Bike. In 1996 he was shortlisted for the APRA Silver Scroll and in 2008 he was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

<i>When Ice Met Cream</i> 2005 EP by The Brunettes

When Ice Met Cream is an EP released by The Brunettes. It was released in 2005 by Lil' Chief Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ruby Suns</span> New Zealand indie pop group

The Ruby Suns are an indie pop group from New Zealand. They formed in 2004 when Californian Ryan McPhun moved to Auckland and started playing in several bands such as the Brunettes, the Tokey Tones, and the Reduction Agents.

<i>Structure & Cosmetics</i> 2007 studio album by The Brunettes

Structure & Cosmetics is the third album by New Zealand band The Brunettes, and their first album to be released on Sub Pop in the US. The album was released on 30 July 2007 in New Zealand on Lil' Chief Records and on August 7, 2007 in North America.

<i>The Boyracer</i> (EP) 2003 EP by The Brunettes

The Boyracer e.p. is the second EP by The Brunettes. It was released in 2003 on Lil' Chief Records.

<i>Mars Loves Venus EP</i> 1998 EP by the Brunettes

Mars Loves Venus EP is the debut release by the Brunettes. It was self-released in 1998, on lathe-cut clear vinyl manufactured by King Records in Geraldine, New Zealand. Only 30 copies are believed to be in existence, and the EP is highly sought after by collectors. The version of the title track is different from the one which appears on the Mars Loves Venus album.

The Tokey Tones are a band led by Scott Mannion, formerly of Auckland indie pop bands Polaar and Plasticene. The Tokey Tones are primarily a studio-based band, the other long-time key member being Li Ming Hu, who is more widely known for her role as Li-Mei on the long running New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. When playing live, The Tokey Tones rely on a revolving cast of musicians from other Lil' Chief Records bands, including The Brunettes and The Ruby Suns. The band has been described as "sticky-sweet indie-with-electronics group with very strong melodies and melt-in-your-ear vocals".

Edmund Cake is the musical solo project of Edmund McWilliams, an alternative rock musician, singer-songwriter, and producer. Formerly of Bressa Creeting Cake in the 1990s, after the dissolution of the band in 1997 he released the 2004 solo album Downtown Puff on Lil' Chief Records. In 2009 he released another album with the band Pie Warmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Princess Chelsea</span> New Zealander musician

Chelsea Lee Nikkel, better known by her stage name Princess Chelsea, is a producer, musician and visual artist from Auckland, New Zealand, and a previous member of twee pop band the Brunettes and cult Auckland band Teenwolf. Chelsea has released four albums of original material and one covers album. Nikkel is associated with the Lil' Chief Records collective and is a part-time member of Disciples of Macca, a Paul McCartney covers band featuring members of the Brunettes, Ruby Suns, Bressa Creeting Cake and Lawrence Arabia and more recently performs as bass player in three-piece rock'n'roll band, Hang Loose. Chelsea’s baroque musical style has been attributed to her classical training, and the New Zealand Herald has praised her "angelic vocals and acerbic wit". Her best known song, "The Cigarette Duet" received significant press exposure after its video went viral on YouTube in early 2012, recently reaching over 100 million views. This led to her being featured on The Guardian's "New Band of the Day". Chelsea is also known for her distinctive and influential visual style which emerged with her creation of homemade low budget music videos beginning in 2011. Chelsea cites Andy Warhol’s Screen Testsand director Robert Altman as influencing her visual style and more recently has begun making visual content for other artists directing and editing music videos for In The Sunshine and Politics by Jonathan Bree. The self-directed music video for ‘I Love My Boyfriend’ is an example of her signature visual style which often incorporates mixed multimedia and VHS with an editing style that favours long voyeuristic shots as depicted in early music videos for ‘Yulia’ ‘Ice Reign’ and most famously ‘The Cigarette Duet’.

<i>Lil Golden Book</i> 2011 studio album by Princess Chelsea

Lil' Golden Book is the debut album by the New Zealand recording artist Princess Chelsea. It was released on 2 May 2011, through Lil' Chief Records. The album was produced by Jonathan Bree and Chelsea Nikkel. The album tells the tale of life growing up as a teenager and young adult in New Zealand.

The Eversons are a four-member indie pop band originally from Wellington, New Zealand, currently living in London. Self-dubbed "a guitar group," vocals are handled by all members. They released their self-titled debut EP in 2011 on Lil' Chief Records, with a follow-up LP, Summer Feeling, released in 2012 through Lil' Chief Records in New Zealand and ThisTime Records in Japan.

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<i>The Great Cybernetic Depression</i> 2015 studio album by Princess Chelsea

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References

  1. ↑ "Artists". Lil' Chief Records. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "Why 'master of misery' Jonathan Bree is smiling behind the mask". Amp.smh.com.au. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "About". Lil' Chief Records. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Interview: Jonathan Bree of the Brunettes". Neotonic Records. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Audioculture article on The Brunettes". Audioculture . Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. 1 2 Town, Lisa (12 September 2005). "Various Artists: Now We Are Three!!!, 11 Gems from New Zealand's Lil Chief Records". Left off the Dial. Archived from the original on 1 February 2006. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Lil' Chief Records". Amplifier NZ. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  8. 1 2 Maso, Stewart. "Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  9. ↑ Sendra, Tim (2003). "Boyracer EP". AllMusic . Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  10. ↑ Baillie, Russell (30 August 2003). "The Tokey Tones: Caterpillar and Butterfly". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  11. ↑ Jenkin, Lydia (August 2007). "Feature: The Brunettes – Coming Clean About Cosmetics". NZ Musician. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "Jonathan Bree on the Brunettes". Lumiere. 8 August 2007. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "UK Sunday Mega Paper praise NZ Music Label Lil Chief". Muzic.net. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  14. ↑ "American Laundromat Records". Discogs . Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  15. ↑ "Jonathan Bree: 'You're So Cool'". Parachute Music | Shift Pop Culture. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  16. ↑ Jonathan Bree – You're So Cool . Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  17. ↑ Jonathan Bree. "After the Curtains Close". Bandcamp.
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