Thomas Brenneck

Last updated

Thomas Brenneck
Charles Bradley - The Menahan Street Band (Jazz Fest Wien 2011) 18.jpg
Brenneck with Charles Bradley in 2011
Background information
Birth nameThomas R. Brenneck
Also known asTommy "TNT" Brenneck
Born1981 (age 4142)
Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Occupations
  • Musician
  • producer
  • engineer
InstrumentsGuitar
Years active2001–present
Member of
Formerly of

Thomas "Tommy" Brenneck is an American guitarist, record producer, and engineer, best known as the leader of the Menahan Street Band and member of The Budos Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and El Michels Affair. [1] [2] [3] He is the founder of Dunham Records, a subsidiary of seminal retro-soul label Daptone Records, [4] and was the producer of soul singer Charles Bradley. As a producer session musician, he frequently works with Daptone and Big Crown Records artists. [5]

Contents

History

Brenneck was born and raised in Staten Island, New York. He is a self-taught guitarist who joined the original Daptone band The Dap-Kings at the age of 20. Brenneck quickly became one of the essential members of the Daptone family, working closely with the label founder and producer Gabe Roth aka Bosco Mann, [6] and playing and touring with Sharon Jones, [7] the label matriarch. Sharon gave Brenneck his nickname, Tommy "TNT" Brenneck.

Since then, Brenneck founded Dunham Records and Studio, [8] cultivated the music and career of the late Charles Bradley [9] (also his son's godfather), performed and recorded with Amy Winehouse [10] and is a principal in his other Daptone project the Menahan Street Band. [11] [12]

Brenneck has been a session guitarist, writer and producer on projects with Lady Gaga, [13] CeeLo Green, [14] Dan Auerbach, [15] Beyoncé & Jay-Z, [16] Josh Tillman AKA Father John Misty, [17] Rufus Wainwright [18] and Miley Cyrus, [19] among others. [20] [21] Additionally, he has played guitar for Amy Winehouse [22] and he is one of the musicians featured on "Telepathy" by Christina Aguilera featuring Nile Rodgers. [23]

As an engineer on Yebba's Dawn, he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. [24]

Dunham Records and recording studios

Brenneck is the founder of Dunham Records, a subsidiary of Daptone Records. [4] The record label originally operated out of Brenneck's bedroom in Bushwick, Brooklyn and produced iconic hits from artists including Charles Bradley before eventually moving to a larger space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. [25]

Brenneck ran a small recording studio out of his home in Bushwick, Brooklyn before opening Dunham Sound Studios with Homer Steinwiess in Williamsburg in 2008. The all-analog studio operated with Menahan Street Band as the in-house band and recorded artists including Mark Ronson, Rufus Wainwright, Cee-lo Green, Theophilus London and Diane Birch, among others. [26] In 2014, the studio was succeeded by The Diamond Mine, a recording studio in Long Island City founded with Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, and Leon Michels. [27]

In 2017, Brenneck moved to Los Angeles with his wife and two children. He now works out of Los Angeles' The Sound Factory studio with Mark Ronson, whom he got to know well during his time with Winehouse. [28] [29]

Discography

Studio albums

ArtistAlbumLabelCatalog No.Year of ReleaseAvailable Formats
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings Naturally Daptone Records DAP-0042005Vinyl, LP, Album
The Budos Band The Budos Band Daptone Records DAP-0052005 CD, LP, iTunes
El Michels Affair Sounding Out The City Truth & Soul 2005
The Budos Band The Budos Band II Daptone Records DAP-0112007CD, LP, iTunes
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings 100 Days, 100 Nights Daptone Records 2007
Menahan Street Band Make the Road by Walking Dunham RecordsDAP-0152008CD, Album
El Michels Affair Enter The 37th ChamberFat Beats2009
The Budos Band The Budos Band III Daptone Records DAP-0202010CD, LP, MP3, FLAC
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings I Learned the Hard Way Daptone Records 2010
Menahan Street Band The CrossingDunham RecordsDAP-0292012LP, Album
The Budos Band Burnt Offering Daptone Records DAP-0342014CD, LP, MP3, FLAC
El Michels Affair Return To The 37th Chamber Big Crown 2017
The Budos Band Budos Band V Daptone Records DAP-0572019CD, LP, MP3, FLAC
El Michels Affair Adult Themes Big Crown 2020
Menahan Street Band The Exciting Sounds of...Dunham RecordsDAP-0632021CD, LP, digital
The Budos Band Long in the Tooth Daptone Records DAP-0652020CD, LP, MP3, FLAC

EPs

ArtistTitleLabelCatalog No.Year of ReleaseAvailable Formats
The Budos Band The Budos Band EP Daptone Records DAP-120022009CD, 12"
The Budos Band The Shape of Mayhem to Come (Recorded Live at the Grey Eagle, Halloween 2015) Daptone Records DAP-1205201612", MP3, FLAC

Singles

ArtistTitleLabelCatalog No.Year of ReleaseAvailable Formats
The Budos Band The Budos Band - Up From the South b/w T.I.B.W.F. Daptone Records DAP-102320057"
The Budos Band The Budos Band - The Proposition b/w Ghost Walk Daptone Records DAP-102720067"
Menahan Street Band "Make the Road by Walking" / "Karina"Dunham RecordsDNM-10120067"
The Budos Band The Poets of Rhythm/The Budos Band - More Mess on My Thing b/w Budos ThemeFreestyle RecordsFSR702420067"
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band"The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" / "Heartaches and Pain"Dunham RecordsDNM-10220077"
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band"The Telephone Song" / "Tired Of Fighting"Dunham RecordsDUN-10320087"
Menahan Street Band "The Wolf" / "Bushwick Lullaby"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-104, DAP-104520097"
The Budos Band The Budos Band/Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - Day Tripper b/w Money Daptone Records DAP-1050 (Record Store Day 2010 release)20107"
The Budos Band The Budos Band - Kakal b/w Hidden Hand Daptone Records DAP-1051-P(promotional copy) *limited press of 80020107"
Menahan Street Band "The Crossing" / "Everyday A Dream"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-106A, DAP-105420117"
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band"Heart Of Gold" / "In You (I Found A Love)"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-110A, DAP-105920117"
Menahan Street Band "Lights Out / Keep Coming Back"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-112A20127"
The Budos Band The Budos Band - Burnt Offering b/w Seizure Daptone Records DAP-1085 *included limited press of 100 color20147"
The Budos Band The Budos Band - Magus Mountain b/w Vertigo Daptone Records DAP-1088 *included limited press of 100 color20157"
The Budos Band The Budos Band - Maelstrom b/w Avalanche Daptone Records DAP-109920167"

Other appearances

"Up From the South" of The Budos Band is featured in a commercial for the NFL Network (2013).

"T.I.B.W.F." of The Budos Band is featured in a series of commercials for 1800 Tequila and in the sixth episode of This American Life .

"The Chicago Falcon (Remix)" of The Budos band is featured on Wale's fourth mixtape, The Mixtape About Nothing (2008).

"Budos Rising" and "The Proposition" of The Budos Band are featured in MLB 09: The Show and MLB 10: The Show , respectively, for PlayStation consoles.

"King Charles" of The Budos Band is featured in episode 37 of the HBO TV series Entourage ("Manic Monday," Season 3).

"Origin of Man," "Up From The South," "T.I.B.W.F." and "Hidden Hand" of The Budos Band are featured in the movie New York, I Love You (2009).

"Mas o Menos", "Ride or Die" and "Scorpion" of The Budos Band are featured on the fictional radio station "Daptone Radio" in the game Sleeping Dogs by United Front Games and Square Enix London. (2012)

"The Volcano Song" of The Budos Band is featured in the documentary I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009).

"The Sticks" of The Budos Band is featured in the background of a trailer for Destiny's Dark Below DLC. (2014)

"Say Amen (Saturday Night)" by Panic! At The Disco features an interpolation Of Aphasia off of the album Burnt Offering of The Budos Band.

Production discography

Albums

Other tracks

Other standalone tracks include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daptone Records</span> Record label

Daptone Records is a funk and soul independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York. Best known as the home of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Charles Bradley, the label boasts a roster which includes Menahan Street Band, The Budos Band, The Sugarman 3, and Antibalas, and runs the recording studio Daptone's House of Soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings</span> American funk/soul band

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album Dap Dippin' in 2002, the first of seven studio albums. Their 2014 album Give the People What They Want was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Following Sharon Jones' death in 2016, the band released the posthumous album Soul of a Woman in 2017 and a compilation of cover songs in 2020.

<i>Naturally</i> (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings album) 2005 studio album by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Naturally is the second album by American funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, released on January 25, 2005 on Daptone Records.

Truth & Soul was a record label and production team based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was formed in 2004 by Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman with Philippe Lehman. The label was best known for their releases with Lee Fields & The Expressions and other New York retro-soul / funk groups. As a production house and recording studio, Truth & Soul worked with artists like Aloe Blacc and Adele. In 2016, Truth & Soul's catalog was acquired by The Orchard, and was succeeded by Big Crown Records and Mighty Eye Records.

Nick Movshon is a bass guitarist, drummer and songwriter best known for his considerable contributions to the New York funk and soul revival. A frequent contributor to the recorded output of Brooklyn-based labels Daptone Records and Truth & Soul, he has spent the past two decades playing with Charles Bradley, Lee Fields, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, and as a member of groups including Antibalas, Menahan Street Band, and El Michels Affair. He is also a founding member of The Arcs and has toured with The Black Keys.

<i>100 Days, 100 Nights</i> 2007 studio album by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

100 Days, 100 Nights is the third studio album by American funk band Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Recorded in 2006, it was released on Daptone Records October 2, 2007.

The Budos Band is an American instrumental band from Staten Island, New York, formed in 2005. AllMusic describes the group as a "doom rock Afro-soul big band with a '70s touch" that joins "musical universes from trippy psychedelia and Afro-funk to '70s hard rock and late-'60s soul." They have described themselves as "70's Psychedelic Instrumental Music," and "Afro-soul inspired by Ethiopian music with a soul undercurrent" and "sprinkled a little bit of sweet 60's stuff on top." One reviewer described the band as “sounding as if Quentin Tarantino was the music supervisor for a Bond film". Their more recent albums have incorporated sounds from 1970s jazz, funk, Afro-Beat, underground rock, and proto-metal. They have been signed to Daptone Records throughout their career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menahan Street Band</span> American instrumental band

Menahan Street Band is a Brooklyn, New York–based instrumental band formed in 2007, that plays funk and soul music. The band features musicians from Antibalas, El Michels Affair, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and the Budos Band. The group was founded by Thomas Brenneck while living in an apartment on Menahan Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. Their debut album, Make the Road by Walking, was released in 2008 on Dunham, a sublabel of Daptone Records and was followed by The Crossing in 2012.

The Sugarman 3, sometimes titled The Sugarman Three, is a retro-funk band from New York City formed in 1996 by saxophonist Neal Sugarman, Hammond organ player Adam Scone, and drummer Rudy Albin. The band has released four studio albums—Sugar's Boogaloo (1999), Soul Donkey (2000), Pure Cane Sugar (2002) and What the World Needs Now (2012)—and one compilation album, Sweet Spot (2001).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bosco Mann</span> American songwriter

Gabriel Roth, also known as Bosco Mann among other aliases, is an American record producer, musician, and co-founder of Daptone Records. He is best known as the bandleader, bass player, primary songwriter, and producer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. A prolific recording engineer, he runs Daptone Studios in Brooklyn and Penrose Studios in Riverside, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bradley (singer)</span> American singer

Charles Edward Bradley was an American singer. After years of obscurity and a part-time music career, Bradley came to prominence in his early 50s. His performances and recording style were consistent with the revivalist approach of his main label Daptone Records, celebrating the feel of funk and soul music from the 1960s and 1970s. One review said he "echoes the evocative delivery of Otis Redding".

<i>No Time for Dreaming</i> 2011 studio album by Charles Bradley

No Time for Dreaming is the debut studio album by American soul singer Charles Bradley. It was released on January 25, 2011, by Daptone Records and Dunham Records.

<i>Victim of Love</i> (Charles Bradley album) 2013 studio album by Charles Bradley

Victim of Love is the second studio album by American soul singer Charles Bradley. It was released on April 2, 2013, by Daptone Records and Dunham Records.

Homer Steinweiss is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer known as a prominent drummer in the New York soul revival scene. He is a founding member and drummer of groups including Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Hardly Knew Ya, El Michels Affair, and Dan Auerbach's The Arcs, among many others. He leads the Brooklyn folk soul band Holy Hive with Paul Spring. A popular session musician as part of The Dap-Kings and in his own right, he is perhaps best known for his work with Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, with whom he recorded the 2006 album Back to Black.

El Michels Affair is an American cinematic soul group led by musician and producer Leon Michels. Based in New York, the group is noted for its wide-ranging influences, analog production approach, and hip hop collaborations. The group released its debut album Sounding Out the City in 2005. After touring behind Raekwon and other Wu-Tang Clan members, the group recorded the popular cover album Enter the 37th Chamber in 2009. After releasing other tribute albums in the following decade, El Michels Affair returned with the original albums Adult Themes in 2020 and Yeti Season in 2021. Since then, the group has released collaborative projects with Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Liam Bailey, and Black Thought, including 2023's Glorious Game.

Leon Marcus Michels is an American music producer, record executive, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known as the leader of the eclectic soul project El Michels Affair and co-founder of Truth & Soul Records and Big Crown Records. He is a founding member of soul and funk bands Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, and Lee Fields & The Expressions, and has played with Charles Bradley as well as Wu-Tang Clan. A frequent collaborator of Dan Auerbach, Michels was a touring member of The Black Keys and co-founded The Arcs. As a producer, Michels has produced records for artists such as Lee Fields, Norah Jones, Chicano Batman, Nicole Wray, and Hanni El Khatib.

Retro soul, sometimes written as retro-soul, is a post-modern and contemporary popular music genre that emerged years after the golden era of soul music. In style of singing, arrangement and recording techniques, this music attempts to offer new music in the tradition of soul music from the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s. This differs from soul music, Contemporary R&B and neo soul as it is intentionally produced in a vintage recording sound and style years after the original era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Guy</span> American trumpet player (born 1978)

David Anthony Guy is an American trumpet player and member of The Dap-Kings. Over his more than two decade career, he has been part of the groups Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Menahan Street Band, The Budos Band, and Lee Fields & The Expressions, among others. Since 2014, he has played with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. A prolific touring and session musician, he often works with producer Mark Ronson and can be heard playing on tracks including "Valerie" and "Uptown Funk."

<i>The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band</i> 2021 studio album by Menahan Street Band

The Exciting Sounds of Menahan Street Band is the third full-length studio album by American rhythm and blues group Menahan Street Band.

References

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