Britt Daniel

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Britt Daniel
Britt Daniel (52848099867) (cropped).jpg
Daniel in 2023
Background information
Birth nameJohn Britt Daniel
Born (1971-04-14) April 14, 1971 (age 52)
Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Genres Indie rock
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instrument(s)
Years active1991–present
Labels

John Britt Daniel (born April 14, 1971) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Spoon, as well as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and singer of the band Divine Fits. Daniel also founded numerous other bands in the early 1990s. [1]

Contents

Early life

John Britt Daniel was born in Galveston, Texas, and grew up in Temple, Texas, a city about an hour north of Austin. Daniel is the oldest of three children from his parents' marriage. [2] He also has two younger half-siblings. His father, a neurologist, was a fan of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and a collector of guitars; [3] Daniel himself reportedly picked up the guitar in high school after his college-bound girlfriend ended their relationship. [4]

Career

In 1988, Britt Daniel formed his first band, The Zygotes, while in high school. In 1990, while a student at the University of Texas at Austin, Daniel formed his second band, Skellington, with Travis Hartnett, Mac Stringfellow, Paul Cannon, and Mike Hurewitz. [3] Skellington recorded and self-released This Town's Gone Dry in 1991, and the Skellington EP was released a year later in 1992. Before breaking up, the band released Skellington Rex, which contained songs that were re-recorded on Spoon's debut album Telephono . [3]

The following year, Daniel joined a three-piece rockabilly band named The Alien Beats with Brad Shenfeld. [3] During a 1993 Alien Beats recording session, computer-chip designer and percussionist Jim Eno was brought in as a substitute drummer, and was later made the permanent drummer. [3] The Alien Beats released a 7" single in May 1993, disbanding soon after. [3]

On 5 May 2018, Daniel appeared on NPR's news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! for the regular celebrity question segment "Not My Job".

Spoon

In 1993, Daniel and ex-Alien Beats drummer Eno, along with guitarist Greg Wilson and bassist Andy McGuire, formed Spoon. Spoon has served as Daniel's primary musical focus.

Drake Tungsten

Drake Tungsten
(aka Britt Daniel) BrittDaniel2.jpg
Drake Tungsten
(aka Britt Daniel)

Drake Tungsten was the pseudonym which Daniel performed under from 1994 to 1996 as a solo artist. [5] When The Alien Beats disbanded in 1993, he decided to focus his music career on solo material that he had written over the previous years - songs that were more experimental and unfit for the styles of bands that he had previously played. Rather than releasing them under his proper name, Daniel decided to release them under the pseudonym Drake Tungsten. His first such album, Clocking Out Is For Suckers , was released in 1994 on cassette, and was distributed around his home town of Austin, Texas. Two years later, Tungsten released the five-song EP Six Pence for the Sauces on local label Peek-A-Boo Records. Also in 1996, Daniel began working again with drummer Jim Eno (previously from The Alien Beats) and began writing music under the moniker Spoon. [6]

Britt Daniel at SXSW in 2006 Britt daniel (112967836).jpg
Britt Daniel at SXSW in 2006

Divine Fits

From 2011 to 2013, Daniel was involved in a new band called Divine Fits, consisting of members from Spoon, Wolf Parade and New Bomb Turks. The group's debut, A Thing Called Divine Fits , was released on August 28, 2012 through Merge Records. The first single from the album, "My Love Is Real", was released on July 10, 2012.

Collaborations

Discography

Skellington

The Alien Beats

Drake Tungsten

Golden Millennium

Spoon

Divine Fits

Solo recordings

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoon (band)</span> American rock band

Spoon is an American rock band from Austin, Texas, consisting of members Britt Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), Alex Fischel, Gerardo Larios and Ben Trokan. The band was formed in Austin in October 1993 by Daniel and Eno. Critics have described the band's musical style as rock, pop, art rock, and experimental rock.

<i>Girls Can Tell</i> 2001 studio album by Spoon

Girls Can Tell is the third studio album by American indie rock band Spoon. Intended as a stylistic departure from the band's previous work, Girls Can Tell features classic rock and new wave influences absent on their major label albums.

<i>A Series of Sneaks</i> 1998 studio album by Spoon

A Series of Sneaks is the second studio album by the indie band Spoon, released by Elektra Records in April 1998. Despite being overlooked critically and commercially upon its release, the album has since attained cult status.

<i>Gimme Fiction</i> 2005 studio album by Spoon

Gimme Fiction is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Spoon. It was released on May 10, 2005, through Merge Records in the US and Matador Records in Europe. It debuted at number 44 on the Billboard 200. "I Turn My Camera On" was released as a single, and has become one of the band's biggest hits to date. A deluxe reissue of the album was released on December 11, 2015 to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Eno</span> American drummer

Jim Eno is the drummer and one of the founding members of the Austin, Texas band Spoon. He is also a record producer and a semiconductor chip designer.

<i>Telephono</i> 1996 studio album by Spoon

Telephono is the debut studio album by the indie rock band Spoon. It was released on April 23, 1996, by Matador, then re-released in a two-disc package with the Soft Effects EP in 2006 by Merge Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Turn My Camera On</span> 2005 single by Spoon

"I Turn My Camera On" is a song by American indie rock band Spoon, the third track on their fifth studio album, Gimme Fiction (2005). It was first released as a download single on March 30, 2005, and later as a 7-inch and CD single on July 4, 2005. It was released through Merge Records in the US and Matador Records in the UK, who also distributed the download release. The song was written by band frontman Britt Daniel and produced by Daniel, Jim Eno, and Mike McCarthy. Daniel wrote the song after hearing "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand, and was influenced by the works of Prince to sing with falsetto vocals on the track. Daniel's lyrics are about "emotional distance", centering around a narrator who documents their surrounding world with a camera instead of actually engaging with it. Musically, the band focused more on creating a sound influenced by dance and soul music.

<i>30 Gallon Tank</i> 1998 EP by Spoon

30 Gallon Tank is the third EP by the indie rock band Spoon. The 7" record was released on May 5, 1998, as a promotional EP showcasing the band which was newly signed to Elektra Records. The A-side of 30 Gallon Tank contained two tracks that also appeared on A Series of Sneaks, while the B-side contained a new Spoon song and a previously released Drake Tungsten track.

<i>Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga</i> 2007 studio album by Spoon

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is the sixth studio album by American rock band Spoon. It was first released on July 10, 2007, through Merge Records and Anti-. It received critical acclaim and appeared on several year-end album lists. The album debuted at number 10 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and at number 1 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums, selling 46,000 copies in its first week. By January 2010, the album had sold 318,000 copies in the United States. It was supported by two singles; "The Underdog" and "Don't You Evah".

Peek-A-Boo Records is an Austin, Texas based independent record label.

The Alien Beats is a band created by Britt Daniel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Natural History (band)</span>

The Natural History were a band composed of Tepper brothers singer–guitarist Max and bassist Julian, along with drummer Derek Vockins. After playing locally in the New York area and self-recording their own three-song EP, The Natural History caught the ear of local NYC label Startime International, whose roster includes Brendan Benson, The Walkmen, The French Kicks, among others. Recording with Greg Talenfeld at Stonehouse studio in Nyack, New York, the band released the finished product as a self-titled EP in July 2002. The EP was promoted with a year-full of touring with Enon and Spoon, whereupon the band also found time to record their debut full-length effort Beat Beat Heartbeat, which was released in May 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Millennium</span>

Golden Millennium was a glam rock revival supergroup formed in 1999 composed of Dean Hsieh, Travis Higdon, Tom Hudson, and Britt Daniel.

<i>Clocking Out Is for Suckers</i> 1994 studio album by Drake Tungsten

Clocking Out Is for Suckers is Drake Tungsten's first album, released in 1994 on cassette only and distributed to the Austin, Texas area. Many of the tracks were re-recorded and re-released on later Spoon albums.

<i>Six Pence for the Sauces</i> 1996 EP by Drake Tungsten

Six Pence for the Sauces was the second and last record released by Drake Tungsten. The five-song EP included two future Spoon tracks, as well as a Pixies cover. 1996 marked the end of Drake Tungsten, as well as the birth of Spoon - the musical group that Britt Daniel has performed with post-Tungsten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dozy vs. Drake – Upon Further Consideration</span> 1998 single by Drake Tungsten

"Dozy Vs. Drake - Upon Further Consideration" is a limited edition remix album released on CD5 through Revival Records. Dozy collaborated with Drake Tungsten to create a 33:55 minute long electronica-based track. According to AMG, "a DJ who called himself Dozy borrowed a handful of Tungsten's songs and remixed them to the point that they sounded nothing like the original."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divine Fits</span> American-Canadian indie rock band

Divine Fits was an American-Canadian indie rock band composed of Britt Daniel (Spoon), Dan Boeckner, Sam Brown, and Alex Fischel (Spoon). The group released their debut album, A Thing Called Divine Fits, in 2012 on Merge Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoon discography</span>

The discography of American rock band Spoon consists of 10 studio albums, four extended plays (EPs), and 26 singles. Formed in 1993 in Austin, Texas by Britt Daniel and Jim Eno (drums), Spoon released their debut studio album, Telephono, in 1996 on Matador Records. Their follow-up full-length, A Series of Sneaks, was released in 1998 on Elektra, who subsequently dropped the band. Spoon went on to sign with Merge Records, where Spoon gained greater commercial success and critical acclaim with the albums Girls Can Tell (2001), Kill the Moonlight (2002), and particularly Gimme Fiction (2005), which debuted at number 44 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 300,000 copies in the US. The group's next three albums - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007), Transference (2010), and They Want My Soul (2014) - reached the top 10 of the US charts, while the latter two peaked in the top 20 in Canada and the top 50 in Australia. The band's ninth album, Hot Thoughts, was released on March 17, 2017.

<i>Everything Hits at Once: The Best of Spoon</i> 2019 greatest hits album by Spoon

Everything Hits at Once: The Best of Spoon is a greatest hits compilation album by American rock band Spoon. It was released on July 26, 2019, through Matador Records. The compilation was announced on June 19, 2019, coinciding with the release of new single "No Bullets Spent."

<i>Lucifer on the Sofa</i> 2022 studio album by Spoon

Lucifer on the Sofa is the tenth studio album by American rock band Spoon, released on February 11, 2022, through Matador Records. Spoon began work on the album in late 2018 after the conclusion of their tour supporting Hot Thoughts (2017), their ninth studio album. Recording sessions began in late 2019 and took place in studios between Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. They primarily recorded the album with Mark Rankin, with Justin Raisen and Dave Fridmann, the latter of whom co-produced the band's previous two albums, each producing one song. Recording sessions continued until March 2020 but had to be postponed after the COVID-19 pandemic began severely impacting the United States. After completing the album in 2021, the band released the album's lead single, "The Hardest Cut", in October of that year.

References

  1. Mike DaRonco, "Drake Tungsten Biography", Allmusic, retrieved March 11, 2008.
  2. Maron, Marc (16 April 2015). "Episode 594 - Britt Daniel / Jon Ronson" (Audio podcast interview). WTF with Marc Maron . Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raoul Hernandez, "Drake Tungsten and his Boy Skellington", Austin Chronicle , January 25, 1999
  4. 'Sup Magazine, "The Biography of Britt Daniel of Spoon As Told Through Music" Archived October 14, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , December 2005. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  5. Peek-A-Boo Records Drake Tungsten Bio Page Archived 2021-06-19 at the Wayback Machine , PeekABooRecords.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  6. Raoul Hernandez, "Drake Tungsten and His Boy Skellington." The Austin Chronicle, January 25, 1999.
  7. Peek-A-Boo Records Golden Millennium Bio Page Archived 2021-09-22 at the Wayback Machine , PeekABooRecords.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  8. Origin Systems Inc. Developer Bio, MobyGames.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  9. Columbia Records, Stranger Than Fiction Soundtrack Archived October 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , ColumbiaRecords.com. Retrieved October 11, 2007.
  10. "Sweet Spirit & Britt Daniel – "Paper Tiger" (Spoon Cover)". Stereogum. 15 May 2015.
  11. Artist Bio: "Drake Tungsten" Archived 2021-06-19 at the Wayback Machine , Peek-A-Boo Records, retrieved March 7, 2008.