Chris Brokaw
Encyclopedia
Chris Brokaw is an American
musician, mostly known for his work with the bands Come
and Codeine
.
While studying at Oberlin College
, Brokaw met many people who became figures on the American indie rock
scene of the 1990s, among them Stephen Immerwahr, who formed Codeine with Brokaw, as well as Sooyoung Park of Bitch Magnet
and Seam
, Liz Phair
and John McEntire
of Tortoise
.
Soon after graduating from Oberlin, Brokaw played drums for G.G. Allin. He also played drums on the two first Codeine albums, and helped kick-start Liz Phair
's career. In 1990 he returned to the guitar, one of his two main instruments, and teamed up with Thalia Zedek
, a well-known figure on New York's
post-No Wave
scene. The two formed Come, a band that despite never gaining much mainstream popularity is still widely seen as one of the most important bands of the American indie rock scene of the 1990s, in terms of originality and artistic courage.
Brokaw and Zedek took a break from Come at the end of the decade, and the band never regrouped, though the pair has since performed together on many occasions. In November 2008 the band convened for one performance at the Tanned Tin Festival in Spain.
After Come, Brokaw has released several albums in his own name, from the instrumental Post-Rock of Red Cities, through the composition and performance of the musical score for "i was born, but...", to the more straightforward song structure of Incredible Love. Both Brokaw and Zedek were invited to participate in a limited edition series of albums by Normal Records, a German label. As a noteworthy detail, Brokaw recorded his contribution, Wandering As Water, in one day, playing all instruments on the record.
In 2008 Brokaw formed his own record label, CAPITAN RECORDS, which has released 2 solo albums of his instrumental music ("Canaris" and "Gracias, Ghost of The Future") as well as his collaboration with Wrekmeister Harmonies, "Live in NYC".
Additionally, Brokaw has played in the bands Pullman, Consonant
, and The New Year
and played as accompanist to such artists as Thurston Moore
, Evan Dando, Steve Wynn
, Fan Modine
, Christina Rosenvinge, Alan Licht, and Rhys Chatham. He provided music for two dance companies: Kino Dance (Boston) and the Daghda Dance Company (Ireland), and scored the films "I Was Born, But" (Roddy Bogawa) and "Road" (Leslie McCleave). Chris participated as drummer 10 in the Boredoms 77 Boadrum
performance which occurred on July 7, 2007 at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park
in Brooklyn
, New York
.
In 2007 he formed the band Dirtmusic with Chris Eckman (Walkabouts) and Hugo Race
, they released the same-titled album on Glitterhouse and then in 2008 performed at The Festival In The Desert, in Essakane, Mali, where they met the Touareg band Tamikrest
. In January 2009 they recorded their second album "BKO" at Ali Farka Touré
's old studio in Bamako, Mali, in collaboration with Tamikrest
, released in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician, mostly known for his work with the bands Come
Come (US band)
Come was an American alternative rock band from 1990-2001. Come was formed in Boston by Thalia Zedek , Chris Brokaw , Arthur Johnson , and Sean O'Brien .-Band history:...
and Codeine
Codeine (band)
Codeine was an American indie rock/slowcore band formed in 1989. They released two full-length albums — Frigid Stars in 1990 and The White Birch in 1994.-History:...
.
While studying at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, Brokaw met many people who became figures on the American indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
scene of the 1990s, among them Stephen Immerwahr, who formed Codeine with Brokaw, as well as Sooyoung Park of Bitch Magnet
Bitch Magnet
Bitch Magnet was a post-hardcore band during the late 1980s and early 1990s who formed at Oberlin College in Ohio and later moved to North Carolina. They released their first record in 1988. All of the band's full-length albums were released on Communion Records in the US; they were also signed to...
and Seam
Seam (band)
Seam was an American indie rock band active from 1991 to 1999, led by Sooyoung Park, former frontman of Bitch Magnet. Park currently plays in Ee...
, Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
and John McEntire
John McEntire
John McEntire is an American recording engineer, drummer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best-known for being in Tortoise and The Sea and Cake, as well as being a highly in-demand producer and engineer....
of Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
.
Soon after graduating from Oberlin, Brokaw played drums for G.G. Allin. He also played drums on the two first Codeine albums, and helped kick-start Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
's career. In 1990 he returned to the guitar, one of his two main instruments, and teamed up with Thalia Zedek
Thalia Zedek
Thalia Zedek is an American singer and guitarist. Active since the early 1980s, she has been a member of several notable alternative rock groups, including Live Skull and Come...
, a well-known figure on New York's
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
post-No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
scene. The two formed Come, a band that despite never gaining much mainstream popularity is still widely seen as one of the most important bands of the American indie rock scene of the 1990s, in terms of originality and artistic courage.
Brokaw and Zedek took a break from Come at the end of the decade, and the band never regrouped, though the pair has since performed together on many occasions. In November 2008 the band convened for one performance at the Tanned Tin Festival in Spain.
After Come, Brokaw has released several albums in his own name, from the instrumental Post-Rock of Red Cities, through the composition and performance of the musical score for "i was born, but...", to the more straightforward song structure of Incredible Love. Both Brokaw and Zedek were invited to participate in a limited edition series of albums by Normal Records, a German label. As a noteworthy detail, Brokaw recorded his contribution, Wandering As Water, in one day, playing all instruments on the record.
In 2008 Brokaw formed his own record label, CAPITAN RECORDS, which has released 2 solo albums of his instrumental music ("Canaris" and "Gracias, Ghost of The Future") as well as his collaboration with Wrekmeister Harmonies, "Live in NYC".
Additionally, Brokaw has played in the bands Pullman, Consonant
Consonant (band)
Consonant is an alternative rock group formed by singer/guitarist Clint Conley in 2001.In the late 1970s, Conley cofounded Mission of Burma, a pioneering Boston post punk group...
, and The New Year
The New Year
The New Year is an American indie rock band, formed in 1999, a year after the demise of the band Bedhead by former Bedhead members Bubba and Matt Kadane.-Band lineup:The New Year is often unable to escape frequent comparisons by critics and Bedhead fans...
and played as accompanist to such artists as Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore
Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...
, Evan Dando, Steve Wynn
Steve Wynn (songwriter)
Steve Wynn is a songwriter based in New York . He led the band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 and afterward began a solo career.- Career in bands :...
, Fan Modine
Fan Modine
Fan Modine is an American indie pop band, whose core member is singer and songwriter Gordon Zacharias. Originally based in Boston, Zacharias has lived in Carrboro, North Carolina since 2001....
, Christina Rosenvinge, Alan Licht, and Rhys Chatham. He provided music for two dance companies: Kino Dance (Boston) and the Daghda Dance Company (Ireland), and scored the films "I Was Born, But" (Roddy Bogawa) and "Road" (Leslie McCleave). Chris participated as drummer 10 in the Boredoms 77 Boadrum
77 Boadrum
77 Boa Drum was a concert held on July 7, 2007 at 7:07 PM consisting of 77 drummers. The concert was organized by Boredoms. The title of the concert was a portmanteau of "Boredoms", "boa", "drum", and "77"...
performance which occurred on July 7, 2007 at the Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park
Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park
Empire–Fulton Ferry Park, formerly Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, is a park in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The park is located next to the East River, extending north and south of the Brooklyn Bridge...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
In 2007 he formed the band Dirtmusic with Chris Eckman (Walkabouts) and Hugo Race
Hugo Race
Hugo Race is an Australian rock musician and record producer who has been based in Europe since 1989. He was a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, before forming The Wreckery with Nick Barker and Robin Casinader in the 1980s. He is currently a member of Hugo Race and the True Spirit.Race is...
, they released the same-titled album on Glitterhouse and then in 2008 performed at The Festival In The Desert, in Essakane, Mali, where they met the Touareg band Tamikrest
Tamikrest
Tamikrest is a group of musicians who belong to the Tuareg people. The band was founded in 2006. They mix traditional African music with Western rock and pop influences and sing in Tamashek...
. In January 2009 they recorded their second album "BKO" at Ali Farka Touré
Ali Farka Touré
Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians. His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues...
's old studio in Bamako, Mali, in collaboration with Tamikrest
Tamikrest
Tamikrest is a group of musicians who belong to the Tuareg people. The band was founded in 2006. They mix traditional African music with Western rock and pop influences and sing in Tamashek...
, released in 2010.
Discography
- Red Cities [2002]
- Wandering As Water [2003]
- My Confidante+3 EP [2004]
- i was born, but... Original Film Score [2004]
- Incredible Love [2005]
- Forestry EP [2005, vinyl only]
- Canaris [2008]
- Gracias, Ghost of the Future [2009, vinyl only, limited to 100 copies]
- VDSQ Solo Acoustic Vol. 3 [2010]
- Tundra [2010, limited to 40 numbered copies]
External links
- Official website
- Chris Brokaw interview
- Evan Dando & Lemonheads fan site plus forum on Chris Brokaw, Tom Morgan, Nic Dalton, Givegoods, Sneeze, Smudge, Barefoot Bushmen and $talker records
- 77 Boadrum Site Profile Viva Radio, Sep 2007. (FlashAdobe FlashAdobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
)