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The Brian Jonestown Massacre
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Everything about The Brian Jonestown Massacre totally explainedThe Brian Jonestown Massacre (frequently abbreviated as BJM or The BJM) are a neo-psychedelic rock band founded in San Francisco, California, in the early 1990s, led by Anton Newcombe.
Line-up
Since its formation, the band has undergone a large number of personnel changes. Multi-instrumentalist and main songwriter Anton Newcombe is the only member who has stayed with the Brian Jonestown Massacre since its beginning, when it was founded by Newcombe and guitarist/bassist/vocalist Matt Hollywood.
The current line-up of The BJM consists of members:
- Frankie "Teardrop" Emerson, a guitarist.
- Ricky Rene Maymi, a guitarist and founding member of The BJM. Ricky started out in the original line-up for the band as a drummer. (He was recently replaced by Irina Yaikowsky, who was in turn replaced by Ricky again).
- Rob Campanella, a Los Angeles-based studio producer, engineer, organist, guitarist and keyboardist. He has worked with bands such as The Tyde, Beachwood Sparks, Dead Meadow, Mia Doi Todd, Frausdots, Scarling., and his own band, The Quarter After.
- Collin Hegna, a bass guitarist.
- Dan Allaire, the band's current drummer, most noticeable for his powerful style of drumming.
- Joel Gion, tambourine man.
There are at least two dozen musicians who have been in The Brian Jonestown Massacre at one point or another. Former members include:
Joel Gion, Tambourine Man and "Spokesperson for the Revolution", a founding member and currently a front man for San Francisco indie/garage rock band, The Dilettantes. Gion clocked the most time with Newcombe and has quit and rejoined the band more times than anyone else.
Matt Hollywood, a founding member and primarily a bass guitarist in the band for roughly seven years. Hollywood was also a founding member of Portland-based indie rock band, The Out Crowd, before going on to create his newest band, The Rebel Drones.
Jeff Davies, a founding member and guitarist for The BJM from 1992 to 1999, rejoining in 2001, only to quit again in 2003. He is currently a guitarist in the folk rock/country/pop group, The Burlington Family. He has also been involved with the bands, The Tulips, and Smallstone.
Dean Taylor, an early member and guitarist for the band, he's currently a member of the shoegaze/indie rock band, The Mandarins. Taylor left The BJM permanently in 1998.
Peter Hayes, a guitarist for the band. Peter is a founding member of San Francisco-based rock trio, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Sune Rose Wagner, a founding member of Psyched up Janis, The Tremolo Beer Gut and The Raveonettes.
Bobby Hecksher, a founding member of Los Angeles-based neo-psychedelic rock band, The Warlocks.
Miranda Lee Richards, a part time member providing vocals and guitar accompaniment. She is also a solo recording artist.
Matt Tow, a founding member of Australia's answer to The BJM, Melbourne-based neo-psychedelic rock band, The Lovetones. He was also a former member of the band, Drop City.
Brian Glaze, an original member and drummer for The BJM. He is currently a solo artist and member of the psych rock band, The Gris Gris.
Brad Artley, a short-term member and drummer for The BJM. He was also a former member for the post-punk rock band, The Richmond Sluts.
Tommy Dietrick, a former bassist for The BJM. He is currently a member of the band, Sky Parade.
Dave Koenig of Spindrift and The Clean Prophets.
Lenny Pops, a short-term member, is also a founding member of rock band, The Red Hearts and The Snakes.
Christian Omar Madrigal Izzo, a short-term member and drummer in 1998. He is also a member of the rock bands, Chokebore, Shadow Project, and Christian Death 1334.
Much has been made of the fact that Newcombe is head-strong and has just one vision in mind: his own. However, many of the musicians who quit his band have stayed in his orbit and continue working with him in some capacity. Newcombe was, at one point, a drummer in Hecksher's Warlocks. Campanella produces or engineers many of the records on Newcombe's record label, The Committee to Keep Music Evil. Gion is forever showing back up shaking the tambourine at BJM shows. Ricky Rene Maymi was a drummer in an early incarnation of the band, then came back playing guitar several years later, and has since quit and rejoined the band at least once. Even The Dandy Warhols appear to have buried the hatchet with Newcombe, as he joined them onstage at Lollapalooza in July 2005.
Name
Newcombe's art is heavily influenced by the surrealist techniques of pastiche and image appropriation, and this influence is readily apparent in the name and logo of the band. The Brian Jonestown Massacre is a portmanteau of the name of original member and guitarist of The Rolling Stones, Brian Jones, and the infamous mass cult suicide at Jonestown, Guyana. The name was also a reaction against a trend toward monosyllabic band names at the time, in particular the British bands Ride, Lush and Blur.
Newcombe's interest in cults like that of Jim Jones and Charles Manson is well known, and made quite plain by songs such as "The Ballad of Jim Jones" and "Arkansas Revisited" (a rework of Charles Manson's song "Arkansas", which appeared on the album ) Similar interests include a fascination with the Masons.
Music
The first BJM album, 1995's Methodrone, approximates the UK shoegazing genre. Their second, Take It from the Man!, is reminiscent of the majority of The Rolling Stones' sixties catalog. By their third album, Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request (a homage to the Stones' 1967 album entitled Their Satanic Majesties Request), they began the pastiche of '60s psychedelia that has characterized most of their music. Even the incorporation of influences from world music such as Middle Eastern and Brazilian music seem to be filtered through the matrix of their '60s heroes, who also include The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Donovan, The Byrds and Bob Dylan.
The album track "Jesus" from Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request is extremely reminiscent of the early Spacemen 3 sound on The Perfect Prescription.
Stylistic divergences have occurred. A country/roots rock approach was applied to the Bringing It All Back Home - Again EP (another homage title, this time to Dylan), and electronic music crept into 2003's And This Is Our Music, whose title (a reference to a 1990 album by Galaxie 500, which in turn was a reference to an Ornette Coleman album) betrays much more recent influences. Thank God for Mental Illness displays a stripped-down country/rhythm n' blues sound, relying mostly on voices, and acoustic guitars. This is a format that Newcombe has occasionally resorted to presenting live during times of transition in the band.
In 2005 the band released the EP We Are the Radio, on Newcombe's record label The Committee to Keep Music Evil.
The band announced the release of a new studio album, tenativley titled My Bloody Underground, is due for 2008. On September 3, 2007, the band released rough recordings from the album for download from their website. Music videos of the songs on the album have also been released, including a music video compilation DVD entitled 'Book of Days'.
Soundtrack and television
The BJM and former friends/rivals The Dandy Warhols were the subject of the acclaimed documentary DiG!.
"You Look Great When I'm Fucked Up" was featured in the last minutes of Episode 5 of Series 1 of the British comedy/drama television series Skins, which was shown on E4.
"Not If You Were the Last Dandy on Earth" appeared in the Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers.
"Going to Hell" appeared in the 1999 film American Pie.
"Going to Hell" appeared in the 1998 film Dead Man's Curve.
"Going to Hell" also appeared in Habitat's 2008 skateboard film Inhabitants.
"Open Heart Surgery" appeared on the soundrack to the TV series Rescue Me.
"13" appeared on the episode "The Devil's Threesome" of the TV series Californication.
Related acts
The Out Crowd
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
The Warlocks
The Quarter After
Spindrift
The Dilettantes
Dead Meadow
Miranda Lee Richards
Sky Parade
The Black Angels
Lechuza
The Mandarins
The band has also influenced many other indie bands noted in the Brian Jonestown Massacre Covers Project.
Lineups
The Brian Jonestown Massacre frequently change their lineup.
Discography
See Brian Jonestown Massacre discographyFurther Information
Get more info on 'The Brian Jonestown Massacre'.
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