|
The punchy modern rock
outfit the Bravery features Sam Endicott
(vocals/guitar), John Conway (keyboards), Anthony
Burulcich (drums), Michael Zakarin (guitar), and Mike H.
(bass). The HQ is on the corner of Mott and Broome, on
the edge of New York’s Chinatown. Push through the
graffiti-ed door, clamber up the rotten stairs, past the
sweatshops and you’ll find the place. It’s where The
Bravery have spent the past two years planning
operations, obsessively working up their wiry
garage-electronics and occasionally venturing out into
the city to play the results.
Their first gig was in The Stinger Club in Brooklyn in
2003. 12 months later, their name was plastered all over
the Lower East Side to celebrate a sold-out residency at
Arlene Grocery on Stanton. In that time, The Bravery
(and that’s singer/guitarist Sam Endicott, guitarist
Michael Zakarin, bassist Mike H, keyboardist John Conway
and drummer Anthony Burulcich) had honed their sound to
a dark garage-electro and made sure everyone knew what
they were all about.
“We’re called The Bravery because that’s the mindset I
was in when I was writing the songs,” explains Sam now.
“Everyone in my age group wants to know what they’re
going to do with their lives. They all think that
they’re worth nothing and they’re heading nowhere.
People are drowning in these thoughts and I just got
sick of it. I didn’t want to be like that.
“The name is also connected with living in New York in
this really weird time. People are constantly waiting
for something bad to happen. I wrote these songs and
formed this band to make sure I didn’t get overcome by
that sense of fear. That’s what this band is about –
standing tall and not being afraid.”
Sam has no time for excuses. He grew up in Maryland, in
the DC suburbs, and was heavily influenced by the area’s
intense post-punk scene. He’d go and see bands like
Fugazi and Jawbox and be impressed by their DIY ethic.
He quickly adopted it as his own philosophy and it’s
something that feeds directly into The Bravery. They do
everything – they make the records, the artwork, the
videos, everything. They know what they want and how
they want to do it.
“I don’t really like mainstream music at all,” admits
Sam. “When I listen to the radio or watch MTV, 99% of it
is like listening to an air-conditioner or a hair-dryer.
Sometimes, though, something comes along that jolts you.
When I was growing up, it was bands like Nirvana and
Jane’s Addiction. Those bands elevate culture. I don’t
think there’s any point in aiming for anything less.”
One thing that sometimes puzzles people about The
Bravery is why they sound electronic when all the bands
they like are punk guitar bands. Sam doesn’t know why
they sound like they do. He just wanted to do something
different.
Of course, the circumstances in which they recorded
their album (most of it was constructed in Sam’s bedroom
with Radio Shack mics and an old iMac) and the fact that
Sam’s best friend John Conway is totally obsessed with
analog keyboards obviously helped shape their sound.
|
