Brainerd is an American

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band formed in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

in 2002 by lead singer and bass player Daniel Dieterich. Current members include Shawn Blackler (guitar), Chad Ovshak (drums), and Jon Chvojicek (guitar).

History

Brainerd was formed in

in 2002 by featuring Daniel Dieterich (bass and vocals), Matt "Knife" Porwall (guitar), Travis Kasperbauer (

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

), and Tony Leskinnen (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), who aimed to blend the punk rock,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, and

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

music styles, while portraying true stories about "living life to its most extreme potential." Occasionally delving into stories of violence, death, and the demonic, the lyrics provide a powerful insight into the mind of people affected by psychological and actual violence. Tony Leskinnen left in 2003 to play with The Skintones and was replaced by Andy Kinzler, a friend of Kasperbauer from the

Madison Media Institute Madison Media Institute (MMI) was a private for-profit media arts college in Madison, Wisconsin. Until 2017, it ran a branch location in Edina, Minnesota. The school offered associate and baccalaureate degree programs in video, music production, ...

, himself joining Mountain Gator and replaced by Mike "Magma" Henry from

Bongzilla Bongzilla is an American stoner metal band that formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1995. They released their debut extended play, ''Mixed Bag'', the following year through Rhetoric Records. Much of Bongzilla's lyrics are centered around cannabis u ...

, who left for The Garza and Aquilonian. Chad Ovshak is the current drummer. Matt Porwall (lead guitar) was replaced by Shawn Blackler from Striking Irwin, and Travis Kasperbauer (rhythm guitar) quit in 2007 to play with Whore du Jour, and was replaced by Jonny "Vortex" Chvojicek from Brickshithouse and the

High Noon Saloon The High Noon Saloon is a live music venue located in Madison, Wisconsin. About The venue features rock, metal, alternative, punk, alt-country, pop, indie, bluegrass, blues, and folk music, hosting national acts, smaller touring bands from around ...

. Brainerd hosts the bi-annual Turbojugend Bloodbath concert series.

Discography

;There's No Eye In Pussy:

Crustacean Records Crustacean Records is an independent record label in Wisconsin, United States, that was founded in 1994. History The label was founded by Chris Langkamp. Chris Langkamp is majority owner and Rory Nienajadlo is co-owner. The debut release was ''F ...

(2003) :Members: Daniel Dieterich, Matt Porwall, Travis Kasperbauer, Andy Kinzler ;Animal Mother: Self Release (2005), Zodiac Killer Records (2008) :Members: Daniel Dieterich, Shawn Blackler, Travis Kasperbauer, Andy Kinzler ;S/T "The Goat":Zodiac Killer Records (2009) :Members: Daniel Dieterich, Shawn Blackler, Jon Chvojicek, Mike Henry

Compilations

;We Will Bury You ( Killdozer tribute album):

(2005) ;94.1 WJJO: Locals Only (2007) ;Drink, Fight & Fuck No. 2: Zodiac Killer Records (2008) ;Mad Rollin’ Dolls: Midwest Family Album (2008) Roller Derby Music Project - website

References

External links

Brainerd
(urSESSION)
Brainerd
( MySpace) American sludge metal musical groups American stoner rock musical groups Heavy metal musical groups from Wisconsin {{US-metal-band-stub