Brett Nelson (born 1969) is an American
multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter best known as the former bassist for the
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band
Built to Spill.
In high school, Nelson played in a band called Farm Days along with
Doug Martsch
Doug Martsch (born September 16, 1969) is an American singer and musician. He is best known for his distinctive vocals and guitar playing style in the band Built to Spill.
Career
Martsch's first band was Farm Days, with Andy Capps and Brett Nels ...
and Andy Capps. Nelson's next band,
Butterfly Train, released two albums on
Up Records
Up Records was a Seattle based independent record label founded in 1994 by Chris Takino and Rich Jensen. Some of the label's best known artists were 764-Hero, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Quasi and Tad.
Chris Takino died of leukemia in 2000 ...
, in 1994 and 1996, before breaking up (Andy Capps was drummer for the latter album).
In 1994, Nelson and Andy Capps joined Martsch's
Built to Spill.
Nelson has appeared on every album except the debut, ''
Ultimate Alternative Wavers
''Ultimate Alternative Wavers'' is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Built to Spill. The line-up consisted of Doug Martsch on guitar and vocals, Brett Netson on guitar and bass, and Ralf Youtz on drums, although there was some ...
'' and ''
Untethered Moon''.
Nelson sings and plays guitar and keyboards for The Suffocation Keep, which released its debut album ''John Hughes Was Never So Wrong'' in 2002. The band completed a second album in 2004,''A Few Minor Modifications of the Stars''. The album was never released; however, the band did make it available for free download.
Nelson lives in
Boise, Idaho. He sometimes calls himself "Brett Not Netson" or "breLson" to distinguish himself from Built to Spill bandmate
Brett Netson
Caustic Resin is an American indie rock band from Boise, Idaho consisting of Brett Netson on guitar and vocals, Tom Romich Jr. on bass guitar, and James Dillion or Pat Perkins on drums.
Biography
Caustic Resin formed in Boise, Idaho in 1988, the ...
.
In November 2009, Nelson re-recorded seven Built To Spill songs "synthesizer/drum machine only" with bandmate Doug Martsch re-singing the songs and released it as an EP titled
The Electronic Anthology Project The Electronic Anthology Project began as the idea of Built to Spill bassist Brett Nelson. Always having loved and been greatly influenced by 1980s new wave music, he wondered what a guitar-driven band like Built to Spill would sound like if made ...
in July 2010.
The new edition of The Electronic Anthology Project takes nine songs from Dinosaur Jr. with new vocals by J Mascis. It was released on
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
, April 21, 2012, in a limited edition of 500 purple vinyl copies (with digital, CD and standard vinyl to follow).
Brett Nelson departed from Built to Spill, along with then-drummer
Scott Plouf in 2012, after 18 years with the band. The reasons behind the decision are said to be benevolent. Nelson was replaced by Jason Albertini and Scott Plouf by Steve Gere. Built to Spill promptly began touring again in early 2013.
After his exit from Built to Spill, Nelson joined Sleepy Seeds. They self-released their only album on June 24, 2014.
After Sleepy Seeds disbanded in 2015, Nelson started a four-piece post-wave band called Sick Wish featuring his son Jonah Nelson.
References
External links
Brett Nelson on MyspaceButterfly Train on MyspaceButterfly Train on the Up Records websiteThe Suffocation Keep (official home)The Suffocation Keep on Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Brett
1969 births
Living people
American male singers
Singers from Idaho
Songwriters from Idaho
American rock bass guitarists
Built to Spill members
American male bass guitarists
20th-century American bass guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
People from Boise, Idaho
American male songwriters