The Bravery is an American
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 ...
band formed in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist
Sam Endicott
Samuel Bingham Endicott (born August 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor and director. He is best known as the lead vocalist of The Bravery with whom he recorded three studio albums.
Career
At age 11 Endico ...
, guitarist
Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist
Mike Hindert
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...
and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best known for their 2005 top 10 UK single "
An Honest Mistake
"An Honest Mistake" is a song by American rock band the Bravery. It was released as their debut single and the lead single from their self-titled studio album on February 28, 2005. The song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and numb ...
" and their certified gold 2008 single "Believe". Before their initial split, they released three studio albums: ''
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best know ...
'' (2005), ''
The Sun and the Moon'' (2007) and ''
Stir the Blood'' (2009). They also released a remixed edition of their second album, called ''
The Sun and the Moon Complete'', in 2008, as well as an
Internet live album called ''Live at the Wiltern Theater'' in 2010. The group's music is mostly
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
-influenced rock.
The band was inactive from the early 2010s onward, with Endicott confirming the band's indefinite hiatus in April 2014. On July 31, 2021, The Bravery's website confirmed the return of the group.
History
Formation and rising fame (2003)
Frontman-songwriter
Sam Endicott
Samuel Bingham Endicott (born August 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor and director. He is best known as the lead vocalist of The Bravery with whom he recorded three studio albums.
Career
At age 11 Endico ...
and keyboardist John Conway were classmates at
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...
in
Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
. The two began a musical partnership, playing together in various bands in the Poughkeepsie area including a project with future ''
CSI: Miami
''CSI: Miami'' (''Crime Scene Investigation: Miami'') is an American police procedural drama television series that ran from September 23, 2002 until April 8, 2012 on CBS. Featuring David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Emily Procter as Dete ...
'' star
Jonathan Togo
Jonathan Frederick Togo (born August 25, 1977) is an American actor, best known for his role in ''CSI: Miami'' as Ryan Wolfe.
Early life, family and education
Togo was born in Rockland, Massachusetts, the son of Sheila, a housewife and former ...
. After graduating, Endicott and Conway moved to New York City, where Endicott switched from bass guitar to vocals and began writing music that would later become The Bravery.
Guitarist Michael Zakarin joined after answering an advert in a local paper, and brought with him bassist Mike Hindert, a classmate of his from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Drummer Anthony Burulcich was living in
Boston, Massachusetts where he had studied percussion at
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
. After his sister's death, Burulcich moved back to his childhood home in
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
New York to be with his family. On the day Burulcich was moving, while driving with his belongings in a
U-Haul
U-Haul is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen in Ridgefield, Washington, who began it in the garage ...
truck, Endicott called him.
The band played their first gig at the Stinger Club in Brooklyn in November 2003. To promote their local shows, they manufactured 1,000 posters and 3 song cd samplers containing the songs "An Honest Mistake", "No Brakes" and "Public Service Announcement". Both items featured the iconic “Phoenix” image by New York artis
C._Finley.html" ;"title="C. Finley">C. Finley
">C. Finley">C. Finley
The same artwork later became the cover of The Bravery's debut album. The band self promoted themselves by handing out CDs and postering the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The band also promoted themselves on the internet and were one of the first bands on MySpace to have a profile. Their MySpace profile pointed to thebravery.com, where the same 3 songs were available as downloadable
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
s.
''Unconditional EP'' (2004)
After a few months of headlining and selling out small clubs, The Bravery booked a residency at the Lower East side club
Arlene's Grocery
Arlene's Grocery is a bar and music venue located in the Lower East Side district of Manhattan. It is located at 95 Stanton Street between Orchard St and Ludlow St. The venue was opened by Shane Doyle and two partners in 1995. Shane Doyle was al ...
. The Bravery played every Thursday at 10pm in May 2004. Every show sold out and garnered the attention of many record labels. Around the same time, the band received their first radio airplay on the show 'Alter Ego' hosted by Paul Driscoll on Boston's
WFNX. Aaron Axeleson at
Live 105 Kits may refer to:
* Kitsilano, a neighbourhood of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
*Kits, an American taffy candy made by Gilliam Candy Company
*KITS, a San Francisco, California radio station
*Kottayam Institute of Technology & Sci ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
at
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
in the UK, also downloaded the MP3 of "An Honest Mistake" fro
thebravery.com With three major radio stations around the world playing the MP3 of "An Honest Mistake" and sold-out shows in New York, The Bravery signed in August 2004 to
Island Def Jam
The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...
in the United States and
Loog Records
Loog Records is a UK-based record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as an imprint of Polydor Records. The label was launched in 2003 and managed by former NME editor James Oldham. It is named after former Rolling Stones mana ...
in the UK.
For the month of November 2004, The Bravery moved to the
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish.
The ...
part of London. The band imported their residency idea to London playing every Thursday at The Metro Club in
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develop ...
.
The band toured the entire UK, France and the
Netherlands
)
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, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
between Thursdays. The band also opened shows for
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are complem ...
and
Razorlight
Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delemo ...
.
Loog Records released the ''Unconditional EP'', a limited edition 3 song EP on CD and 12” vinyl containing the songs “Unconditional”, “No Brakes” and “Out of Line”. NME wrote, “Unconditional already has the time-worn feel of an indie classic.”
The cover was taken fro
C. Finley’soil on canvas named “Colab.” “Unconditional” received heavy airplay on Radio 1 and
XFM London
Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed London-wide station in 1997 and nationally in 2015 ...
.
The Bravery played New Year's Eve of 2005 at the Motherfucker Party in New York City. Bassist Mike Hindert was almost arrested for stripping naked and exposing his genitalia, displaying a painted smiley face and the words “Happy New Year”.
''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' proclaimed the Bravery to be "New York's Official Next Big Thing", while
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
and
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
hailed them as an artist to watch. The band were also tipped in the BBC News website's
Sound of 2005
Sound of... is an annual BBC poll of music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent. It was first conducted by the BBC News website in 2003, and is now widely covered by the corporation's online, radio and TV out ...
poll as 2005's #1 most promising act.
''The Bravery'' (2005–2006)
The Bravery's first single "
An Honest Mistake
"An Honest Mistake" is a song by American rock band the Bravery. It was released as their debut single and the lead single from their self-titled studio album on February 28, 2005. The song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and numb ...
", was released in the UK on February 28, 2005, and debuted at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. The single reached No. 12 on the US Modern Rock Chart. The CD single contained the b-side “Hey Sunshiney Day.” The 7" Vinyl contained the b-side “Hot Pursuit (Duet Version),” a duet with lead singer Sam Endicott and Gillian Conway (sister of keyboard player John Conway). The Bravery's second single, "
Fearless
Fearless or The Fearless may refer to:
Psychology
* Lack of fear
* Courage or bravery
Film, television and audio Film
* ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi
* ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...
" was released in the UK on May 23, 2005. The single's slimline CD featured a cover of "
An Cat Dubh" by
U2 as the b-side. The b-side for the 7" vinyl was a cover of
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
' "
It's All I Can Do
"It's All I Can Do" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It is the third track from their 1979 album ''Candy-O''. It was written by the band's leader and songwriter Ric Ocasek, and features bassist Benjamin Orr on vocals.
Sound and gen ...
". The DVD single contained the Fearless Video as well as live footage of "No Brakes" recorded at club
Koko in London on March 1, 2005
C. Finley’sartwork entitled "Lady With A Blunt" was used as the cover art. The "Unconditional" single was released in the UK on August 29, 2005. The slimline CD single contained a
Michael Brauer Michael Brauer is a New York-based mix engineer. He received a Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Album" for his work on John Mayer's ''Continuum'', "Best Alternative Album" for Coldplay's ''Parachutes'', and also "Best Rock Album" for Coldplay's ''Viva la ...
radio Mix as the A-side and a
Benny Benassi
Marco "Benny" Benassi (; born 13 July 1967) is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit " Satisfaction".
He started his career ...
dance remix as the b-side. The remix reached the top 10 on the UK dance charts. The Maxi single contained the b-sides "Oh, Glory" and "An Honest Mistake" remix by
Superdiscount. The CD was enhanced with the video for "Unconditional". "Phoenix Girl", an acrylic and graphite drawing on paper b
C. Finley’swas used for the cover art.
''
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best know ...
'', was released on March 14, 2005, in the UK (March 29, 2005 in the US). It debuted No. 5 on the UK Album Chart and No. 15 on the Irish Chart. C. Finley's painting “Phoenix” was used as the cover art. The first 10,000 copies in the UK were made with a silver foil cover and a black embossed Phoenix. The band was featured on the cover of the March 12 issue of ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''. The album was released in Europe on April 4, 2005. The band was featured on the cover of the French music magazine
''Magic''. Australia released the album on May 4. “An Honest Mistake” became a top ten hit on
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
radio in Australia.
On May 28, 2005, The Bravery played three shows in one day, taking a helicopter from Homelands festival in
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
, to
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
for
Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
's concert at the
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
soccer ground, and then on to London. The Bravery's last show of the day was the first of three sold out headlining shows at the Astoria. On June 14, 2005, The Bravery supported the opening night of U2's European tour in Manchester, UK. During The Bravery's opening song "Rites of Spring", the power failed on stage. The band left the stage coming back 10 minutes later, only to have the power shut off again.
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.
Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
wrote a letter to the band thanking them, stating "P.S. If you ever need anything, call
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
,
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
or
Larry
Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names.
Larry may refer to the following:
People Arts and entertainment
* Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer
*Larry Boone ...
". The Bravery went on to support other European dates for U2 including a sold out 90,000 capacity
Croke Park
Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...
concert in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
on June 27. The Bravery played at
Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
on June 26, 2005. Their set was due to be aired live on
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
in the daytime, but had to be shown well after the watershed, as bass guitarist Mike Hindert stripped naked on stage due to the hot weather and threw himself into the drumkit to end their set. A photograph of Hindert's buttocks on stage with 40,000 people in the distance was featured in the following issue of the ''NME'' and ''Blender Magazine'', where Mike was quoted as saying "A bottle of
Jager
Jager is a Dutch occupational surname meaning "hunter". People with this surname include:
*Durk Jager (born 1943), Dutch businessman in the United States
* Eric Jager (born 1957), American medievalist and literary critic
*Evan Jager (born 1989), ...
will usually do that to you. It wasn't the best showing of my life. I should get a
girl to fluff me beforehand". His nakedness is now immortalized on film in
Julien Temple’s
''Glastonbury The Film''. Throughout 2005, The Bravery sold out headlining shows all over the world and played some of the largest festivals including
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
,
Coachella Music Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
,
Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...
and
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
. In November and December 2005 and January through March 2006, the band was the supporting act for
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
on their
Touring the Angel
Touring the Angel was a 2005/2006 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the act's 11th studio album, '' Playing the Angel'', which was released in October 2005.
The tour, which was officially announced in June 2 ...
world tour. The tour traveled all over the US, UK and Europe.
''The Sun and the Moon'' (2007–2008)
US
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
radio stations received the CD for The Bravery’s first single "
Time Won't Let Me Go
"Time Won't Let Me Go" is a song by American alternative rock band The Bravery and is featured on their second album ''The Sun and the Moon (The Bravery album), The Sun and the Moon''. The song was also released as the first single (music), single ...
" the same week as the band played in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and the SXSW festival. The single reached the Alternative Top Ten Hit in America.
On May 22, 2007, The Bravery’s second album ''The Sun and the Moon'' was released, debuting at No. 24 on the US album charts. Endicott described the new album as a departure from the synth-heavy sound of their debut. The cover and artwork are candid photographs taken by Jo McCaughey and Drew King. Endicott and art designer Andy West took a newsprint/collage approach to the album's layout. The Bravery's second single "
Believe" reached No. 4 on the US Alternative Charts in April 2008, 11 months after the original release of the album. "Believe" stayed at No. 4 for six weeks, becoming the band's biggest radio hit to date.
Two weeks before the release, The Bravery played a number of special shows in New York City, including two secret shows on May 8 at
Arlene's Grocery
Arlene's Grocery is a bar and music venue located in the Lower East Side district of Manhattan. It is located at 95 Stanton Street between Orchard St and Ludlow St. The venue was opened by Shane Doyle and two partners in 1995. Shane Doyle was al ...
, the very club that the band credits as the club where they were discovered. The Bravery toured extensively in the US, headlining dates until June. The band headed to Europe on their own headlining tour, stopping to play in
Oxegen
Oxegen was a music festival in Ireland, first held from 2004–2011 as a rock and pop festival and again in 2013 with dance and chart acts only. The event was regularly cited as Ireland's biggest music festival, and, by 2009, it was being ci ...
and
T in the Park
T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...
festivals. Between July and September, The Bravery supported
Incubus
An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...
on their outdoor amphitheatre summer tour. The band then supported
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
on their US theatre tour. In October, The Bravery headed to Mexico where they played Motorkr Festival in Mexico City. They finished 2007 headlining more dates in the US.
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
announced The Bravery as the first artist ever to pre-release a different song every week prior to the album release. On February 19, 2008, the first single, a re-recording of "Believe" debuted on iTunes. A song a week followed: "This Is Not the End" was released on February 26, "Bad Sun" on March 4 and "The Ocean" on March 11.
While on the road, The Bravery continued working on ''The Moon'' recording in the back of their tour bus, in hotels and dressing rooms. In December 2007, The Bravery headed back into their New York City home studios to finish up their more raw and electronic version of the songs. In January 2008, the band announced the new release of ''
The Sun and the Moon Complete'', a two-disc set featuring ''The Sun'' (the original Brendan O’Brien-produced 12 songs) and ''The Moon'' (the same exact 12 songs, in the same order, but re-imagined and re-worked by the band). It was released on March 18, 2008. A new album cover and packaging accompany the two-disc set. The Bravery's single "Believe" reached number four on the Modern Rock Charts during the week of April 13, 2008. It is the highest chart position for the band in the United States. "Believe" stayed at number 4 for six weeks. "Believe" went on to become a certified gold single in the United States.
After a disagreement with the band's UK label, ''The Sun and The Moon'' was never released in the UK. Endicott addressed the issue for the first time in public during a feature in the November 4, 2009 issue of the ''NME''. "The big thing was the BBC counted us as the best new band of the year and at that point our label lost its shit. We got off a plane in London and there were billboards of us on the highway. Suddenly we weren't this indie band, we were the Spice Girls!" The band has since been in a legal battle with their UK label over the rights of ''The Sun and The Moon'' and the band's future releases.
''Stir the Blood'' (2009)
Keyboardist John Conway posted on the band's blog that The Bravery were in the studio with producer John Hill, who has previously worked with
Santigold
Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...
and
M.I.A., and that new tunes were "already taking shape". Throughout summer 2009, The Bravery performed songs from their forthcoming third studio album at various shows, including those whilst supporting
Green Day
Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
on their 21st Century Breakdown North American Tour. These include "Hatef--k" and "Red Hands and White Knuckles".
In a ''Billboard'' feature, Enidcott describes the new album as "more like the first record (in 2005) in that there's a lot of electronics on it, but it still sounds very human. It's also like the first record in that it's a party album. It's uptempo, fun music, although it does have a range of things. There are slower, dreamy songs, and our bass player (Mike Hindert) wrote a song ('She Is So Bendable') that sounds like a '50s ballad."
The first single "
Slow Poison
"Slow Poison" is a 2009 song by the American indie rock band The Bravery. It was the first single from their album ''Stir the Blood''. It peaked at #23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and at #40 on the Rock Songs chart. " debuted on September 8, 2009. Sam called into these morning shows to debut The Bravery's new single: KROQ – Los Angeles, WRXP – New York, WFNX – Boston, The End – Seattle, 91X – San Diego, The Edge – Phoenix. The video for "Slow Poison" premiered on AOL Spinner Friday November 6, 2009. Another video directed by bass player Mike Hindert for the song "Sugar Pill" was released on November 19, 2009.
On October 1, 2009, The Bravery leaked a video for their new song "Hatef--k" via the band's MySpace page. The disturbing video was directed by bass player Mike Hindert and depicts a sadomasochistic scene where the female character wearing a gas mask cuts a vagina into the male character using a knife. Mermaid dolls then enter into the orifice.
The Bravery headlined an entire North American tour prior to the ''
Stir the Blood'', December 1, 2009 release. Fans were able to meet the band after pre-ordering the album. An iTunes pre-order for the album began on Tuesday, November 10. New song "I Am Your Skin" was made available to download when pre-ordering the album.
Like ''The Sun and The Moon'', ''Stir the Blood'' was not released in the UK due to a legal battle with the UK label.
''Live at the Wiltern Theater'' (2010–2011)
''Live At The Wiltern Theater'' was the Bravery's first live album and concert film. The iTunes exclusive was released on June 8, 2010, and chronicles the Bravery's sold-out performance at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles from November 5, 2009. The digital only release features all 18 songs from the show including the band's hits, "An Honest Mistake", "Believe", "Time Won't Let Me Go", "Unconditional", and "Slow Poison". The official iTunes review states "it’s obvious that the NYC quintet has a symbiotic relationship with their audience — the more the crowd gives, the more the band delivers."
On June 2, 2010, a brand new Bravery song entitled "Ours" was released on ''
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Soundtrack'' through
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
. This was the first Bravery song to be released in the UK since their certified gold debut album in 2005.
On December 9, 2010, the band announced a UK tour and London residency for February 2011. The band's social media sites stated "The group, whose last UK album release was their Gold-selling, Top 5 debut in 2005, have resolved a legal dispute with their former record label and will go on to release a new single and album following a residency at London’s Hoxton Bar and Kitchen and further UK shows."
At the SXSW 2011 The Bravery performed "Gin and Juice" with
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the late 1970s, some of his notable credits include ''Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The ...
singing the vocals.
Hiatus (2012–2021)
Burulcich toured as
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...
's drummer from 2012 to 2013. In July 2013, Burulcich started playing drums for
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
, as drummer
Patrick Wilson
Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor and director. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in ''The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and ''Oklahoma ...
was on personal leave. Burulcich toured as the drummer for
White Sea
The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is su ...
in 2014, and Weezer guitarist
Brian Bell
Brian Lane Bell (born December 9, 1968) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded f ...
's band
The Relationship
The Relationship was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, founded in 2007 by Weezer guitarist Brian Bell and Nate Shaw. In 2010, Bell released the first Relationship album and has since performed and recorded with a ...
. Mike Hindert started the record label Merrifield Records, and went on to work as a director. John Conway became a
wine maker
Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and w ...
with his business, Conway Family Wines. Zakarin pursued other creative interests outside of music. Endicott became lead vocalist in the band The Mercy Beat, with Burulcich playing drums for the band.
In April 2014, Endicott confirmed through The Bravery's website and
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page that all the members were taking part in separate avenues of creative interests and that there were no plans for The Bravery in the foreseeable future.
Reunion (2021–present)
On July 31, 2021, the band posted a notice to their website and social media, hinting at a return.
In September 2021, the band were announced on the bill for the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City alongside
Tame Impala
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parke ...
and
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots (stylized in Letter case, all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris ...
.
Collaborations
While recording the Bravery's ''Stir the Blood'' album, Sam Endicott and John Hill co-wrote three songs for the
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
album ''
She Wolf
''She Wolf'' ( es, Loba, link=no) is the eighth studio album and third English-language album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira. It was released on 9 October 2009, by Epic Records and Sony Music Latin. As executive producers, Shakira and Am ...
'' (2009), including the single "
She Wolf
''She Wolf'' ( es, Loba, link=no) is the eighth studio album and third English-language album by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira. It was released on 9 October 2009, by Epic Records and Sony Music Latin. As executive producers, Shakira and Am ...
" and "Men In This Town". "She Wolf" peaked at No. 1 in Latin America, No. 2 in Germany, Ireland, Italy, Estonia and Spain, No. 3 in Switzerland and Austria, No. 4 in the UK, France and Greece, No. 5 in Canada and Belgium, No. 6 in Finland, No. 9 in Japan as well as No. 11 in the US. The third song "Devoción" is featured on Shakira's 2010 Spanish album ''
Sale El Sol
''Sale el Sol'' ( en, The Sun Comes Out, italic=yes) is the ninth studio album by Colombian singer and songwriter Shakira, released on 19 October 2010, by Epic Records. The album marks a return to Shakira's signature Latin pop sound after the e ...
''. Bravery drummer Anthony Burulcich plays drums on Shakira's song "Tu Boca" on the album ''Sale El Sol''.
Endicott, Hill and artist
Santigold
Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...
co-wrote "Monday Morning", a song for
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
's album ''
Bionic
Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology.
The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...
'' (2010). Dan Martin of the ''NME'' wrote in his album review of ''Bionic'', "Perhaps best of all is ‘Monday Morning'. Written with Santigold and The Bravery’s Sam Endicott, it’s a Day-Glo disco jam that sounds like Gwen Stefani doing ‘Borderline’."
Discography
;Studio albums
* ''
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best know ...
'' (2005)
* ''
The Sun and the Moon'' (2007)
* ''
Stir the Blood'' (2009)
Band members
*
Sam Endicott
Samuel Bingham Endicott (born August 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor and director. He is best known as the lead vocalist of The Bravery with whom he recorded three studio albums.
Career
At age 11 Endico ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar
(2003–2011, 2021–present)
* Michael Zakarin – lead guitar, backing vocals
(2003–2011, 2021–present)
* John Conway – keyboards, backing vocals
(2003–2011, 2021–present)
*
Mike Hindert
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...
– bass, backing vocals
(2003–2011, 2021–present)
* Anthony Burulcich – drums, backing vocals
(2003–2011, 2021–present)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bravery, The
2003 establishments in New York City
2011 disestablishments in New York (state)
Indie rock musical groups from New York (state)
Island Records artists
Musical groups established in 2003
Musical groups disestablished in 2012
Musical groups reestablished in 2021
Musical groups from New York (state)
Musical quintets
Post-punk revival music groups
Universal Music Group artists