Brett Gurewitz
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Brett W. Gurewitz (born May 12, 1962), nicknamed Mr. Brett, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of
Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
. He is also the owner of the music label
Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...
and a number of sister labels. He has produced albums for Bad Religion as well as Epitaph Records labelmates NOFX, Rancid, and Pennywise, among others. Gurewitz also had a project called
Error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...
, which also featured
Atticus Ross Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for ''The Social Network'' in 2010. In 2013, th ...
,
Leopold Ross Leopold "Leo" Ross is an English musician, record producer, recording engineer and music programmer. Leopold is a guitarist in LA based band Io Echo. Career Leopold was a founding member of eclectic rock band Nojahoda who released one alb ...
, and
Greg Puciato Gregory John Puciato (born March 27, 1980) is an American musician best known as the former lead vocalist and lyricist of the metalcore band the Dillinger Escape Plan. He is also the lead singer of the Black Queen and Killer Be Killed, in which ...
. He is also the co-founder of comic book and graphic novel publisher,
Black Mask Studios Black Mask Studios is a comic book and graphic novel publishing company formed by Matt Pizzolo, Steve Niles and Brett Gurewitz, designed as a new infrastructure to support comic book creators and a new pipeline for transgressive art. Black Mask ...
. Gurewitz founded Bad Religion in 1980 with
Greg Graffin Gregory Walter Graffin (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer and evolutionary biologist. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and only constant member of punk rock band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. He embarked on a s ...
,
Jay Bentley Jay Dee Bentley (born June 6, 1964) is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985. Along with vocalist Greg Graffin, Ben ...
and
Jay Ziskrout Jay Ziskrout (born September 8, 1962) was the first drummer for Bad Religion, forming the group with schoolmate Brett Gurewitz in 1980. Ziskrout performed on Bad Religion's Bad Religion (EP), self-titled EP and half on their debut album ''How Co ...
. After releasing two albums and one EP, Gurewitz left Bad Religion in 1983, but rejoined three years later, and recorded five more albums with the band before they signed to
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 ...
in 1993. The success of his record label Epitaph prompted Gurewitz to leave Bad Religion once again in 1994, and run the label on a full-time basis. During his hiatus from Bad Religion, he released the " Hate You" single in 1996 with his one-off project Daredevils, and entered a period of drug addiction. By 1999, Gurewitz had successfully completed
drug rehabilitation Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general inte ...
, and two years later he rejoined Bad Religion, appearing on six more studio albums with them.


Career


Bad Religion

Then-18-year-old Brett Gurewitz formed Bad Religion in Woodland Hills in 1980 with
Greg Graffin Gregory Walter Graffin (born November 6, 1964) is an American singer and evolutionary biologist. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and only constant member of punk rock band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. He embarked on a s ...
(vocals),
Jay Ziskrout Jay Ziskrout (born September 8, 1962) was the first drummer for Bad Religion, forming the group with schoolmate Brett Gurewitz in 1980. Ziskrout performed on Bad Religion's Bad Religion (EP), self-titled EP and half on their debut album ''How Co ...
(drums) and
Jay Bentley Jay Dee Bentley (born June 6, 1964) is the bassist and co-founding member of the punk rock group Bad Religion. He has played with the band through its whole existence with a small break between 1983 and 1985. Along with vocalist Greg Graffin, Ben ...
(bass). All four attended El Camino Real High School. Soon after, they began writing songs and played their first ever concert, as warm-up for
Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing voca ...
. In 1981, Bad Religion recorded a six-song
self-titled An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...
EP, which was initially released in a 7" format, and soon afterward re-issued as a 12". Compact cassettes were also produced, but they are rare. Bad Religion's first full-length album, ''
How Could Hell Be Any Worse? ''How Could Hell Be Any Worse?'' is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on January 19, 1982 by Epitaph Records. Released almost a year after their self-titled EP, it was financed by a $3,000 loan by guitarist ...
'', was released in 1982. When recording sessions commenced, Ziskrout soon left the band and was replaced by
Pete Finestone Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities ...
. Cited as one of Bad Religion's most important works, ''How Could Hell Be Any Worse?'' was financed by a $3,000 loan from Gurewitz's father. Its success surprised the band when it sold 10,000 copies in under a year. The sound of the record was vastly improved from the self-titled EP. Although not yet credited as a member of the band,
Greg Hetson Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the Los Angeles area since he was 2 years old. Active since 1979, Hetson is best known as the guitarist for the influential hardcore pu ...
(of Circle Jerks fame) did a guitar solo on "Part III". Bad Religion released their second full-length, '' Into the Unknown'', in 1983, but were less successful, due to the album's poor production. It was a major change from their previous style, delving into
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
heavy in keyboards. While recording one song, Bentley and Finestone left the band and were replaced by Paul Dedona on bass and Davy Goldman on drums. The album, ''Into the Unknown'' is out of print, but is included in their 30th anniversary box set. After the release of ''Into the Unknown'', Bad Religion broke up, but reformed (without Gurewitz) to produce the 1985 EP '' Back to the Known''. The EP features the return of the band's punk rock roots, although also reflecting influences of then current acts such as
Hüsker Dü Hüsker Dü () was an American punk rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist/vocalist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. They first gained notabili ...
and
The Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a s ...
. Soon after, Bad Religion went on hiatus again. After the ''How Could Hell Be Any Worse?'' line-up (also including Hetson) reunited in 1986, Bad Religion released their highly acclaimed album '' Suffer'' in 1988. The album was a comeback for Bad Religion as well as a watershed for the Southern California punk sound popularized by their label
Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...
, owned by Gurewitz. The reunion line-up recorded two more highly acclaimed albums, '' No Control'' (1989) and '' Against the Grain'' (1990), before Finestone left the group in early 1991. Bad Religion replaced Finestone with
Bobby Schayer Bobby Schayer (born December 23, 1966 in Los Angeles, California) was the drummer for Bad Religion from 1991 to 2001. He was a resident of Encino, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley. He started drumming in 1976 at the age of 10, but it was not ...
, then recorded their next album, ''
Generator Generator may refer to: * Signal generator, electronic devices that generate repeating or non-repeating electronic signals * Electric generator, a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. * Generator (circuit theory), an eleme ...
'', which was already completed in the spring of 1991, but was forced to delay its release until a year later. For the album, Bad Religion also filmed their first music video " Atomic Garden", which was also their first song to be released as a single. In 1993, the band left their original label
Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...
and signed to
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 ...
, who released their next album ''
Recipe for Hate ''Recipe for Hate'' is the seventh studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on June 4, 1993. It was their last album on Epitaph Records for nine years (until 2002's '' The Process of Belief'') and the band had switched to A ...
''. While moderately successful, this was the first Bad Religion album to reach any
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
charts and two videos for the album, " American Jesus" and " Struck a Nerve", were made. Bad Religion rose to fame with their next album, 1994's '' Stranger Than Fiction'', including their well-known hits " Infected" and " 21st Century (Digital Boy)", which are also often considered concert staples. After the album was completed, Gurewitz soon left Bad Religion to concentrate on the future of Epitaph, citing the increasing amount of time he was spending at Epitaph's offices as
The Offspring The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
became one of the biggest bands of the mid-1990s. Gurewitz was replaced by Brian Baker during the ''Stranger Than Fiction'' tour and Bad Religion recorded two albums without him. In 1999, after a five-year hiatus from the band, Gurewitz reunited with Graffin and co-wrote the song "Believe It", which appeared on Bad Religion's 11th album ''
The New America ''The New America'' is the eleventh studio album by punk band Bad Religion. It was released in 2000 and is their last album (to date) on Atlantic Records. ''The New America'' is also Bad Religion's last album with Bobby Schayer on drums. Thou ...
'' (2000). Two years later, after parting ways with
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 ...
, Gurewitz was officially back in the band and Bad Religion resigned to Epitaph. Schayer also left the band during the time and was replaced by
Brooks Wackerman Brooks Wackerman (born February 15, 1977) is an American musician. He is the current drummer of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, which he joined in 2015. His first album with Avenged Sevenfold was '' The Stage'' (2016). He is most known as ...
. Now as a six piece, Bad Religion recorded and released the albums ''
The Process of Belief ''The Process of Belief'' is the twelfth studio album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was produced by its leaders Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, and was released on January 22, 2002, through Epitaph Records. After touring in sup ...
'' (2002), ''
The Empire Strikes First ''The Empire Strikes First'' is the thirteenth studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on June 8, 2004. The album is heavily influenced by the then-current Iraq War (most notably in the songs "Atheist Peace", "Let Them Eat ...
'' (2004), '' New Maps of Hell'' (2007), ''
The Dissent of Man ''The Dissent of Man'' is the fifteenth studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released on September 28, 2010. It was their first album in three years, following the release of '' New Maps of Hell'' in 2007. The band co ...
'' (2010), and ''
True North True north (also called geodetic north or geographic north) is the direction along Earth's surface towards the geographic North Pole or True North Pole. Geodetic north differs from ''magnetic'' north (the direction a compass points toward the ...
'' (2013), the latter featuring his only contribution as a lead vocalist on the track ''Dharma and the Bomb''. Due to his commitments with Epitaph Records, Gurewitz rarely performs live with the band and restricts his input to songwriting and recording. He does perform occasional live appearances with the band at shows close to his hometown Los Angeles (e.g. he appears on the band's DVD Live at the Palladium).


Error

In 2003, Gurewitz was recruited by 12 Rounds member and
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
collaborator
Atticus Ross Atticus Matthew Cowper Ross (born 16 January 1968) is an English musician, record producer, composer, and audio engineer. Along with Trent Reznor, he won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for ''The Social Network'' in 2010. In 2013, th ...
and his younger brother
Leopold Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name) * Leopold (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold Bloom, the protagonist o ...
to play guitar and bass in an electro-
hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
project called
Error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...
. Their only release to date is a self-titled EP, which was in 2004. Following the release of the EP, Error was reported to be looking for a full-time vocalist for touring and a full-length debut; however, the future of the project has been a topic for discussion on many internet message boards. In 2005, Error recorded one new song, "Wild World", that appears on a tribute album to The Birthday Party called ''Release the Bats: The Birthday Party as Heard Through the Meat Grinder of Three One G'', which was released on April 4, 2006. Error has been on hiatus since and it is unclear whether the project will return anytime in the future.


Personal life

Gurewitz was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Woodland Hills, where he was brought up Jewish. In 1997, Gurewitz temporarily left Epitaph to undergo treatment for addiction. He is married to Gina Davis, who had worked at Epitaph, and they live in California. He is a
deist Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin '' deus'', meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that empirical reason and observation ...
.


Selected discography


References


External links


Last.fm profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurewitz, Brett 1962 births American punk rock guitarists Rhythm guitarists American punk rock singers Record producers from California Bad Religion members Epitaph Records Jewish American musicians Jewish rock musicians Living people Jews in punk rock American male guitarists El Camino Real High School alumni 20th-century American guitarists