Brainpool (band)
Encyclopedia
Brainpool is a pop music
group from Lund
, Sweden
. The band was most popular in the mid-1990s, mostly in the Swedish indie-pop scene together with other bands like Eggstone
or Beagle.
, Scania
, and the original members were vocalist Jan "Janne" Kask, guitarist David Birde, bassist Christoffer Lundquist, and drummer Jens Jansson. The band signed to Per Gessle
's music publishing company Jimmy Fun Music and released three albums: Soda (1994; Swedish Grammy as New Band), Painkiller (1995) and Stay Free (1996). They took part as support act during the European Crash! Boom! Bang! Tour by Roxette
in 1994.
Janne Kask left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career. For a while the other band members were looking for a new lead singer, but soon gave up. "It didn't take long for us to realize that it would be impossible to let another person join", David Birde explained in an interview to The Daily Roxette. "It would have to be the three of us, or split up. At first we thought about changing our name, but that turned out to be difficult - Sony Music had already paid for the recording of You Are Here and they wanted us to keep the name. We had to choose between ditching the recordings and lose our record deal or go on calling ourselves Brainpool. We cowardly chose the latter."
The band not only decided to stay together after Kask left, but they decided to change their style and their music. "We realized our audience was getting younger. We were 26, we were smelly and unshaven and drunk. There were 11 and 12 year old fans who wanted a hug, we just thought it was so wrong, that's when we realized we had to do something else," says David. It was time for their music to reach the level of maturity that they were at."
You Are Here was released in 1999. After this release, the band worked for 4 years on a rock opera
which was finally released in 2004 with the name Junk and with the topic of anti-consumerism
. The premier was in Malmö
on August 19, 2004 where the band was backed up by Malmö Symphony Orchestra
. The album was published by the band's own publishing company Junk Musik which releases singles only on the Internet.
In 2005, Brainpool released the compilation We Aimed To Please. The album only contains songs from 1992 to 1997 when Janne Kask was still in the band. There are no songs from You Are Here or Junk.
In May 2007 Brainpool's Junk: A Rock Opera premiered in Los Angeles to rave reviews and packed houses. It sold out 36 shows, and, in the beginning of 2009, was performed as a staged reading off-Broadway in New York City. The band and manager Justin Winokur are planning a Swedish tour of the opera, hopefully to be followed by a North American tour.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group from Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The band was most popular in the mid-1990s, mostly in the Swedish indie-pop scene together with other bands like Eggstone
Eggstone
Eggstone is a Swedish Indie Pop band, formed in 1986. The three members - Per Sunding , Patrik Bartosch and Maurits Carlsson - were raised in the small coastal town of Lomma, outside Malmö...
or Beagle.
History
This Swedish band was formed in LundLund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
, Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
, and the original members were vocalist Jan "Janne" Kask, guitarist David Birde, bassist Christoffer Lundquist, and drummer Jens Jansson. The band signed to Per Gessle
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
's music publishing company Jimmy Fun Music and released three albums: Soda (1994; Swedish Grammy as New Band), Painkiller (1995) and Stay Free (1996). They took part as support act during the European Crash! Boom! Bang! Tour by Roxette
Roxette
Roxette are a Swedish pop music duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle . Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act from the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough album Look Sharp!...
in 1994.
Janne Kask left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career. For a while the other band members were looking for a new lead singer, but soon gave up. "It didn't take long for us to realize that it would be impossible to let another person join", David Birde explained in an interview to The Daily Roxette. "It would have to be the three of us, or split up. At first we thought about changing our name, but that turned out to be difficult - Sony Music had already paid for the recording of You Are Here and they wanted us to keep the name. We had to choose between ditching the recordings and lose our record deal or go on calling ourselves Brainpool. We cowardly chose the latter."
The band not only decided to stay together after Kask left, but they decided to change their style and their music. "We realized our audience was getting younger. We were 26, we were smelly and unshaven and drunk. There were 11 and 12 year old fans who wanted a hug, we just thought it was so wrong, that's when we realized we had to do something else," says David. It was time for their music to reach the level of maturity that they were at."
You Are Here was released in 1999. After this release, the band worked for 4 years on a rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
which was finally released in 2004 with the name Junk and with the topic of anti-consumerism
Anti-consumerism
Anti-consumerism refers to the socio-political movement against the equating of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions...
. The premier was in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
on August 19, 2004 where the band was backed up by Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Malmö Symphony Orchestra
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra is a Swedish orchestra, based in Malmö. Since 1985, the orchestra has given its main concert series in the Konserthuset, Malmö. The orchestra has a current complement of 94 musicians...
. The album was published by the band's own publishing company Junk Musik which releases singles only on the Internet.
In 2005, Brainpool released the compilation We Aimed To Please. The album only contains songs from 1992 to 1997 when Janne Kask was still in the band. There are no songs from You Are Here or Junk.
In May 2007 Brainpool's Junk: A Rock Opera premiered in Los Angeles to rave reviews and packed houses. It sold out 36 shows, and, in the beginning of 2009, was performed as a staged reading off-Broadway in New York City. The band and manager Justin Winokur are planning a Swedish tour of the opera, hopefully to be followed by a North American tour.
Members
- Christoffer Lundquist started in the band as a bass player and backing vocalist, but has moved to play both the bass and the guitar. He has recorded and/or produced albums by Per GesslePer GesslePer Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
, Gyllene TiderGyllene TiderGyllene Tider is a Swedish pop group. The name Gyllene Tider translates as "Golden ages" or "Golden times". Few Scandinavians would not recognize the band's most famous song "Sommartider", often played on the radio during late spring and early summer...
, Ed HarcourtEd HarcourtEd Harcourt is an English singer-songwriter. To date, he has released five studio albums, two EPs, and thirteen singles. His debut album, Here Be Monsters, was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize...
, Kristian Kjellvander, Helena JosefssonHelena JosefssonHelena Marianne Josefsson is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer in the band Sandy Mouche and has been singing in Per Gessle's projects since 2003. In February 2007 she released her first solo album, Dynamo.-Biography:...
, ... in his own studio in Scania, AGM Studios. He played in the backing groups of Per Gessle since 1998. - David Birde, guitar player, songwriter and lyricist. He also became the lead singer since You Are Here. He has released some single songs with Magnus Börjeson from Beagle as 'Metro Jets'.
- Jens Jansson, drummer. He has played and recorded with many international artists: Peter von PoehlPeter von PoehlPeter von Poehl is a Swedish singer-songwriter, composer, musician and director.He was the guitarist for A.S. Dragon, once the backing band for Bertrand Burgalat and in Michel Houellebecq's album Présence humaine...
, Per GesslePer GesslePer Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...
, Righteous BoyRighteous BoyRighteous Boy is the solo project of Magnus Sveningsson, bassist from Swedish rock group The Cardigans. Sveningsson began the project during the long hiatus between the Cardigans' Gran Turismo and Long Gone Before Daylight albums...
, Florian Horwath, ... - Jan "Janne" Kask is a former member of the band, singer and songwriter. He had a hit as a solo artist with Golden Heart. Currently, he is studying medical educationMedical educationMedical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a doctor or additional training thereafter ....
at Uppsala UniversityUppsala UniversityUppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
.
Albums
- Soda (1994)
- Painkiller (1995)
- Stay Free (1996)
- You Are Here (1999)
- Junk (2004)
- We Aimed To Please - Best Of Brainpool, Vol. 1 (2005)
Singles
- At School / Popstar (1993)
- Every Day (1994)
- Girl Lost (1994)
- In The Countryside (1994)
- That's My Charm (1994)
- Bandstarter (1995)
- We Aim To Please (1995)
- Tomorrow (1995)
- Sister C'mon (1996)
- In A Box (1996)
- My Sweet Lord (She's So Fine)My Sweet Lord"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna...
(1997) - You Are Here (1999)
- Live Transmission (1999)
- Metro Jets Premier Concert (2005)
- A Different Life (2005)