Brendan Kelly (musician) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Brendan Kelly is the bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

/vocalist of Chicago-based punk

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

band The Lawrence Arms

The Lawrence Arms

The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...

, as well as guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

/lead vocalist in The Falcon

The Falcon (band)

The Falcon is a Chicago-based punk rock supergroup. The band features The Lawrence Arms members Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy on drums, as well as Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano...

. Kelly's former bands include Slapstick

Slapstick (band)

Slapstick was a punk-ska fusion band formed in Chicago by a group of friends from the Elgin area. The group took some cues from the seminal ska/punk outfit Operation Ivy and the guttural punk vocals of Crimpshrine, but developed their own unique style. The group was active from 1993 to 1996 on...

and The Broadways

The Broadways

The Broadways were a short-lived punk band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1996 after the dissolution of the influential ska-punk band Slapstick. The latter's vocalist Brendan Kelly and trumpet player Dan Hanaway assumed the roles of bassist and guitarist, joined by Rob DePaola on drums and Chris...

. He is known for his raspy vocals, drunken demeanor, and onstage witticisms.

Kelly also appeared on The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...

in a correspondent piece by Ed Helms

Ed Helms

Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...

entitled "The Clash" in which he criticized Michale Graves

Michale Graves

Michael Emanuel , better known by his stage name Michale Graves, is an American singer and songwriter, singing for the late 1990s re-incarnation of The Misfits from 1995 to 1998 and again from late 1998 until late 2000. Graves grew up in Dumont, New Jersey...

for being a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

.

He attended Northwestern University

Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....

in Evanston, Illinois

Evanston, Illinois

Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...

and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Radio, Television, and Film.

He is a fan of country music, explaining styles of songs such as "Old Mexico Way" and "Warped Summer Extravaganza (Major Excellent)" in The Lawrence Arms, as well as "R.L. Burnouts Inc." in The Falcon.

Kelly boycotts the Warped Tour

Warped Tour

The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...

on the belief that it ruins the original system for underground bands of touring and supporting larger bands, as well as ruining business for small venues. He along with The Lawrence Arms

The Lawrence Arms

The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 1999. They have released five full-length albums and toured extensively.-Pre-history:...

were banned for life for spreading this belief to the audience whilst participating in the Warped Tour.

Kelly provided backup vocals for the songs "The Company," "Stuck In Summertime" and "Unsatisfied" on The Copyrights

The Copyrights

The Copyrights are a pop punk band from Carbondale, Illinois made up of Brett Hunter Jeff Funburg , Adam Fletcher , and Luke McNeill . They are currently signed to Red Scare Industries.-History:...

' third full-length album, 2007's Make Sound released on Red Scare Industries, a label owned and operated by Tobias Jeg, a close friend of Kelly.
Kelly (along with Chris McCaughan) also provided back-up vocals on Common Rider's 'This is Unity Music' album.

In 2010, Brendan released a split album with Joe McMahon

Joe McMahon

Joe McMahon is a two-time All-Ireland-winning Tyrone Gaelic footballer. He started the 2005 All-Ireland Final, but had to be replaced because of injury, making him the first Omagh man to win an All-Ireland...

of the punk rock band Smoke or Fire

Smoke or Fire

Smoke or Fire is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts.The band originally formed in 1998, when western Massachusetts native Joe McMahon got together with Chris Brand , Bill Ironfield , and Nick Maggiore , hailing from New Hampshire...

, entitled Wasted Potential. Brendan's half of the split contained acoustic versions of Lawrence Arms songs, as well as a cover of "Kiss the Bottle" by Jawbreaker

Jawbreaker (band)

Jawbreaker was an American punk rock band active from 1986 to 1996 and considered one of the most influential acts of the early-1990s emo movement...

.

During the periods of inactivity of his musical projects, Brendan has been joined by fellow punk rock singers Tom Gabel

Tom Gabel

Thomas James "Tom" Gabel is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and a guitarist for Gainesville, Florida punk rock band Against Me!, as well as a solo artist. He was born on Fort Benning, Georgia a US Army post, where his father was stationed. At age 17, he dropped out of high school and formed Against...

and Brian Fallon

Brian Fallon

Brian Fallon is an American musician. Fallon is one of the founding members of the band The Gaslight Anthem. He plays guitar and provides lead vocals for the band. He is currently working on a side project called The Horrible Crowes....

in maintaining a blog, Bad Sandwich Chronicles. The blog is a mixture of scatological humor, social commentary, and stories of life in music. Kelly also co-hosts iconic music television program JBTV

JBTV

JBTV is a music television show featuring interviews, music videos, and live in-studio performances from up-and-coming musicians. Based in Chicago, Illinois, JBTV has over its 26 year history helped several Chicago area bands reach a wider audience, as well as giving exposure to more alternative...

in Chicago.

See also