Brent Belke
Encyclopedia
Brent Belke is a Canadian
guitarist and composer. After playing in the punk
and alternative rock
bands SNFU
and The Wheat Chiefs
from 1981–1998, Belke began a career composing music for film and television.
, also a guitarist, and singer Ken Chinn
in 1981 after the three met through the skateboard
ing subculture in Edmonton, Alberta. The band was short-lived, but three soon founded a new group called Society's No Fucking Use (better known by the acronym SNFU). With a rotating rhythm section, SNFU released four LPs and served as catalysts for the skate punk
movement in addition to influencing the punk rock scene at large before disbanding temporarily in 1989. Shortly before the group's first breakup, Marc and Brent founded the Wheat Chiefs, whose sound reflected power pop
and melodic hardcore
influences not immediately apparent in SNFU's material.
In 1991, offers for touring and significant record deals helped lead to SNFU's reformation, and the two bands, now located in Vancouver, British Columbia, operated in tandem for the next seven years. SNFU signed to Epitaph Records
, released three more studio and one live album and toured extensively; the Wheat Chiefs were less active, releasing only the Redeemer album in 1996. Belke decided to leave rock music to focus on scoring in film and television, accruing university degrees in jazz and classical composition. SNFU continued in his absence, while the Wheat Chiefs permanently disbanded.
(for which he received a Leo Award nomination in 2008,) So Weird
, The Stagers
, and numerous other works.
Belke performed on one track on SNFU's 2004 album In the Meantime and In Between Time
, currently their only release since his departure, and performed a live set with the band this same year.
His newest project is Existential Angst Party, an experimental avant garde group. They released a full-length album in 2005.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
guitarist and composer. After playing in the 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...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bands SNFU
SNFU
SNFU is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta and later relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. They have released nine full-length albums and are cited as a formative influence on the skate punk sub-genre....
and The Wheat Chiefs
Wheat Chiefs
The Wheat Chiefs was a Canadian melodic rock band with punk rock influence formed in 1988 Edmonton, Alberta and later relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. The group featured several members of SNFU and one from Jr...
from 1981–1998, Belke began a career composing music for film and television.
SNFU and the Wheat Chiefs (1981–1998)
Belke began Live Sex Show with his twin brother MarcMarc Belke
Marc Belke is a Canadian musician and radio personality. He played guitar in the punk and alternative rock bands SNFU and The Wheat Chiefs, and also sang lead vocals in the latter...
, also a guitarist, and singer Ken Chinn
Ken Chinn
Kendall "Ken" Chinn is a Canadian punk rock lead vocalist and artist. He is best known, under the pseudonym Mr. Chi Pig, as the lead singer of the band SNFU. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.-Early life and career:Born to German and Chinese parents, Chinn was the second...
in 1981 after the three met through the skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
ing subculture in Edmonton, Alberta. The band was short-lived, but three soon founded a new group called Society's No Fucking Use (better known by the acronym SNFU). With a rotating rhythm section, SNFU released four LPs and served as catalysts for the skate punk
Skate punk
Skate punk is a sub genre of punk rock, originally a derivative of the West Coast hardcore punk scene, that is named after its popularity among skateboarders and association with skateboarding culture. Skate punk most commonly describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an...
movement in addition to influencing the punk rock scene at large before disbanding temporarily in 1989. Shortly before the group's first breakup, Marc and Brent founded the Wheat Chiefs, whose sound reflected power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
and melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore
Melodic hardcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk with a strong emphasis on vocal melody. The genre is commonly defined with fast hardcore drum beats, complex guitar riffs and melodic singing with occasional screaming and shouting.-History:...
influences not immediately apparent in SNFU's material.
In 1991, offers for touring and significant record deals helped lead to SNFU's reformation, and the two bands, now located in Vancouver, British Columbia, operated in tandem for the next seven years. SNFU signed to Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
, released three more studio and one live album and toured extensively; the Wheat Chiefs were less active, releasing only the Redeemer album in 1996. Belke decided to leave rock music to focus on scoring in film and television, accruing university degrees in jazz and classical composition. SNFU continued in his absence, while the Wheat Chiefs permanently disbanded.
Work in composition, recent activity (1998–present)
Belke has composed music for the films Cries in the Dark and The Accidental Witness, the television shows Road Hockey RumbleRoad Hockey Rumble
Road Hockey Rumble is a half-hour reality series that was produced by Paperny Films and broadcast on OLN. It follows two all-Canadian hosts, Calum MacLeod and Mark McGuckin. It is in the documentary form but crosses over into the genres of sports, travel, and comedy with an attitude that defies...
(for which he received a Leo Award nomination in 2008,) So Weird
So Weird
So Weird is a television series shot in Vancouver, British Columbia that aired on the Disney Channel as a midseason replacement from January 18, 1999 to September 28, 2001. In season one and season two, the series centered around teenage girl Fiona Phillips who toured with her rock star mom ,...
, The Stagers
The Stagers
The Stagers is a half-hour reality television show about home staging that airs on HGTV in the U.S. and Canada. It is produced by Paperny Films and stars Matthew Finlason, Bridget Savereux, and Maureen Powers.- Synopsis :...
, and numerous other works.
Belke performed on one track on SNFU's 2004 album In the Meantime and In Between Time
In the Meantime and In Between Time
In the Meantime and In Between Time is an album by Vancouver, British Columbia punk rock band SNFU, released in 2004. It reached number six on the Top Ten Metal/Punk chart on ChartAttack's radio charts for the week of December 10, 2004 and charted at various Canadian campus and community radio...
, currently their only release since his departure, and performed a live set with the band this same year.
His newest project is Existential Angst Party, an experimental avant garde group. They released a full-length album in 2005.
External links
- Official SNFU website
- Brent Belke at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...