Brian Baker (musician)
Encyclopedia
Brian Baker is an American
punk rock
musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk
band Minor Threat
, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion
since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson
. In Minor Threat he originally played bass guitar
before switching to guitar in 1982 when Steve Hansgen
joined the band, and then moved back to bass after Hansgen's departure. He also founded Dag Nasty
in 1985, was part of the original line-up of Samhain
, and has had stints in Doggy Style, The Meatmen
(with fellow Minor Threat member Lyle Preslar
), Government Issue
, and Junkyard
(a hard rock
band).
In 1994, he was offered a touring spot with R.E.M.
but declined, opting instead to join Bad Religion as Brett Gurewitz
's replacement. In early 2000, he was asked to try out for Guns N' Roses
by Tommy Stinson
but he declined, saying that he would stay in Bad Religion no matter how much money he was offered. He has also in the past experimented with a more pop direction influenced by U2
, with a band called 400. Baker briefly toured with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
in 2005 and appeared on Canadian punk band Penelope's second album (Face au silence du monde).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk rock
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...
musician. He is best known as one of the founding members of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band Minor Threat
Minor Threat
Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...
, and as a guitarist in Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
since 1994 alongside Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson
Greg Hetson is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in Los Angeles, California since he was 2 years old...
. In Minor Threat he originally played bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
before switching to guitar in 1982 when Steve Hansgen
Steve Hansgen
Steve Hansgen was a bass player in the hardcore band Minor Threat, joining them in the fall of 1982 to allow bassist Brian Baker to switch over to second guitar....
joined the band, and then moved back to bass after Hansgen's departure. He also founded Dag Nasty
Dag Nasty
Dag Nasty was a Washington D.C. punk band formed in 1985 by guitarist Brian Baker of Minor Threat, drummer Colin Sears and bassist Roger Marbury, both of Bloody Mannequin Orchestra, and vocalist Shawn Brown...
in 1985, was part of the original line-up of Samhain
Samhain (band)
Samhain was an American rock band formed by singer Glenn Danzig in 1983, immediately following his departure from the Misfits. Samhain played in more of a deathrock and heavy metal-infused style of horror punk than Danzig's previous band. By 1987 Samhain's membership evolved into a new band,...
, and has had stints in Doggy Style, The Meatmen
The Meatmen
The Meatmen are an American punk band headed by Tesco Vee originally from 1980 to 1997, and reformed in 2008. They are currently still touring and recording.The Meatmen made fun of the hardcore punk scene of the time...
(with fellow Minor Threat member Lyle Preslar
Lyle Preslar
Lyle Preslar is an American musician best known for being a guitar player and song writer for the hardcore punk band Minor Threat. Before that, he was the vocalist for The Extorts....
), Government Issue
Government Issue
Government Issue was an American hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. active from 1980 to 1989. The band experienced many changes in membership during its nine-year existence, with singer John Stabb as the only consistent member in an ever-fluctuating lineup that at various times included...
, and Junkyard
Junkyard (band)
Junkyard is a hard rock/sleaze rock band formed in 1987 in Los Angeles, with members formerly in Minor Threat, The Necros, and Dag Nasty. The band has often drawn comparisons with Guns N' Roses .-History:...
(a hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band).
In 1994, he was offered a touring spot with R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
but declined, opting instead to join Bad Religion as Brett Gurewitz
Brett Gurewitz
Brett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
's replacement. In early 2000, he was asked to try out for Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
by Tommy Stinson
Tommy Stinson
Thomas "Tommy" Eugene Stinson is an American musician best known for his work as the bassist for The Replacements and Guns N' Roses as well as the post-Replacements groups Bash & Pop, where he performed guitar duties, and Perfect...
but he declined, saying that he would stay in Bad Religion no matter how much money he was offered. He has also in the past experimented with a more pop direction influenced by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, with a band called 400. Baker briefly toured with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock supergroup and cover band that formed in 1995. The Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. The band is named after a children's book of the same name by Gerald G. Jampolsky and Diane V. Cirincione...
in 2005 and appeared on Canadian punk band Penelope's second album (Face au silence du monde).
Bad Religion
- The Gray RaceThe Gray RaceThe Gray Race is the ninth full-length album of the punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released in 1996. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
(1996) - TestedTestedTested is a live album by punk rock band Bad Religion that was recorded live in USA, Canada, Germany, Estonia, Denmark, Italy and Austria in 1996 and released in 1997. It is Bad Religion's first live album since their 1979 formation...
(1997) - No SubstanceNo SubstanceNo Substance is the tenth full-length album by the punk rock band Bad Religion. It was the band's third release on Atlantic Records, and their second studio album since guitarist Brett Gurewitz's departure.No Substance was anticipated by both music critics and fans as a result of the band's...
(1998) - The New AmericaThe New AmericaThe New America is an album by punk band Bad Religion. It was released in 2000 and is their last album on Atlantic Records.The New America is also Bad Religion's last album with Bobby Schayer on drums. Though not yet credited as a member of the band, then-former and now-current guitarist Brett...
(2000) - The Process of BeliefThe Process of BeliefThe 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 support of its previous full-length studio album, The New...
(2002) - The Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes FirstThe Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.-Title inspiration:The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.-Lyrics:Although some of the album...
(2004) - New Maps of HellNew Maps of HellIn January 2007, it was announced that the album would be called New Maps of Hell and the band started working with producer Joe Barresi to finish it. On April 1, 2007, Bentley posted an update on the MySpace bulletin board, stating that the band was finally finished recording the album and would...
(2007) - The Dissent of ManThe Dissent of Man-Track listing:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Brian Baker – guitar* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass, backing vocals* Brooks Wackerman – drums* Joe Barresi – producer...
(2010)
Dag Nasty
- Can I SayCan I SayCan I Say is an album by Dag Nasty released in 1986 through Dischord Records.Remastered and re-released on CD with bonus songs in 2002.-Track listing:All tracks by Dag NastySide one#"Values Here" - 2:23#"One to Two" - 2:15#"Circles" - 2:46...
(1986) - Wig Out at Denko'sWig Out at Denko'sWig Out At Denkos is an album by Dag Nasty released in 1987 through Dischord Records.Remastered and re-released on CD with bonus songs in 2002.-Track listing:Side one#"The Godfather" - 3:21#"Trying" - 1:59#"Safe" - 3:07#"Fall" - 2:53...
(1987) - Field Day (1988)
- Four on the FloorFour on the Floor (Dag Nasty Album)Four On The Floor is an album by Dag Nasty released in 1992 through Epitaph Records. Four on the Floor was a one-shot reunion record recorded while all members were on vacation in Los Angeles in the summer of 1991. Guitar tracks are credited to one "Dale Nixon"...
(1992) - Minority of OneMinority of OneMinority of One is the fifth full-length album released by the band Dag Nasty after their reunion in 2002.-Track listing:# "Ghosts" - 2:49# "Minority of One" - 2:18# "Bottle This" - 3:52# "Broken Days" - 3:54# "Your Words" - 2:02...
(2002)
Minor Threat
- Minor Threat (1981)
- In My Eyes (1981)
- Out of Step (1983)
- Salad DaysSalad Days (Minor Threat EP)Salad Days was the last 7" EP that highly influential American hardcore punk band Minor Threat released in 1985 after the band's breakup. The EP differs somewhat from the band's previous material. All songs are slower, making a slight departure from the group's hardcore punk style...
(1985) - Complete DiscographyComplete DiscographyComplete Discography is a 1989 compilation album released by the American hardcore punk band Minor Threat on the band's own Dischord Records. Despite its title, it only includes songs that were released on studio releases...
(1989)
Junkyard
- Junkyard - 1989
- Sixes, Sevens & Nines -1991
- Shut Up - We're Trying To Practice! - 2000
- Tried and True - 2003
Sources
- http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2002/011702/music4.html Montreal Mirror