The Bravery Biography

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Biography The Bravery

The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott, John Conway, Anthony Burulcich, Michael Zakarin, and Mike Hindert. Their music is a synthesis of disco and synth rock. Their debut album reached the top twenty in the United States and the top five in the United Kingdom.

History

Formation

Frontman-songwriter Sam Endicott and keyboardist John Conway were classmates at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY in the late '90s. As freshmen, their musical partnership began inauspiciously, playing local bars in mock-ska band Skabba the Hut, which also included Miami star Jonathan Togo. The two went on to play together in numerous bands and recording projects, including new wave outfit Conquistador. Upon moving to NYC in early '00s, Endicott switched from bass guitar to vocals and began writing the music that would later become "The Bravery". Guitarist Michael Zakarin joined after answering an advert in a local paper, and brought with him bassist Mike Hindert, a classmate of his from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Drummer Anthony Burulcich was met through mutual friends in NY band Bishop Allen.

Rising fame/Debut album (The Bravery)

The band played their first gig at the Stinger Club in Brooklyn in November of '03 (opening for The Animators). Eventually they signed a recording contract with Island Def Jam in the States and Loog in the UK. The Unconditional EP followed in early 2005. The Village Voice proclaimed the Bravery to be "New York's Official Next Big Thing" while MTV and Rolling Stone hailed them as an artist to watch. Also, the band were tipped in the BBC News "Sound of 2005" as 2005's most promising act. They released their debut album, The Bravery, on March 14, 2005 in the U.K. (March 29, 2005 in the U.S.), following releases of "Unconditional" and "An Honest Mistake" as singles. Their first radio airplay came on the show 'Alter Ego' hosted by Paul Driscoll on the Boston's WFNX. A co-headlining tour with Ash in the U.S. in spring 2005 coincided the release of the Bravery's self-titled album. "An Honest Mistake" was featured in the video game MVP Baseball 2005, while "Fearless" was used in the end credits for the U.S. version of the movie Night Watch .

The Bravery was involved in a highly publicized feud with fellow synth band The Killers. On the day of the US release of the Bravery album, Killers frontman Brandon Flowers made criticisms on the band in a radio interview, stating that they were riding on the coat tails of The Killers' initial success http://www.nme.com/news/111853.htm, and that anyone who was once in a ska band could not be serious about the music they were playing now. The Bravery dismissed these charges as ridiculous, and an exchange of colourful remarks ensued, much to the delight of the UK press. The feud was heightened by the fact that the Killers and the Bravery are both signed to Island Records.

The Bravery played at Glastonbury Festival on 26 June 2005, following a year of success and increasing popularity. Their set was due to be aired live on BBC Three in the daytime, but had to be shown well after the watershed, as bass guitarist Mike Hindert stripped naked on stage due to the hot weather.

In November and December 2005 and January through March 2006, the band was the supporting act for Depeche Mode on their Touring the Angel tour of the US and UK. Following this, the Bravery relocated to Atlanta, GA to record their second album with producer Brendan O'Brien, slated for release in early '07.

Second album (The Sun and the Moon)

In late 2006, the band played a limited number of small shows on the US East Coast and in South America to showcase new material from their 2nd album, The Sun and the Moon. They also played four full-length songs from the album when they played at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival 2007. Endicott describes the new album as a departure from the synth-heavy sound of their debut.http://www.nme.com/news/the-bravery/24886 The Sun and the Moon was released on May 22. In February, the band uploaded a medley of three new songs onto their official page, with minute long clips of three new tracks due to be included on the forthcoming album. "Believe" was featured in EA Sports' Madden NFL 08, on the second episode of Reaper, the fifth episode of Moonlight and in promos for the second season of Friday Night Lights. "Believe" was also featured on Gossip Girl on October 15, 2007, as well as on the show The Hills. Meanwhile, "Time Won't Let Me Go" has been featured on promos for the fourth season finale of Rescue Me. "The Ocean" was featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy on October 11, 2007.

The Bravery was touring with The Cinematics and The Photo Atlas to promote the album, and supported Incubus until the end of October. They also supported The Smashing Pumpkins from the end of September to the beginning of October. They also launched a small headline tour on October 31st, with supporting acts Straylight Run and De Novo Dahl.