Brant Bjork is a musician that needs no introduction. The legendary California-based musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and founding member of KYUSS, known as "The Godfather of Desert Rock", will release his new album, Mankind Woman, on September 14 via Heavy Psych Sounds Records. The LP, Bjork's 13th solo effort and first for HPS Records, was engineered by Yosef Sanborn and tracked at Twentynine Palms, CA's Zainaland, a creative Villa owned by Brant's wife, Zaina Alwan.
In advance of the new record's release, Consequence of Sound debuts the new Brant Bjork song, "Swagger & Sway", calling the cut, "an effortlessly cool slice of psychedelic rock." The deep-dive premiere features Bjork giving backstory to the track's creation and the inspirations behind it. Hear Brant Bjork's "Swagger & Sway" now at this location:
https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/08/brant-bjork-swagger-sway-origins/
Mankind Woman is the thirteenth solo record from Bjork and marks the very first time that Brant has solely collaborated with a singular producer and co-writer, Bubba Dupree, guitarist and friend from his Low Desert Punk Band and six-stringer for American hardcore punk band, Void. The resulting 11-track recording blossoms with moments of light and shade, loud and soft. It's a collection of songs that sounds more like an effortless, unpretentious melding of jazz, R&B and rock steeped in California desert organics with friendly feels and deep grooves. From the initial salvo of the opening track and first single "Chocolatize" to tracks like the edgy "Swagger & Sway", the hypnotizing "Somebody" through to the dynamic, supercharged closer "Nation of Indica", it is clear that both Brant and Bubba specialize in the craft of the sound and feel of the music. Mankind Woman is an instant-mindset-transformer, a testament to the formative decades of song and sound and an album that begs to be revisited on hot summer nights.
On Mankind Woman, Brant Bjork has delved deeper lyrically than on any previous release, shining a light on on personal sensitivities, elite hypocrisies, racism, sexism and the daily struggle to find peace, love and understanding in today's American society. The record features guest appearances from bass player Armand Secco Sabal, vocalist Sean Wheeler, who has been a touring member of the Low Desert Punk Band, and former KYUSS bandmate Nick Oliveri.
"I've made a lot of records over the years. One thing never changes and that's the direct intention behind each record," comments Bjork. "This record is exactly what I wanted and needed to create and I was able to do so with the help of Bubba Dupree, Sean Wheeler, and Yosef Sanborn, among others. We all knew where we wanted and needed to go and we got there."
With Mankind Woman, Brant Bjork once again delivers a record that reminds the listener that it is often the ingredients of jazz, blues, and funk that makes rock music feel so good.
Track listing:
1.) Chocolatize
Stream here:
https://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2018/07/03/brant-bjork-mankind-woman-chocolatize-premiere/
2.) Lazy Wizards
3.) Charlie Gin
4.) Mankind Woman
5.) Pisces
6.) Swagger & Sway (Consequence of Sound premiere)
7.) Somebody
8.) Pretty Hairy
9.) Brand New Old Times
10.) 1968
11.) Nation Of Indica
Pre-order Mankind Woman at this location.
In additional news, Brant Bjork has announced a fall North American tour run in support of Mankind Woman. The ten city trek will launch October 5 and include shows in Mexico, Canada and California. The just-announced itinerary is as follows:
Brant Bjork tour dates:
October 5 Calgary, AB The Palomino
October 6 Edmonton, AB Free Mason Hall (Brant Bjork DJ set ONLY)
October 7 Edmonton, AB The Starlite (w/ Earthess)
October 9 San Diego, CA Spacebar
October 10 Los Angeles, CA The Redwood (w/ Nebula)
October 11 Las Vegas, NV Vamp'd
October 12 Pioneertown, CA Pappy & Harriets (w/ Nebula)
October 13 Long Beach, CA Alex's Bar (w/ Earthless)
October 16 Hermosillo, Mexico Pizza Del Perro Negro (w/ Sgt. Papers)
October 18 Merida, Mexico) Pizza Del Perro Negro
October 20 Mexico City, Mexico Rabioso / Pizza Del Perro Negro
Find Brant Bjork online @ BrantBjork.net and via Facebook and Instagram:
https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork/?hl=en
Brant Bjork has spent over a quarter-century at the epicenter of Californian desert rock. From cutting his teeth alongside Fatso Jetson's Mario Lalli, to drumming and composing on KYUSS' landmark early albums, to propelling the seminal fuzz of FU MANCHU from 1994-2001 while producing other bands, embarking on his solo career as a singer, guitarist and bandleader, founding his own record label and more, his history is a winding narrative of relentless, unflinching creativity. Unique creativity and years of hard touring have positioned Brant Bjork as an ambassador for the Southern California desert and the musical movement birthed there in the late '80s and early '90s. As underground interest has surged in recent years, Bjork has been a pivotal figurehead, realigning with his former KYUSS bandmate John Garcia to drum and write in KYUSS LIVES! /VISTA CHINO, celebrating and building on that legacy while giving a new generation of fans the chance to see it happen in real-time. Bjork's crucial solo works have always been about freedom through rock and roll, attained by the truest representation of the person and the place as art. This, along with a whole lot of groove, is what has helped Brant Bjork define desert rock as a worldwide phenomenon, and whatever comes next, it is what will continue to make him its most indispensable practitioner. Brant Bjork's new LP, Mankind Woman, will be released on September 14, 2018.
"Usually when drummers swap the stool for the spotlight, the results are frightening-Iggy Pop, Dave Grohl, and Tommy Lee are exceptions. FU MANCHU's Brant Bjork (no umlaut!) might be another one. He debuted in 1999 with JALAMANTA, a quiet and buttery one-man excursion into dark funk territory; think the instrumental fills on "Superfly"...strut-your-stuff stuff for the action-kid set" - VILLAGE VOICE
"Brant Bjork, former drummer for KYUSS, FU MANCHU, and MONDO GENERATOR. Now he's a master of the Stratocaster...He still knows his way around a hard rock riff and has trimmed the fuzz off the top to expose the melody and groove." - THE BIG TAKEOVER
https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial/
https://www.brantbjork.net/
https://www.instagram.com/brant_bjork/
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Kyle Scott
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