Ryan Allen, Scott Allen, Trevor
Naud, Dan Clark
|
The late, great Red Shirt Brigade is a hard band to describe. Nothing
was straight forward; Dan used plenty of distortion and odd techniques on bass, Trevor
was overflowing with hot guitar licks, Ryan was only beginning to realize his potential as a drummer and Scott of course
stole the show with his
spazz-core zoom-zoom and tambourine dance fits. When Red Shirt Brigade
plugged in everyone took a few steps back, and for good reason: the
collateral spray was always sweaty, sometimes bloody. Equal parts Beastie Boys aesthetic, Radiohead concept and Elvis Costello craftsmanship, the Red Shirt Brigade spastically erupted from a post-rock locus to bring us the sonic equivalent of a thimble full of anti-matter. Hailing from the bombed out rubble that is Detroit, Red Shirt Brigade formed in November of 1998 at Central Michigan University. Throughout the transition to a quartet from the original trio, Red Shirt Brigade continued to perform around the Midwest, releasing a pair of rare EPs and appearing on a couple of compilations. It was in October of 2000 that Dan Clark joined the band on bass and vocals, transforming a band with potential into a band of potency. The shit never stopped hitting the fan after that. Home of the Cannon Saints, the band's only full-length album, was recorded over the space of ten days at Chris Walla's Hall of Justice studios in Seattle, Washington. Walla, whose name is now universally known in indie rock circles as a member of Death Cab For Cutie and who has lent his technical skills to recordings by DCFC, the Decemberists, Nada Surf, Travis Morrison and others, offered to record the album a year earlier, having seen the band perform only once. Some find it interesting that Walla’s studio was also home to the original recordings of early material by Nirvana, Sleater-Kinney and other Northwestern rock luminaries. Odd bands generally garner odd descriptions and comparisons and, alternately sounding like a geeked-out Trans Am, a Kraut-rocking version of The Shins or a more lush Dismemberment Plan, Red Shirt Brigade are no exception to the rule, having blown the minds of punks and yuppies alike. The members of Red Shirt Brigade made many new friends through the years, playing with such diverse and alphabetized acts as American Heritage, Bluetip, Death Cab For Cutie, DMS, The Faint, Firebird Band, Hey Mercedes, Haymarket Riot, HiM, Isotope 217, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, "New" Terror Class, The Prom, The Promise Ring, Q and Not U, Tristeza, and Volta Do Mar, to name just a few. After several years together the members of Red Shirt Brigade dropped a brick into the stomach of their burgeoning fanbase by calling it quits in 2002. Ryan and Scott Allen continue to create music with their new band, Thunderbirds Are Now!. Trevor Naud and Daniel Clark perform together as members of Zoos of Berlin and South South Million. Trevor also soldiers on as a member of Pas/Cal. |
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