Brand New Immortals - Biography
[Review: Tragic Show 6/30/01]
Brand New Immortals' name may give some clue as to their real mission: Not out to save rock, just turn its eternal flame up a notch. Powered by a phosphorous blend of compelling lyrics, saw-toothed guitars, and sonically honed percussion/loops, their 12 song debut, Tragic Show, tips its hat to the rock/blues and even funk roots of the Immortals' rollicking cast: vocalist/guitarist David Ryan-Harris, bassist Johnny Colt and drummer Kenny Cresswell.
Johnny Colt, resident multi-hyphenate of the band (ex-Black Crowe, current yoga-aficionado, revered bassist, and accomplished songwriter) points to the band's dedication to songwriting as their greatest strength. "David and I had known each other for a long time. We agreed on one rule when we set out on this journey. We were not going to do anything until we had written a set of songs that moved people, that we thought had the potential to affect people's lives."
Consider that tall order accomplished. Steel-eyed rockers like "Reasons Why," and the punchy "Black Sun" are complemented by the funked-up sprawl of "Kalifornia" and "High Time." All 12 songs were good enough to draw the attention of longtime friend/acclaimed producer Brendan O' Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine, among others). O'Brien's deft touch helps make Tragic Show one of the most solid rock debuts of the year.
"We all started intersecting at the right time," says David. "I was working on a project with Brendan when he had his label deal at Columbia. He and Johnny and me all knew each other from our Atlanta days."
David made his first splash on the Atlanta rock scene with the eclectic cult-band Follow For Now. Brendan, also relatively unknown at the time, produced their early demos. "The Crowes were just starting back then," recalls Johnny. "We weren't known outside of Atlanta yet. Follow For Now was the hot band and we were right behind them." The close relationship now enjoyed by David and Johnny wouldn't really kick in until much later. But Kenny knew Johnny quite well during those formative years. "I was in one of Johnny's first bands, even before the Crowes. We always stayed friends," he says.
Johnny torpedoed to rock stardom with the Black Crowes, and David rolled with Follow For Now. The two Immortals would meet again, however, on a mid-'90's H.O.R.D.E. tour that seem to spark the possibility of working with each other. "It was one of those tours that just had a great camaraderie, a great spirit of community. He played me about 30 songs he was working on. We renewed our friendship, and kicked around the idea that maybe we'd do something together."
In 1998 Johnny left the Black Crowes. "Instead of expanding creatively, my role seemed to be diminishing," he says. "It was just time to move on." Intermittently, he also took time off to do some soul searching, traveling to India and taking up yoga. In fact, the band's moniker - Brand New Immortals - most likely was coined because of Johnny's exploration of a tenet of yoga known as Vendanta.
"Basically, it follows a philosophy that we are immortal, that there isn't any division between people, that we all stem from a universal tide. It reflects the transcendence of karma that says we are never born and we never die."
But they do rock - and thus, Brand New Immortals were born.
"I don't know if you could say we really had a charter for the band," says David. "But we all had our influences. Things that might not immediately come to mind if you knew our previous work. Bjork. Band Of Gypsies. Parliament. All that informed what we wanted to do."
Kenny adds that the strong mutual friendships seemed to anchor the band to something real. "I was Johnny's roommate. In some ways it's all so simple. This is an opportunity to play with my very best friends in a really good band. When we're on stage we can simultaneously read each other. It's almost second hand. Our relationship to each other gives this group its backbone."
A quick listen to the poignant "Satellites" or the haunting vocals of "If I Had A Dime" confirms a mystical, indefinable quality to Brand New Immortals - timeless ingredients that could be attributed to their organic roots. "Look at a song like 'King For A Day'" says David. "It's not a song a 19 year old could write. It's got an old soul flair to it, but at the same time it's more pumped up."
In fact, the lyrics of the song pose an age-old question - one certainly appropriate for a band who dare call themselves Brand New Immortals: 'Am I a king for a day, or a fool for a lifetime.' About to launch a whole new chapter of his career, it's a question Johnny has no doubt asked himself. "I think Brand New Immortals was a way for us to re-discover what we've always been," says Johnny. "The minute David and I started writing songs together, it was like we were reborn. I never had so much energy. I never wanted to be out on the road so bad. We have all been in a number of bands. We decided if we were ever going to do this again, you better believe it's going to be special."
Source: hiponline.com
