20 questions for The Bravery frontman Sam Endicott
June 6th, 2008
Sam Endicott, frontman bass player to the popular indie rock and electronica band, The Bravery, met keyboardist John Conway in art school, where they played any kind of music they could get their hands on _ from punk to country to jazz to metal.
In the early `00s they moved to New York, where they discovered the Electroclash scene and collected the rest of the eclectic band members. The Bravery’s recently released “The Sun and the Moon: Complete” (March `08) is followed close on the heels by the “Moon” side, which the band is touring for, now. The Bravery will then kick off the summer by joining Linkin Park in the 2008 Projekt Revolution Tour beginning mid-July.
Endicott descends from the band’s busy orbit to talk with “20 Questions” about rude bus drivers, the beauty of thumbprints, and his somewhat disconcerting, freaky memory.
1. The latest book or movie that made you cry?
My favorite book ever is “Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand, but I never got around to reading “Atlas Shrugged” _ her most famous book _ until now. The print is impossibly small, so the eye strain is making me cry, if that counts.
2. The fictional character most like you?
My favorite fictional character is probably Sailor Ripley, from the movie “Wild at Heart” by David Lynch. There’s never been a greater badass; and he’s not too shabby at singing, either.
3. The greatest album, ever?
For a very long time, “13 Songs by Fugazi” was my favorite album. I should probably mention, before I get assaulted by insanely obsessed Fugazi fans, that “13 Songs” isn’t “technically” an album. It is actually two EPs put together on CD. They’re both brilliant, though.
4. “Star Trek” or “Star Wars”?
“Star Wars.” But the first “Star Trek” movie may be the deepest movie I’ve ever seen.
5. Your ideal brain food?
I drink gallons of Red Bull. It seriously makes me smarter and more alive. But only if you drink an obscene amount.
6. You’re proud of this accomplishment, but why?
I once got stiffed by a bus driver. I was knocking on the door, but he wouldn’t let me on. I just stood there knocking and knocking. And then the light changed and he drove off.
I chased that bus _ ran as fast as I could, through the crowded city sidewalk, flat out sprinting for about 10 minutes. At the next stop he saw me coming. He shut the door, cutting off half the line of people, and hit the gas. Completely bright red, completely sweating I politely knocked on his door just as he was taking off as fast as a bus could go.
I’m proud of that accomplishment. I have no idea why.
7. You want to be remembered for …?
The day one of our albums comes out is always a really cool day, because you realize you’ve put something into the world that will always exist, long after you’re gone.
8. Of those who’ve come before, the most inspirational are?
Ayn Rand, Albert Einstein and Joe Strummer.
9. The creative masterpiece you wish bore your signature?
Chuck Close’s portrait of his wife, Leslie. The entire thing is made out of thumbprints.
10. Your hidden talents …?
I never forget a face. Then I’ll see someone on the street 10 years later and stop them and force them to help me figure out where we’ve met. Which at first really freaks people out, until they realize I’m right, and we did meet for one minute, on the bus, 10 years ago.
11. The best piece of advice you actually followed?
My dad taught me that in any group of people, 10 percent of them are completely out of their minds. They’re called “Ten-Percenters.” If you have 10 people, one of them is going to be completely wrong, completely stupid or crazy, about everything they think or say or do.
12. The best thing you ever bought, stole, or borrowed?
When I was a kid I took a grape from the grocery store and ate it. My mom made me go back and tell the cashier lady what I’d done. It was the most humiliating experience of my life. I’ve never stolen since.
13. You feel best in Armani or Levis or …?
I’m more of a Salvation Army kinda guy.
14. Your dinner guest at the Ritz would be?
Winston Churchill. Because he’s the funniest man who ever lived.
15. Time travel: where, when and why?
I had a long talk with a particle physicist about this, just the other day. It’s all about worm-holes _ skipping from one point in space-time to another. We could create our own worm-hole, but that would require so much energy that it probably could never happen. It would need an engine the size of, like, the Sun.
16. Stress management: hit man, spa vacation or Prozac?
Jack and Coke.
17. Essential to life: coffee, vodka, cigarettes, chocolate, or …?
Jack and Coke. And Red Bull.
18. Environ of choice: city or country, and where on the map?
I’m a city kinda man. The country makes me nervous. It’s so quiet, I always feel like something really scary is about to go down.
19. What do you want to say to the leader of your country?
The system works. No matter how hard you tried to screw this country up, you only had eight years to do it and now you are gone, never to return. Hurrah for the Constitution.
20. Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?
Releasing the second half of our last album. We took the 11 songs on the album and recorded them in two completely different ways. It’s called “The Sun and the Moon.” The “Sun” side was more acoustic and organic, more produced, lighter and upbeat. Now we are releasing the “Moon” side. It is darker, more synthetic, more raw and unproduced.
Filed under: News | No Comments »
MTVu Campus Invasion: The Bravery
April 15th, 2008
The Bravery will be invading the University Of Maryland's Byrd Stadium on May 2nd for a exclusive performance. The performance will be filmed and aired on MTVu which is broadcast to college campuses nationwide.
Filed under: News | No Comments »
Projekt Revolution Pre-Sale Tickets: GET YOURS NOW
April 6th, 2008
The Bravery will be apart of this year’s Projekt Revolution Tour. Pre-Sale Tickets are on sale NOW. A very limited number of Pre-Sale tickets are available. Follow the links below to buy tickets. You must use this password: 1BRVY8
Wed Jul 16 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center – PRE-SALE
Fri Jul 18 - Burgettstown, PA - Post Gazette Center - PRE-SALE
Sat Jul 19 - Camden, NJ - Susquehana Bank Center - PRE-SALE
Sun Jul 20 - Hartford, CT - Dodge Music Center - PRE-SALE
Tue Jul 22 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach - PRE-SALE
Wed Jul 23 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center - PRE-SALE
Fri Jul 25 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Pavilion - PRE-SALE
Sat Jul 26 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - PRE-SALE
Sun Jul 27 - Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion - PRE-SALE
Wed Jul 30 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre - PRE-SALE
Fri Aug 1 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre - PRE-SALE
Sat Aug 2 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre - PRE-SALE
Sun Aug 3 - Atlanta, GA – Lakewood - PRE-SALE
Thu Aug 7 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Wireless Pavilion - PRE-SALE
Sat Aug 9 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre - PRE-SALE
Sun Aug 10 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless - PRE-SALE
Tue Aug 12 - Denver, CO - Fiddler's Green - PRE-SALE
Fri Aug 15 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center - PRE-SALE
Sat Aug 16 – East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre - PRE-SALE
Sun Aug 17 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless - PRE-SALE
Tue Aug 19 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center - PRE-SALE
Thu Aug 21 – Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless - PRE-SALE
Sat Aug 23 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Center - PRE-SALE
Sun Aug 24 – The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion - PRE-SALE
Filed under: News | No Comments »
