Brand New Unit | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Surrey, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | Hardcore punk Melodic Hardcore |
| Years active | 1991-2000 |
| Labels | 3 Minute Mile Records, Excursion Records, Creative Man Disc, BYO Records, HeartFirst Records, Burning Heart Records, Modern Radio Record Label |
| Members | Gary Lavallee† Jinx Stringer Ben Hughes Garnet Kulhavy† Gabe Mantle |
Brand New Unit, commonly known as BNU, was a Canadian Hardcore punk band from suburban Vancouver, British Columbia.
Lineup
- Gary Lavallee, vocals
- Jinx Stringer, guitar
- Ben Hughes, bass
- Garnet Kulhavy, drums; llater replaced by Gabe Mantle of Gob)
History
The band formed in 1991 in Surrey, British Columbia,[1] and started out playing locally and in Vancouver.[2]
In 1992, they were winners of CITR-FM's 1982 SHiNDiG live performance contest, which awarded them some studio time.[3][4] They used it to record their first EP, Summertime.[5] Influences of 7 Seconds and Dag Nasty can be heard on Summertime with Kulhavy, while later recordings feature a more post-hardcore feel with hard-hitting live elements.
In 1993, they were included on Crank It Up - Volume 11, part of Thrasher Magazine's Skate Rock series.[6] In 1994, they released their first album, Under The Big Top.[7]
Brand New Unit toured constantly and expanded their following into the US market.[8] In 1995, they released three EPs[9] and, by 1997, had enough material to release a compilation album, Looking Back Again.[10][11]
In 1998, the band released the album Diddly Squat through the Creative Man label.[12][13] In 1999, they released a split EP with Kill Sadie, and were included in a VML Records compilation album with The Pist, Supernova and The Gain.[14] They released one more EP in 1999[15] and broke up in 2000.
In February 2010, Brand New Unit played a reunion show in Vancouver.[16] They continued to play occasionally, last appearing in Victoria in 2018.[17]
In October 2021, Gary Lavallee passed away; his cause of death was not released. In November 2021, Garnet Kulhavy died of COVID-19.[18]
Discography
Albums
- Under The Big Top (1994), Excursion Records
- Looking Back Again (1997), BYO Records
- Diddley Squat (1998), Creative Man Disc
EPs
- Summertime 7" (1992), 3 Minute Mile Records
- All For Nothing 7" (1995), HeartFirst Records
- Quickdraw Richy Rich (1995), HeartFirst Records
- No Heroes (1995), HeartFirst Records
- Kill Sadie + Brand New Unit Split 7" (1999), Modern Radio Record Label
- Empty Useless Air (1999), Burning Heart Records
References
- ^ "Brand New Unit is "Totally into it"" by Matthew Gourlie, The Carillon, January 29, 1998. University of Regina (Archived at the Wayback Machine)
- ^ "Brand New Unit". AllMusic Biography by Linda Seida
- ^ SHiNDiG Past results - 1992 (Archived at the Wayback Machine)[dead link]
- ^ Chris Walter (1 March 2015). Under the Kilt: the Real McKenzies Exposed. BookBaby. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-927053-22-5.[dead link]
- ^ "Brand New Unit - Summertime". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Various – Crank It Up - Volume Eleven". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Brand New Unit – Under The Big Top". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Iwasaki, Scott (12 June 1998). "Tour helps Brand New Unit get noticed, June 1998". deseret.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Brand New Unit". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Brand New Unit - Looking Back Again". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Brand New Unit Diddley Squat Creative Man Looking Back Again BYO". Ink19, February 9, 1998. Ryan Eckhart
- ^ "Brand New Unit – Diddley Squat". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "New Releases : Dishwalla's followup album rates A-, offering songs that get lots of airplay". Los Angeles Times, July 30, 1998|Bill Locey [1]
- ^ "The Pist / Supernova / The Gain / Brand New Unit". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Brand New Unit – Empty Useless Air". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ Mark PaulHus."Brand New Unit", Discorder Magazine, May 2012, review of Feb 19 show in Vancouver]
- ^ "They're Ba-ack B.N.U....June 2018". livevictoria.com. Live Victoria. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
- ^ "Brand New Unit". facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
