B R a V E

History of Brave
Created in 1997 by guitarist Scott Loose and drummer Trevor Schrotz, Arise From Thorns (AFT) began exploring and writing melodic, atmospheric and diverse music. Shortly thereafter, Scott’s sister, Michelle Loose, joined the band to provide keyboards and lead vocals. The music of AFT began to take form as the three members wrote and recorded their first self-titled CD that was released in 1998. AFT began playing in and around their hometown of Dale City, Virginia, a suburb of Washington D.C., and established a name for themselves in original, avant-garde music. In 1998, the trio was joined by bassist Chris Welborn, who previously played in the Northern Virginia-based band Division (www.division-usa.com) and guitarist Tom Phillips, founder of the band While Heaven Wept (www.whileheavenwept.net). The five of them began work for their follow up CD entitled Before An Audience of Stars and continued to play clubs and festivals on the East Coast.

In March 2000, AFT changed their name to BRAVE to make a distinction between the origins of the project and the band in its most complete form. With the name change, the music has taken a slightly more progressive direction while retaining the passionate and atmospheric melodies of the original material.

In January 2001, the American label Dark Symphonies re-released Before An Audience of Stars featuring three bonus tracks and brand new artwork. In March 2001, BRAVE self-released their first four song EP entitled Waist Deep In Dark Waters. Both the re-release and the EP have received national and international praise and sold over 7,000 copies to date.

In February 2002 BRAVE entered Assembly Line Studios in Vienna, Virginia to record their debut full-length CD. The new CD, entitled Searching for the Sun contains 11 tracks and features elements of contemporary rock, progressive rock and metal. Dark Symphonies released the record in July 2002.

Following the acclaimed release of Searching for the Sun, BRAVE added violinist Suvo Sur. Suvo, a classically trained violinist, previously played in Forty Days Longing. Later in 2002, BRAVE won 2nd place in Jaxx’s Battle of the Bands, a contest that spanned 6 months and included over 250 bands from the Washington, D.C. Metro area.

In 2003, BRAVE was joined by long-time friend and bass player Ben Kelly. Ben also previously played in Forty Days Longing and currently plays in Modulus.

In early 2004, the five band members recorded their Passages EP at Cue Studios in Falls Church, Virginia. The band continued to perform in the Washington DC area, opening for such bands as Lacuna Coil, Symphony X, Fates Warning, Therion, Opeth, Devin Townsend, Moonspell, Asia, Spock’s Beard, and Katatonia.

They have also recently added a second guitarist, Matt Kozar, whose previous bands include Forty Days Longing, Betray My Trust and Time of the Wolf. After 4 years of writing and 10 months of recording, BRAVE self-released their 6th studio album Monuments in May 2008. Monuments is their heaviest, most diverse album to date, and contains almost 60 minutes of original music.

Brave are currently rehearsing and beginning to write new material for a possible future release. Family and work commitments have kept the band very busy over the last few years but check back soon for updates on live performances and new material.