The Blood Brothers

The Blood Brothers were a prolific American experimental hardcore/art punk band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1997, who officially announced their breakup in October 2007. Described by Wikipedia as an "avant-garde punk band," their music combined influences from hardcore bands like Orchid and Refused with the experimental edge of bands like Angel Hair and Drive Like Jehu, and a strong emphasis on abstract Salvador Dali-esque lyrics that were rich with distorted, discordant, surrealistic imagery. Despite the surrealistic nature of their songs most of them have a specific underlying meaning to them.
An example such as "Life the Veil, Kiss the Tank" and "Huge Gold AK47" are ones that are focused towards war and the bands unique views on the subject, themes which are all too common today. Members were: Jordan Billie (vocals), Johnny Whitney (vocals), and Morgan Henderson (bass), along with Waxwing's Cody Votolato (guitar) and Mark Gajadhar (drums).

The band was considered unusual in that it had two dedicated lead vocalists. In addition to this, Cody and Morgan performed back-up vocals. Later albums (...Burn, Piano Island, Burn and especially Crimes) featured a degree of experimental instrumentation: Morgan often deviated from bass to add a second guitar or synthesiser, and also utilized laptop technology. Johnny added piano/Wurlitzer to many more songs, a process which actually began on "Time for Tenderness" from This Adultery Is Ripe. He has claimed he always wanted to incorporate such instruments into the Blood Brothers' sound, but only on signing with a major label prior to ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn did he have the means to do this.

The band has been described as punk, hardcore, post-hardcore, spazzcore and even extremo and sasscore (see Alternative Press Issue from October 2005). In small circles discussions of the band related with the concept that they have influences from the No Wave punk scene of the 1980's. The band made wide use of various punk/hardcore vocal styles (i.e. screaming) and instrumentation (i.e., fast drumming and plentiful power chords).

While two 'lead' vocalists produced a unique spectacle, the on stage aura they produced was due in great part to the band's musicality. Billie and Whitney's voices tended to overlap in the style of punk guitar rhythm/lead arrangements. The two vocalists contrasted each other to good effect: Whitney's voice was generally accepted to have evolved from the slurred, venomous drawl on This Adultery Is Ripe to the insanely high-pitched squeals ("like a child being tortured") heard on Crimes, while Blilie's maintained the same low, robust ferocity throughout so that his screams continue to stand out in much of their material.

Some of their influences included At the Drive-In, VSS, Highway 61, Fugazi and Botch. Currently, they are also in side projects Neon Blonde and Head Wound City, the latter also features members of The Locust and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Whitney performed vocals for the now defunct Soiled Doves. Whitney is now a part of Jaguar Love with other ex-Blood Brothers member Cody Votolato and Pretty Girls Make Graves Jay Clark.

In August 2007 Mark Gajadhar and 'Pearl Dragon' joined together to create a pop/hip-hop act by the name of Champagne Champagne. On November 13th 2007 they created a myspace and started gaining myspace friends. They also have four songs available for listen on their myspace page. They have plans to release an album in the near future. Jordan Blilie, Mark Gajadhar and Morgan Henderson formed the band Past Lives in late 2007, with original Blood Brothers guitarist Devin Welch.