The Brian Jonestown Massacre
Anton Newcombe
Vocals, Guitar, Various
Matt Hollywood
Guitar
Ricky Maymi
Bass
Jeffrey Davies
Guitar
Joel Gion
Virtuoso tambourinist
Formed: 1990
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Genre: Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Shoegaze
Years Active: 1990 -
Meaning of the Name: Inspired by the former Rolling Stones member Brian Jones, and the cult leader Jim Jones, who led the ill-fated Jonestown cult in Guyana.
Primary Songwriter: Anton Newcombe
Associated: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Dandy Warhols
Labels: Bomp! Records, A Records, Tangible
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Genre: Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Shoegaze
Years Active: 1990 -
Meaning of the Name: Inspired by the former Rolling Stones member Brian Jones, and the cult leader Jim Jones, who led the ill-fated Jonestown cult in Guyana.
Primary Songwriter: Anton Newcombe
Associated: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Dandy Warhols
Labels: Bomp! Records, A Records, Tangible
Essential Releases
Methodrone (1995)
Debut album. Shoegaze and psych. Hypnotic and messy.
Their Satanic
Majesties' Second
Request (1996)
LSD-inspired odyssey through rock history.
Give It Back! (1997)
Recorded in only six days. Dense textures and swaggering attitude.
Bravery, Repetition
and Noise (2001)
More introspective. Darker. Atmospheric.
Part creative genius, part drug addict, Anton Newcombe leads The Brian Jonestown Massacre like a rambling prophet on a permanent pub crawl. With his hypnotic guitar aimed at no-one in particular, he struts through sets that contain moments of pure magic, despite the occasional detour to the gutter.
Shambolic and mesmerising in equal measure, Brian Jonestown are a spectacle of creative destruction. They hurtle toward the Gods of psychedelic rock like an unbalanced drunk trying to stay upright, only to spectacularly fall down at the final moment, before getting up and trying again.
The idiom "less is more" is one Newcombe spent three decades ignoring. In the '90s, the band pushed "sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll" to its breaking point; the music was fueled by chemical excess, and the inevitable fistfights that followed. Boasting a roster of over 60 members, they resembled a half-way house for recovering musicians instead of a traditional band.
Adding to the chaos was a prolific, almost manic, output. In 1996 alone, which is arguably their creative peak, the group released three full-length albums. Throughout it all, Newcombe was the anchor. He is their only persistent member, having spent over 35 years in the band, which is more than half his life.
Conventional wisdom states that if Brian Jonestown curated their best songs into a single album every three years, they would have produced a true classic. However, they were defined by their wild lifestyle that infused their jam-based approach. By taking it away you would remove the special ingredient. The sheer unpredictability of their live shows made them unmissable for adventurous fans of independent music who preferred raw authenticity over rehearsed rebellion.
Such gigs would, at times, disintegrate into impromptu brawls between band members and people in the audience alike. Much of the improvisation was impossible to replicate; the music was for the moment, like a Buddhist mandala, important not because it endured but because it existed.
Somewhere within the madness, however, was genius trying to get out. There's a universe where Anton Newcombe is mentioned in the same breath as John Lennon or Bob Dylan, as one of the world's great songwriters. He may not have produced the "masterpiece" his potential demanded, but there was glory in the attempt.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
85
Mental Impact
65
Originality
75
Artistry
80
Authenticity
95
Live
70
Production
60
Musicianship
80
Singing
70
Songwriting
75
Danceability
65
Fun
75
Consistency
60
Range
80
Cool
90
Charisma
60
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications
Charts
Critics >>>
- Pitchfork - Methodrone - The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time (2018): 33rd
