Brad
Background information
Origin	Seattle, Washington, USA
Genres	Alternative rock, neo-psychedelia
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Epic, Redline
Associated acts	Malfunkshun, Green River, Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, Pearl Jam, Satchel, Pigeonhed
Members	Stone Gossard Regan Hagar Shawn Smith Keith Lowe Happy Chichester
Past members	Jeremy Toback Mike Berg

Brad is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1992. Brad's sound is influenced by the wide variety of influences brought by its members, including Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam, Regan Hagar (Satchel and formerly a member of Malfunkshun), Shawn Smith (also a member of Pigeonhed and Satchel), and Jeremy Toback. The distinctive vocals of Smith are a major factor in this sound.

History [edit]

Brad formed officially in 1992, although the band members had been playing together for a long time before that. The band's line-up was composed of vocalist Shawn Smith, guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeremy Toback, and drummer Regan Hagar. The band originally wanted to go by the name Shame, however the band found that the name was already taken by a band featuring musician Brad Wilson.^[1] Instead, the band took the name Brad and decided to name its debut album Shame. Shame, released on April 27, 1993 through Epic Records, was recorded in roughly 20 days, with many tracks taken from in-studio jam sessions. Shame, featuring a raw sound and an eclectic mix of styles, was released to mixed reviews and moderate sales.^[2] The track "20th Century" was a minor hit in the UK.

The band's follow-up album, Interiors, released on June 24, 1997, was much more polished. Tom Moon of Rolling Stone said that "what's most notable about Interiors...is the pure pop focus of these nuanced compositions."^[3] The lead single from Interiors, "The Day Brings", features Mike McCready from Pearl Jam on lead guitar. Interiors was met with poor sales, however the band saw its cult audience expand.^[2] The album was accompanied by a tour in the United States and Canada that same year, as well as a small tour in Australia and New Zealand in 1998.

A third album, Welcome to Discovery Park, was released on August 13, 2002 through Redline Records. The recording of Welcome to Discovery Park saw contributions from Mike Berg, who had taken over as the touring bassist for Toback.^[2] The album mixes the rawness of Shame and the polished, produced sound of Interiors. Bradley Torreano of Allmusic called it "another quality album that still leaves the listener hungry overall for some better songs."^[4] In July 2005, the band released an album of unreleased and incomplete Brad and Satchel tracks called Brad vs Satchel through The Establishment Store.

Brad playing on their opening date of their European tour in Manchester, England on 8 February 2013.

As of January 2006, the band's fourth studio album, tentatively titled Best Friends?, had been recorded and was being pared down to a 13-track release.^[5] As of September 2007, the album was still awaiting release as the band reunited for a small series of live performances, starting in October 2007, with Kevin Wood (of Malfunkshun) joining the band as an additional guitarist. To date, there has been no indication as to whether this is a permanent personnel move or just a temporary addition. Songs from the forthcoming Best Friends? album were played at the 2007 and 2008 performances.

Brad performed live at Seattle's Showbox on April 14, 2010 and news about 'Best Friends?' imminent release with be posted on their official website shortly. The release date has been set for August 10, 2010 and will be available through the Pearl Jam website. Brad also announced on their official webpage that they will be reopening the Establishment Store.

In 2011 the news came that the band would record and perform on a more permanent basis. The band signed a new record deal with Razor & Tie. The band spent many months in the recording studio for what would become their fifth record United We Stand. United We Stand was released on April 28, 2012 followed by a short US tour. Later that year their first European tour was announced which started in February 2013.

Band members [edit]

Current members

• Stone Gossard – guitar (1992-present)
• Regan Hagar – drums (1992-present)
• Shawn Smith – keyboard, vocals (1992-present)
• Keith Lowe - bass guitar (2008–present)
• Happy Chichester - guitar, keys, backing vocals (2010–present)

Former members

• Jeremy Toback – bass guitar (1992–1997)
• Mike Berg – bass guitar (1997–2005)

Additional personnel

• James Hall – guitar, keyboard (1997)
• Matt Brown – guitar, keyboard (1997)
• Elizabeth Pupo-Walker – percussion (2001–2002)
• Thaddeus Turner – guitars, bass (2001–2002)
• Kevin Wood – guitar (2007)

Discography [edit]

Studio albums [edit]

Compilations [edit]

Singles [edit]

See also [edit]

• List of alternative rock artists

Notes and references [edit]

External links [edit]

• THE OFFICIAL BRAD WEBSITE
• Shawn Smith official website
• Brad at Allmusic
• Jeremy Toback official website