If one has not paid witness to the fury that is Brain Bagz, they are most certainly missing out. Their style blends a mix of influences and dare say, goes beyond the boundaries of any generic label. Brain Bagz consist of Mikey Blackhurst, Kristen Maloney, Elisar Soueidi and Max Wislon. They formed in early 2015 out of the ashes of garage punk band, Swamp Ravens—a band that Maloney and Blackhurst had started a couple years prior. Swamp Ravens played various Salt Lake clubs and could regularly be seen at Diabolical Records. Though they played host to many different lineups and they were always a presence to be considered— and it was a surprise to many when they finally folded. “{Swamp Ravens} just fizzled out,” says Blackhurst. “It was kind of unfocused.” Maloney adds, “…We went through so many band members…every time we get a new member, we would write all the songs—in my opinion it got better every time—and finally after the last breakup we had Jared Soper and Courtney Holman in the band. I loved the set up, we made some great music—they’re good musicians—but once they were out of the band we were like ‘k this project this project’s done.’ ”
The absence of Swamp Ravens was a notable loss in the Salt Lake music scene, however Blackhurst and Maloney were determined to start something new and fresh. In perhaps perfect timing for the Quintron and Miss Pussycat gig on June 03,2015, Brain Bagz had come out of the woodwork with a new line up and sound. Brain Bagz’s boasted a diverse inspiration that varied from rockabilly, blues, weird punk and even modern culture. “Everyone in this band listens to different stuff,” says Blackhurst. “We’re all familiar with blues, soul, funk and jazz.” With such a wide and deep appreciation for music and culture it can be rather difficult to pin them down to a genre. But that’s not a concern for Brain Bagz as they do not feel the need to be limited and that is something that shows through their music and even defines their reason for playing.
For Brain Bagz, their motive for playing is based purely on the need to make music rather than make money. Maloney says, “I’d say with Brain Bagz, we’ve had people who really care about it, whereas with Swamp Ravens we had some people who kinda care.” Brain Bagz has been subject to some line-up changes, though, not as drastic as with Swamp Ravens. Since the Quintron and Miss Pussycat show, Brain Bagz lost their drummer and synth player—a departure it is stressed that was on good terms—but in the switch up, gained the talents of Soueidi and Wilson. Speaking of their new members Blackurst says, “Now we have people that are fucking into it, who fucking care about it.” Brain Bagz current line-up act very much like a family. “I like that we pick people over they’re musical abilities. We knew Elisar could play guitar, could play bass, she was a fantastic musician {who} didn’t know shit about drums when she joined the band, and we’re like we don’t care. We know you can play and we’re not a real technical band,” says Maloney. “We just want to play rock n’ roll.”
Maloney and Blackhurst’s appreciation for all things rock n’roll is a passion that translates into all aspects of life. It is a love that has found them attending Goner Fest in Memphis, Tennessee two years in a row and somehow they have managed to survive with their livers intact. With certain excitement Maloney says,“It’s overwhelming in the best way possible, because you’re watching the best bands from 1AM to 4 AM and you’re at the bar the whole time.” This pilgrimage to Goner Fest has also contributed to an already budding awakening toward a more global rock n’ roll community. This more global outlook is felt to be largely lost in Salt Lake City. The reason according to Maloney is largely due to bands skipping over Salt Lake in favor of the touring the west coast with the result being the loss of said bands cultural influence on the local scene— however, according to Maloney that too is beginning to change. Brain Bagz cite Diabolical Records as the place that has greatly contributed to expanding and diversifying Salt Lake’s music scene and it is a shop/venue that Brain Bagz has played often.
It is at Diabolical that the members of Brain Bagz have been able to connect with the music community, both local and worldwide. With the emergence of a flourishing scene and with their experiences at Goner Fest,both Maloney and Blackhurst are inspired to take their music to new heights. Maloney speaking of her inspiration says, “Seeing these bands, meeting these bands, like we need to get our shit together. We need to get back on top of it…and to get out of Salt Lake.” Riding this wave of enthusiasm, Brain Bagz have hit the Salt Lake circuit hard in the last couple of months. They have played with the likes of GO!Zilla, Cool Ghouls, Rich Girlz,Salt Lake Spitfires, Blood Purge, Handiecapitalist and Lysol (Seattle). Their ambition is, however, set higher and they are set to bust out of Salt Lake City in March/April of 2016 for a west coast tour. If you’re smart you’ll check them out as they plan to infect:
March 26th Boise TBA,
March 27th Seattle TBA,
March 28th Portland @ The Know,
March 29th Sacramento TBA,
March 30th SF @ Hemlock Tavern,
March 31st Oak TBA,
April 1st LA @ Nela’s,
April 2nd LA @ Permanent Records,
3rd Las Vegas @ TBA
Dig Brain Bagz’s Bandcamp and their Facebook page for all things Brain Bagz!!
