Brain Salt is a brooklyn based electronic rock band. The group released its first EP called “Crowds”, in 2016 and its second EP called “Cleanin up”, in 2017. In October 2018, the band released its first single, “Monster hands” a Halloween-themed love song in two parts. The release of their record “Monster Hands” is a festive and unique love bop that we can add to our spooky valentines playlists! Their cinematic and edgy rock sound was something we found to be completely absorbable in the moment. What I liked the most about this record was its outgoing and quirky elements. The song instantly brought a joyful smile to my face due to the delightful and vibrant aura brain salt produced. It’s the upbeat and exciting section of rock music some artists tends to ignore. Rock comes into different spectrums and this mini subgenre of fun is rarely ever displayed. However it’s much appreciated and gives brain salt this authentic flare that could carry them a long way in this industry.
Check out Brain Salt's website to keep up to date with the band!
Check out some interview questions below where Brain Salt gives us a sense of their inspiration and upcoming goals.
What inspired you guys to name yourselves "Brain Salt"?
Pete saw a medicine bottle labeled "Brain Salt" in a display about prohibition at a certain bourbon distillery/museum in Louisville while we were trying to figure out the band name. He felt this HAD to be the name and fortunately everyone agreed.
How would you describe your music style?
Dancey, jamtastic, funky progressive rock.
Do you guys face any challenges in collaborating as a band?
Not really. We're all pretty laid back and happy to try anything that anyone lays on the table. As a result we actually have several songs that came together within the first one or two times of playing them!
Can you tell us about the creation process of "Monster Hands"?
Coach originally wrote the music for the first half of "Monster Hands" as a tribute to his wife's unique dance moves (hands and arms waving up and down like a funky zombie on the prowl). He had written a separate piece of music that became, but was never intended to be, the second half of the song. However, after bringing both pieces to the band, it became clear that two pieces complimented each other perfectly. Pete then suggested lyrics that fit the vibe, and Adam worked out the vocal harmonies. Based on the Halloween and love themes, "Monster Hands" quickly became known as "a Halloween-themed love song in two parts." The song combines the best elements of Brain Salt: danceable, catchy rhythms, light-hearted lyrics, and solid rock 'n roll musicianship. As for the video: We knew that we wanted to do a video for "Monster Hands" that involved the band doing wacky things while wearing actual monster hands. We also had some vague notions of incorporating some tropes from 1990's MTV-era music videos (e.g. dancing while looking down into a camera, faded coloration, flannel shirts, all book-ended with that classic video tagline info). Additionally, we had access to three professionally trained dogs (Ernie the Aussie, Einstein the Poodle, and Izzie the Cutie). Putting those ideas together, we developed the concept of the band performing while wearing monster hands, and decided on two locations: Forest Park in Queens, and Troutman Street in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn (known for its incredible street art). We worked closely with Eric Mann, our friend and owner of Unreel Films, to plot out the video shoot, and shot the whole video in one epic day. Eric did an incredible job bringing our vision to life. He also captured some hilarious unscripted moments with the puppies that really tie the video together.
What's the most momentary part of your career as a band thus far?
Before we put out "Crowds," our first EP, we hadn't yet purchased our private jet. Fortunately, that was momentary. ;-)
The most momentous/exciting point of our career was the release show for our first full-length record, "Brain Salt: The Album". We played one of our best shows in front of a great crowd at Mercury Lounge in New York City, complete with an amazing light show and disco ball madness.
What can we expect to see from you guys in 2019?
We're currently working on a few more music videos to support the album while also beginning pre-production on our next release, which will likely be our second full-length album. We're also hoping to make a live in-studio video EP from those sessions as well. And of course, plenty of shows since live Brain Salt is the best BrainSalt! We're currently expanding our live performances outside of New York City and into Connecticut, Upstate New York, Massachusetts and beyond. Current dates include: Fri. Feb. 22 at Main Street Tavern, Stratford, CT; Fri. Mar. 1 at the Bitter End in New York City; Sun. Apr. 7 at Lucy's in Pleasantville, NY; Sat. Apr. 20 (at the stroke of midnight) at Rockwood Music Hall; and Sat. May 11 at Newburyport Brewing Company in Newburyport, MA.