Biography
Chris Brokaw has established himself as a versatile and highly productive presence in indie rock, initially building his name through Codeine and Come before branching out into extensive collaborations with other prominent musicians and developing a substantial catalog of his own releases. As a guitarist he favors atmospheric textures and dynamic shifts over displays of technical flash, a sensibility audible across projects such as the interplay of jangle and distortion on Red Cities from 2001, the understated acoustic pop leanings of Incredible Love in 2005, the tension between restraint and intensity on Gambler's Ecstasy from 2013, and the atmospheric instrumental environments of End of the Night in 2019. Beyond his solo output, Brokaw has performed with the New Year, the Empty House Cooperative, the Lemonheads, and the Martha's Vineyard Ferries while also working alongside Thurston Moore, Steve Wynn, Geoff Farina, Rhys Chatham, Alan Licht, and Lori Goldston.
Born on August 1, 1964, in New York City, Brokaw grew up in a nearby suburb and began playing music during his early teenage years, including performances for fellow students at age 15. He enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio, where his studies did not center on music yet included classes in multi-track recording and steel drum performance; among his fellow students were future indie figures Liz Phair, John McEntire of Tortoise, and Sooyoung Park of Seam. Although guitar became his primary instrument, Brokaw's earliest notable appearances came on drums, including brief stints with 7 or 8 Worm Hearts and shock-rock performer G.G. Allin; in 1989 he joined slowcore innovators Codeine as a founding member alongside bassist Stephen Immerwahr, whom he had met at Oberlin, contributing to the band's debut album Frigid Stars LP and the EP Barely Real.
Brokaw moved to Boston in 1991 and took on guitar duties with Come, whose lineup included Thalia Zedek, previously of Uzi and Live Skull. He departed Codeine the following year to concentrate on Come, which issued four albums on Matador Records between 1992 and 1998 and also backed Steve Wynn on the 1996 release Melting in the Dark. Although Come disbanded in 2001, the group reconvened periodically for concerts, and Brokaw maintained his partnership with Zedek on her subsequent solo work.
Following the breakup, Brokaw initiated a solo career with Red Cities in 2001 and continued issuing recordings at a steady pace, alternating between widely distributed albums such as Wandering as Water in 2003, Incredible Love in 2005, Canaris in 2008, Gambler's Ecstasy in 2012, and The End of the Night in 2019 and limited-run experimental editions such as the 2014 cassette Wages of Fear, pressed in only twelve copies with individually handmade artwork. He also composed scores for independent films including I Was Born, But… in 2004, Road in 2011, Sospira in 2011 (a joint effort with Kevin Micka), and Now, Forager in 2014.
Brokaw joined the New Year for its first album Newness Ends in 2001 and formed Consonant in 2002 with Clint Conley of Mission of Burma; he maintained ongoing collaborations with guitarist Geoff Farina, formerly of Karate, and cellist Lori Goldston, who had previously worked with Nirvana, while also touring with Thurston Moore's solo project throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Additional ventures encompass the acoustic-oriented Pullman, the improvisational Empty House Cooperative, the international experimental pop outfit Dirtmusic alongside Hugo Race of the Bad Seeds and Chris Eckman of the Walkabouts, the drone ensemble Wrekmeister Harmonies, and Charnel Ground, a trio completed by James McNew of Yo La Tengo and Kid Millions of Oneida.
Born on August 1, 1964, in New York City, Brokaw grew up in a nearby suburb and began playing music during his early teenage years, including performances for fellow students at age 15. He enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio, where his studies did not center on music yet included classes in multi-track recording and steel drum performance; among his fellow students were future indie figures Liz Phair, John McEntire of Tortoise, and Sooyoung Park of Seam. Although guitar became his primary instrument, Brokaw's earliest notable appearances came on drums, including brief stints with 7 or 8 Worm Hearts and shock-rock performer G.G. Allin; in 1989 he joined slowcore innovators Codeine as a founding member alongside bassist Stephen Immerwahr, whom he had met at Oberlin, contributing to the band's debut album Frigid Stars LP and the EP Barely Real.
Brokaw moved to Boston in 1991 and took on guitar duties with Come, whose lineup included Thalia Zedek, previously of Uzi and Live Skull. He departed Codeine the following year to concentrate on Come, which issued four albums on Matador Records between 1992 and 1998 and also backed Steve Wynn on the 1996 release Melting in the Dark. Although Come disbanded in 2001, the group reconvened periodically for concerts, and Brokaw maintained his partnership with Zedek on her subsequent solo work.
Following the breakup, Brokaw initiated a solo career with Red Cities in 2001 and continued issuing recordings at a steady pace, alternating between widely distributed albums such as Wandering as Water in 2003, Incredible Love in 2005, Canaris in 2008, Gambler's Ecstasy in 2012, and The End of the Night in 2019 and limited-run experimental editions such as the 2014 cassette Wages of Fear, pressed in only twelve copies with individually handmade artwork. He also composed scores for independent films including I Was Born, But… in 2004, Road in 2011, Sospira in 2011 (a joint effort with Kevin Micka), and Now, Forager in 2014.
Brokaw joined the New Year for its first album Newness Ends in 2001 and formed Consonant in 2002 with Clint Conley of Mission of Burma; he maintained ongoing collaborations with guitarist Geoff Farina, formerly of Karate, and cellist Lori Goldston, who had previously worked with Nirvana, while also touring with Thurston Moore's solo project throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Additional ventures encompass the acoustic-oriented Pullman, the improvisational Empty House Cooperative, the international experimental pop outfit Dirtmusic alongside Hugo Race of the Bad Seeds and Chris Eckman of the Walkabouts, the drone ensemble Wrekmeister Harmonies, and Charnel Ground, a trio completed by James McNew of Yo La Tengo and Kid Millions of Oneida.
Albums
