Brad, from Seattle, Washington, USA, formed officially in 1992 (though the … Read Full Bio ↴Brad, from Seattle, Washington, USA, formed officially in 1992 (though the members had been playing together for a long time before that) and in 1993 released their debut album Shame. Brad included 4 friends from the Seattle area who are musicians, including Stone Gossard (of Pearl Jam fame), Regan Hagar (former member of an early grunge band Malfunkshun), Shawn Smith (also a member of Pigeonhed and Satchel) and Jeremy Toback also of ONS.
While often considered simply a side-project of Stone's, Brad had a sound all their own, due to the wide variety of influences brought to the band by its members. The distinctive vocals of Shawn Smith are a major factor in this sound.

Shawn Smith contributed on the title-track for the Belgian group Arsenal on their album Lotuk. He spent his 2008 summer touring along with the band.

Origin Seattle, Washington, USA
Genre(s) Alternative rock, neo-psychedelia
Years active 1992–present
Label(s) Epic, Redline
Associated acts Malfunkshun, Pearl Jam, Satchel, Pigeonhed
Website www.bradcorporation.com
Members
Stone Gossard
Regan Hagar
Shawn Smith
Jeremy Toback
Mike Berg

* History

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, 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. Interiors was met with poor sales, however the band saw its cult audience expand.[2] The single from Interiors, "The Day Brings", features Mike McCready from Pearl Jam on lead guitar. The album was accompanied by a tour in the United States 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. 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. In July 2005, the band released an album of unreleased and incomplete Brad and Satchel tracks called Brad vs Satchel.

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.[3] 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, but there was no announcement as to when the album would be released.

Shawn Smith unfortunately passed away on April 3rd, 2019.

Current members

* Stone Gossard – guitar
* Regan Hagar – drums
* Shawn Smith – keyboard, vocals
* Jeremy Toback – bass guitar
* Mike Berg – bass guitar (1997–present)

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–present)

Studio albums
Year Album details
1993 Shame

* Released: April 27, 1993
* Label: Epic
* Format: CD, cassette (CS)

1997 Interiors

* Released: June 24, 1997
* Label: Epic
* Format: CD, CS

2002 Welcome to Discovery Park

* Released: August 13, 2002
* Label: Redline
* Format: CD

Compilations
Year Album details
2005 Brad vs Satchel

* Released: July 26, 2005
* Label: The Establishment Store
* Format: CD

Singles
Year Single UK peak
chart position
[4] Album
1993 "Screen"/"Buttercup" — Shame
"20th Century" 64
1997 "The Day Brings" — Interiors
"Secret Girl" —
2003 "La, La, La" — Welcome to Discovery Park
"Shinin'" —
"Revolution" —
"—" denotes singles that did not chart.

Notes and references

1. ^ Gumbuoy. "Hang Out In Discovery Park With Brad". fasterlouder.com.au. September 27, 2005.
2. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas and Torreano, Bradley. "Brad". Allmusic. Retrieved on January 31, 2009.
3. ^ Prato, Greg. "Brad Finishing Up Fourth Album". Billboard. January 18, 2006.
4. ^ "UK Singles & Albums Chart Archive — Brad". http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=6825. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.

External links

* Brad's official website
* Brad at MySpace
* Brad at Allmusic
* Brad at Last.fm

Upon My Shoulders
Brad Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lay your head upon my shoulder.
Somehow I feel obliged.
And I've never offered
This kind of art,
And love is appearance of justice, and
Harmony will come.
It will be much brighter.
Will I see you in the fall?

Love is appearance of justice, and
Harmony will come.
Love is appearance of justice, and

Harmony will come.
I will adore your eyes...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Brad's song "Upon My Shoulders" describe a moment of deep connection and empathy between two people. The singer invites the other person to lay their head on his shoulder, indicating a level of trust and closeness that goes beyond mere acquaintance. He feels obliged to offer this kind of comfort and support, suggesting that he recognizes the other person's need for it. The mention of "this kind of art" is intriguing, as it implies that there is a creative and expressive aspect to this form of intimacy. Perhaps the singer sees himself as a kind of artist, using his body and emotions to provide solace and inspiration to the other person.

The repeated lines "love is appearance of justice, and harmony will come" suggest a broader, almost political dimension to the song. The idea that love can bring about justice and harmony is a powerful one, and speaks to the potential for personal relationships to influence the world around us. The final line, "I will adore your eyes," is a poetic expression of affection that reinforces the intimacy and tenderness of the moment.

Line by Line Meaning

Lay your head upon my shoulder.
Rest your head on my shoulder, find comfort and solace in my presence.

Somehow I feel obliged.
I feel like it is my responsibility to offer you affection and support.

And I've never offered This kind of art,
I have never expressed my feelings in this manner before, using the art of songwriting to convey my emotions.

And love is appearance of justice, and Harmony will come.
Love represents fairness and equity, and when it is present, balance and harmony will follow.

It will be much brighter.
The future will be filled with hope and positivity.

Will I see you in the fall?
Are you planning to be around in the upcoming autumn season?

I will adore your eyes...
I will deeply admire and cherish your eyes, which reflect your soul and inner beauty.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEREMY DAVID TOBACK, REGAN W HAGAR, SHAWN SMITH, STONE C GOSSARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS