While still in high school, Bjork got together with friends Josh Homme and John Garcia in 1987 to form a band called Katzenjammer. At Bjork's prompting, the band would soon be renamed Sons of Kyuss for a single EP, named after "The Sons of Kyuss" monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, and then later shortened to Kyuss. The band relocated to Los Angeles in 1990 and signed to Chameleon Records, releasing their debut album, Wretch in September 1991. They were then picked up by the major label Elektra Records, becoming the first desert rock band to achieve international success. Bjork was a major creative force in Kyuss, contributing a substantial portion of the band's songwriting. In 1994, Bjork left the band following the release of Welcome to Sky Valley, frustrated at guitarist Homme's growing reluctance to play the songs he was contributing to the band.
After leaving Kyuss, Bjork would go on to play with several different bands, as well as founding the independent label El Camino Records (later Duna Records). Through his label, Bjork would release albums that he was musically involved in, such as hardcore punk band De-Con's 1995 album Balls for Days, on which he played drums. Bjork would also release and produce stoner rock band Solarfeast's 1995 debut Gossamer. Bjork would later go on to join former Kyuss bandmate, Josh Homme, in his Palm Desert musical collective series, The Desert Sessions. He would play a mixture of guitar, bass, drums, and percussion on various tracks on the 1997 releases Volume 1: Instrumental Driving Music For Felons and Volume 2: Status: Ships Commander Butchered, as well as 1999's Volume 5: Poetry for the Masses (SeaShedShitheadByTheSheSore) and Volume 6: Black Anvil Ego.
Bjork briefly moved to Santa Cruz to play guitar for hardcore punk band LAB in 1997 (made up of the remaining members of 80's punk band BL'AST!), playing on their 1997 release, the 7" EP "Burning Leaf/Chihuahua". He would also play guitar for Fatso Jetson during 1997–1998, including on their 1998 "Jailbreak" 7" split EP with stoner rock band Fu Manchu.
Bjork was playing with another former member of Kyuss, Nick Oliveri, in Oliveri's metal band Mondo Generator. Joining in 1997, Bjork's drumming would feature on the 2000 LP Cocaine Rodeo, and the 2003 LP A Drug Problem That Never Existed. He would tour with the band until leaving in 2004. Bjork also appeared on the live DVD, 2004's Use Once and Destroy Me, as well as later releases featuring the Bjork-era line-up, in including the 2006 7" single "I Never Sleep" and the 2008 Australian Tour EP.
Having produced their debut album No One Rides for Free in 1994, Bjork would officially join Fu Manchu with the release of their critically acclaimed 1997 album The Action Is Go. Bjork would continue to play on every Fu Manchu recording until his departure following the release of 2001's California Crossing, including the LPs Eatin' Dust and King of the Road.
Bjork began recording his first solo album, 1999's Jalamanta, in February of that year. Bjork performed all instruments, including guitar and vocals. He would also perform guitar and vocals in the short-lived stoner rock band Ché – a side-project collaboration with former Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age drummer Alfredo Hernández. Ché released their only album, Sounds of Liberation, in October 2000. Bjork's next album, 2002's Brant Bjork & the Operators, named for Bjork's fictional backing band, 'the Operators', was recorded in November 2000 with Bjork again performing vocals and most instruments. He would continue to be the sole performer, except for a few guest spots, on 2003's Keep Your Cool and 2004's Local Angel.
Bjork would form the band Brant Bjork and the Bros in 2003, featuring guitarist Mike Pygmie, bassist Dylan Roche, and drummer Michael Peffer, with Bjork performing vocals and additional guitar. They toured Europe in October 2003, performing a mixture of Bjork's solo material and Ché's Sounds of Liberation. Pygmie was replaced by Scott Cortez Silverman for further touring in Europe and North America in 2004.[5] This line-up went on to record the 2005 double album Saved by Magic. The album featured a return to the sound of Bjork's earlier sound from his Jalamanta/Sounds of Liberation era.
2006 saw the release of Sabbia, a feature film "visual soundtrack" by filmmaker Kate McCabe, featuring Bjork's music. Brant Bjork and the Bros would go on to record another album, 2007's Somera Sól, with Alfredo Hernández replacing Michael Peffer on drums. In the same year, Bjork released his fifth solo album, Tres Dias, an acoustic album featuring reinterpretations of older songs, as well as some new material. The title of the album (Three Days) comes from the purported amount of time that Bjork claimed it took to record it at producer Tony Mason's house in Joshua Tree, California.
Bjork reported in 2007 that he had ended his label, Duna Records, citing that it took too much time and energy to run. Bjork soon created a new label, Low Desert Punk Recordings, and the Duna Records website now functions as a Brant Bjork community fansite and forum.[8] The first release on the new label was Bjork's 2008 album, Punk Rock Guilt, made up of recordings from December 2005 referred to as the "New Jersey Sessions". This release was followed up with the 2010 album Gods & Goddesses. Recorded in LA in 2009, Gods & Goddesses was the first Brant Bjork solo album not to be primarily recorded by Bjork himself. Instead, Bjork recorded with a new line-up of musicians including guitarist Brandon Henderson, former Yawning Man bassist Billy Cordell, and former Mondo Generator drummer Giampaolo Farnedi.
In November 2010, it was announced that Bjork was forming Kyuss Lives! with Bruno Fevery on guitar, Nick Oliveri on bass and John Garcia on vocals. The band undertook a European, Australian and New Zealand tour from March to May 2011. On November 2012, Kyuss Lives! announced that they had changed their name to Vista Chino.
Vista Chino released their debut album Peace on September 3, 2013 through Napalm Records.
In March 2014, Bjork announced that he would tour Australia in May with his backing band, the 'Low Desert Punks', consisting of bassist Dave Dinsmore, guitarist Bubba Dupree, and Tony Tornay on drums.[10] He would later announce a New Zealand tour with dates in June.
Tao of The Devil was released in 2016.
Europe '16, a live album was released in 2017.
Mankind Woman was released in 2018.
A new solo record entitled Jacuzzi has been recorded and mixed. Jacuzzi will be an instrumental album, featuring jazz and funk influences with break beats. Originally planned for release in 2013, it has been delayed for undisclosed reasons. It was released in 2019.
Love Is Revolution
Brant Bjork Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
well I got the place for you
old man hunts with the power
and the young man sings the blues.
Excuse me sir can you heal me
God bless is all he said,
so i put those words in my pipe and i light it up
and i live my life this way cause i'm living amongst the dead.
Stand up and they all say and now's the time you see their all afraid.
And i read the news today, and there's no love in the USA.
Love is revolution when the land is built on hay, better get you thing together the captain in five would say.
Excuse me sir can you heal me
God bless is all he said
so i put his words in my pipe and i light it up
and i live my life this way cause i'm living amongst the dead.
So Stand up and they all say and now's the time not born to be a slave.
I read the news today, and there's no love in the USA.
Now Stand up and they all say so i get down not born to be a slave.
I read the news today, there's no love in the USA.
You hear what i say yeah. There's no love in the USA.
Do you hear what i say to you, there's no love in the USA.
The USA. In the USA.
The song "Love is Revolution" by Brant Bjork is a call for unity and action, directed towards those who consider themselves warriors. The first verse sets the scene, with the old man and the young man symbolizing the wisdom of experience and the passion of youth, respectively. The singer then asks for healing from a wise man, who responds simply but profoundly with "God bless." The singer takes these words to heart, using them to inspire himself to live freely and fully amidst the "dead" atmosphere that surrounds him. The chorus speaks to the need for love and revolution, especially in a country that seems to have lost its way. Bjork urges those listening to stand up and be brave, to take action against a system that doesn't value love and human connection.
The second verse repeats the call to action, with the singer stating that he's not "born to be a slave." He reads the news and sees a world that is devoid of love, and he's determined to do something about it. The final chorus is a plea for people to listen to his message, that "there's no love in the USA." Despite this dire assessment, Bjork doesn't let the listener give up hope. Through his lyrics and his music, he encourages us to fight for a better world, to let love be the driving force behind our actions.
Overall, "Love is Revolution" is a powerful anthem that speaks to the need for change and compassion in a world that often feels cold and distant. Bjork's message is clear: we need to work together to build a better future, one that is defined by love and justice rather than fear and hatred.
Line by Line Meaning
Calling all you warriors
Inviting all the brave people
well I got the place for you
I have found the perfect spot for you
old man hunts with the power
Experienced man dominates with prowess
and the young man sings the blues.
Youth complains about his problems
Excuse me sir can you heal me
Pardon me, sir, can you help me recover?
God bless is all he said,
He uttered, 'May God bless us all,'
so i put those words in my pipe and i light it up
Therefore, I smoked Marijuana to follow that advice
and i live my life this way cause i'm living amongst the dead.
I live like that because I'm surrounded by inactive, unmotivated people
Stand up and they all say and now's the time you see their all afraid.
Everybody cries out, and now is the moment when we discover that they're all frightened.
And i read the news today, and there's no love in the USA.
I read the newspaper, and there isn't any kindness in the United States of America.
Love is revolution when the land is built on hay, better get you thing together the captain in five would say.
Romantic passion represents a rebellion when the country is built on agriculture. The captain would exclaim that the audience should prepare themselves adequately.
Excuse me sir can you heal me
Pardon me, sir, can you help me recover?
God bless is all he said
He uttered, 'May God bless us all,'
so i put his words in my pipe and i light it up
Accordingly, I lit up the marijuana while thinking about his statement
and i live my life this way cause i'm living amongst the dead.
I choose to live like that because everybody around me has no motivation or drive.
So Stand up and they all say and now's the time not born to be a slave.
Get up, and they all yell, now's the time to defy servility.
I read the news today, and there's no love in the USA.
I read the newspaper, and there isn't any love in the United States of America.
Now Stand up and they all say so i get down not born to be a slave.
Attend to them, as they yell Stand Up, and I crouch to manifest opposition against slavery
I read the news today, there's no love in the USA.
I read the newspaper, and there isn't any kindness in the United States of America.
You hear what i say yeah. There's no love in the USA.
Do you comprehend what I am saying? Yes, there is no compassion in the United States of America.
Do you hear what i say to you, there's no love in the USA.
Are you paying attention to what I'm telling you? There's no kindness in the United States of America.
The USA.
The United States of America.
Contributed by Zachary P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.