The Bravery was an alternative rock band with electronic influences, formed… Read Full Bio ↴The Bravery was an alternative rock band with electronic influences, formed in New York City in 2003. Their musical style has been compared to The Strokes, New Order and The Killers, amongst others. They are best known for three songs - 2005's "An Honest Mistake", 2007's "Time Won't Let Me Go" and 2008's "Believe". The band consists of Sam Endicott (vocals, guitar), Michael Zakarin (guitar), John Conway (keyboard), Mike Hindert (bass) and Anthony Burulcich (drums).

Their HQ is on the corner of Mott and Broome, on the edge of New York's Chinatown. Push through the graffiti-ed door, clamber up the rotten stairs, past the sweatshops, and you'll find the place. It's where the Bravery have spent the past two years planning operations, obsessively working up their wire-y garage-electronics, and occasionally venturing out into the city to play the results.
Their first gig was in the Stinger Club in Brooklyn in 2003. Twelve months later, their name was plastered all over the Lower East Side to celebrate a sold-out residency at Arlene's Grocery on Stanton. In that time, the Bravery -- singer/guitarist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, bassist Mike H, keyboardist John Conway, and drummer Anthony Burulcich -- had honed their sound to a dark garage-electro and made sure everyone knew what they were all about.

"We're called the Bravery because that's the mindset I was in when I was writing the songs," explains Sam now. "Everyone in my age group wants to know what they're going to do with their lives. They all think that they're worth nothing and they're heading nowhere. People are drowning in these thoughts and I just got sick of it. I didn't want to be like that."

"The name is also connected with living in New York in this really weird time. People are constantly waiting for something bad to happen. I wrote these songs and formed this band to make sure I didn't get overcome by that sense of fear. That's what this band is about--standing tall and not being afraid."

Sam has no time for excuses. He grew up in Maryland, in the D.C. suburbs, and was heavily influenced by the area's intense post-punk scene. He'd go and see bands like Fugazi and Jawbox and be impressed by their DiY ethic. He quickly adopted it as his own philosophy and it's something that feeds directly into the Bravery. They do everything --they make the records, the artwork, the videos. Everything. They know what they want and how they want to do it.

"I don't really like mainstream music at all," admits Sam. "When I listen to the radio or watch MTV, 99% of it is like listening to an air-conditioner or a hair dryer. Sometimes, though, something comes along that jolts you. When I was growing up, it was bands like Nirvana and Jane's Addiction. Those bands elevate culture. I don't think there's any point in aiming for anything less."

One thing that sometimes puzzles people about the Bravery is why they sound electronic when all the bands they like are punk guitar bands. Sam doesn't know why they sound like they do. He just wanted to do something different. Of course, the circumstances in which they recorded their album (most of which was constructed in a Sam's bedroom with Radio Shack mikes and an old iMac) and the fact that Sam's best friend John Conway is totally obsessed with analog keyboards obviously helped shape their sound.

The Bravery are now signed to Loog in the U.K. and Island Def Jam in America. Their first release arrived in November, 2004 in the form of a brilliant three-track EP. The Bravery have since had success with their self titled debut album, released in 2005, and a top ten hit in the UK with their single 'Honest Mistake'.

In late 2006, the band played a limited number of small shows on the US East Coast and in South America to showcase new material from their upcoming 2nd album. Endicott describes the new album as a departure from the synth-heavy sound of their debut. The Sun and the Moon is currently scheduled for release May. In February, the band uploaded a medley of three new songs onto their official page, with minute long clips of three new tracks due to be included on the forthcoming album. Since then, their newest album 'The Sun and The Moon' has been climbing the charts, with the first single 'Time Won't Let Me Go' receiving praise from critics. its test

After the release of The Sun and The Moon, The Bravery has taken a leave of absence for the members to pursue their own individual projects. An excerpt from The Bravery's official website:

"To answer your many queries, the band has not “broken up,” nothing so dramatic as that. We just aren’t doing anything together and don’t have any plans to for the foreseeable future. There’s been no “falling out,” no bad blood, we all just have different interests now and are involved in our own projects." -Sam Endicott 4-25-14

Open Heart Surgery
The Bravery Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I feel like letting you know
How much I love you today
I feel like letting it show
Showing you rightly now
They're never going away

I know you're feeling real low
[?]

I want to make it okay
I want to show you I know
And it will be all fine
I want to take it away

I thought I'd write you this song
Maybe it'd make you smile
And take your sadness away

I want to show you I love-love-love you a long time, girl
I'm never going away

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Bravery's song "Open Heart Surgery" speak to the desire to express love and support to someone who is struggling emotionally. The singer acknowledges that the person they love is feeling low and wants to make things better for them. They want to show their love and reassure the person that everything will be okay. The repetition of the phrase "I want to" emphasizes the singer's desire to help and support the person they love.

The line "I thought I'd write you this song, maybe it'd make you smile" suggests that music can be a powerful tool for expressing emotions and connecting with others. The final lines of the song, "I want to show you I love-love-love you a long time, girl, I'm never going away," reinforce the singer's commitment to the person they love.

Overall, "Open Heart Surgery" is a heartfelt and emotional song that speaks to the power of love and support in difficult times.

Line by Line Meaning

I feel like letting you know
Expressing a desire to communicate a message to someone

How much I love you today
The depth of affection that is being felt in the present

I feel like letting it show
Wanting to outwardly display emotions

Showing you rightly now
Demonstrating how feelings should be expressed

They're never going away
The feelings being expressed won't dissipate over time

I know you're feeling real low
Understanding that someone is experiencing some negative emotions

[?]
No useful information provided to reword

I want to make it okay
Desiring to alleviate someone's distress

I want to show you I know
Demonstrating empathy for someone's situation

And it will be all fine
Offering reassurance that everything will work out