In addition to being a member of two of the 1990s' leading stoner rock bands,
Kyuss and
Fu Manchu, drummer
Brant Bjork has also issued solo albums on his own, produced others, and runs his own record label. Hailing from Palm Desert, CA,
Bjork began playing with guitarist
Josh Homme, bassist
Nick Oliveri, and singer
John Garcia while they all were still in high school, resulting in the formation of
Kyuss. The group's
Sabbath-like sound fit in perfectly with such other then-current bands as
Soundgarden and
Alice in Chains, which resulted in the release of the 1991 indie debut
Wretch, before the band signed on with Elektra.
Kyuss issued what has gone on to become one of the decade's landmark metal releases, 1992's
Blues for the Red Sun, which almost single-handedly created the ensuing stoner rock movement.
Bjork also showcased his songwriting talents, single-handedly penning two of the album's highlights, "Green Machine" and "50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up)."
But the original lineup began to splinter shortly after the album's release as
Oliveri left, and
Bjork did the same after the release of 1994's
Welcome to Sky Valley. After his exit,
Bjork kept himself busy by producing others, including
Fu Manchu's 1994 release,
No One Rides for Free, another album that is held in reverence by hard rock fans.
Bjork then joined the group as its drummer a few years later, appearing on such subsequent
Fu Manchu releases as 1997's
Action Is Go, 1999's
Eatin' Dust, 2000's
King of the Road, and 2001's
California Crossing. Throughout the '90s,
Bjork also found time to create his own indie label, El Camino Records (which later would be retitled Duna Records), appear on other artists' recordings (
Josh Homme's
Desert Sessions series, etc.), and launch a solo career with the 1999 release
Jalamanta. Also during the late '90s,
Bjork was briefly an early member of
Homme's post-
Kyuss band,
Queens of the Stone Age, but exited before appearing on any recordings.
The early 21st century saw
Bjork form a trio named
Ch'e (issuing a lone album in 2000,
Sounds of Liberation), in addition to playing as part of former
Kyuss bandmate
Oliveri's project
Mondo Generator (2000's
Cocaine Rodeo and 2003's
A Drug Problem That Never Existed) and issuing further solo releases (2002's
Brant Bjork & the Operators and 2003's
Keep Your Cool).
–
Greg Prato, Rovi