The Branded
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The Branded

Chicago, Illinois, United States | SELF

Chicago, Illinois, United States | SELF
Band Rock Alternative

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"It was a packed house for this rockin' band's performance which had the Who's Who of the local scene in attendance"

It was a packed house for this rockin' band's performance which had the Who's Who of the local scene in attendance ie Simplistic Urge (they're back and will be hitting the stage again in 2011), 7 Day Sonnet (catch this hot band while on tour with SALIVA), Wags of Red City, Erik of Beneath The Stares - to name a few. The Branded took this crowd on a cinematic adventure that featured sight (video running in sync with its song playlist) and sound (hardcore guitar rock with some Brian screamo vocals). Plus the band debut five spankin' brand new songs. as well as lead vocalist Brian Bender sporting an asymetrical Justin Bieber haircut for the special occasion. The Branded got things off with a religious BAM opening their performance with new song, Jesus Christ. SouthSide must warn you this is not your average or traditional Sunday hymn, blogspot readers. This song full of twittering guitar riffs, thumping bass rhythms and thunderous drum rocked every ear listening. It's another super hot single by The Branded which automatically had the crowd fired up for more after Brian forgave each and every of our sins committed.

Other new songs included Vanity (looking at yourself in the mirror can be a bad thing ...SouthSide loved how The Branded timed it with the Diva/Leeloo clips from The Fifth Element), Running Away (definitely can feel the emotional power of Brian's vocals on lyrics for this song with a bit of screamo at the end ...video featured clips of Men In Black and Labyrinth), Grand Tune (good use of clips from the movie Falling Down for this Branded ballad of sorts as the band took the tempo down a notch but left plenty of sound for everyone to rock) and Let's Get Down (the meaning of the title was left to our imagination but we certainly banged our heads to the fast tempo and Brian's screams). Despite missing the commercial breaks in between songs, SouthSide loved the nonstop action rock show with only one intermission for The Branded merch table. From home pregnancy kits (their music will get you pregnant afterwards) to weird novelty items as well as their own drink - The Branded bomb, this band has everything!

SouthSide highly suggests snagging a free copy of this band's debut CD featuring hits like First Move, Too Kool (the official douchebag song ...was dedicated to Jersey Shore) and the ever popular fan favorite Drug Pizza (seriously who ordered the Chicken Dance with this pizza?!). This had to be The Branded's best outting on stage thus far and this reviewer expects more shows like this one to come. This concludes tonight's The Branded broadcast however visit http://www.thebrandedmusic.com or http://www.myspace.com/thebrandedmusic for when and where they'll be re-broadcast at a venue near you! - SouthSideOnTheTown


"A professionally minded original rock band from the Chicagoland area"

THE BRANDED LOSES ALL GEAR FROM FLOOD

the branded

As many of you may already know, THE BRANDED was effected by the floods in Westchester, IL which is now considered a disaster area. They are a professionally minded original rock band from the Chicagoland area. If you have been to one of their shows, you know that they not only use
professional gear, but perform using audio/visual equipment as well.

Almost ALL of their gear was damaged and lost in this flood. This includes: guitars, amps, cabinets, pedals, drums, cymbals, mics, cables, stands, cases, PA system, computers and flat-screen TVs for live shows, risers, acoustic paneling, stage props, rack gear, band merch, and other odds and ends that they have accumulated over time. Basically everything that they need to perform for you has been destroyed.

They have more than enough pictures to show you the damage caused by the 4 1/2 feet of "un-clean" water which took out their entire practice space. If you have anything that you can donate, larger or small, to help recuperate from their loss, it would mean so much to them. They would already like to thank all of the local bands that have offered up their gear for the upcoming show at The Metro on August 14th.

If you would like to contact the band directly, feel free to email them at info@thebrandedmusic.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


Thank you very much for your support!


MAKE A DONATION TO HELP:

http://funds.gofundme.com/Thebranded/Floodloss - Fearless Radio


"The Branded's eight-song CD sure to rock your socks off."

Chicago rockers, The Branded, playing the Elbo Room this weekend

* April 29th, 2010 8:55 am CT
* By Melanie Falina, Chicago Metal Music Examiner

The faces will look familiar to others in Chicago's rock and metal scenes. You've seen these guys in other bands and in the clubs...

Now, as The Branded, these four hometown, rock and roll heroes have come together to create their own vision and sound.

Frontman and vocalist Brian Bender is joined by Mike Haracz on guitar, bassist Masta Shen, and wildman Jay Mishur on drums - and their collective first-born is an eight-song CD sure to rock your socks off.

Come check them out at The Elbo Room this Saturday for their official CD release party. Also playing are Bombay Black, Jack In Space, Mahoney, and more. Tickets are available here.

The Elbo Room is located at 2871 North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. Click here for directions.

Until then, check out The Branded in pretty much every corner of cyberspace - you'll have no excuse to refrain from singing along on Saturday evening:

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Chicago rockers, The Branded, playing the Elbo Room this weekend - Chicago Metal Music | Examiner.com - Chicago Metal Music Examiner


"Hometown rockers, The Branded, playing in Schaumburg Friday night"

Winter is upon us in the Chicago area - but that's all the more reason to get out and party this Friday night.

Come out to Chicago City Limits for a night of home-grown rock and roll with Chicago's own The Branded. A Band Called Catch and Amrita will also be hitting the stage.

Chicago City Limits is located at 1712 West Wise Road in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Doors open at 8 PM for this 21 and over show and The Branded goes on at 9 PM sharp so make sure you're there with drink-in-hand and ready to rock. Admission is a mere $7-bucks.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Hometown rockers, The Branded, playing in Schaumburg Friday night - Chicago Metal Music | Examiner.com - Chicago Metal Music Examiner


"You can't get much more consistent than this"

The Branded is a new rock band in Chicago. Their first official show is this Saturday at the Elbo Room so they invited me into their rehearsal space to interview them. They performed their entire set, complete with video accompaniment (it's awesome and hilarious), with singer Brian Bender playing it up to the webcam since I was supposedly recording it. Supposedly. But see, this was my first time trying this and I'd lowered the audio input levels before they started and apparently turned the recording off, so these poor guys had to play for me AGAIN. (I swear I didn't do it on purpose!) After a few minutes to rest they played Dirt, which was once again awesome, except this time I didn't play with the audio levels because I was afraid I'd mess it up...which means the final product sounded like a blown out speaker in a rusted out Lemans.

What did I do? Took the song from their CD and lined it up with the video. With 99.9999% of bands you couldn't do that, but one thing I'd noticed during their set was that they had their music timed PERFECTLY with their video. It's so precise that they've got to have every song, every lyric, riff, and beat synchronized exactly. So while it's unfortunate that I'm an idgit, the end result is that you can see and hear how exact they are. Coming from a classical music background myself I know this is just about impossible to accomplish, even with a conductor in the front showing you the tempo. To see a rock band pull this off, especially one that looks like they're just having fun in somebody's basement, is a testament to the hours and hours of rehearsal time that's gone into this release and to the dedication they all share.

Bravo guys. Can't wait to see you do it again this Saturday! - The Local Tourist


Discography

No Mercy [2010]

Photos

Bio

The BRANDED is the latest effort from long-time local scene collaborators Brian Bender (A Birdsong Valentine, Elbo Room [talent buyer], Chicago Noise Machine), Masta Shen (D*Frost, A Birdsong Valentine, MariZen, IMV, Chicago Noise Machine), Jay Mishur (Blown, The Euphoric, BC) and Mike Haracz (From the Broken). The four have merged their distinct sounds to create the unique, dirty rock tone of The BRANDED. Starting February 2010 the group began recording their first record with Chicago native Matt Mercado (Mindbomb, Supermercado) as producer. Completed in under a month at Sonic Palace Studios in Oak Park, Illinois, the recording is a raucous combination of hard-hitting rhythms, monstrous riffs, infectious melodies and soaring harmonies. Launching virally April 2nd 2010, The BRANDED will be releasing their original 8 song disc entitled NO MERCY, introducing a raunchy, raging rock party to a new kind of unforgettable crowd chanting, beer-chugging rock. The BRANDED remembers when music had hooks to sink your teeth into, fists to throw in the air and the urgent need to be blown away from a show. Sitting somewhere between a dirty Muse and heavy driven Black Label Society, The BRANDED can shift from ambient call and response melodies to shredding hyper-distorted guitar solos to in your face, balls to wall, hit me again rock while maintaining a totally cohesive sound. Synergizing such a variety of music influences while pursuing a distinct and identifiable personality makes The BRANDED a unique act to look out for. Join in and get BRANDED!