Biography

Though they were only together for five years, pioneering synth-punks Brainiac were one of the 1990s' most original and creatively restless indie rock bands. Led by live-wire frontman Tim Taylor, their alternately taut and frenetic approach continued Ohio's creative musical heritage, connecting the dots between Pere Ubu and Devo's innovations, the Breeders and Guided by Voices' D.I.Y. spirit, and even the futuristic funk of Zapp's Roger Troutman. However, Brainiac's audacious sonic collisions were unmistakably their own. After establishing their music's parameters on 1993's Smack Bunny Baby, they never stopped pushing themselves, whether that meant singing through vintage Moogs and electric fans on 1994's Bonsai Superstar or giving their outbursts a surprisingly danceable pulse on 1996's Hissing Prigs in Static Couture. With the release of 1997's electronics-heavy EP Electro-Shock for President and a major-label deal in the works, Brainiac seemed ready to reinvent rock, but Taylor's untimely death cut their promising future short. In the years that followed, the band's influence rippled out to acts including the Faint, the Mars Volta, Death Cab for Cutie, and Nine Inch Nails. By the 2020s, the documentary Transmissions After Zero and archival releases including 2023's Predator Nominate cemented Brainiac's impact -- and how they still sounded ahead of their time. The band emerged from the basement experiments of vocalist/keyboard player Taylor and bassist Juan Monasterio, who had been friends since childhood. Taylor, the son of jazz guitarist Terry Taylor, had played in other Dayton, Ohio groups such as Dance Positive before he and Monasterio founded the project in January 1992. Originally known as We'll Eat Anything, the band's lineup was rounded out by guitarist Michelle Bodine and drummer Tyler Trent. By that March, they were known as Brainiac, and soon became part of the thriving Dayton scene that also included the Breeders and Guided by Voices. After self-releasing a pair of demo cassettes, their debut single "Superduperseven" appeared in September 1992. Following a live split single with Bratmobile on Dayton's 12X12 label, they signed to Grass Records. Working with Girls Against Boys' Eli Janney -- who would produce all of Brainiac's albums -- the band fleshed out their noisy synth rock on Smack Bunny Baby. Arriving in mid-1993, Brainiac's debut album won a cult following for its crazed inventiveness. In 1994, Bodine left Brainiac, later founding the projects Shesus and O-Matic. Guitarist/vocalist John Schmersal joined the fold, making his debut on "Dexatrim/Nothing," a split single with Lazy on Simple Solution. To make their second album, November 1994's Bonsai Superstar, Brainiac recorded with Janney in Brooklyn and pursued more audacious sonic experimentation complemented by Schmersal's animated playing. Enthusiastic reviews for Bonsai Superstar led to dates on Lollapalooza's second stage and a BBC Radio 1 Peel Session. Along with contributing the track "Cookie Doesn't Sing" to Amphetamine Reptile's Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking in the Streets, Vols. 8-11, Brainiac joined Touch & Go. The band's first release for the heavyweight indie label was October 1995's Internationale EP, which was produced by the Breeders' Kim Deal and featured a reworked version of "Simon Says" from "Superduperseven." Brainiac returned the following March with their third album, Hissing Prigs in Static Couture. Largely recorded at Hoboken, New Jersey's Water Music studio and featuring additional production work by Steve Albini, its futuristic pop songs incorporated more electronics than the band's previous work. Later in the year, Brainiac appeared on the Mammoth Records compilation Jabberjaw Compilation, Vol 2: Pure Sweet Hell. Thanks to Hissing Prigs in Static Couture's acclaim and tours with Beck, the Breeders, and the Jesus Lizard, Brainiac entertained offers to release their next album from major labels including Interscope. While preparing to make that full-length, the band appeared on Ubu Dance Party: A Tribute to Pere Ubu and released April 1997's Electro-Shock for President. Produced by Jim O'Rourke, the EP's entirely electronic instrumentation was intended as a preview of the sound of Brainiac's fourth album. However, on May 23, 1997, Taylor died at age 28 in a one-car accident less than a mile from his house. In the wake of his death, Brainiac disbanded, and its members went their separate ways. Schmersal recorded a solo album as John Stuart Mill, formed the well-regarded projects Enon and Vertical Scratchers, and went on to play with Crooks on Tape and Caribou. Monasterio played with the band Model/Actress (which also featured members of Chamberlain and Bullet Lavolta), directed music videos, and became a freelance motion-graphics designer. Trent remained in Dayton, doing stints with the Breeders and the Dirty Walk and serving as associate pastor at a local church. Over the years, Brainiac's musical legacy grew richer. Concerts celebrating the band included a 1997 benefit show with Guided by Voices and the Breeders, and a 2017 event with performances from all of Brainiac's surviving members as well as the Heist, a supergroup featuring Janney, Marnie Stern, and members of Chrome Cranks, SAVAK, the Delta 72, and the Dismemberment Plan. The concert appeared in Transmissions After Zero, a Brainiac documentary directed by Eric Mahoney. Upon its premiere in 2019, Touch & Go reissued limited editions of Hissing Prigs in Static Couture and Electro-Shock for President. In 2020, the band's members went through their archives, discovering rare and unreleased material that became a series of releases. Attic Tapes, a collection of Taylor's rawest demos, and From Dayton Ohio, a set of singles, unreleased tracks and a recording of a 1996 show at The Blind Pig in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, both arrived in mid-2021. January 2023 saw the release of Predator Nominate, an EP gathering some of Brainiac's final recordings. Later in the year, the band supported Mogwai on its European tour, with Schmersal taking on lead vocal duties. ~ Heather Phares & John Bush, Rovi