Barbara Gruska

The Belle Brigade is an American vocal and instrumental duo from Los Angeles, CA, consisting of siblings Barbara Gruska (born c. 1983) on guitar, drums, and vocals, and Ethan Gruska (born c. 1989) on guitar, piano, and vocals. The duo released its first album, The Belle Brigade, in 2011 to positive critical response.

The Gruskas come from a musical family. Their father, Jay Gruska, is a movie and television composer, and their grandfather is multiple-Oscar-winning composer John Williams. Their great-grandfather was Raymond Scott Quintet drummer Johnny Williams, and other relatives also worked as professional drummers. Barbara Gruska studied jazz drumming at Oberlin College and CalArtsand drummed for performers such as Jenny Lewis and Inara George. Ethan also studied at CalArts. While giving birth to Ethan, their mother, Jenny Williams Gruska, suffered a stroke; she recovered, and her story became the basis for a 1994 NBC television film entitled A Time to Heal (for which their father wrote the music) and later for their song "Lucky Guy".

Barbara and Ethan began a band together in 2008. Their first album, The Belle Brigade, was produced by Matthew Wilder and released on Reprise Records in April 2011. The duo has toured with such acts as Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, G. Love & Special Sauce, k.d. lang,Dawes, and Blitzen Trapper.

They also feature a song on the Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1 soundtrack, "I Didn't Mean It", and performed Bob Dylan's "No Time to Think" on the Amnesty International benefit album Chimes of Freedom.

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