The Brandos

The Brandos
The Brandos in 2008
Background information
Origin	New York City, USA
Genres	Roots rock Rock
Years active	1985 – present
Labels	Relativity Geffen RCA SPV GmbH Blue Rose
Website	www.thethebrandos.nl
Members	Dave Kincaid
Past members	Ernie Mendillo Ed Rupprecht Larry Mason Scott Kempner Frank Funaro Frank Giordano Tom Goss Tom Engels Christopher Layer Jim Mastro Patrick Fitzsimmons JF Vergel Ziga Stanonik Eric Ambel Phil Cimino

The Brandos are an American rock band formed in 1985 in New York City by Dave Kincaid (vocals, guitar), Ernie Mendillo (bass, vocals), Ed Rupprecht (guitar, vocals) and Larry Mason (drums, vocals).

The Brandos achieved commercial success in the United States in 1987 with the release of their first album, Honor Among Thieves and the single "Gettysburg". They have also established a strong fan base in Europe, where they have done promotion and extensive touring since the late 1980s. They have occasionally made it high on the record charts in countries such as the Netherlands.

In 2010 the recordings from the 2004 Irish Tour were mixed and the long-awaited live album David Kincaid and The Brandos - Live in Europe was released on Dec. 1, 2010 and distributed in Europe by Blue Rose. The only current member of The Brandos is singer, guitarist and songwriter Dave Kincaid

The passion, grit and power of New York's The Brandos has origins in the Seattle scene of the early eighties. In the fall of 1984, Dave Kincaid and Larry Mason were playing the Seattle club circuit as members of The Allies. With a local radio hit ('Emma Peel'), critically acclaimed recordings, and a video under their belts. At the same time, New Jersey based Soul Attack (with Ernie Mendillo and Ed Rupprecht) were playing gigs in and around their home state, with occasional jaunts into New York City. They had also made and released a local record in 1984.

Frustrated with The Allies' lack of success, Kincaid decided to move to New York in 1985. Immediately upon arrival Kincaid began scouring the local music papers, namely the Village Voice, looking for a new band. Soul Attack had just lost their principal singer and songwriter, and had just placed an ad looking for a replacement. Kincaid joined the band and they eventually changed their name to The Brandos and performed their first show on February 14, 1986. Featuring Kincaid on vocals and guitar, Ernie Mendillo (bass, vocals), Ed Rupprecht (guitar), and Larry Mason (drums), the band began playing most of New York's most renowned clubs such as CBGB, Tramps, The Bitter End and Kenny's Castaways. The band also spent one month touring the Pacific Northwest. By October they had enough material for an album. While recording, the band continued to perform in the New York area, along with a brief tour of Germany in May 1987.