Bundy K. Brown

Despite an impressive resume, multi-instrumentalist/producer Bundy K. Brown has remained a mysterious figure from the Chicago scene he works in. A founding member of Tortoise, Brown left the group in 1995, shortly after the release of their self-titled debut album. He has since occupied himself with a number of one-off collaborations and production jobs from post-punk to straight-ahead jazz. Landing in the Chicago underground in 1985, Brown soon began booking shows at the university and hosting his own weekly radio program. Quickly becoming acquainted with the local musicians, he roomed with both guitarist/vocalist David Grubbs and drummer John McEntire, eventually joining the pair for the final incarnation of noise-rocker's Bastro. This core unit went on to form Gastr del Sol in 1993, making their debut with The Serpentine Similar. The following year, Grubbs became acquainted with experimental/improv guitarist Jim O'Rourke and by the time of the second Gastr del Sol album, Crookt, Crackt or Fly (1994), the group had been reduced to a collaboration between those two. Brown and McEntire found their next outlet in Tortoise. Initially the bass'n'drum studio project of Doug McCombs (Eleventh Dream Day) and Johnny Herndon (Poster Children), Brown and McEntire joined the band prior to the recording of its self-titled debut. Displeased with the group's quickly accelerating success, however, Brown jumped ship following the band's Gamera 12" in 1995. Though he maintained ties to the group through his work in various Tortoise spin-offs, Brown was without a consistent project for the rest of the decade. Even his most frequent outlet, Directions, was constantly in flux. Originally a trio with drummer Doug Scharin (June of 44, H.I.M.) and guitarist James Warden (40k), the group...