User:Arjayay/Donovan's Brain (band)

Donovan's Brain are a psychedelic musical collective, or rock band with a revolving door policy, organised by Ron Sanchez. Usually based in Bozeman, Montana, Donovan’s Brain have also formed in London and XXX

Ron Sanchez DJ on XXX friends with Cippolina

Sanchez issued his first recording Punch in, Punch Up, Punch out on cassette in 1998, comprising just four covers. The first, eponymous, Donovan's Brain release, again on cassette, comprised studio recordings of both original material and covers, and a live recording of four tracks for local radio station KGL, Their cover of Man's "Spunk Rock", led to a favourable review by Phil McMullen in Ptolemaic Terrascope, for which Sanchez would later become a contributor.

A new line up comprising Sanchez and Colter (guitars and vocals) Eric Danzer (drums) and Eric Peterson (bass) moved towards a psychedelic sound, but did not record. Later in 1989 Donovan’s Brain reformed as a trio, comprising Sanchez (guitar & vocals) Tony Zanella (bass) and Don Mazzola (drums). No recordings of this line-up were released, although they recorded “Shambaholic” for a proposed rock opera.

In 1990 Sanchez and Jim Kehoe, with Jim Sangster and Tad Hutchinson of The Young Fresh Fellows, recorded four tracks at Egg Studios, Seattle. The album Butterfly Wheel was then completed at GLEA Bozeman, comprising songs by Sanchez, Kehoe and Colter with just one cover of "Pioneers of the West" by Help Yourself. The album had good reviews in Ptolemaic Terrascope, and other publications, which brought them to the attention of Jerker Emanuelson in Sweden, who included them on his first Hit the Hay compilation.

In 1994 they decided to combine 10 songs they had already written with two new ones to form an opera Shambaholic. This was recorded by Sanchez. Colter. Jim Kehoe, Joe Howard (bass), Jed Critter (guitar), Joey ??, Tont Sacco (piano) and Terry Moto (drums). Sanchez then flew to Seattle to produce the Man album Call Down The Moon.

In January 1995 Jason McKnight joined on drums and later that year, Robert Wilbraham on keyboards. They released four of the Shambaholic tracks as an EP on the Magical Jack label, and two more as a single on Get Hip, having released half the Shambaholic tracks, on 2 different labels they shelved the idea of releasing the entire album.

In February 1996 Sanchez took five unfinished Brain recordings to London, where Sanchez and Richard Treece, guitarist with Help Yourself, added guitar and bass. Returning to Bozeman, three more tracks were edited and over-dubbed, whilst the Fresh Young Fellows collaborated on a new track “Tad’s New Cymbal Stand”.

Another track was added by Kels Koch of the Million Sellers, with stand-in drummer Sky Lane. Seth Lyon then added drums to three other outstanding tracks, impressing Sanchez enough to reform Donovan’s Brain as a live band, comprising Sanchez, Lyon, Colter, Jim and Tony Sacco (keyboards) Having started performing again, Lyons moved, so had to leave the band.

The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow agreed to mix the album and whittled it down to ten tracks, ironically excluding the track “Eclipse And Debris” although this remained the album title.

The Australian label, Camera Obscura had agreed to issue the album, when Get Hip also expressed an interest, so were offered, and agreed to take, the next album. They compiled a selection of unreleased and limited release tracks, and re-recorded others. The recordings were by Sanchez, Jim Kehoe, Colter Langan, and Tony Sacco, with Lyons and Koch who had both returned to Bozeman.

Get Hip released Carelessly Restored Art in April 1998, but shortly after, Koch and Lyon left Bozeman again, then the release of “Eclipse And Debris” was cancelled due to financial problems at Camera Obscura. In December 1998 Langan and Sanchez recorded some demo’s and arranged for Jason McKnight to drum when Lyon temporarily reappeared, so 9 songs were re/recorded with 2 drummers. Get Hip then agreed to release Eclipse and Debris

In 1999 Langan left and Dave Walker formerly with Savoy Brown, Idle Race and John Cipollina’s Raven where he first met Sanchez, arrived. Richard Treece was also invited to contribute, this time in Bozeman, rather than London. Swedish band Nomads also recorded three tracks, 19 tracks recorded, including vocals by Malcolm Morley that Treece had recorded in London.

Treece then invited Sanchez to play with his band Green Ray at Terrastock III in London. Sanchez accepted and it was agreed to continue recording in London so Ken Whaley could add bass and Morley keyboards. Early in 2000 Get Hip asked for another album which was to be compiled from the 30 tracks already recorded, although some needed finishing. Stingfellow was unavailable, so Sanchez mixed Tiny Crustacean Light Show with another new drummer, Ron Craigshead. The later tracks recorded for consideration for the album, by Sanchez & Dave Walker, were in a “more straight ahead rock” style, so were kept for a later album

In 1999 Sanchez was music coordinator for a Montana University film 99 Sense, which included 3 Brain tracks, they were then invited to play at Terrastock IV, so they started performing live for the first time in 4 years, supporting Christy McWilson, before playing Terrastock IV with a line-up comprizing Sanchez, Ron Craighead (drums) Jeff Arntsen (bass), Colter, Richard Treece, Scott McCaughey (keyboards).

Tiny Crustacean Light Show was finally released in November 2000 and the Brain contributed a track to the tribute album Man, We're Glad We Know You released in December 2000

In 2001 the brain recorded more tracks, supported Kinski expanding the line up to include Megan Pickerel (vocals & Piano)

Deniz Tek added guitar to several tracks and Sanchez completed mixing the Great Leap Forward by April 2002, only to discover that Get Hip were no longer interested as Gregg Kostelich had reactivated the Cynics.

Having offered the album to numerous other labels, with no response, the Brain went back to the studio and recorded more songs, when Kinski announced they wanted to play with them and Sanchez asked Tek to sit in.