TribLive reporter pens book chronicling punk band Brainiac
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In May 1997, an Ohio punk band called Brainiac, on the verge of exploding into popularity, saw their dreams deferred by the sudden death of frontman Tim Taylor.
TribLive reporter Justin Vellucci wrote a comprehensive, engaging chronicle of the band in “Brainiac,” published by J-Card Press and available now through online retailers.
In addition to his work at TribLive, Vellucci feeds his love of music journalism as a staff writer at PopMatters and Spectrum Culture. He has been a Brainiac fan since the mid-1990s when he discovered them as a teenager.
“I started listening to them when they signed with Touch and Go (Records) in ‘94, ‘95. They were very much this kind of anomaly, they weren’t this guitar-driven Nirvana ripoff,” Vellucci said.
This book is part of a series of music biographies by J-Card Press, helmed by Jeff Gomez.
“We started talking and he mentioned that he was doing this series. … We talked about what bands would work,” Vellucci said. “I mentioned Brainiac and he said, ‘I think that’s great.’ I reached out to the band to see if they were interested, sent them some of my stuff and we got the ball rolling.”
Vellucci began interviewing subjects close to the band around March 2023 and submitted his first draft of “Brainiac” on New Year’s Eve of that year.
He spoke to a number of people close to the band, including members, family and record executives.
“I just introduced myself into that circle and felt around. I tried to stay as close to the band as I could rather than do the talking head routine,” he said.
Interspersed throughout the book’s chapters are “musical interludes,” where Vellucci attempts to capture the magical experience of listening to individual Brainiac songs in words.
“The classic joke is that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. It’s true … but I love doing it.
“Jeff and I talked about it, and we didn’t want a critical analysis of each record, but I thought, ‘there’s got to be a way to spend some time and describe some of these songs,’ ” he said.
Brainiac is a unique punk band out of Dayton, Ohio. Amid the grungy, self-serious guitar rockers of the 1990s, after the flannel-clad atomic bomb that changed the formula for rock success, Brainiac was synth-heavy, off-kilter and fun.
They gained a passionate Rust Belt following and were known for their live shows. Just before they were set to fly to New York City to choose between competing record deals, Tim Taylor, their charismatic lead singer, died in a single-car accident.
“It turns out that it was carbon monoxide,” Vellucci said.
This, unfortunately, was the end of the band at the time. But thanks to a 2019 documentary and touring in the past few years, Brainiac has found a second life, opening an exciting new chapter. They are touring in North America, starting May 24 in Toronto.
Vellucci, who is passionate about both music and writing, is excited to introduce a new audience to the band and their decades-long history.
“Sharing the story is great. I hope people read it. I haven’t really thought about sales or doing another book. I just kind of write. It’s more about the process than anything else,” he said.
He recalled the wisdom of a young co-worker at his first journalism job.
“He said that he felt he had the best job in the world because every morning he woke up and got to write,” he said. “He just felt like that was a gift. As time goes on, I totally agree.”