Biography
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Years Active
1988 – present (35 years)
Brainclaw began as an ongoing experiment in composing aggressive electronic music, born at Ithaca College in 1989, as an effort to coalesce several random electronic music experiments into a focused project with solid goals. Pennsylvania, USA native David Giuffre decided to begin composing polished compositions with the end result of publishing a full album of this electro-industrial music, using the large body of mostly unfocused and unfinished work he had created upto that point, from 1985 to 1988. He continued to accumulate new music gear and build what would eventually become Studio Auroviral.
The result of this work was an album of work called Infrastrukture. Six more albums followed, (Painselectiv - 1991, Shrieking In Standby - 1992, Sect - 1994, Treason - 1996, Strange Protection - 1997 and the abortive half album, Bodyhorror - 1998) each building on the work of the previous one, slowly refining both recording technique and compositional structures. A few half-hearted attempts to put this music out occurred, until MP3.com actually allowed Brainclaw a channel to get out to the world.
Things with Brainclaw went on hiatus for six years after David was recruited to write and play in the newborn Philadelphia Goth Rock outfit, Carfax Abbey. After the band began moving in a different direction, and some major life changes happened to him, David parted ways with Carfax in early 2002, to rejuvinate the Brainclaw project.
Things really got going in earnest when best friend and now wife Tara Giuffre came on board, and began co-writing songs with David. She provided a new level of accountability, quality control and new concepts, influences and ideas.
As new songs began arriving on the scene, several internet radio stations began noticing the Brainclaw sound, and began lending their support. The Official Brainclaw Website was tooled up and re-designed several times. The selection of the song Downsect for the Spiderbite Studios compilation called Perverions of Industry would prove to be a far-reaching event, right into the present day. Brainclaw songs began topping electromusic charts on the internet and alternative radio stations in many parts of the world. A massive promotional push began, with CD press kits going out daily. The rest of 2002 was spent writing songs, getting press and club/radio spins and promoting at events.
2003 began with new photoshoots by Philadelphia photographer Kyle Cassidy, further modifications and upgrades to the Official Brainclaw Website and a re-uniting with old bandmates in Carfax Abbey, who approached David and Tara with the idea of fleshing out and recording songs for their then-upcoming full-length release, Second Skin. The latter half of the year saw increased activity in the press, with many solid reviews of Brainclaw’s Promo EP CD, especially a great review in Industrial Nation magazine. They finished up the Carfax Abbey CD as the year closed, having recorded and produced six new songs, and began preparations for the release of their own full-length CD, called Insekt/Angel. As the year ended, some truly spectacular news came to light: Warner Brothers, turned on to Brainclaw music because of the Spiderbite compilation appearance of a year ago, licensed the song When The Dark Rains Come for use in the DVD release of Matrix Revolutions.
The new year began in a similarly amazing fashion, as Columbia Tristar Pictures licensed When The Dark Rains Come and Insekt/Angel for use on the DVD release of the Spiderman Collector Edition DVD. The new Brainclaw CD was finally released to an increasingly interested electromusic community, and reviews and support began arriving from the U.K., Japan, Germany, Canada, and many other places around the world, including many places in North America. Then, the Insekt/Angel CD was picked up for distribution by Metropolis Records.
Wanting to bring a live Brainclaw show to the stage, and using the hard experience gained from his years in Carfax Abbey, David and Tara began fleshing out a stage performance set. Good friend James Sewell of Divers Lust came on-board as live hybrid kit drummer. Synthesist Lorie K of Suture Seven also joined the live Brainclaw show. The Insekt/Angel Summer 2004 tour was a great success, with a somewhat lighter schedule for the summer 2005 tour, to allow for the writing of a follow-up album to Insekt/Angel. Warner Brothers also licensed four more songs from Insekt/Angel for the Matrix DVD Box Set. Several bands remixed Brainclaw songs, and Brainclaw remixed many other bands and their own songs as well. Brainclaw remixes started appearing on the international BLC music compilations known as Interbreeding. Several more BC songs appeared in independent films across the country. Lorie K. had an opportunity in early 2006 to relocate to Germany to pursue other porjects, so the search began for a new live synthesist.
Most recently, Brainclaw inked a deal with USA-based BLC Productions. The new Brainclaw CD called Dead Monsters was released by BLC in both North America and Europe to good reviews. New press opportunities continued to present themselves, with interviews and reviews in such publications as UK Kaleidoscope and European Side-Line magazines. Miss Kimberly joined up as synthesist for the live shows, and the Brainclaw Website was completely rebuilt around a totally interactive blog format.
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