Bio Full Biography »

The seed that became Black Rebel Motorcycle Club -- or B.R.M.C. for short -- was planted in 1995, when Robert Turner (aka Robert Levon Been) and Peter Hayes met while attending high school in San Francisco. The two formed a solid friendship and camaraderie based on a mutual love of early-'90s U.K. bands like Ride, the Stone Roses, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine. Despite such similar tastes, both joined different bands and spent several years working apart, although they occasionally kept in touch by attending each other's gigs. In 1998, however, Turner and Hayes rejoined and added British drummer Nick Jago to the fold. The group began performing live in November 1998 as "the Elements," a name they quickly ditched after discovering many other bands that shared the same title. They purloined their new moniker from the Marlon Brando-led biker gang that stormed into that dusty California hamlet in The Wild One. By 1999, B.R.M.C. had recorded a polished, 16-track demo CD...