Ears Wide Open: Brainstory

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Brainstory
Brainstory

Brainstory are the latest sonic mixologists to make something new and mind-expanding from vintage ingredients. The trio — brothers Kevin and Tony Martin and drummer Eric Hagstrom — hail from what they call the “forgotten land” of Rialto, but you know the 909 if you’re familiar with other artists in the Qvole Collective: people like Chicano Batman, Rudy De Anda, Buyepongo, Cutty Flam and Slipping Into Darkness. Brainstory released its short-ish debut album “A Natural Phantasm” in August on Chicano Batman’s El Relleno Records. Bookended by mellow instrumentals “The Sunrise” and “The Sunset,” it’s 20 minutes of psychotropic exploration grounded equally in old soul, psychedelia and jazz, a result of the Martins’ childhood exposure to a multitude of sonic worlds. In short, it’s cosmic, man.

||| Stream: “A Wonderful Why” and “The Future”

||| Live: Brainstory will be doing a free Tuesday night residency this month at the new downtown L.A. venue Resident, kicking off Monday with Miss Chief and the Vim Dicta as support.