Thundercat (musician)

Thundercat

Thundercat performing at the Hoxton in Toronto on September 27, 2015.
Background information
Birth name Stephen Bruner
Born (1984-10-19) October 19, 1984
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • multi-instrumentalist
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Bass guitar
  • vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
Years active 2002–present
Labels Brainfeeder
Associated acts
Website brainfeedersite.com
Notable instruments
  • Ibanez Thundercat Signature 6-String Bass
  • MTD Custom Shop 6-String Bass
  • Ibanez Artcore Bass

Stephen Bruner (born October 19, 1984),[2] better known by his stage name Thundercat, is an American multi-genre bass guitarist, producer and singer from Los Angeles, California. He has released three solo albums, and is most noted for his work with producer Flying Lotus, and crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies. Thundercat appeared on Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly.[3] In 2016, Thundercat won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his work on the track "These Walls" from To Pimp a Butterfly.

Music career

Born into a family of musicians, Bruner began playing the bass at an early age: by 15 he had a minor hit in Germany as a member of the boy band No Curfew. A year later he joined his brother Ronald Jr. as a member of the Los Angeles metal band Suicidal Tendencies, replacing former bass player Josh Paul.

Along with his band duties Bruner is also a session musician, acclaimed for his work on Erykah Badu's New Amerykah (2008) and Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma (2010). He released his first solo album in 2011, The Golden Age of Apocalypse, which featured production from Flying Lotus, and was influenced by 1970s fusion artists such as Stanley Clarke and George Duke. The next two years saw a return to the recording studio with fellow Brainfeeder artist Flying Lotus, with contributions to the Lotus's Until the Quiet Comes (2012) and You're Dead! (2014), and the release of Thundercat's second album Apocalypse (2013).[4]

Bruner has been described as being a major contributor to and "at the creative epicenter" of Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly.[5]

In 2016, Bruner revealed to XXL that he is working on a new album with Flying Lotus as a main contributor. In May of that year, Bruner appeared live with Red Hot Chili Peppers to play additional bass on their song "Go Robot" at iHeartRadio's release party for the band's 2016 album The Getaway. In August 2016, Bruner appeared live with Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald in Chicago to perform an unreleased collaboration to be released TBA.

Discography

Solo albums

With Kendrick Lamar

With Kamasi Washington

With Flying Lotus

With Kirk Knight

With Taylor McFerrin

With Erykah Badu

With Kimbra

With Childish Gambino

With Sa-Ra Creative Partners

With Mac Miller

With Vic Mensa

With Suicidal Tendencies

With Keziah Jones

With Bilal

With Young Jazz Giants

With Terrace Martin

With Ty Dolla Sign

References

  1. ↑ Weiss, Jeff (April 2, 2015). "Meet Thundercat, the Jazz-Fusion Genius Behind Kendrick Lamar's 'Butterfly'". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Birth of Stephen Bruner". California Birth Index, 1905 - 1995. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Rising: Thundercat | Features". Pitchfork. 2011-09-01. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  4. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Apocalypse - Thundercat : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  5. ↑ Weiss, Jeff. "Meet Thundercat, the Jazz-Fusion Genius Behind Kendrick Lamar's 'Butterfly'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
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