Aaron Bruno
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Aaron Richard Bruno (born November 11, 1978) is an American musician who is the founder, lead singer and last remaining original member of Awolnation. He is also currently the vocalist of the hardcore band, The Barbarians of California, along with other members of Awolnation. He is a former member of the
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band Under the Influence of Giants, the
post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox, Colle ...
band Home Town Hero, and the
post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
band Insurgence.


Early life and education

Bruno was born and raised in
Westlake Village Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County, California, on its western border with Ventura County. Upon its incorporation in 1981, Westlake Village became the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks We ...
, a city west of Los Angeles. He started playing guitar before he was 10 years old. He was diagnosed with
attention deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple con ...
in high school. During high school Bruno was nicknamed "AWOL" for leaving parties early and used this nickname in rap battles. Bruno failed his Spanish I class second year of high school. It was during his time retaking the class in summer school where he would meet lifelong friend Drew Stewart. Bruno and Stewart immediately hit it off after realizing they had the same birthday and liked the same type of music. Bruno briefly attended Moorpark Community College but dropped out after taking only two classes. Bruno says he attempted to go to college to please his parents, but after realizing he was paying his own money to take the classes, started skipping to go surfing and record and rehearse with his band at the time, then ultimately dropped out.


Career


Insurgence

Bruno was a member of the punk band Ice Monkeys with Drew Stewart, Jon Monroy and Dan Fowler while in high school. Stewart, Monroy and Bruno later formed Insurgence, a punk band, when Bruno was in high school.


Home Town Hero

In December 1999, Bruno and Stewart started a new band under the name Home Town Hero with drummer Ray Blanco and bassist Todd Burnes. Bruno was credited under the name "Blues" on the group's first project, a demo CD titled ''Blues Tex Vince Hunter''. The group signed with Maverick Records in 2001. The band toured with several acts, including
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots, commonly abbreviated as STP, is an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1989. Originally consisting of lead vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer :Songs ...
and
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
, before they were dropped by their label after trashing a stage and after Bruno refused to shoot a video with a label-provided director. Home Town Hero disbanded in 2004.


Under the Influence of Giants

After Home Town Hero disbanded, Bruno formed Under the Influence of Giants and signed with
Island Def Jam Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American record label group formed on December 31, 1998, by Universal Music Group. Before 2014, IDJMG encompassed labels originally established under the umbrella of Island Records and Def Jam Recording ...
.


Awolnation

Bruno continued to write music. He created the song "
Sail A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may b ...
" in 2010 as part of Awolnation's first EP, ''Back From Earth''. "Sail" would hit #5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart, going sextuple platinum in America and double platinum in Canada. In 2011 the album ''Megalithic Symphony'' was released. In March 2015, Awolnation released their second album, entitled ''Run''. Bruno, with some help from his engineer, recorded the entirety of the new album by himself, doing not only the vocals but also the instrumentals and the writing for the new release. Their third album ''Here Come The Runts'' was released early 2018. Their fourth album ''Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders'' was released in 2020, followed by an album of cover songs titled ''My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers, & Me'' in 2022.


Other ventures

Bruno, along with Mike Asman and fellow Insurgence band members Drew Stewart and Jon Monroy, starred in the movie ''42K''. The movie was written and directed by Darren Doane and Ken Daurio. Doane worked with the band to help with the release of the album ''Let's Rock'' in 1999, before filming ''42K'' in May of the same year. The film was released in 2001 with added commentary from
Michael Madsen Michael Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. Alongside his frequent collaborations with Quentin Tarantino—''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992), ''Kill Bill: Volume 2'' (2004), ''The Hateful Eight'' (2015), and ''Once Upon a Time in Hol ...
. According to Bruno in an interview from 2016, he sang on
Deltron 3030 Deltron 3030 is an American hip hop trio composed of producer Dan the Automator (as the Cantankerous Captain Aptos), rapper Del the Funky Homosapien (as Deltron Zero/Deltron Osiris), and DJ Kid Koala (as Skiznod the Boy Wonder). They also c ...
's self-titled album that was released in 2000. Bruno has collaborated with
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
producer
Kill The Noise Jacob Stanczak, known professionally as Kill the Noise, is an American DJ and record producer from Rochester, New York. His collaboration with Skrillex, Fatman Scoop and Michael Angelakos, "Recess (song), Recess", entered the UK Singles Chart at ...
on his 2015 album ''Occult Classic''. Bruno can be heard singing on the songs "Kill It 4 the Kids" and "All in My Head". Hoping to jump-start their career, Bruno took young indie upstarts IRONTOM out on tour in 2015 with Awolnation. During a conversation between Bruno and some of the members of IRONTOM on this tour, there were talks of the two possibly collaborating on a song. Bruno remembers being stressed wondering if there would be any time to work on a song, or if it would feel right. Sometime after that, both started working on songs. Bruno worked with IRONTOM to produce the followup to their debut record. The single "Be Bold Like Elijah" has been released through IRONTOM's various social media accounts. Bruno has mentioned in late 2016 that he was able to get IRONTOM a record deal, and he produced the new album named ''Partners'' released in 2017. Bruno can be heard in the final song on the album, entitled "Old and New Songs". IRONTOM also toured with Awolnation during the 2018 album tour, "Here Come the Runts". In early 2024, Bruno started a new music project called ''The Barbarians of California'', which focuses on a heavier, metal-influenced sound. They released their debut single, "Dopamine Prophecy", on February 12.


Music and vocal style

Bruno's vocal styling is a combination of a screamed aggressive style with some elements of falsetto to a lower belted out vocal. Being in many different bands of different genres, Bruno says he really put his voice through the wringer trying to find a vocal style that fit him. In his earlier bands, Bruno used screamed vocals usually found in the hardcore punk genre. While this style has somewhat made its way into Bruno's current project Awolnation, he does not use the technique as often. Bruno mentions: "The first time I tried to scream, it was bad, you know, anyone can scream right? If there is a burglar in your house, you're probably going to scream. It takes a while to find a way to do it without losing your voice completely. I'm not the master of every sort of singing, but I really came into my own around AWOLNATION's first record." Asked if he would ever return to his hardcore punk roots and create more of that sort of music, Bruno mentioned that many songs he has created with Awolnation are reminiscent of the hardcore music he grew up listening to. "I don't know. I love singing. I can't imagine me doing something where I'm just screaming. I don't believe in limitations or walls or boundaries so whatever it is to make the song sound best, maybe a 2 minute song that's just a blast of energy, but I can't imagine a full punk rock record. You never know though." Not set on learning just one instrument, Bruno became good enough to play each instrument that he wanted to play or utilize to make a song or record with.


Influences

Aside from his upbringing in the hardcore punk rock scene, some of Bruno's influence and inspiration comes from artists such as
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
,
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
and
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. Speaking on albums that he enjoys, Bruno mentions that
Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
's ''
OK Computer ''OK Computer'' is the third studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released on 21 May 1997. With their producer, Nigel Godrich, Radiohead recorded most of ''OK Computer'' in their rehearsal space in Oxfordshire and the historic m ...
'' especially influenced him. saying "Although I would skip a few songs now, when that 'OK Computer''came out it was a great example of a record that took me on this beautiful journey that meant a lot to me." Bruno also cites albums like
The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...
' ''
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots ''Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots'' is the tenth studio album by American rock band the Flaming Lips, released on July 16, 2002, by Warner Bros. Records. The album saw the band pursue a more electronic direction than previous efforts, incorporati ...
'',
alt-J Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwil Sainsbury ...
's ''
An Awesome Wave ''An Awesome Wave'' is the debut album by English indie rock band Alt-J, released on 25 May 2012 through Infectious. The album includes the singles " Matilda"/" Fitzpleasure", " Breezeblocks" and " Tessellate". It peaked at number thirteen on ...
'', and
Mini Mansions Mini Mansions are an American band founded by Zach Dawes, Tyler Parkford, and Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman. Mini Mansions' style has been compared to The Beatles, Elliott Smith, and Fountains of Wayne (though this comparison has ...
' self-titled debut as albums he can listen to back to front, saying "I like music that appeals to everyone at this point in my life. Stuff that our parents could listen to as well as people that are hip artistically and everything in between". Bruno has said that
rap music Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
was the hardcore music of his generation because it had not hit the mainstream yet. He mentions that it was "anti-music". He cites
Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
and
N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...
as two rap groups that really struck a chord with him. Another major influence for Bruno was seeing
Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
on ''
MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV. It showcases recorded live performances of popular music artists playing acoustic instrument, acoustic or "unplugged" variations of songs. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999. F ...
'' in 1994. Bruno cites Nirvana's cover of " Where Did You Sleep Last Night" as his favorite Nirvana moment. His favorite Nirvana song is "Milk It" off of 1993's ''In Utero''. Bruno recalls trying to listen to Nirvana's debut album ''Bleach'' after listening to ''
Nevermind ''Nevermind'' is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana (band), Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a Record label#Major versus independent record labels, major label an ...
'' and finding it hard because his favorite drummer
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
was not a part of it, also citing
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
's vocals as being a bit more "rugged". In light of Awolnation canceling a summer tour to instead go on the road with
Prophets of Rage Prophets of Rage was an American rap rock supergroup (music), supergroup. Formed in 2016, the group consisted of three members of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave (bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello, and d ...
, Bruno explained in an August 2016 interview that
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
was a major influence on him as a child in the early 1990s. He says that
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
was big at that point in time, but he had already been listening to heavier underground music. He also mentions that he was getting into more hip hop, and loved that singer
Zack de la Rocha Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...
was into hardcore music as well, saying "The first time I heard what I think was '
Killing in the Name "Killing in the Name" is a song by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, and appears on their 1992 Rage Against the Machine (album), self-titled debut album. It features heavy drop-D guitar riffs. The lyrics protest Police brutality i ...
' I thought it was a
Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...
' song. It just blew my mind". Bruno believes Rage was the only band that was able to blend screamed vocals with hip hop beats. He mentions that everything that came after that was "not as authentic", referencing the nu metal genre that would blossom in the coming years. Bruno continues to say that he believes the riff to " Bulls on Parade" is the greatest riff of all time. While on this tour, Bruno covered
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
's "
The Ghost of Tom Joad ''The Ghost of Tom Joad'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on November 21, 1995, by Columbia Records. His second primarily acoustic album after ''Nebraska'' (1982), ''The Ghost of Tom Joad'' r ...
" (famously covered by Rage Against the Machine) and Rage's own "
Bullet in the Head ''Bullet in the Head'' () is a 1990 Hong Kong action film written, produced, edited and directed by John Woo, and starring Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee and Simon Yam. The film incorporates elements of the action, war, drama, an ...
" and "
Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
" with Prophets of Rage.


Personal life

Bruno married his wife, Erin, in
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
in October 2015. She is from a suburb of
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...
. He is an avid surfer, and a fan of
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
. He has said in interviews that if his music career had not taken off, he would probably want to be a baseball player. He has thrown out the ceremonial first pitch for the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
in 2015, and the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in 2016. In an interview with the ''
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
'' magazine, he revealed, "I'm 80 percent deaf in my left ear. People trip out on that. I was born that way, so I just roll with it. But if you listen to the records in your headphones or your car stereo, I tend to pan my favorite instruments to the right because that's what I can hear. When I walk into a theater, I always sit just off to the left so I can hear more with my good ear. It's funny, though, my wife still talks into my left ear. When I go to sleep with my right ear to the pillow, I can't hear anything. It's like having an earplug. So, if someone is talking to me and I don't care what they're saying, I can just sit with my left ear to them." He has two rescue dogs named Billy and Sally. He has two children, twins, who were born in 2023.


Discography


Insurgence

* ''Let's Rock'' (1999) – vocals


Home Town Hero

* '' Home Town Hero'' (2002) – vocals, guitar * ''Bitch City'' (2004) – vocals, guitar


Under the Influence of Giants

* ''Heaven Is Full'' (2006) – vocals * '' Under the Influence of Giants'' (2006) – vocals


Awolnation

* '' Megalithic Symphony'' (2011) - vocals, synth, drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar,
rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...
, bass guitar, piano * ''
Run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...
'' (2015) - vocals, synth, drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, piano * '' Here Come the Runts'' (2018) - vocals, synth, drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, piano *'' Angel Miners & The Lightning Riders'' (2020) - vocals, synth, drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, piano *'' My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers, and Me'' (2022) - primary artist, producer *'' The Phantom Five'' (2024)


The Barbarians of California

*''And Now I'm Just Gnashing My Teeth'' (2024)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruno, Aaron 1978 births 20th-century American singers American alternative rock singers American indie pop musicians American indie rock musicians Living people Singers from Los Angeles Awolnation members People from Westlake Village, California Maverick Records artists 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers American deaf people Deaf musicians Singers with disabilities People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder American musicians with disabilities