Brand New Unit, commonly known as BNU, was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

Hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band from suburban

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, British Columbia. Its members were Gary Lavallee (vocals), Jinx Stringer (guitar), Ben Hughes (bass), and Garnet Kulhavy (drums). Kulhavy would later be replaced by Gob drummer Gabe Mantle.

History

The band formed in 1991 in Surrey, B.C. and started out playing locally and in Vancouver. In 1992 they were winners of

CITR-FM CiTR-FM (101.9 MHz) is a non-commercial FM radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia. It is owned by the Student Radio Society of the University of British Columbia, with studios in the Alma Mater Society Student Nest in the Point Grey c ...

's 1982 SHiNDiG live performance contest, which awarded them some studio time. They used it to record their first EP, ''Summertime''. Influences of 7 Seconds and

Dag Nasty Dag Nasty is an American hardcore punk band from Washington D.C., formed in 1985 by guitarist Brian Baker of Minor Threat, drummer Colin Sears and bassist Roger Marbury, both of Bloody Mannequin Orchestra, and vocalist Shawn Brown (later of ...

can be heard on ''Summertime'' with Kulhavy, while later recordings feature a more post-hardcore feel with hard-hitting live elements. In 1993, they were included on ''Crank It Up - Volume 11'', part of ''Thrasher Magazines Skate Rock series. In 1994, they released their first album, ''Under The Big Top''. Brand New Unit toured constantly and expanded their following into the US market. In 1995, they released three EPs and, by 1997, had enough material to release a compilation album, ''Looking Back Again''. In 1998 the band released the album ''Diddly Squat'' through the Creative Man label. In 1999, they released a split EP with

Kill Sadie Kill Sadie (also Killsadie) was a Minneapolis-based post-hardcore band active from 1997 to 2001. The band adopted the DIY ethic of constant touring, rather than other forms of promotion. Several members of the band went on to perform with better ...

, and were included in a VML Records compilation album with The Pist,

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and The Gain. They released one more EP in 1999 and broke up in 2000. In February, 2010, Brand New Unit played a reunion show in Vancouver. They continued to play occasionally, last appearing in Victoria in 2018. In October 2021, Gary Lavallee passed away; his cause of death was not released. In November 2021, Garnet Kulhavy died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Discography

Albums * ''Under The Big Top'' (1994), Excursion Records * ''Looking Back Again'' (1997), BYO Records * ''Diddley Squat'' (1998), Creative Man Disc EPs * ''Summertime'' 7" (1992), 3 Minute Mile Records * ''All For Nothing'' 7" (1995), HeartFirst Records * ''Quickdraw Richy Rich'' (1995), HeartFirst Records * ''No Heroes'' (1995), HeartFirst Records * ''Kill Sadie + Brand New Unit'' Split 7" (1999), Modern Radio Record Label * ''Empty Useless Air'' (1999), Burning Heart Records

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 2000 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian hardcore punk groups Straight edge groups BYO Records artists 1991 establishments in British Columbia 2000 disestablishments in British Columbia