Bran Van 3000

Bran Van 3000 (also known as Bran Van and BV3) is a Canadian collective (or musical band) from Montreal, Quebec with a techno-infused sound. It was founded by the DJ James Di Salvio, collaborating on a number of songs with Stephane Moraille, Sara Johnston, Steve "Liquid" Hawley, Jayne Hill, Québécois rock star Jean Leloup and other musicians.

History

BV3 released their first single, "Drinking in L.A.", in February of 1997 in Canada, on Audiogram Records. In April of the same year, the band released their first album, called Glee. It contained 17 tracks, one of them entirely in French. The record went gold in 1998 and won a Juno Award for best alternative album.

In March of 1998, Glee was released internationally with significant edits: the international version has 19 tracks; "Ceci n'est pas une chanson" became an instrumental simply called "Une chanson"; the French song, "Forest", was reworked with several English verses. Previously unreleased songs on the international album are "Rainshine", "Carry On", and "Old School".

In July 1998, "Drinking in L.A." reached No. 36 in the U.K. Top 40 chart, becoming their first transatlantic hit. In August 1999 the single was re-released after the song was featured in a popular TV commercial for Rolling Rock, and peaked at No.3 in the UK.

In the summer of 2001, Bran Van 3000 released the album Discosis. It featured several collaborators, from soul legend Curtis Mayfield to Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour and reggae artist Eek-a-Mouse.

As of summer 2006, the band's website indicated that they were not working on new material or touring, nor did they have any plans to do so, but it was later announced that they were working on a third album, Rosé, which will be released in the US on November 27, 2007. Rosé was co-produced by James Di Salvio and Sara Johnston with the collaboration of Fat Lip, Max a million, Swanza, Chris Opperman, and others. The album was written in Los Angeles and was recorded at Depeche Mode's studio and in Hollywood at Steve Vai's Studio.

Trivia

• In the first episode of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's Quintessential Phase BBC radio series, you can hear someone in the hall of Megadodo Publications, home of the Guide, saying, "Give us a ring ding ding, it's a beautiful day," which is part of the radio host free tickets giveaway talk at the beginning of "Drinking in L.A."

• In the movie Y Tu Mamá También, the characters Julio and Tenoch drive a car while listening to "Go Shopping" (From Discosis) on the radio. The movie, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, was a success and "Go Shopping" became quite popular in Latin American countries.

• "Drinking in L.A." is featured in the movie Playing by Heart.

• In the movie Practical Magic, Sandra Bullock's character, Sally Owens, wakes up to the song "Everywhere", after having her dream about Gillian (Nicole Kidman) visiting her.

• "Astounded" (from Discosis) was Curtis Mayfield's last recorded performance before his death in 1999.

• The song Rainshine is the soundtrack of a Citroën Xsara ad featuring Claudia Schiffer

Discography

Studio Albums

• Glee - 1998
• Discosis - 2001
• Rosé - 2007

See also

• List of Quebec musicians
• Music of Quebec
• Culture of Quebec

External links

• www.officialbranvan3000.com - The new (as of 2007) official site.
• www.branvan3000.com - The old official site and main source of this article. Includes lyrics to most songs.
• Bran Van 3000: The Answer: a large BV3 fan site
• Official Stephane Moraille Site
• Bran Van 3000 - Shopping- An extended-length music video from the band's 2001 album, Discosis, starring Liane Balaban and directed by Oakley Centre.