Concert in your area for Funk & Soul, Hip-Hop, Electronic, Jazz, and Indie & Alt.
Find out more about Hip-Hop and Electronic.
Bruner grew up in a creative and musical family, with his father Ronald Bruner Sr., an established drummer known for his work with Diana Ross and the Temptations, and his brother Ronald Jr. known as a Grammy-winning drummer, who has worked with the likes of Kenny Garrett and Stanley Clarke. Bruner’s earliest musical excursion was in the boyband No Curfew before joining his brother as a member of the L.A. metal band Suicidal Tendencies.
It was during this time Bruner found an audience for his acrobatic and elaborate playing style, later becoming the go-to session musician for artists in the black vanguard and subsequently worked on Erykah Badu’s “New Amerykah, Pt. 1”, J*Davey’s “Dirty Love”, Sa-Ra’s “Love Czars” and Snoop Dogg’s “We Rest in Cali” to name a few in a host of collaborations. The talented bass player also worked on Badu’s follow-up album “New Amerykah, Pt. 2” in 2010, and the same year began his fruitful relationship with Flying, Lotus contributing both bass and vocals to his album “Cosmogramma” in 2010.
In 2011 Bruner released his debut solo album “The Golden Age of Apocalypse”. The album was produced with the help of Flying Lotus, can be heard to take inspiration from ’70's fusion artists including Stanley Clarke and George Duke, and earned the musician a series of acclaims. Bruner subsequently contributed on label mate Flying Lotus’ “Until The Quiet Comes” in 2012, and “You’re Dead” in 2014. The bassist’s sophomore album “Apocalypse” arrived in 2013 and received an across the board positive response from fans and the musical press alike.
Thundercat, also known as Stephen Bruner originally, is an American bass player that does a range of different genres. During his career he has managed to release two solo albums, and many people may know him for his work with Flying Lotus. He like many other musicians, grew up with music in his family. At 15 he first got noticed as he had a small hit in Germany as a member of a boy band called 'No Curfew', quite cute for a group of young boys. Later in his career he joined his brother in the band 'Suicidal Tendancies', taking over from the former bass player who left the band. His first solo album was released in 2011 called 'The Golden Age of Apocalypse', which included his previous band in it. Although this music didn't do a lot for me, he shows such enthusiasm when he's playing on a stage, you can see he thrives off the audiences response and everyone in the crowd loved him. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed watching him and how admired he and the members of Flying Lotus were by their adoring fans. He’s done well for a bass player, they often don’t get the recognition they deserve, I wouldn’t go out of my way to see him again, but he was great as part of a band.