Thomas Brenneck

Thomas "Tommy" Brenneck is an American guitarist, record producer, and engineer, best known as the leader of the Menahan Street Band and member of The Budos Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and El Michels Affair.^[1][2][3] He is the founder of Dunham Records, a subsidiary of seminal retro-soul label Daptone Records,^[4] and was the producer of soul singer Charles Bradley. As a producer session musician, he frequently works with Daptone and Big Crown Records artists.^[5]

Thomas Brenneck
Brenneck with Charles Bradley in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Thomas R. Brenneck
Also known as	Tommy "TNT" Brenneck
Born	1981 (age 42–43) Staten Island, New York, U.S.
Occupations	Musician producer engineer
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	2001–present
Member of	Menahan Street Band The Budos Band El Michels Affair The Moonjam
Formerly of	Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

History

Brenneck was born and raised in Staten Island, New York. He is a self-taught guitarist who joined the original Daptone band The Dap-Kings at the age of 20. Brenneck quickly became one of the essential members of the Daptone family, working closely with the label founder and producer Gabe Roth aka Bosco Mann,^[6] and playing and touring with Sharon Jones,^[7] the label matriarch. Sharon gave Brenneck his nickname, Tommy "TNT" Brenneck.

Since then, Brenneck founded Dunham Records and Studio,^[8] cultivated the music and career of the late Charles Bradley^[9] (also his son's godfather), performed and recorded with Amy Winehouse^[10] and is a principal in his other Daptone project the Menahan Street Band.^[11][12]

Brenneck has been a session guitarist, writer and producer on projects with Lady Gaga,^[13] CeeLo Green,^[14] Dan Auerbach,^[15] Beyoncé & Jay-Z,^[16] Josh Tillman AKA Father John Misty,^[17] Rufus Wainwright^[18] and Miley Cyrus,^[19] among others.^[20][21] Additionally, he has played guitar for Amy Winehouse^[22] and he is one of the musicians featured on "Telepathy" by Christina Aguilera featuring Nile Rodgers.^[23]

As an engineer on Yebba's Dawn, he was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.^[24]

Dunham Records and recording studios

Brenneck is the founder of Dunham Records, a subsidiary of Daptone Records.^[4] The record label originally operated out of Brenneck's bedroom in Bushwick, Brooklyn and produced iconic hits from artists including Charles Bradley before eventually moving to a larger space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.^[25]

Brenneck ran a small recording studio out of his home in Bushwick, Brooklyn before opening Dunham Sound Studios with Homer Steinwiess in Williamsburg in 2008. The all-analog studio operated with Menahan Street Band as the in-house band and recorded artists including Mark Ronson, Rufus Wainwright, Cee-lo Green, Theophilus London and Diane Birch, among others.^[26] In 2014, the studio was succeeded by The Diamond Mine, a recording studio in Long Island City founded with Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, and Leon Michels.^[27]

In 2017, Brenneck moved to Los Angeles with his wife and two children. He now works out of Los Angeles' The Sound Factory studio with Mark Ronson, whom he got to know well during his time with Winehouse.^[28][29]

Discography

Studio albums

Artist	Album	Label	Catalog No.	Year of Release	Available Formats
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings	Naturally	Daptone Records	DAP-004	2005	Vinyl, LP, Album
The Budos Band	The Budos Band	Daptone Records	DAP-005	2005	CD, LP, iTunes
El Michels Affair	Sounding Out The City	Truth & Soul		2005
The Budos Band	The Budos Band II	Daptone Records	DAP-011	2007	CD, LP, iTunes
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings	100 Days, 100 Nights	Daptone Records		2007
Menahan Street Band	Make the Road by Walking	Dunham Records	DAP-015	2008	CD, Album
El Michels Affair	Enter The 37th Chamber	Fat Beats		2009
The Budos Band	The Budos Band III	Daptone Records	DAP-020	2010	CD, LP, MP3, FLAC
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings	I Learned the Hard Way	Daptone Records		2010
Menahan Street Band	The Crossing	Dunham Records	DAP-029	2012	LP, Album
The Budos Band	Burnt Offering	Daptone Records	DAP-034	2014	CD, LP, MP3, FLAC
El Michels Affair	Return To The 37th Chamber	Big Crown		2017
The Budos Band	Budos Band V	Daptone Records	DAP-057	2019	CD, LP, MP3, FLAC
El Michels Affair	Adult Themes	Big Crown		2020
Menahan Street Band	The Exciting Sounds of...	Dunham Records	DAP-063	2021	CD, LP, digital
The Budos Band	Long in the Tooth	Daptone Records	DAP-065	2020	CD, LP, MP3, FLAC

EPs

Artist	Title	Label	Catalog No.	Year of Release	Available Formats
The Budos Band	The Budos Band EP	Daptone Records	DAP-12002	2009	CD, 12"
The Budos Band	The Shape of Mayhem to Come (Recorded Live at the Grey Eagle, Halloween 2015)	Daptone Records	DAP-1205	2016	12", MP3, FLAC

Singles

Artist	Title	Label	Catalog No.	Year of Release	Available Formats
The Budos Band	The Budos Band - Up From the South b/w T.I.B.W.F.	Daptone Records	DAP-1023	2005	7"
The Budos Band	The Budos Band - The Proposition b/w Ghost Walk	Daptone Records	DAP-1027	2006	7"
Menahan Street Band	"Make the Road by Walking" / "Karina"	Dunham Records	DNM-101	2006	7"
The Budos Band	The Poets of Rhythm/The Budos Band - More Mess on My Thing b/w Budos Theme	Freestyle Records	FSR7024	2006	7"
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band	"The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" / "Heartaches and Pain"	Dunham Records	DNM-102	2007	7"
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band	"The Telephone Song" / "Tired Of Fighting"	Dunham Records	DUN-103	2008	7"
Menahan Street Band	"The Wolf" / "Bushwick Lullaby"	Dunham Records, Daptone Records	DUN-104, DAP-1045	2009	7"
The Budos Band	The Budos Band/Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - Day Tripper b/w Money	Daptone Records	DAP-1050 (Record Store Day 2010 release)	2010	7"
The Budos Band	The Budos Band - Kakal b/w Hidden Hand	Daptone Records	DAP-1051-P(promotional copy) *limited press of 800	2010	7"
Menahan Street Band	"The Crossing" / "Everyday A Dream"	Dunham Records, Daptone Records	DUN-106A, DAP-1054	2011	7"
Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band	"Heart Of Gold" / "In You (I Found A Love)"	Dunham Records, Daptone Records	DUN-110A, DAP-1059	2011	7"
Menahan Street Band	"Lights Out / Keep Coming Back"	Dunham Records, Daptone Records	DUN-112A	2012	7"
The Budos Band	The Budos Band - Burnt Offering b/w Seizure	Daptone Records	DAP-1085 *included limited press of 100 color	2014	7"
The Budos Band	The Budos Band - Magus Mountain b/w Vertigo	Daptone Records	DAP-1088 *included limited press of 100 color	2015	7"
The Budos Band	The Budos Band - Maelstrom b/w Avalanche	Daptone Records	DAP-1099	2016	7"

Other appearances

"Up From the South" of The Budos Band is featured in a commercial for the NFL Network (2013).

"T.I.B.W.F." of The Budos Band is featured in a series of commercials for 1800 Tequila and in the sixth episode of This American Life.

"The Chicago Falcon (Remix)" of The Budos band is featured on Wale's fourth mixtape, The Mixtape About Nothing (2008).

"Budos Rising" and "The Proposition" of The Budos Band are featured in MLB 09: The Show and MLB 10: The Show, respectively, for PlayStation consoles.

"King Charles" of The Budos Band is featured in episode 37 of the HBO TV series Entourage ("Manic Monday," Season 3).

"Origin of Man," "Up From The South," "T.I.B.W.F." and "Hidden Hand" of The Budos Band are featured in the movie New York, I Love You (2009).

"Mas o Menos", "Ride or Die" and "Scorpion" of The Budos Band are featured on the fictional radio station "Daptone Radio" in the game Sleeping Dogs by United Front Games and Square Enix London. (2012)

"The Volcano Song" of The Budos Band is featured in the documentary I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009).

"The Sticks" of The Budos Band is featured in the background of a trailer for Destiny's Dark Below DLC. (2014)

"Say Amen (Saturday Night)" by Panic! At The Disco features an interpolation Of Aphasia off of the album Burnt Offering of The Budos Band.

Production discography

Albums

• The Budos Band – The Budos Band (Daptone, 2005) (with Bosco Mann)
• The Budos Band – The Budos Band II (Daptone, 2007) (with Bosco Mann)
• Menahan Street Band – Make The Road By Walking (Dunham, 2008)
• The Budos Band – The Budos Band III (Daptone, 2007) (with Bosco Mann)
• Menahan Street Band – The Crossing (Dunham, 2012)
• Charles Bradley – Victim Of Love (Dunham, 2013)
• Low Cut Connie – Hi Honey (Contender Records, 2014)
• The Budos Band – Burnt Offering (Daptone, 2014) (produced with The Budos Band)
• The Black Box Revelation – Highway Cruiser (Bana Kin, 2015)
• Paul & The Tall Trees – Our Love In The Light (Big Crown, 2016)
• Lee Fields & The Expressions – Special Night (Big Crown, 2016) (produced with Leon Michels)
• Lady Wray – Queen Alone (Big Crown, 2016) (produced with Leon Michels)
• Charles Bradley – Changes (Dunham, 2016)
• The Sha La Das – Love In The Wind (Dunham, 2018)
• Charles Bradley – Black Velvet (Dunham, 2018)
• The Budos Band – V (Daptone, 2019)
• The Jay Vons – The Word (Daptone, 2019) (produced with Wayne Gordon & The Jay Vons)
• Paul & The Tall Trees – So Long (Big Crown, 2019) (produced with Leon Michels)
• The Budos Band – Long In The Tooth (Dunham, 2020)
• Menahan Street Band – The Exciting Sounds Of Menahan Street Band (Dunham, 2021)

Other tracks

Other standalone tracks include:

• 3 Titans – "College" / "The Life Of A Scholar" (Dunham, 2010) (with Homer Steinwiess)
• The Like – Release Me (Geffen, 2010); 2 tracks (with Mark Ronson)
• CeeLo Green – "Georgia" single (Elektra, 2010)
• Ikebe Shakedown – Ikebe Shakedown (Ubiquity, 2011); 3 tracks
• The Sha La Das – "Sha La Da La La (Christmas Time)" single (Dunham, 2013)
• Black Lips – Underneath The Rainbow (Vice, 2014); 4 tracks
• Paloma Faith – "Price Of Fame" from The Architect (RCA, 2017) (with Homer Steinwiess)
• Lee Fields & The Expressions – "Time" single (Big Crown, 2017) (produced with Leon Michels)
• Charlotte Day Wilson – "I Can Only Whisper" featuring BadBadNotGood from Alpha (2021) (with Wilson)

References

1. Comingore, Aly (November 21, 2012). "Soulman Thomas Brenneck on Working with Charles Bradley". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
2. Yates, James (January 12, 2008). "PROFILE: The Budos Band". silive.com. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
3. "The Budos Band breaks loose". The Daily Record. August 25, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
4. "DUNHAM RECORDS – Daptone Records". Retrieved March 3, 2019.
5. Wheeler, Brad (May 10, 2013). "Behind Charles Bradley: Producer Thomas Brenneck on a new album, and a soul singer's salvation". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
6. Perlich, Tim (October 21, 2008). "Thomas Brenneck". NOW Magazine. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
7. DaptoneRecords (February 7, 2018), The Dap-Kings: Tommy TNT Brenneck, retrieved March 1, 2019
8. "The Menahan Street Band: The Crossing". PopMatters. October 28, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
9. "Personal Playlist: Tom Brenneck Gives The Stories Behind Four Charles Bradley Songs". Vinyl Me Please. November 7, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
10. Amy Winehouse (March 14, 2018), Amy Winehouse - Tom Brenneck of the Dapkings talks about an unreleased version of Valerie, retrieved March 1, 2019
11. "MENAHAN STREET BAND – Daptone Records". Retrieved March 1, 2019.
12. "Menahan Street Band - Make The Road By Walking – daptonerecords". shopdaptonerecords.com. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
13. "Meet the Creative Team Behind Lady Gaga's 'Joanne' Album". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
14. "Cee Lo Green* - F**k You". Discogs. October 22, 2010. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
15. "Black Lips Announce New Album Underneath the Rainbow, Co-Produced by Black Keys' Patrick Carney". Pitchfork. December 12, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
16. Cizzurp (June 17, 2018). "The Carters - EVERYTHING IS LOVE Album Credits". [istandard]. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
17. "Father John Misty reveals new song "Real Love Baby" — listen". Consequence of Sound. May 19, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
18. "Rufus Wainwright - Out Of The Game". Discogs. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
19. "Mark Ronson - "Nothing Breaks Like A Heart" (Feat. Miley Cyrus)". Stereogum. November 29, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
20. "Thomas Brenneck | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
21. Ray, Austin L. (October 31, 2013). "Black Lips Wrapping Album With Black Keys' Patrick Carney". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
22. Herman, Max (October 1, 2008). "Frequencies: Menahan Street Band". Electronic Musician. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
23. "Telepathy / Christina Aguilera Tidal". Tidal. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
24. "2022 GRAMMYs Awards: Complete Nominations List". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
25. "Dunham". Discogs. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
26. "Menahan Street Band". First Avenue. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
27. "The Diamond Mine recording studio" (PDF). The Diamond Mine. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
28. "On the Road with The Shacks". Office Magazine. December 7, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
29. "Menahan Street Band Make 'Exciting' Return After Nearly 10 Years « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.