Jets to Brazil
| Company type | Indie rock group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York , United States |
| Products | Music albums |
Jets to Brazil was an American indie rock group originating from Brooklyn, New York, active between 1997 and 2003.
History
Jets to Brazil was established by Blake Schwarzenbach, the former lead vocalist of Jawbreaker, alongside Jeremy Chatelain, who had previously been guitarist and singer for Handsome. This formation occurred after Schwarzenbach relocated to New York City following the dissolution of Jawbreaker. Initially relying on drum machines, the band soon incorporated drummer Chris Daly, previously with Texas Is the Reason, and secured a contract with Jade Tree Records. The name Jets to Brazil was proposed by Daly, inspired by a poster seen in the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Their first album, Orange Rhyming Dictionary (1998), released through Jade Tree, garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. The band supported this release with extensive tours alongside acts such as The Promise Ring. Their sophomore effort, Four Cornered Night (2000), was well received and marked the addition of guitarist Brian Maryansky from The Van Pelt, enabling Schwarzenbach to expand his role to keyboards. In 2002, Jets to Brazil unveiled their third and final album, Perfecting Loneliness, which also earned positive reviews.
Less than a year after releasing Perfecting Loneliness, Jets to Brazil disbanded in late 2003 for reasons that were not publicly disclosed.
Following the breakup, Schwarzenbach pursued academia, becoming an English instructor at Hunter College while working toward a PhD in English Literature. He briefly formed the band The Thorns of Life between 2008 and 2009 before creating Forgetters, which released an album and founded Too Small To Fail Records. In 2017, Schwarzenbach rejoined his former band Jawbreaker.
Chris Daly reunited with Texas Is The Reason for performances in 2006 and participated in their reunion tour from 2012 to 2013.
The song "Sweet Avenue" from Orange Rhyming Dictionary has often been mistakenly credited to Damien Rice on file-sharing platforms.
On March 25, 2019, during a question-and-answer session at a screening of Jawbreaker's documentary Don't Break Down, Schwarzenbach mentioned that a Jets To Brazil reunion could be possible in the future, although his primary focus remains on Jawbreaker.
Members
- Final lineup
- Blake Schwarzenbach – lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, mellotron (1997–2003); drum machine (1997)
- Jeremy Chatelain – bass guitar, backing vocals (1997–2003); drum machine (1997)
- Chris Daly – drums and percussion (1997–2003)
- Brian Maryansky – guitar (1998–2003)
- Former members
- Pete Martin – guitar (1997)
- Studio contributors
- Amy Domingues – cello (2000, 2002)
- J. Robbins – guitar, backing vocals (1998); mellotron, sequencer (2002); producer for all the band's albums
Discography
- Orange Rhyming Dictionary (released in 1998)
- Four Cornered Night (released in 2000)
- Perfecting Loneliness (released in 2002)