Disco Biscuits


The Disco Biscuits are a jam band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consists of Allen Aucoin, Marc "Brownie" Brownstein , Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig , and Aron Magner. The band incorporates elements from a variety of musical genres with a base of electronic and rock. Their style has been described as trance fusion.

History

The Disco Biscuits formed in 1995 at the University of Pennsylvania. Marc, Jon, Aron and original drummer Samuel "Sammy" Altman shared an affinity for psychedelic rock, electronic music, soul, blues, jazz and classical. They honed their distinctive style playing Philadelphia bars then moved up to nightclubs and theaters along the east coast. In 2005 Sammy left the band to pursue a career in medicine. The band conducted a search for their next drummer, which culminated in a two-night, sold-out drum-off at the Borgata's Music Box in Atlantic City. In December 2005 Allen Aucoin was announced as the newest member of the band. Aucoin knew members of the Biscuits' road crew and had opened for the Biscuits in the past. In 2006 the band purchased the former Old City Philadelphia studio space of DJ Jazzy Jeff. The space became a place for local musicians to congregate and work, helping make possible the unique collaborations recorded in the Planet Anthem sessions. Around the time of Planet Anthem, the Biscuits also worked with noted hip-hop producer Damon Dash on a variety of projects.

Camp Bisco

The first Camp Bisco took place in August 1999 in Cherrytree Pennsylvania, the band seeking to combine the creative effects of electronic DJs with improvisational rock. Over 17 years Camp Bisco has grown by leaps and bounds, with its lineup expanding to include acts such as Shpongle, Lotus, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, Gramatik, and STS9.D'Arcangelo, Sam https://jambands.com/features/2015/07/14/marc-brownstein-returns-to-camp/ Jambands.com The band celebrated its fifteenth anniversary of the festival July 2017 on Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Rock Operas

Marc and Jon have each written rock operas. Gutwillig was first, writing the Hot Air Balloon sometime before its debut on December 31, 1998, at Silk City in Philadelphia. Marc wrote the Chemical Warfare Brigade in early 2000 while on hiatus from the band. It debuted at the Trocadero Theater in Philadelphia August 19, 2000, with his side project Electron.

Philanthropy

The Disco Biscuits are involved in a number of charitable efforts including food drives and raising money for hurricane relief. In 2004, Marc founded HeadCount, a national, nonpartisan, non-profit, organization that partners with musicians to promote participation in democracy in the United States by registering voters at concerts. In 2010, the keyboardist Aron Magner was named to the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Young Playwrights theatre arts program.

Discography