# Brand New Unit

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**Brand New Unit**, commonly known as **BNU**, was a [Canadian](/source/Canadians) [Hardcore punk](/source/Hardcore_punk) band from suburban [Vancouver](/source/Vancouver), British Columbia.

## Lineup

- Gary Lavallee, vocals
- Jinx Stringer, guitar
- Ben Hughes, bass
- Garnet Kulhavy, drums; llater replaced by [Gabe Mantle](/source/Gabe_Mantle) of [Gob](/source/Gob_(band)))

## History

The band formed in 1991 in Surrey, British Columbia,[1] and started out playing locally and in Vancouver.[2]

In 1992, they were winners of [CITR-FM](/source/CITR-FM)'s 1982 SHiNDiG live performance contest, which awarded them some studio time.[3][4] They used it to record their first EP, *Summertime*. Influences of [7 Seconds](/source/7_Seconds_(band)) and [Dag Nasty](/source/Dag_Nasty) can be heard on *Summertime* with Kulhavy, while later recordings feature a more post-hardcore feel with hard-hitting live elements.

In 1993, they were included on *Crank It Up - Volume 11*, part of *Thrasher Magazine'*s Skate Rock series. In 1994, they released their first album, *Under The Big Top*.

Brand New Unit toured constantly and expanded their following into the US market.[5] In 1995, they released three EPs and, by 1997, had enough material to release a compilation album, *Looking Back Again*.[6]

In 1998, the band released the album *Diddly Squat* through the Creative Man label.[7] In 1999, they released a split EP with [Kill Sadie](/source/Kill_Sadie), and were included in a VML Records compilation album with The Pist, [Supernova](/source/Supernova_(American_band)) and The Gain. They released one more EP in 1999 and broke up in 2000.

In February 2010, Brand New Unit played a reunion show in Vancouver.[8] They continued to play occasionally, last appearing in Victoria in 2018.[9]

In October 2021, Gary Lavallee passed away; his cause of death was not released. In November 2021, Garnet Kulhavy died of [COVID-19](/source/COVID-19).[10]

## Discography

**Albums**

- *Under The Big Top* (1994), Excursion Records
- *Looking Back Again* (1997), [BYO Records](/source/BYO_Records)
- *Diddley Squat* (1998), Creative Man Disc

**EPs**

- *Summertime* 7" (1992), 3 Minute Mile Records
- *All For Nothing* 7" (1995), HeartFirst Records
- *Quickdraw Richy Rich* (1995), HeartFirst Records
- *No Heroes* (1995), HeartFirst Records
- *Kill Sadie + Brand New Unit* Split 7" (1999), Modern Radio Record Label
- *Empty Useless Air* (1999), Burning Heart Records

## References

1. ["Brand New Unit is "Totally into it""](https://web.archive.org/web/20120414211159/http://www.carillon.uregina.ca/jan29.98/arts/arts2.html) by Matthew Gourlie, *The Carillon*, January 29, 1998. University of Regina (Archived at the Wayback Machine)

1. ["Brand New Unit"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brand-new-unit-mn0000932813). *AllMusic* Biography by Linda Seida

1. [SHiNDiG Past results - 1992](https://web.archive.org/web/20120517025826/http://shindig.citr.ca/index.php?q=taxonomy%2Fterm%2F2) (Archived at the Wayback Machine)[dead link]

1. Chris Walter (1 March 2015). [*Under the Kilt: the Real McKenzies Exposed*](https://books.google.com/books?id=GFlfDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT38). BookBaby. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-927053-22-5.[dead link]

1. Iwasaki, Scott (12 June 1998). ["Tour helps Brand New Unit get noticed, June 1998"](https://www.deseret.com/1998/6/12/19385340/tour-helps-brand-new-unit-get-noticed). *deseret.com*. Deseret News. Retrieved 26 April 2022.

1. ["Brand New Unit Diddley Squat Creative Man Looking Back Again BYO"](https://ink19.com/1998/02/magazine/music-reviews/brand-new-unit). *Ink19*, February 9, 1998. Ryan Eckhart

1. ["New Releases : Dishwalla's followup album rates A-, offering songs that get lots of airplay"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jul-30-ca-8413-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*, July 30, 1998|Bill Locey [\[1\]](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jul-30-ca-8413-story.html)

1. Mark PaulHus.["Brand New Unit"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120516003713/http://discorder.ca/discorder-magazine/index.php/2010/03/28/brand-new-unit/), *Discorder Magazine*, May 2012, review of Feb 19 show in Vancouver]

1. ["They're Ba-ack B.N.U....June 2018"](https://livevictoria.com/show/465812/view). *livevictoria.com*. Live Victoria. Retrieved 26 April 2022.

1. ["Brand New Unit"](https://www.facebook.com/Brandnewunit/). *facebook.com*. Facebook. Retrieved 26 April 2022.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Brand New Unit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_New_Unit) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_New_Unit?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.