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. He is the founder of Dunham Records, a subsidiary of seminal retro-soul label Daptone Records, and was the producer of soul singer Charles Bradley. As a producer session musician, he frequently works with Daptone and Big Crown Records artists.
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, and playing and touring with Sharon Jones, the label matriarch. Sharon gave Brenneck his nickname, Tommy "TNT" Brenneck.
Since then, Brenneck founded Dunham Records and Studio, cultivated the music and career of the late Charles Bradley (also his son's godfather), performed and recorded with Amy Winehouse and is a principal in his other Daptone project the Menahan Street Band.
Brenneck has been a session guitarist, writer and producer on projects with Lady Gaga, CeeLo Green, Dan Auerbach, Beyoncé & Jay-Z, Josh Tillman AKA Father John Misty, Rufus Wainwright and Miley Cyrus, among others. Additionally, he has played guitar for Amy Winehouse and he is one of the musicians featured on "Telepathy" by Christina Aguilera featuring Nile Rodgers.
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.
Dunham Records and recording studios Brenneck is the founder of Dunham Records, a subsidiary of Daptone Records. 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.
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. 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.
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.
Discography
Studio albums ArtistAlbumLabelCatalog No.Year of ReleaseAvailable FormatsSharon Jones & the Dap-KingsNaturallyDaptone RecordsDAP-0042005Vinyl, LP, AlbumThe Budos BandThe Budos BandDaptone RecordsDAP-0052005CD, LP, iTunesEl Michels AffairSounding Out The CityTruth & Soul2005The Budos BandThe Budos Band IIDaptone RecordsDAP-0112007CD, LP, iTunesSharon Jones & the Dap-Kings100 Days, 100 Nights Daptone Records2007Menahan Street BandMake the Road by WalkingDunham RecordsDAP-0152008CD, AlbumEl Michels AffairEnter The 37th Chamber Fat Beats2009The Budos BandThe Budos Band IIIDaptone RecordsDAP-0202010CD, LP, MP3, FLACSharon Jones & the Dap-KingsI Learned the Hard WayDaptone Records2010Menahan Street BandThe CrossingDunham RecordsDAP-0292012LP, AlbumThe Budos BandBurnt OfferingDaptone RecordsDAP-0342014CD, LP, MP3, FLACEl Michels AffairReturn To The 37th ChamberBig Crown2017The Budos BandBudos Band VDaptone RecordsDAP-0572019CD, LP, MP3, FLACEl Michels AffairAdult ThemesBig Crown2020Menahan Street BandThe Exciting Sounds of...Dunham RecordsDAP-0632021CD, LP, digitalThe Budos BandLong in the ToothDaptone RecordsDAP-0652020CD, LP, MP3, FLAC
EPs ArtistTitleLabelCatalog No.Year of ReleaseAvailable FormatsThe Budos BandThe Budos Band EPDaptone RecordsDAP-120022009CD, 12"The Budos BandThe Shape of Mayhem to Come (Recorded Live at the Grey Eagle, Halloween 2015)Daptone RecordsDAP-1205201612", MP3, FLAC
Singles ArtistTitleLabelCatalog No.Year of ReleaseAvailable FormatsThe Budos BandThe Budos Band - Up From the South b/w T.I.B.W.F.Daptone RecordsDAP-102320057"The Budos BandThe Budos Band - The Proposition b/w Ghost WalkDaptone RecordsDAP-102720067"Menahan Street Band"Make the Road by Walking" / "Karina"Dunham RecordsDNM-10120067"The Budos BandThe Poets of Rhythm/The Budos Band - More Mess on My Thing b/w Budos ThemeFreestyle RecordsFSR702420067"Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band"The World (Is Going Up In Flames)" / "Heartaches and Pain"Dunham RecordsDNM-10220077"Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band"The Telephone Song" / "Tired Of Fighting"Dunham RecordsDUN-10320087"Menahan Street Band"The Wolf" / "Bushwick Lullaby"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-104, DAP-104520097"The Budos BandThe Budos Band/Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - Day Tripper b/w MoneyDaptone RecordsDAP-1050 (Record Store Day 2010 release)20107"The Budos BandThe Budos Band - Kakal b/w Hidden HandDaptone RecordsDAP-1051-P(promotional copy) *limited press of 80020107"Menahan Street Band"The Crossing" / "Everyday A Dream"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-106A, DAP-105420117"Charles Bradley & Menahan Street Band"Heart Of Gold" / "In You (I Found A Love)"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-110A, DAP-105920117"Menahan Street Band"Lights Out / Keep Coming Back"Dunham Records, Daptone RecordsDUN-112A20127"The Budos BandThe Budos Band - Burnt Offering b/w SeizureDaptone RecordsDAP-1085 *included limited press of 100 color20147"The Budos BandThe Budos Band - Magus Mountain b/w VertigoDaptone RecordsDAP-1088 *included limited press of 100 color20157"The Budos BandThe Budos Band - Maelstrom b/w AvalancheDaptone RecordsDAP-109920167"
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) Molly Lewis - The Forgotten Edge (Jagjaguwar, 2021, EP) Molly Lewis - Mirage (Jagjaguwar, 2022, EP) Molly Lewis - On the Lips (Jagjaguwar, 2024, LP)
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