Brainium Sounds Off
Local band Brainium tells stories about playing live (anywhere from bars to parking lots), recording music starting in the 80s (cassette tape) through today (DAW), their eventually-to-be-released stage musical, and more. Self-described (in the song “Our Kind of Town”) as “Two guys in disguise as a pseudointellectual music machine” Brainium is guitarist (and much more) Thom Ciezki and keyboardist (and much less) Gary Schmid. Both (especially Thom) have played in other local bands but only Brainium has endured through the decades. Weird, witty, and rarely dull, hear stories about music-making from local guys who haven’t made it big (yet) but have had a great time getting...nowhere. “Oh, that magic feeling...”
Local band Brainium tells stories about playing live (anywhere from bars to parking lots), recording music starting in the 80s (cassette tape) through today (DAW), their eventually-to-be-released stage musical, and more. Self-described (in the song “Our Kind of Town”) as “Two guys in disguise as a pseudointellectual music machine” Brainium is guitarist (and much more) Thom Ciezki and keyboardist (and much less) Gary Schmid. Both (especially Thom) have played in other local bands but only Brainium has endured through the decades. Weird, witty, and rarely dull, hear stories about music-making from local guys who haven’t made it big (yet) but have had a great time getting...nowhere. “Oh, that magic feeling...”
Episodes

Jun 6, 2025
Listener Questions #1
Jun 6, 2025
Jun 6, 2025
28 min
Our first crack at answering listener questions, not necessarily related to the podcast. Or music. Or reality. But we do our best with them anyway. Have a question for Brainium? Send it to podcast at brainium.band
Jun 6, 2025
28 min

May 23, 2025
The Musical!
May 23, 2025
May 23, 2025
28 min
We've mentioned it many times, now we finally talk a little bit about "The Musical" (as we cleverly refer to it). Almost 50 years (so far) in the making. Will it be worth the wait? Of course not, but hopefully it won't stink. In any case, at least we have this podcast episode about it. Hopefully it doesn't stink either. Confidence!
May 23, 2025
28 min

May 9, 2025
The Strat: Brainium's Guitar Sound
May 9, 2025
May 9, 2025
26 min
Brainium is only two guys so the guitar gets plenty of work in producing the band's inimitable sound. That guitar was (and is) Thom's Fender Stratocaster, aka "The Strat." Thom tells more than anyone could possibly want to know about this legendary axe.
May 9, 2025
26 min

Apr 25, 2025
Live drummer vs. drum machine
Apr 25, 2025
Apr 25, 2025
25 min
Brainium, as a two-man band, used a drum machine both in recording sessions and live gigs. But we've also played with live drummers. What's the difference?
Apr 25, 2025
25 min

Apr 11, 2025
Fronting a Band
Apr 11, 2025
Apr 11, 2025
22 min
Being on stage looks fun (and it usually is) but someone in the band needs to manage the performance and interact with the crowd. (Even if it's a small one.) The Boys of Brainium discuss what it's like to do the job (not always well) in a local band.
Apr 11, 2025
22 min

Mar 28, 2025
Playing Live vs. Studio
Mar 28, 2025
Mar 28, 2025
26 min
Sometimes bands play live, sometimes in a studio. (And with Brainium, sometimes "live" to tape in a basement with no audience.) What's the difference? Plenty, actually. The Boys of Brainium (especially Thom) discuss their own experiences with playing live vs. the studio.
Mar 28, 2025
26 min

Mar 12, 2025
The Marquis: Brainium's legendary "other" guitar
Mar 12, 2025
Mar 12, 2025
21 min
While Thom's Fender Strat provided almost all of the guitar sounds for Brainium (to date), another guitar shows up now and then played by Gary--the keyboard player who can't really play guitar (or keyboards, but that's another story). It's old and cheap (like Brainium?) but recently had some work done (unlike Brainium) so it seemed like a good time to showcase this obscure instrument.
Mar 12, 2025
21 min

Feb 28, 2025
Song Origins: Our Kind of Town
Feb 28, 2025
Feb 28, 2025
22 min
Another in our series discussing the origins of specific Brainium songs. This one might be considered the band's "anthem" as it includes "Brainium" in the lyrics. (It also includes "pseudointellectual" but that's irrelevant.) A snippet from this song is the outro for our podcast episodes. Now you can hear the whole thing!
Feb 28, 2025
22 min







