A Band of Merry Men

The

Eurovision Song Contest is not an obvious launch pad for aspiring rock gods—a forum for nationalism, sentiment and mirth, maybe. But last year's first-ever Latvian contestants, BrainStorm, wiped the smirks off the faces of vitriolic music press and armchair judges alike. For three minutes they strummed, strutted and beamed, as vocalist Reynard Cowper belted out their infectious, melodious single, "My Star." "We know how skeptical people are about this contest," sighs Cowper, 26. "But we got a lot of attention."

BrainStorm came third—but across Europe the people voted with their wallets. In the following months "My Star" soared to No. 1 in neighboring Estonia and Lithuania and a respectable No. 11 in Belgium. The British music press dubbed their spaghetti-legged, starry-eyed vocalist a Latvian Jarvis. And critic Jonathan King heralded the arrival of "indie pop" in their brand of joyful, melodic pop-rock. Says Cowper: "It was the right step for us. If something's real it makes no difference if it's Glastonbury or Eurovision."

The band certainly has the musical credentials for Glastonbury over Eurovision. They formed back in 1989, in their hometown, Jelgava, in southern Latvia. As 14-year-olds in their school choir, singer Reynard (Renars Kaupers), guitarist "Magic" Jonny U White (Janis Jubalts), bassist Peter Scott Jr. (Gundars Mausevics) and drummer Nick William Simon (Kaspars Roga) held their first rehearsals in the school hall. Keyboardist Mike Minolta (Maris Mihelsons) joined a few months later. They've made—and written—five albums since, moving from alternative rock to the more spritely pop of their recent releases. In 1997 they signed with EMI licensee for the Baltic countries, Microphone Records. And in 1998 BrainStorm made the ultimate step toward global stardom—and took on cosmopolitan stage names.

At home these boys are both the "good" and the big guys of Latvian rock. In a market that rarely supports singles releases, BrainStorm has racked up a string of hits. "My Star" replaced another of the band's tracks, the 1995 smash "Airplanes," as the biggest-selling single by a Latvian artist at home and abroad. BrainStorm—or Prata Vetra as they're known to the natives—return their fans' devotion. "We love Latvia. We are Latvians and we decided that in Latvia we will always sing in Latvian." Which means two versions of every lyric for the international albums—and twice the work for Cowper.

His songwriting has not gone unnoticed. REM's Michael Stipe is a fan and BrainStorm's energetic sound secured them support slots with the Pet Shop Boys in Estonia and with British indie band, Supergrass, in Denmark. The boys cite a range of influences from Nirvana to Prince to A-Ha. Their latest album, "Among the Suns," reflects their eclectic roots—mixing chirpy pop with melancholy ballads: mellow, naive, but heartfelt. And if their tunes are not the most original, their lyrics can be. In "These Women Drive Me Crazy," Cowper growls: "Tom Jones is my favourite singer ... Do you think I'm a bad boy? That I'm a little horny elf?"

So what's next for the little horny elves? They're at work on their second international album with producer Tony Mansfield (the talent behind A-Ha, B-52s and "My Star") and hope to release it later this year. But the "idea of the band is to get up on stage," and the boys look forward to tours of Latvia and Scandinavia. While they'd like to expand out of their established market in these regions, they remain realistic about world domination. "The main rule of the band is to feel good and not to do things that bother people," says Cowper. "We are positive and open people. That's what we hope we are bringing to other people with our music."