Ky Brooks

Ky Brooks’s life path is as multi-faceted as their musical career. They are a sound engineer, poet, and audio producer. Their significant role in the Montréal experimental music scene dates back to the early 2010s when they co-founded the DIY space La Plante, a cultural hub where music and community came together and which became a launching point for their musical forays in the subsequent decade. Brooks became involved in musical projects including the surreal and provocative White Cube, 8-person queer punk band Femmaggots, guitar-and-voice duo Drøm før du dør, noise rock band Lungbutter, and later Shining Wizard Quartet and free-noise trio Nag, touring the New England noise circuit. Lungbutter formed around 2012, with Ky Brooks as vocalist, guitarist Kaity Zozula (from Femmaggots), and drummer Joni Sadler. All three were also involved in the label Misery Loves Company, which put out cassettes and ran Noisundaee, a Sunday afternoon experimental music series. In the following years, the band became a crucial part of the thriving experimental, punk, noise and rock scenes in Montreal. Their debut album Honey was released in 2019 and received widespread praise, but the sudden passing of Joni Sadler in 2021 marked the end of the band. Today, Ky Brooks works locally in Montreal as a recording and live sound engineer and is the North American front-of-house engineer for BIG|BRAVE. They record at Error 403 and Hotel 2 Tango, and are completing their PhD at McGill. In Brooks’ Power Is The Pharmacy, released by Constellation in May 2023, their experimental punk roots jostle alongside an eclectic palette of synthesizers, poetry, and noise.