Considered a shining star among the current invasion of new bands popularizing the '80s revivalist sound, the New York 5-piece band features Endicott (vocals/guitar), John Conway (keyboards), Anthony Burulcich (drums), Michael Zakarin (guitar), and Mike H. (bass).
As they toured with Ash (who Republic Commando video gamers might recognize from their guitar-saturated theme song, "Clones") to promote their self-titled album, The Bravery singer took time out to talk about his lifelong appreciation for all things Star Wars.
"As early as I can remember I was a hardcore fan," Endicott says. "I think my parents were into it and got me hooked early. I very clearly remember my parents taking me to see Return of the Jedi the night before it came out, at midnight, which was way past my bedtime, and pretty much the most exciting experience of my life at that point."
From that moment on, Endicott was a diehard fan complete with a stellar toy collection cluttering his bedroom floor.
"I can't remember a time when I didn't have Star Wars figures lying around," Endicott recalls. "I had everything. My favorite was the AT-AT because it was like having another pet around the house. We would pretend to leave food out for it, and my cat would get really jealous."
His appreciation for all things Sith led to many a Halloween dressed as his favorite Star Wars characters -- including Darth Vader.
Fast forward to adulthood, and Endicott still remains a lifelong fan for the same reasons many of film audiences around the globe do.
"The films are intensely creative; it's a whole new world made up from scratch, something that no one had ever imagined before," Endicott explains. "When those movies came out, it just completely redefined what we expect from a film. But, at the same, time it's just storytelling in the most classic sense. It's good and evil, the classic 'epic journey' storyline. At that time, before Star Wars, cinema was all about gritty realism, harsh reality, very cynical. And Star Wars made it cool to have fun again. It brought mythology back to moviemaking."
So it's no surprise that once Revenge of the Sith hit theaters during their tour with Ash, Endicott and his bandmates made sure they were front and center at the nearest theater to catch all the action.
"I was surprised to find parts of the end really quite moving -- powerful in a very dark way -- possibly the most emotional moments of the entire series," Endicott confesses. "My favorite part of the movie is when Anakin just got completely messed up by Obi-Wan and the lava. I found it very believable that, although he was a better fighter, his arrogance led to his demise. And to see him utterly stripped of his humanity and recreated as a virtual machine...is very intense."
In addition to the epic duel, a certain green Jedi Master impressed Endicott with his performance throughout the film.
"Yoda is in top form in Revenge of the Sith," Endicott says. "He's as wise as ever, he kicks some serious butt with the lightsaber, and he has these really emotional scenes, like when he can feel all the Jedi dying -- an Oscar-worthy performance."
As the frontman for The Bravery, Endicott could not help but let the musician side of his brain take over as he got caught up in the emotionally-driven soundtrack created by legendary composer John Williams.
"John Williams is always great," Endicott says. "I'm also a big fan of that theme they play whenever people fight with lightsabers that first appeared during the Darth Maul/Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan fight in Episode I ["Duel of the Fates"]. I think it's among Williams' best work."
Unfortunately, while he was mesmerized by the fighting scenes and the musical score, Endicott completely missed all the Easter eggs of Revenge of the Sith such as the anticipated cameos of George Lucas and the Millennium Falcon.
"I spotted none of it, and didn't even know about it until after I'd already seen the movie twice!" Endicott broods. "I'm very upset with myself."
Be sure to catch The Bravery on tour with Ash, and don't be surprised if you see Endicott wearing a Darth Vader shirt to show his Sith solidarity.
For more information about The Bravery , visit the official band site here.
Be sure to stay tuned to starwars.com for more Star Wars appreciation interviews from some of your favorite bands.
