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In BRRRRRT We Trust
“Funded. Fielded. Loud.”
Close Air Support Thrash
The Origin
“The sound is the truth. We are the sound.”
— Marcus Webb, Tucson, AZ, 2001
Heard the A-10 gun fire. Decided it needed to be metal. A-10 still flies.
Biography
The Mission Brief
The A-10 Thunderbolt II — universally and correctly known as the Warthog — is not a beautiful aircraft. It was designed around a gun. Specifically the GAU-8 Avenger, a 30mm seven-barrel rotary autocannon that fires at up to 3,900 rounds per minute and produces, upon firing, a sound that has become the most beloved noise in close air support history.
BRRRRRT.
In BRRRRRT We Trust formed in Tucson in 1991 because four people heard that sound and decided it needed to be enshrined in music. Not celebrated ironically. Enshrined.
"The A-10 is the most honest aircraft ever built," lead vocalist Marcus Webb said in a 2001 interview. "It does one thing. It does that one thing better than anything else that has ever existed. It makes a sound when it does that thing. The sound is the truth. We are the sound."
The Stand
The Air Force has attempted to retire the A-10 eleven times. The A-10 is still flying. In BRRRRRT We Trust considers this a shared victory.
They disbanded in 2003 when Webb announced he could not continue playing music while another retirement attempt was underway. "You cannot play thrash metal and testify before Congress simultaneously," he said. "I have tried. Congress does not appreciate the context."
The band has been asked about a reunion. Webb has said he will consider it when the A-10's retirement is formally and permanently cancelled by act of Congress with a ten-year funding guarantee. As of this writing, the A-10 is still flying.
The Members
Marcus Webb “BRRRRRT”
FoundingLead Vocals
Has testified before the House Armed Services Committee twice about A-10 retirement proposals. Wore the shirt both times. Nobody mentioned it. He considers this a missed opportunity.
Dennis Kowalski “Cost-Plus”
FoundingLead Guitar
Still works in defense contracting in Tucson on projects he will not name. His guitar playing has been described as "what a cost overrun sounds like in E minor."
Dave Pruitt “Warthog”
FoundingBass
Drove a bus on base for six years. Never served. Has opinions about the A-10 indistinguishable from those of people who have flown it. The band does not see this as a problem.
Elaine Kowalczyk “Seven Barrels”
FoundingDrums
Sergeant Major, retired. Twenty-two years. Has said: "The GAU-8 fires seven barrels in rotation. I play seven drums. This is not a coincidence." It may be a coincidence.
Discography
BRRRRRT
One word. The word is the sound. The sound is the point.
Cost Plus Overrun
Concept album. Every song named after a defense budget line item that came in significantly over projected cost.
The Boneyard
Named after the Davis-Monthan aircraft boneyard. The A-10 section runs twenty-two minutes.
They Keep Trying to Retire It
Released in direct response to the 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review. A formal objection filed through the medium of metal.
GAU-8
Named for the gun. The liner notes include complete technical specifications. They have been cross-referenced. They are accurate.
Still Flying
Final album. The A-10 was still flying when this was recorded. Webb considered this the correct note to end on.
Known Tracks
BRRRRRT (The Sound)
The opening riff was designed to approximate the GAU-8 Avenger. Dennis Kowalski achieved this. The neighbors called the city.
Congressional Testimony (Metal Version)
Webb testified before the Armed Services Committee twice. This song is the testimony, in thrash metal form. The distortion is correct.
3,900 Rounds Per Minute
The GAU-8 Avenger fires at 3,900 rounds per minute. The song is 3 minutes and 54 seconds long. This was intentional.
The Warthog Is Not Beautiful (It Is Correct)
A meditation on function versus aesthetics. The band's position is stated in the title.
F-35 (A Lament)
The saddest song in the catalog. Webb does not raise his voice once.
Still Flying
The final song. Triumphant but measured. The A-10 was still flying when this was recorded. It is still flying now.
Fan Testimonials
“I flew the A-10 for eleven years. I found this shirt in 2019. I have not taken it off for more than six hours at a time since. My wife understands.”
Lt. Col. (Ret.) R. Harmon — Tucson, AZ
“"Congressional Testimony (Metal Version)" is the most accurate recreation of the experience of testifying before the Armed Services Committee I have ever heard. The distortion is correct.”
Defense Policy Analyst — Washington, DC
“The liner notes for GAU-8 include complete technical specifications of the rotary cannon. I cross-referenced them. They are accurate. Five stars.”
Aircraft Systems Engineer — Tucson, AZ
“I work in defense procurement. This album is about me. I am okay with this.”
Anonymous — Pentagon
Official Merch
Shop In BRRRRRT We Trust
Authentic world tour tees, hoodies, and more. Printed on demand and shipped from the US.
View Merch →Quick Facts
Origin
Tucson, Arizona
Active
1991–2003
Label
Cost-Plus Records
Sounds Like
military thrash metal — precise, aggressive, committed to a single position, defense contractor doom — heavy and deliberate, technically accurate, close air support metal — loud, functional, no irony whatsoever
Tone
deadpan military conviction
Southwest Circuit 1995
Tucson, AZ
The Boneyard (Outside the Fence)
Davis-Monthan AFB (Parking Lot, Off-Base)
Phoenix, AZ
Albuquerque, NM
Fort Bliss, TX (Adjacent)
San Antonio, TX
Nellis AFB, NV (Parking Lot)
Yuma, AZ
Tucson, AZ (Return)
"Still Flying"
On the Shirt
“BRRRRRT.”