Josh "Gnar" Brainard (born in Las Vegas, Nevada ) was one of the first guitarists for the band Slipknot. He was present during the recordings of Mate.Feed.Kill.Repeat and Slipknot but was later replaced by James Root of Stone Sour. After Slipknot Josh joined a band called Undone which has recently announced their "split up". He has also recorded 2 CDs with Vanilla Ice (Hard To Swallow and Bi-Polar).

Josh was previously in bands VeXX, Body Pit, and Inveigh Catharsis.

He is currently in On a Pale Horse with fellow bandmates Aaron Peltz, Matthew Robinson, Jerry Spargur and Nick Svoboda

During his time in Slipknot, Josh plays guitar on the band's self-titled album but left the band shortly after the sessions. He is credited for guitar on every track except "Purity", which is credited as having James Root on guitar.

His mask included a black death mask, a black balaclava, and a bondage mask. Josh is also thought to be the one who suggested the red jumpsuits as part of the band's image.

The name "Gnar" was given to him for his habit of constantly chewing on his knuckles.

Josh curently resides in West Des Moines, Iowa, United States.