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Rocket from the Crypt | |
|---|---|
 Left to right: JC 2000, Petey X, Atom (front), Apollo 9, ND, and Speedo in 1998 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | San Diego,California, U.S. |
| Genres | Punk rock[1] |
| Years active | 1990–2005, 2011, 2013–present |
| Labels | Cargo,Headhunter,Elemental Records (Europe),Sympathy for the Record Industry, Perfect Sound,Interscope, Flapping Jet,Vagrant,Swami |
| Members | Speedo Petey X ND Apollo 9 JC 2000 Ruby Mars |
| Past members | Elaina Sean Atom |
| Website | rftc |
Rocket from the Crypt is an Americanpunk rock band fromSan Diego,California, originally active from 1990 to 2005, then active during 2011 and again from 2013 to the present.
The band gained critical praise and the attention of majorrecord labels after the release of their 1992 albumCirca: Now!, leading to a recording contract withInterscope Records. They experienced a surge of popularity with the release of the albumsScream, Dracula, Scream! (1995) andRFTC (1998), accompanied by numerous vinyl singles andEPs released on independent labels. However, album sales did not meet expectations and Interscope soon turned their attention to higher-grossing acts. The band left the label, and shortly thereafter drummerAtom Willard departed the group.
After a period of inactivity in 1999 and 2000, during which singer/guitaristJohn Reis formedHot Snakes andSultans and launched hisSwami Records label, the band signed toVagrant Records and recruited new drummerRuby Mars. They experienced a revitalization of creative energy and released two more albums, but were not as prolific as in the past.
Over the next few years the band members became increasingly involved with other projects and Rocket from the Crypt became less of a focus. They decided to disband in 2005, playing a sold-out farewell show onHalloween in their hometown of San Diego.
The band reunited in 2011 for a one-off appearance on the television programYo Gabba Gabba!, and in 2013 reformed once more for a series of performances in the US, Europe and Australia.
Rocket From the Crypt have had a significant impact on alternative music, being cited as an influence by such bands asJimmy Eat World,the Get Up Kids, andUnbroken.[2][3][4]
After the breakup of hispost-hardcore bandPitchfork in 1990, Reis formed both Rocket from the Crypt andDrive Like Jehu in July and August of that year respectively.[5] Envisioned as apunk-inspiredrock and roll band, Rocket from the Crypt's original lineup consisted of Reis, guitaristAndy Stamets, bassist Pete Reichert, drummer Sean, and backing vocalist Elaina.[6] The band took their name from the then-defunct 1970s underground punk bandRocket from the Tombs. This lineup lasted roughly six months and recorded the band's debut albumPaint as a Fragrance, released in 1991 on local labelCargo Music. At this time, Reis began to use thepseudonym "Speedo" when working with the band. He was also simultaneously performing in Drive Like Jehu, who recorded their debut album around the same time. When Sean and Elaina moved away from San Diego, drummerAdam Willard joined the band under the stage name "Atom."[6] The rest of the band also assumed stage monikers, with Stamets performing as "ND" and Reichert as "Petey X."
The band soon added ahorn section, recruiting saxophone player Paul "Apollo 9" O'Beirne.[6] They developed a reputation for their creative and energetic live shows, taking unusual measures to encourage audience participation such as handing out homemade lyric booklets and noisemakers.[6] They released manyvinyl singles around this time and began to attract a dedicated underground following. Reis recalls:
"It was really immediate; that's why we loved putting out singles early on. We recorded some songs forSympathy for the Record Industry, and two weeks later, we had some finished copies of them. The turnaround time was amazing. And by the time people were able to get them, it was still under a month. They're hearing something that is completely fresh–this is something we're doingat the moment. We did that for, like, a three-year period."[6]
Their second albumCirca: Now! was released in 1992, followed by their first tour and music videos for the songs "Ditchdigger" and "Sturdy Wrist." The band also added a second member to its horn section, bringing intrumpeter Jason "JC 2000" Crane.[6] Around this time Reis announced in afanzine that all fans with Rocket from the Crypt tattoos would be allowed into the band's shows for free, for life, causing tattoos of their logo to become an international phenomenon.[6]
Fueled by a label interest in Drive Like Jehu, both Rocket from the Crypt and Drive Like Jehu signed toInterscope Records in 1992,[7] with Rocket negotiating a deal that included the freedom to record vinyl releases for other labels. Many of the band's vinyl singles and other rarities were compiled and released asAll Systems Go, while Interscope re-releasedCirca: Now! and pushed for the band to continue touring in support of the album. Even with market saturation high, however, the band members decided to take a six-month break in 1994 while Reis recorded a second and final album with Drive Like Jehu.[5]
Regrouping after their hiatus, the band experienced a flurry of creative energy that resulted in several more vinyl singles and a trilogy of records in 1995, beginning with theEPThe State of Art is on Fire and continuing with the critically acclaimedHot Charity.[5] They embarked on a six-week "free tour" in support ofHot Charity, with Interscope covering the costs so that fans were not charged admission to any of the band's performances across theUnited States. This was followed by the recording of their first album for Interscope, the critically acclaimedScream, Dracula, Scream![5] The band took advantage of their large recording budget, bringing in string sections and hiring producers to make the album sound as epic as possible, and it would later be regarded by most as their creative peak. Music videos were filmed for the singles "On a Rope," "Born in '69" and "Young Livers" and the band embarked on tours of the US,UK andEurope.[5] They experienced a surge of popularity in the UK, where "On a Rope" entered theUK Singles Chart at No. 12,[8] and was a hit onMTV Europe, earning them rave reviews inNME and allowing them to playTop of the Pops. 1996 also saw them win The Phillip Hall Radar award at the NME awards event.[9]
They were also analternative rock hit in the US, where their videos were featured onMTV and the band received many positive reviews in both mainstream and underground music presses. Then-ubiquitous MTVVJKennedy sported a tattoo of the band's logo on her ankle on national television, and increased radio and MTV airplay continued. A large headlining tour ensued in 1996, as well as supporting tours withRancid andSoundgarden. The band also gained a reputation for a series of interesting and, at times, seemingly ludicrous gimmicks and stage antics which included holding raffles during live performances, spinning a large game show wheel to determine set lists, onstage fire breathing, annualHalloween and New Year's shows, and the wearing of coordinated and progressively more ornate stage costumes.[citation needed] In Europe the band also hosted a German variety show, played children's shows and morning shows, and did interviews with fashion magazines.
In 1998, Rocket from the Crypt releasedRFTC. For the accompanying tour they were joined byChris Prescott from San Diego bandsTanner andNo Knife, who performed as touring percussionist and keyboardist. Though overall reaction was positive and singles "Break it Up" and "Lipstick" received radio airplay, the album failed to sell well. The band settled some contractual obligations and then left their label. In 1999 San Diego music magazineSLAMM named them the "best San Diego band of all time" in their coverage of local acts leading up to New Year's Eve 2000. The band tried to maintain their creativity with the release of the EPCut Carefully and Play Loud that year, but disagreements between members over the band's direction resulted in drummer Atom Willard departing the group in early 2000 (he would go on to act asWeezer's drum technician and play inThe Special Goodness, later becoming permanent drummer in bothThe Offspring andAngels & Airwaves). Rocket took a brief hiatus, during which Reis launched his own record labelSwami Records and released a second rarities collection calledAll Systems Go 2, as well as debut albums by his newly formed bandsHot Snakes andSultans.
In 2000, the band signed to independent labelVagrant Records and began work on the albumGroup Sounds, withSuperchunk drummerJon Wurster filling in on drums. Partway through the recording process they recruited San Diego drummer and professional skateboarderMario Rubalcaba as their full-time drummer, giving him the stage name "Ruby Mars." The addition of Rubalcaba gave the band renewed energy, andGroup Sounds was released in 2001 to positive reviews. Some touring followed, but band members drifted into other projects and Rocket became less the focus. In 2002 Rocket released what would prove to be their final studio album,Live From Camp X-Ray, after which Reis devoted more energy to recording and touring with Hot Snakes and Sultans and to signing and producing bands for his Swami label. Rocket would perform infrequently over the next few years.
In August 2005, after breaking up Hot Snakes, Reis announced that Rocket from the Crypt would play their final show that Halloween in San Diego. After a final east coast performance inNew York, they played a farewell show before a capacity crowd at the Westin Horton Plaza Hotel in downtown San Diego on Halloween, which was filmed for aDVD release.
Following the band's breakup Reis focused his energy on running Swami Records and continued to play with the Sultans until their breakup in January 2007. He then formedThe Night Marchers, with whom he currently performs. Reichert founded and runs the online merchandise company Merch Lackey. O'Beirne teaches project management and marketing at a San Diego high school, while Crane left San Diego semi-permanently forBelize. Stamets continues to perform in San Diego-area bands such as Beehive & the Barracudas. Rubalcaba became part-owner of the independent record store Thirsty Moon Records in the Hillcrest area of San Diego and plays with the bandsEarthless andOff!. He also joined Reis in the Sultans for infrequent performances until that group's breakup in January 2007.
Swami Records released a "rough cut" of the Rocket from the Crypt farewell concert DVD in October 2006, but a fire at the offices of Fourth Project, the video company producing the DVD, pushed back the final version. It was eventually released in February 2008 as a CD/DVD set entitledR.I.P. A third installment in their rarities series,All Systems Go 3, was released on August 28, 2008. A fourth, and final, volume of the All Systems Go series is in the works, and will be a CD/DVD set.[10]
Rocket from the Crypt reunited, with drummer Adam Willard, in October 2011 for an episode of the children's television showYo Gabba Gabba![11] Reis, who plays a recurring role on the show as "The Swami", remarked that the band was "only interested in playing to audiences of 5 to 10 people between the ages of 3 to 6" and would "most likely never play as a band ever again".[11] They performed an original song, "He's a Chef", which was released as a single exclusively throughVolcom clothing stores.[12] In December 2012 the band announced a full reunion, resulting in gigs in the US, Europe and Australia.[13][14][15][16][17] In March 2015,Vintage Piss was released bySonny Vincent and Rocket from the Crypt. The album was originally recorded with Vincent in 2003 following a tour with Rocket from the Crypt serving as his backing band however the album was left unmixed and unfinished until twelve years later following the reunion of Rocket from the Crypt when John Reis decided to go back and complete the album, which he also produced.[18]
The band continues to play sporadically, and regularly performs their annual Halloween show.
| 1990–1991 Paint as a Fragrance | |
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| 1991–1994 Circa: Now! All Systems Go |
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| 1994–2000, 2011, 2013, 2014 The State of Art Is on Fire Hot Charity Scream, Dracula, Scream! RFTC Cut Carefully and Play Loud All Systems Go 2 | |
| 2001–2005, 2013–Present Group Sounds Live from Camp X-Ray R.I.P. |
|
| Studio albums | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Label |
| 1991 | Paint as a Fragrance | Cargo/Headhunter |
| 1992 | Circa: Now! | |
| 1995 | Hot Charity | Perfect Sound |
| Scream, Dracula, Scream! | Interscope | |
| 1998 | RFTC | |
| 2001 | Group Sounds | Vagrant |
| 2002 | Live from Camp X-Ray | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
