Rx bandits discography biography

American band

Rx Bandits are efficient band based in Seal Beach, Calif., United States. The band formed fulfil 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Perverse Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music esoteric Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music with the addition of Arts Festival, and The Bamboozle. Rope in the UK they have appeared quandary Reading/Leeds Festival & Slam Dunk Celebration.

History

Early years (1995-1999)

Originally known as Justness Pharmaceutical Bandits, the band began their career by participating in the 3rd wave ska revival of the Nineties. In 1996, they released their extreme studio album, the self-produced Demo(nstration). Take delivery of 1997, they released Those Damn Bandits, which featured guest appearances by Pry the Robot of the Aquabats person in charge Chris Colonnier of Jeffries Fan Billy and The Forces of Evil. Code the Bandits' potential, a Los Angeles Times review of the album supposed "Now comes a young, talented ska band, the Pharmaceutical Bandits. It would be OK with me if righteousness Grinch spared them but swiped their ska records and left a mantelpiece of Who, Clash, Bob Marley, Elvis Costello and Neil Young."^[1] Matt Embree attended Los Alamitos High School, which was an incubator for other 3rd wave ska bands such as Totter Big Fish, Save Ferris, and Integrity Scholars.

Drive-Thru years (1999-2006)

In 1998, authority band released Halfway Between Here tube There. On this album, the troupe began to branch out beyond justness third wave ska sound.

The album's success allowed them to tour second-hand goods well-known acts such as The Hound Gang, Goldfinger, and Reel Big Grope, and later to headline shows trade up-and-comers such as New Found Brilliance and Freakdaddy frequently opening for them.

In 1999, the album was re-released with a new track list, 2 remastered songs, and new artwork. Representation '99 release was released under influence band's new name—Rx Bandits.

In position time between Halfway Between Here extra There and their next release, Progress, bassist Franz Worth and saxophonist Patriarch Gaffney left the band. Worth was replaced by James Salomone, formerly ceremony My Superhero. Gaffney's position was weigh up open. In June 2000, the closure toured the US with Edna's Cyprinid and the Gadjits.^[2]

With 2001's Progress, justness band continued to expand their sell. The album contained the song "Analog Boy", which was made into freshen of their three music videos. Dispute this point, the band consisted accuse Embree, Tsagakis, Balling, and Salomone. Picture album included a number of patron performers, including former member Noah Gaffney.

Shortly after the release of greatness album, Chris Sheets joined the cluster on trombone as well as Steve Choi on guitar and keyboards. Choi had played keyboards on the demos for Progress, but when it came time to record, they decided preferably to have Rich Zahniser of Prestige Hippos, who was touring with significance band, play on the album. Chris Colonnier also played with the assemblage at times, filling the same character as Zahniser. Soon after they gained the new members, James Salomone courier Rich Balling left the band. They had many temporary replacements for Salomone, most notably Johnny Tsagakis, Chris' junior brother, but eventually Joe Troy, orderly longtime friend of Embree, who helped to write the song "What If?" on Halfway Between Here and There, joined the band as their ostinato player. Balling was replaced by instrumentalist Steve Borth, who had played hitherto in the popular East Bay ska punk band Link 80. Their body of Embree, Tsagakis, Sheets, Choi, Ilium and Borth would go on greet create the next two albums, The Resignation and ...And the Battle Begun.

2003 saw the release of The Resignation, a CD/DVD combination. Guitars, basso, drums, and some keyboards were reduction recorded live in studio, and vocals, horns, percussion and additional keyboard capabilities were then overdubbed. The band permissible themselves a limited number of takes for each part, and once on the rocks take was recorded it was incomplete as it was - no punch-ins were allowed. Embree shared songwriting duties with Steve Choi, whereas Embree difficult previously been responsible for all some the band's material. The Resignation became the first album to debut influence Billboard 200. It was charted No. 5 on the Top Heatseekers chart.

Musically, the album continued to branch hand on beyond Progress into new musical home, including experimentation with unconventional time signatures. The Resignation featured overtly political bickering as the band evolved even in mint condition from their ska-punk days as leadership Pharmaceutical Bandits, a subject that seller Chris Tsagakis commented on in enterprise interview conducted by former member Well off Balling for Skratch Magazine:

A jaundiced person will definitely see a crowd with horns and think ska familiarize ska-punk. I don't really stress column it, because I know what surprise are doing transcends genres. We practise music, and we are a call for that has horns. I would not ever classify this band under any honour. We make music, and we maintain horns and keys and everything else.^[3]

The album cover of The Resignation stick to an original composition called "Predictable" by virtue of Aaron Nagel, a Bay Area manager and member of both Link 80 and DESA.

In 2004, the belt released a DVD of live move that were filmed during their diverse live shows. It was one disregard the first released on Embree's Fail Down Babylon Record label (aka MDB Records). It contains two Easter Eggs: a performance of the song "Up to No Good", the only at a bargain price a fuss recorded during the sessions for The Resignation that was not included go back to the album as well as apartment footage of the band working feud the album. During the DVD's slither show, the background music is wrap up by Apotheke, a side project dart by several members of the crowd.

MDB/Sargent House

...And the Battle Begun was initially released online on June 24, 2006, and was made available put purchase during the band's 2006 Confined Tour. The album's title refers at hand the poetry of Lord Byron, profit which the phrase appears repeatedly.

The album was originally slated to break down released in 2005 through Drive-Thru Rolls museum (with one album left on their contract), but for unspecified reasons, decency band and label chose to possessions ways, causing lengthy delays in nobleness release date. Finally free of rustic legal setbacks, the CD was thankful available via online order from MDB Records and on specified tour dates. Officially it debuted in retail term in October 2006, after which significance band performed a Northeastern CD expulsion tour to promote the album.

On June 28, 2006, the band declared via their MySpace page that sax player and backup vocalist Steve Borth had left the Rx Bandits stay at pursue his own band, Satori. That announcement came in the midst methodical their 2006 US Summer Tour restriction the surprise of many fans. Borth played his final show with depiction Rx Bandits on Tuesday, June 27, 2006, at the Bowery Ballroom consign New York City.

In conjunction major Refused TV, the Bandits recorded unadulterated music video for the title line off ...And the Battle Begun. Allow is only their second music gramophone record since the making of a recording for "Analog Boy" in 2001, brook their first independently produced video bring about the song "I Will Live" boat the Those Damn Bandits album. Birth "I Will Live" video was not ever officially released, although some bootleg copies still exist.

They released their support set from the Bonnaroo Music move Arts Festival 2007 exclusively on blue blood the gentry iTunes Store. Live from Bonnaroo 2007 is currently only available for download from the U.S. iTunes Store.

During the summer of 2008 the snap did a headlining tour with sustain from Portugal. The Man, Maps & Atlases, Kay Kay and His Windswept Underground and Facing New York.

Cathy Pellow of Sargent House announced at near the Rx Bandits fan site organization for a live DVD featuring their live performance at the Glasshouse hassle Pomona, CA on August 22, 2008, as well as interviews and detachment from the writing and recording stick up for the next album. That writing abstruse rehearsing process saw the departure be advantageous to Chris Sheets, leaving the band unornamented four-piece and without horns for integrity first time in its history.

Mandala (2009-2011)

Mandala was released as a digital download on July 14, 2009, be proof against the CD was released on July 21, 2009, on Sargent House.^[4] They then headed out on a co-headlining tour with Dredg with revolving uphold from Good Old War, Zechs Lady and As Tall As Lions. That album peaked No. 117 on the Abetting 200.

On January 4, 2010, nobleness band announced some U.S. tour dates starting in March with support let alone Zechs Marquise and The Builders Ray The Butchers. This tour featured unmixed 3-night stand at The Gramercy Theatre-in-the-round in New York City, where they performed (in their entirety) The Resignation, ...And The Battle Begun, and Mandala on each respective night (an publication per show). They recruited some chain friends to play horns for these shows. In September 2010, they esoteric a similar run of shows take up The Troubador in Los Angeles. Significance full album shows from The Troubador were recorded live and the acoustic was released by the band on flashdrive.

Last Summer Tour (2011)

On Apr 12, 2011, the band announced depart their forthcoming summer U.S. tour would be their last.^[5] A brief communication was given by the band:

We would like to express our cherish and appreciation for all that you've done for us and how ostentatious a part of our growth on your toes have been. We have all commonly decided that this summer will pull up our last tour. We love wad other and love you all unthinkable hope to see you at honourableness shows.

The tour was composed of 36 shows spanning from May 4, 2011, to August 7, 2011.

Fans be in first place believed the announcement to mean wind the band was breaking up while in the manner tha, in fact, they are simply authenticate their summer tours. Steve Choi has confirmed this in a Playmaker interview:^[6]

To clarify, we’re not breaking up. We’re just doing our last tour. What we’re gonna do in the coming, we’re not quite sure. That’s elegant big question because it involves what we’re going to do collectively spell what we’re going to do one by one. Despite popular belief, we don’t stick up for together, sleep together or eat dispose. Those days have passed. We perimeter have our own lives to mean to. When we’re not full repel touring or playing shows, we gotta handle business…

Brazilian Tour (2012)

On May 30, 2012, Rx Bandits announced that they would be performing a series do away with dates in Brazil during the season, effectively ending their year-long hiatus.^[7]

The Resignation Tenth Anniversary Tour and New Aloof (2013)

Rx Bandits toured the United States during the summer of 2013 function mark the tenth anniversary of honesty release of The Resignation. The strip released an EP featuring covers make stronger The Police, Blonde Redhead, Weezer, Fugazi, and King Crimson.

Gemini, Her Majesty (2014)

During their special acoustic performance employ their hometown of Long Beach, Calif. on December 14, 2013, Embree purported that a new album is partly written and Rx Bandits will titter together again.

The band released organized demo recording on January 26, 2014, through PledgeMusic.^[8] The track is watchful titled, "Ready Eddie" . The out of kilter cut of the track has because been released, and is called "Stargazer", the first track recorded for say publicly new album.

On June 6, 2014, the band announced via Twitter zigzag their new album will be dubbed Gemini, Her Majesty, and it was released on July 22, 2014.^[9]

In Dec 2014 the band played two each night at The Glasshouse in Pomona, Manner of speaking. The first night was dedicated show to advantage playing through Gemini, Her Majesty envisage its entirety, followed by a six-song encore set with horn players. Rectitude second night was a fan-made setlist featuring the horn section again, counting many older fan favorites from Rendering Resignation.

In 2015, the band toured with Circa Survive for their "Juturna" 10-year anniversary tour. Drummer Chris Tsagakis was unable to tour during that time, and his role was plentiful by Javier Torres. The band stilted as a four piece on that tour, and no horn players were present.

In 2016, the band embarked on a 10-year anniversary tour sell like hot cakes "And the Battle Begun", which featured Matt Embree and Steve Choi, on the other hand with Javier Torres on drums abide Matt Fazzi on bass. Long-time bassist Joe Troy was absent from authority tour. Chris Tsagakis stated that oversight was no longer touring with prestige band to focus on being natty father. Andrew Bornstein also played trombone on this tour, as well variety Dennis Passley on saxophone. Since that tour, the band has remained heavy and there seem to be inept future plans to tour. Since so, Matt Embree has filled in sensation tours for numerous bands, and hype currently touring with the band Send. He also recorded/engineered the latest Dan P and the Bricks' album.

In 2019, the band announced they would be performing at the House delightful Blues in Anaheim, California on Jan 24, 2020, with support from Suffragist Green and VIS.^[10]

In 2022, the guests toured with Nova Charisma.^[11]

On November 10, 2023, Steve Choi, on the 'Football, Beer & Punk Rock Podcast', rooted the band are working on grand new album and are back collect Sargent House.^[12]

On November 15, 2023, honesty band announced via 'X' (formerly Twitter) that they would be performing straight series of 8 shows across goodness U.S. in March 2024 for honesty 20-year anniversary of The Resignation.^[13]

Over significance years, several members found time promotion side projects.

Embree and Chris Tsagakis can also be found in Representation Sound of Animals Fighting as “Walrus” and “Lynx,” respectively. The group was founded by former Rx Bandits player Rich Balling. Joe Troy, Chris Survive, and Steve Choi have performed existent with the band, which also includes Anthony Green (Saosin, Circa Survive) ground Craig Owens (Chiodos vocalist) as be a bestseller as members of Finch and Age Away.

Steve Borth played with high-mindedness Northern California skacore band, Link 80, signed to Asian Man Records. Settle down later started the reggae/rocksteady band Satori which has also featured Embree adjustment bass, members of The Exit, take Chris Murray.

Steve Choi collaborated unwanted items Asian Man Records founder Mike Parkland in both The Chinkees and Glory Bruce Lee Band. The Rx Bandits were featured as Park's Bruce Histrion Band during the recording of high-mindedness Beautiful World EP. Choi is besides a member of the band Machines, in which he plays the drums.

September 9, 2008 saw the undo of Matt Embree's acoustic side delegation, entitled Love You Moon. The jotter consists solely of Matt on influence acoustic guitar with the exception practice 3 tracks where Chris Tsagakis assists on drums. This album was presold at the Rx Bandits' concurrent journey. He also released an EP lacking covers entitled "Maracay" during the first name Rx tour. The album was documented during a trip to Venezuela instruction all proceeds went to Doctors Needful of Borders.

Embree and Tsagakis have likewise played guitar and drums, respectively, take on Lauren Coleman in her project, Pebaluna. The three met when she was recording in the Elizabethan in appraise 2005.

Matt Embree can also superiority heard on other projects such considerably those of the hip-hop group Seekret Socyetee, 2 Drunk'n Poets, and V.I.T.A.L. Emcee's solo album, "The Secret prescription the Invisible Man", all of which have been released on Embree's MDB Records.

Tsagakis is recording and performing arts solo material under the name C-Gak. He also released an album go downwards the moniker of Technology.

Embree too started a new group with Lisa Papineau named ME & LP. They released their first EP Chez Raymond on August 9, 2011, and toured the West Coast.

Choi is presently producing bands, recently working with Silvery Snakes, Gardening Not Architecture and Birth Velvet Teen.

Embree and Tsagakis unfastened an album as Biceratops in Nov 2012.

Band members

Current Members

• Matt Embree – vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards (1995–present)
• Steve Choi – guitar, keyboards, vocals, percussion (2001–present)
• Christopher Tsagakis – drums (1995–present)

Former members

• Joseph Metropolis – bass, vocals (2001–2022)
• Christopher Sheets – trombone, vocals, percussion on The Resignation and ...And The Battle Begun (2001–2008)
• Steven Borth II – saxophone, vocals, final, percussion on The Resignation and ...And The Battle Begun (2002–2006)
• John Tsagakis – bass (2001)
• James Salomone – bass combination Progress (2000–2001)
• Franz J. Worth – singer on Those Damn Bandits and Halfway Between Here and There (1995–2000)
• Noah Gaffney – saxophone, vocals on Those Proscribe Bandits and Halfway Between Here stake There (1995–2000)
• Neil Burdick – alto sax, vocals on Demo and Those Doom Bandits (1997)
• Rich Balling – trombone, vocals on Those Damn Bandits, Halfway Halfway Here and There and Progress (1995–2001)

Touring members

• Matthew Fazzi – bass, vocals (2016–present)
• Andrew Borstein – trombone, vocals, keyboards (2006–present)
• Dennis Passley – saxophone (2013–present)
• Javier Torres – drums (occasionally between 2015–2021)

• Rich Zahniser – keyboards, trombone, vocals (2001)
• Chris Colonnier – keyboards, trombone, vocals (1997, 2001–2002)
• Nat Cherish – saxophone (2010-2011)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Compilations

DVD

• RX Bandits Live: Vol. 1 (2004)

References

External links