Rollins Band

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Biography

Rollins Band was an United States|American rock music|rock band led by singing|singer and songwriter Henry Rollins .

They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and " Liar (Rollins Band song)|Liar ", which both earned heavy airplay on MTV in the mid-late 1990s. Critic Steve Huey describes their music as "uncompromising, intense, cathartic fusions of hard rock , funk , post-punk noise rock|noise , and jazz experimentalism, with Rollins shouting angry, biting self-examinations and accusations over the grind." from Allmusic.com; URL accessed April 16, 2008

In 2000, Rollins Band was included on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, ranking at No. 47. VH1, cited January 18, 2010

History

Pre-history

Rollins was the singer for the Washington, D.C. punk rock band State of Alert from October 1980 to July 1981. Afterwards, he sang with California punk rock band Black Flag (band)|Black Flag from August 1981 to August 1986. Black Flag earned little mainstream attention, but through a demanding touring schedule, came to be regarded as one of the most important punk rock bands of the 1980s.

Less than a year after Black Flag broke up, Rollins returned to music with guitarist Chris Haskett (a friend from Rollins' teen years in Washington D.C. ), bass guitarist Bernie Wandel , and drummer Mick Green.

This line-up released two records: Hot Animal Machine (credited as a Rollins solo record and featuring cover art drawings by Devo leader Mark Mothersbaugh ) and Drive by Shooting (credited to "Henrieta Collins and the Wifebeating Childhaters"). The music was similar to Black Flag's, though it flirted more with heavy metal (music)|heavy metal and jazz .

First edition (1987–1994)

Soon after, Rollins formed Rollins Band with Haskett, bassist Andrew Weiss (guitarist)|Andrew Weiss , and drummer Sim Cain (Weiss and Cain had previously played with Gone (band)|Gone , an instrumental rock group led by guitarist and Black Flag founder Greg Ginn ). Live sound engineer Theo Van Rock was usually credited as a band member.

Critics Ira Robbins and Regina Joskow described this line-up as a "brilliant, strong ensemble ... the band doesn't play punk (more a jazzy, thrashy, swing take on the many moods of Jimi Hendrix ), but what they do together has the strengths of both. The group's loud guitar rock with a strong, inventive rhythmic clock borrows only the better attributes of metal, ensuring that noise is never a substitute for purpose." from Trouser Press; URL accessed February 9, 2007

Second edition (1994–1997)

Weiss was fired following the End of Silence tour; he was replaced by jazz and funk bassist Melvin Gibbs , who'd been highly recommended by guitarist Vernon Reid ; Cain and Gibbs had also both played in different versions of guitarist Marc Ribot 's band.

This version of Rollins Band had some of the most overt jazz leanings of the band's history: Gibbs had begun his career with the jazz fusion group of drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson , and worked with Sonny Sharrock on albums like 1987's Seize The Rainbow , which along with Rollins' obsession with the late '60s/early '70s era of iconic trumpeter Miles Davis , shaped this version of the band's music. In this era, Rollins Band recorded with flamethrowing free jazz saxophonist Charles Gayle , though these sessions remained unreleased for ten years at Gayle's request to avoid conflicts with his contractual obligations.

The first video from 1994's Weight , "Liar", was a huge hit on MTV, with Rollins sporting numerous costumes (including a cop and a nun). The band appeared at Woodstock '94 , and Rollins was a guest-host for several MTV programs, including 120 Minutes .

Rollins Band signed with the then new major label DreamWorks Records , who released 1997's Come In And Burn . The album was not as successful as Weight and, after touring for Burn , Rollins dissolved the group, citing creative stagnation.

Third edition (1997–2003)

Rollins replaced the Haskett-Gibbs-Cain lineup with the Los Angeles rock band Mother Superior (band)|Mother Superior , retaining the name Rollins Band, and released Get Some Go Again (2000) and Nice (Rollins Band album)|Nice (2001). They also released a two-disc live album, The Only Way to Know for Sure . This line-up was a more straightforward hard rock group: their first album featured "Are You Ready? " a cover of a Thin Lizzy song, featuring Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham ; Rollins has often expressed fondness for Thin Lizzy and its founder, Phil Lynott .

In 2003, the Rollins Band released Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three . The album features a number of guest vocalists (including Lemmy , Chuck D , Corey Taylor , Ice T , Tom Araya , Rancid and others) singing Black Flag's songs.

Fourth edition (2006)

In between other commitments (His radio show Harmony In My Head , his cable/satellite TV show The Henry Rollins Show , and his spoken word tours), Rollins also reunited the Haskett-Gibbs-Cain lineup.

In a blog entry on henryrollins.com, Rollins admitted, "Actually we have been practicing on and off for months now, slowly getting it together ... It's been really cool being back in the practice room with these guys after all these years."

The band opened some concerts for X (American band)|X , and played on the first season finale of The Henry Rollins Show on August 12, 2006.

Rollins told Alan Sculley of The Daily Herald that this reunion with Haskett, Gibbs and Cain would not become long-term unless the group decided to write new songs: "Let's put it this way. I don't want to go out and hit America again without a new record, or at least a new album's worth of material. Otherwise the thing will lack legitimacy ... Miles Davis would never do that. And I'm not into a greatest-hits thing. I think a band, if you're going to be around, you should be moving forward and putting in the time and working for it, getting after the art. Otherwise you're just playing retreads. ... Imagine a tree that grows canned peaches. It's nothing I want to do."

Band members

Henry Rollins – lead vocals (1987& ndash;2003, 2006)

Chris Haskett – guitar (1987& ndash;1997, 2006)

Andrew Weiss (guitarist)|Andrew Weiss – bass (1987& ndash;1992)

Sim Cain – drums, percussion (1987& ndash;1997, 2006)

Theo Van Rock – sound engineer (1987& ndash;1997, 2006)

Melvin Gibbs – bass (1993& ndash;1997, 2006)

Jim Wilson (guitar player)|Jim Wilson – guitar, piano (1999& ndash;2003)

Marcus Blake – bass (1999& ndash;2003)

Jason Mackenroth – drums, percussion, saxophone (1999& ndash;2003)

Keith Morris – lead vocals ( Rise Above Tour 2003)

Discography

Studio albums

Life Time (Rollins Band album)|Life Time (1987, re-release 1999)

Hard Volume (1989, re-release 1999)

The End of Silence (1992, double-CD re-release 2002) #160 US

Weight (album)|Weight (1994) #33 US, #22 UK, #10 AUS

Come In and Burn|Come in and Burn (1997) #89 US, #38 AUS

Get Some Go Again (2000) #180 US, #40 AUS

Nice (Rollins Band album)|Nice (2001) #178 US

Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three (2002)

Outtakes and demos collections

Yellow Blues – from the Get Some Go Again Sessions (2001)

A Nicer Shade of Red – from the Nice Sessions (2001)

The End of Silence Demos (2002)

Weighting (album)|Weighting (2004)

Come in And Burn Sessions (2004)

Live albums

Live Split Album with Dutch band Gore (band)|Gore – Recorded @ El Mocambo, Toronto, Ontario 5.17.87 (1987)

Do It (album)|Do It – Studio Outtakes and Live (1988)

Turned On (1990)

Electro Convulsive Therapy (1993)

Insert Band Here: Live In Australia, 1990 (1999)

A Clockwork Orange Stage (2001)

The Only Way to Know for Sure: Live in Chicago (2002)

EPs and 7" singles

Live in Deventer, Holland, October, 1987 (1988) (7" single)

I Know You b/w Earache My Eye (1990) ( Sub Pop 7" single)

Tearing (song)|Tearing (1992) #54 UK Singles Chart|UK

Low Self Opinion (1992)

Hammer of the Rök Gödz (1992) (EP)

''You Didn't Need (1992) (radio promo)

Liar (Rollins Band song)|Liar (1994)

Liar (Rollins Band song)|Liar / Disconnect (1994) #27 UK Singles Chart|UK

Disconnect (1994)

Fool (1994) (2x12" promo)

The End of Something (1997)

Starve (1997)

Illumination (2000)

Get Some Go Again (2000)

Your Number Is One (2001) (radio promo)

Other appearances

Year	Song	Album
1994	"Ghost Rider"	Crow soundtrack
1995	" Four Sticks "	Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin
1995	"Fall Guy"	Demon Knight (soundtrack)
1995	"I See Through"	Johnny Mnemonic soundtrack

Copyright Citations

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1. Scott Gorham 2. Pigface 3. Skunk Anansie 4. Spiderbait 5. L7 6. Bill Ward 7. Karnivool 8. Vernon Reid 9. The Blasters 10. My Ruin 11. David Fonseca 12. Dennis Miller 13. Dog Eat Dog 14. Gone 15. Liars

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