Redd Kross is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band from

Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area commonly known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay. As of the 2020 United States cens ...

, who had their roots in 1978 in a

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band called the Tourists, which was started by brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald while Steve was still in

middle school Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school. Afghanistan In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...

. With the addition of friends

Greg Hetson Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist for the influential punk rock bands Circle Jerks and Bad Religion. He is known for his high energy stage antics which people have coined the term "The He ...

and John Stielow on drums, the band's first gig was opening for Black Flag. The band has since released eight albums and three EPs.

Career

Red Cross

In April 1979, the band had their first practice in the living room of original drummer, John Stielow's parent's home. They eventually changed the band name to Red Cross, which was allegedly inspired by the masturbation scene in the film ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

''. They soon began working on their 1980 debut self-titled EP. Eventually, Hetson left to join the

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetso ...

(and later

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...

) and Reyes left for Black Flag. They appeared on the Posh Boy compilation ''The Siren'', and then to complete the lineup on their first full-length album, '' Born Innocent'', they assembled a

revolving door A revolving door typically consists of three or four doors that hang on a central shaft and rotate around a vertical axis within a cylindrical enclosure. To use a revolving door, a person enters the enclosure between two of the doors and then m ...

of musicians including original drummer John Stielow. Full of the brothers'

pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...

obsessions, ''Born Innocent'' featured odes to

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. Her portrayal of Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973) established her in popular culture and as a scream queen, earning her a Golden Globe Award ...

(who starred in a television movie of the same name), a cover of "Look on Up at the Bottom" by the Carrie Nations from ''

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' is a 1970 American satire (film and television), satirical Musical film, musical melodrama film starring Dolly Martin, Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, Er ...

'', and

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...

(whose song " Cease to Exist" they covered). The album also contains nods to Jim and

Tammy Faye Bakker Tamara Faye Messner (née LaValley, formerly Bakker ; March 7, 1942 – July 20, 2007) was an American evangelist. She co-founded the televangelist program ''The PTL Club'' with her husband Jim Bakker in 1974. They had hosted their own puppet-s ...

Tatum O'Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. At the age of 10, she became the youngest person ever to win a competitive Academy Award, for her performance as Addie Loggins in '' Paper Moon'' co-starring her father, Ry ...

, and

Lita Ford Lita Rossana Ford (born September 19, 1958) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, and then embarked on a successful glam metal solo career tha ...

. Not long after the release of the album, the group was threatened with a

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

from the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

and changed the spelling of their name to Redd Kross.

Redd Kross

In 1984, Redd Kross returned with drummer Dave Peterson to record '' Teen Babes from Monsanto'', an album featuring covers. Later that year, lead guitarist

Robert Hecker Robert Hecker (born March 7, 1965), is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter with the bands Redd Kross and It's OK! Hecker was born in Hermosa Beach, California. He played lead guitar and sang with Redd Kross from 1984 to 1991, and again from 200 ...

joined the band, as they embarked on tour in support of ''Teen Babes from Monsanto''. In that same year, they were featured on

the soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...

of '' Desperate Teenage Lovedolls'' with their cover of the

Brady Bunch Kids ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired five seasons from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three girls ...

' "It's a Sunshine Day". In 1987, Redd Kross released '' Neurotica''.

1990s

On February 20, 1990, Redd Kross appeared on Episode 2 of the cult

Public-access television Public-access television (sometimes called community-access television) is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is Narrowcasting, narrowcast through cable tele ...

show "Decoupage" with Summer Caprice. In 1990, Redd Kross signed with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, releasing ''

Third Eye The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is an invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, supposed to provide perception beyond ordinary sight. In Hinduism, the third eye refers to the ajna (or brow) chakra. In bot ...

'', and appeared with

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor and musician. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom ''The Partridge Family''. After completing high school, Cassidy purs ...

in the film '' Spirit of '76'', and issued several singles, including "Annie's Gone", which had some mild success on college radio. The album '' Phaseshifter'' was released in 1993, with new band members Eddie Kurdziel, Gere Fennelly, and Brian Reitzell. The videos for "Jimmy's Fantasy" and "Lady In The Front Row" were both shown on MTV's

120 Minutes ''120 Minutes'' is a television program in the United States dedicated to the Alternative rock, alternative music genre, that originally aired on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then aired on MTV's associate channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003. After it ...

. They toured on ''Phaseshifter'' for over a year, headlining their own shows as well as tours supporting

The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tours as an indep ...

and

The Spin Doctors Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits " Two Princes" and " Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and No. 17, resp ...

in late 1993 and

Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots, commonly abbreviated as STP, is an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1989. Originally consisting of lead vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer :Songs ...

in 1994. In 1997, Redd Kross released ''

Show World ''Show World'' is an album by rock band Redd Kross, released in 1997. Three singles were issued in the UK: "Get Out of Myself", "Mess Around", and "Secret Life". The US promotional singles were "Stoned", "Get Out of Myself", and "Mess Around". ...

'', produced by Chris Shaw (who also produced albums for

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

and

Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit " Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dave Pirner ...

) and toured supporting The Presidents of the United States of America. The band took an indefinite hiatus after the ''

'' tour, and their future was uncertain after the death of guitarist Eddie Kurdziel on June 6, 1999.

2010s

In 2019, Emmy Award–winning television comedy writer Andrew Reich, best known as an Executive Producer on ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'', was directing a documentary on the band called ''Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story''.

2020s

On June 26, 2020, the band reissued their debut EP on Merge Records. Steven McDonald and Redd Kross were included in a feature article for the 25th anniversary of TapeOp magazine. The documentary ''Born Innocent: The Redd Kross Story'' received its Los Angeles premiere at the Don't Knock the Rock Festival on May 23, 2024. On June 28, 2024, Redd Kross released its 8th studio album, a self-titled double album, featuring singles "Candy Coloured Catastrophe" and "Too Good to Be True." The brothers released a memoir, ''Now You’re One of Us: The Incredible Story of Redd Kross'', in October 2024, co-written with Dan Epstein and published by

Omnibus Press Omnibus Press is a publisher of music-related books. It publishes around 30 new titles a year to add to a backlist of over 300 titles currently in print. History Omnibus Press was launched in 1972 as a general non-fiction publisher to complem ...

Side projects

The McDonald brothers collaborated with Astrid McDonald (Jeff's daughter with

Charlotte Caffey Charlotte Irene Caffey (born October 21, 1953) is an American guitarist and pianist, best known for her work in the rock band the Go-Go's in the 1980s, including writing " We Got the Beat". Career Caffey began her musical career playing bass g ...

, guitarist for

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar ...

) and

Anna Waronker Anna Jeanette Waronker is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and producer best known as the frontwoman of That Dog. She is the daughter of producer Lenny Waronker and actress and musician Donna Loren, the sister of session drummer Joey ...

(Steve's wife, frontwoman of

That Dog That Dog (stylized as that dog.) is a Los Angeles-based rock music, rock band that formed in 1992 and disbanded in 1997, reuniting in 2011. The band originally consisted of Anna Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Rachel Haden on bass guitar an ...

) on a side project. Performing as Ze Malibu Kids, they released the album ''Sound It Out'' in 2002. Both McDonald brothers appeared with

in the comedy film '' The Spirit of '76''.

Soundtracks

Redd Kross songs appear on the soundtracks to '' Desperate Teenage Lovedolls'', ''

Good Burger ''Good Burger'' is a 1997 American teen comedy film directed by Brian Robbins, written by Dan Schneider with Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert, and starring Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, and Abe Vigoda. The film is a spin-off of the "Good B ...

'', '' PCU'', ''

Bordello of Blood ''Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood'' is a 1996 American horror comedy film directed by Gilbert Adler from a screenplay by Adler and A.L. Katz, and a story by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis. Dennis Miller stars as Rafe Guttman, ...

'', ''

An American Werewolf in Paris ''An American Werewolf in Paris'' is a 1997 comedy horror film directed by Anthony Waller, screenplay by Tim Burns, Tom Stern, and Waller, and starring Tom Everett Scott and Julie Delpy. It follows the general concept of, and was originally c ...

'', and '' Varsity Blues''. Their song "1976" plays over the end credits of the 1990 movie ''Spirit of '76''. They contributed one song "It's a Scream" for the 2000 film ''

Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday The Thirteenth ''Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th'' is a 2000 American direct-to-video parody slasher film directed by John Blanchard. The film stars Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Tom Arnold, Coolio and Shirley Jones. Several mid- and late 199 ...

'' but the soundtrack was never released and the song itself wasn't heard until it appeared on ''Hot Issue'' in 2016. The song "Uglier" was licensed and used in the film ''

Hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

'' by

David Cross David Cross (born April 4, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and director. Cross is best known for his stand-up performances, the HBO sketch comedy series '' Mr. Show with Bob and David'' (1995–1998), his role as Ian Hawk ...

Discography

Albums

EPs

* ''Red Cross'' ( Posh Boy) (1980) * '' Teen Babes from Monsanto'' (Gasatanka) (1984) * ''2500 Redd Kross Fans Can't Be Wrong'' (

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by John Mermis, known as Long Gone John. Notable artists who started on Sympathy and went ...

) (1993)

Compilations

* ''Hot Issue'' (Redd Kross Fashion Records) (2016) * ''Oh Canada! Hot Issue Vol. 2: Show World Tour Live'' (Redd Kross Fashion Records) (2016)

DVDs

* ''Got Live If You Must'' (Bittersweet)(2008) * ''A History Lesson Part 1'' - Independent (2010)

Singles

Compilation appearances

* ''The Siren'' ( Posh Boy) (1980) ** Includes the entire ''

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

'' EP * ''Public Service'' EP (Smoke 7) (1981) ** Includes "Cease to Exist", "Everyday There's Someone New" and "Kill Someone You Hate" * '' Hell Comes to Your House'' (Bemin Brain/

Time Bomb A time bomb (or a timebomb, time-bomb) is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use or attempted use of time bombs has been for various purposes including insurance fraud, terrorism, assassination, sabotage and warfare. They are a ...

) (1981) ** Includes "Puss 'n' Boots" * ''American Youth Report'' (Invasion Records) (1982) ** Includes "Notes and Chords Mean Nothing to Me" * ''

Enigma Variations Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar ...

'' ( Enigma/

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

) (1985) ** Includes "Citadel" * ''The Melting Pot'' ( SST) (1988) ** Billed as Revolution 409 performs covers of

The Osmonds The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (the Osmonds). The group has c ...

Crazy Horses "Crazy Horses" is a song by the Osmonds, the title track from the album of the same name. It was released as the album's second single and reached number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is th ...

The Sylvers The Sylvers were an American R&B family vocal group from Watts, Los Angeles, California. They were active during the 1970s, recording the singles "Fool's Paradise", " Boogie Fever", and " Hot Line". Prior to becoming the Sylvers, the four eldes ...

Boogie Fever "Boogie Fever" is a song recorded by Los Angeles, California-based R&B group the Sylvers, from their 1975 album '' Showcase''. Their most lucrative single, it reached No. 1 in the US on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles charts ...

. ** Billed as Ledd Kross performs a cover of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

Stairway to Heaven "Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 8 November 1971 on the band's untitled fourth studio album (commonly known as ''Led Zeppelin IV''), by Atlantic Records. Composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy ...

* ''The Spirit of 76 - Original Soundtrack'' (

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

) (1991) ** Includes "1976" * ''Freedom of Choice: Yesterday's New Wave Hits as Performed by Today's Stars'' (City Slang/ Caroline) (1992) ** Band covers The Go-Gos song "

How Much More "How Much More" is a song written by Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin that was first released as part of the Go-Go's debut single along with "We Got the Beat" in 1980. A re-recorded version was released on their 1981 debut album '' Beauty and ...

" * ''Shared Vision – The Songs of the Beatles'' (Hammer and Lace/ Mercury) (1993) ** Band covers Beatles song "

It Won't Be Long "It Won't Be Long" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released as the opening track on their second UK album ''With the Beatles'' (1963), and was the first original song recorded for it. Although credited to Lennon–McCartney, it wa ...

" * '' If I Were a Carpenter'' ( A & M) (1994) ** Redd Kross performs a cover of " Yesterday Once More" * ''Poptopia! Power Pop Classics of the '90s'' (

) (1997) ** Includes "Lady in the Front Row" * ''KISS Tribute in Japan'' ( Mercury) (1998) ** With Kanako Nakayama, Redd Kross performs a cover of "Hard Luck Woman"

References

External links

Redd Kross official website
*
The Bubblegum Factory: Redd Kross Fan Page with bio, press info, gig posters, photos and complete discography.
{{Authority control Alternative rock groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles American power pop groups Musical groups established in 1980 Pop punk groups from California Atlantic Records artists Musicians from Hawthorne, California Merge Records artists