Calabrese (band)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Calabrese is an American rock band that is based out of
Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. The band originally consisted of three brothers; bassist/vocalist Jimmy Calabrese, guitarist/vocalist Bobby Calabrese and drummer Davey Calabrese. In 2022 Jimmy left the band and was subsequently replaced by
Argyle Goolsby Argyle Goolsby (born Steve Matthews; September 15, 1978) is an American musician, best known for being the lead vocalist, bassist and co-founder of horror punk band Blitzkid (1997–present). When Blitzkid disbanded in 2012, Goolsby pursued a ...
, best known as the frontman of Blitzkid. Calabrese has been described as "Melodic, hook-laden, catchy, fun, Rock with a Punk attitude”. They have cited other bands such as the Damned,
Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago. The band's current members are Matt Skiba (guitar, vocals), Dan Andriano (bass, vocals), and Atom Willard (drums). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Doran, and drummer Glenn Por ...
, Black Flag,
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
,
Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years (19 ...
, the Misfits,
the Hives The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band formed in Fagersta in 1993. After gaining success in Sweden throughout the 1990s, they rose to worldwide prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. The band's line-upconsisting of H ...
, White Zombie/
Rob Zombie Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965), known professionally as Rob Zombie, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live show ...
, AFI, Danzig,
Type O Negative Type O Negative was an American gothic/doom metal band formed in Brooklyn, New York City in 1989 by Peter Steele (bass, lead vocals), Kenny Hickey (guitar, co-lead vocals), Josh Silver (keyboards, backing vocals), and Sal Abruscato (drums ...
, and
the Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of t ...
as influences.


History


Origins

The three “brothers” were originally raised in the rural town of
Antioch, Illinois Antioch is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,622. The village is nestled into the Chain O'Lakes waterway system and borders the state of Wisconsin. Part of t ...
in a large family of
Italian American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
heritage. Jimmy Calabrese, the oldest of the trio, developed a fascination with horror and fictional monsters at an early age through a friend. Jimmy recalled in his blog how after the violent suicide of a local boy, paranormal activity was witnessed and investigated by him and a group of friends via the use of a
ouija board The Ouija ( , ), also known as a Ouija board, spirit board, talking board, or witch board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", and occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along ...
. Afterward, their house was supposedly haunted, plagued by a foul smell, and had a demonic figure appear in a door. The hauntings reportedly stopped after the family moved to Arizona. Through Jimmy, Bobby was introduced to punk rock, metal and rock and roll music. The two brothers both played bass and were separately active in a handful of local bands. In 2002, after completing film school at Columbia College, Jimmy decided the two should form their own band. Bobby switched to guitar and the two recruited the then fourteen-year-old Davey Calabrese, their youngest brother, to play drums. On May 13, 2022 an announcement from Jimmy Calabrese stated he had left the band to retire. On 14 April 2024 the band announced that Argyle Goolsby was joining the band.


''Midnight Spookshow''

In 2003, the band self-released the EP, "Midnight Spookshow". The EP received positive reviews from underground and indie publications from around the world. Michigan-area artist Tony O'Farell was hired to do the artwork. Aaron Carey (pipelineaudio) recorded the "Midnight Spookshow" EP at Studio Z in Phoenix Arizona. The EP was mastered by Andrew Davenport at Edgeworth Studios, New Zealand, making this a truly international affair from the start.


13 Halloweens

Though retaining their original punk rock sound, "13 Halloweens" displayed a foray into a more professional quality for the band that includes catchy melodies, AFI-like wails, heavier bass and drums. Canadian artist Andrew Barr was hired for the album's artwork. A music video for "Backseat of my Hearse" was directed by local filmmaker J.D. Smith. Subsequently, the band was approached by several indie labels, including an exclusive deal with Antidote Records. The band declined the offers and instead decided to again self-release their first full-length album through their recently created record label, Spookshow Records. For the title, the band held a contest to name their next album. The winning title was "13 Halloweens," sent in by Tempe fan Kurt Havelock under the name Nil Failstorm.


''The Traveling Vampire Show''

One year later the band released their second full-length album, ''The Traveling Vampire Show''. The album features the artwork of Tom Bagley (of the Canadian rock band, The Forbidden Dimension) and Andrew Barr. ''The Traveling Vampire Show'' continued the sound of ''13 Halloweens'' in many ways and explored in more detail the topics of the paranormal,
vampirism A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
, and the occult. The music videos ''Voices of the Dead'' and ''Vampires Don't Exist'' were directed by famed comic book writer and film director
Brian Pulido Brian Pulido (born November 30, 1961) is an American creator, writer and producer of comic books and films. Early life Growing up in Long Branch, New Jersey, Pulido first developed an interest in the horror genre after the release of ''Night of ...
. ''Voices of the Dead'' was shot at Collins College Studio in Tempe, AZ and premiered on March 1, 2007 at Chandler Cinemas after a live performance by the band. The video for ''Vampires Don't Exist'' was used to promote Pulido's latest movie, The Graves which aired on the SyFy channel.


''They Call Us Death''

On "They Call Us Death," Calabrese's metal and punk rock roots shine bright. With faster tempos and harder vocals, Calabrese continues to grow as songwriters. "They Call Us Death" is harder, heavier and darker than their previous albums. The Calabrese brothers have developed a much more mature style with this album. Bobby Calabrese has stated that the band was influenced by
THE DEAD BOYS The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm gu ...
,
THE STOOGES The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...
, The Damned,
The Cult The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...
and MOTÖRHEAD a lot on this album. The album was released March 20, 2010 on Spookshow Records.


''Dayglo Necros''

"Dayglo Necros" not only continues their legacy as one of the most consistently badass punk bands around, but it also manages to up their game, displaying their continued improvement – both upon the genre and as musicians. Following in the footsteps of their last album, "They Call Us Death," the music of "Dayglo Necros" is hard, fast, and furious, and yet manages, at times, to keep the spirit and the "whoa-oh-ohs" of their earlier efforts, "13 Halloweens" and "The Traveling Vampire Show." This melding of the earlier, poppier sounds of their first releases with the harder sound of their more recent work. "Dayglo Necros" was released July 1, 2012 on Spookshow Records. For the title, the band held a contest to name this album. The winning title was sent in by Eric Blair from the horror-punk band, Mummula. It was inspired by the vibrant colors of the album art.


''Born With a Scorpion's Touch''

Calabrese ups the ante and adds so much raw emotion into "Born With A Scorpion's Touch." Every piece of the album was strategic and fit perfectly together. The instrumentals were up-tempo and hard-hitting enough to make you feel like you're in a mosh pit. The vocals and the lyrics were catchy and meshed well with each song. They varied their rock styles across the whole album, from punk rock to metal to pure rock n' roll, with such finesse and without skipping a beat. "Born With A Scorpion's Touch" was released October 1, 2013.


''Lust For Sacrilege''

"Lust For Sacrilege" is Calabrese’s sixth full-length album, released under Spookshow Records. Containing elements of punk, blues, garage, goth, and straight-up rock and roll; Lust For Sacrilege doesn’t leave the familiar sounds of Calabrese. This album enters new territory inspired by Danzig, Black Sabbath, and Mastodon. Adding new instruments such as keyboards and synthesizers, Calabrese has been able to create a darker, heavier, and gritter sound enjoyed by old and new fans alike. "Lust For Sacrilege" was released on January 12, 2015.


Discography

* '' Midnight Spookshow'' EP (2003) * '' 13 Halloweens'' (2005) * '' The Traveling Vampire Show'' (2007) * '' Calabrese III: They Call Us Death'' (2010) * '' Dayglo Necros'' (2012) * '' Born with a Scorpion's Touch'' (2013) * '' Lust for Sacrilege'' (2015) * '' Flee the Light'' (2019) * ''Death Cult'' EP (2022) * ''No Return From Darkness'' EP (2025)


Music compilations

* ''Hellnight-O-Rama 2'' * ''HorrorPunk Compilation Volume 2: The Resurrection'' * ''P.A.I.N. Soundtrack Vol. 1'' * ''Too Much Horror Business 1977-1983: A Tribute to the Misfits 1977-1983'' - "Night of the Living Dead" * ''AZPunk.Comp V2'' (2003) * ''AZPunk.Comp V3'' (2004) * ''Horror of it All Vol. 1'' (2005) * ''This Is HorrorPunk Vol. 2'' (2005) * ''Ghouls Gone Wild'' (2006) * ''Horror of it All Vol. 2'' (2006) * ''The Morgue The Merrier'' (2006) * ''Rebels Of Rock N Roll No. 1'' (2008) * ''Horror High Presents Prom Queen Massacre'' (2006)


Movie soundtracks

* ''Horror Film: The Movie'' * ''Zombie Punks from Beyond the Grave'' * '' Prison-A-Go-Go!'' (2003) * ''Chainsaw Sally'' (2004) * '' Hoodoo for Voodoo'' (2006) * ''No. My Other Possessed-Zombie Girlfriend.'' (2006) * '' Blood on the Highway'' (2008) * ''Cabras'' (2009-Unreleased) * '' The Graves'' (As Seen on the SyFy Channel)(2010) * ''No. My Other Possessed-Zombie Girlfriend'' * ''Hack Job''


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Calabrese 2003 establishments in Arizona American death rock groups American musical trios Horror punk groups Musical groups established in 2003 Punk rock groups from Arizona Sibling musical trios