Mario Rubalcaba (also known by the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Ruby Mars) is an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

from

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, notable as a member of numerous rock bands including Clikatat Ikatowi, Thingy,

Rocket from the Crypt Rocket from the Crypt is an American punk rock band from San 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 major record ...

Hot Snakes Hot Snakes were an American rock band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis found international succe ...

, Earthless, the

Sultans Sultan (; ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be use ...

, and Off! He has also played on albums by The Black Heart Procession and Pinback and was formerly a professional

skateboarder Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. Originating in the United Stat ...

Skateboarding career

In the late 1980s and early 1990s Rubalcaba was a professional

, skating for Team Alva. Though he no longer skates professionally, he does work at Black Box, a skateboarding distribution company and skate park in San Diego.

Musical career

Rubalcaba's drumming career began in 1990 with the

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

band 411. The group released the single ''Say It'' in 1990 and the album ''This Isn't Me'' in 1991 before disbanding. He next joined the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band Chicano-Christ, playing on their

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous 1991 album. In late 1993 Rubalcaba co-started the post-hardcore San Diego "supergroup" Clikatat Ikatowi (after the demise of Heroin), which included guitarist Scott Bartoloni, performing on ''Orchestrated & Conducted by Clikatat Ikatowi'' (1996) and ''August 29 + 30 1995'' (1997) including Clikatat Ikatowi's final release, the EP ''River of Souls'' (posthumously released in 1998). In 1994 he became involved with the

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

-based Metroschifter, a recently launched project of singer/guitarist Scott Ritcher. The four band members each lived in different cities and wrote songs by mailing recorded tracks back and forth to each other. The band's first tour in May 1994 was booked before the members had ever met each other in person, and they practiced together only twice before beginning the tour. Their first album, ''The Metroschifter Capsule'', was recorded two weeks after the band formed. Lacking the funds to mix and release it, they took pre-orders for personalized copies and raised enough money to release it on Ritcher's Slamdek label. Rubalcaba recorded two singles with Metroschifter, ''For the Love of Basic Cable'' in December 1994 and ''Number One for a Second'' in May 1995, before leaving the group on good terms in December 1996. In 1997 he next joined the

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band Thingy, performing on the album ''Songs About Angels, Evil, and Running Around on Fire''. From 1998 to 2000 Rubalcalba moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

; there he collaborated with guitarist Bill Skibbe and bassist Jessica Ruffins of The Jaks in an experimental, instrumental group called Sea of Tombs. Their recordings were later released as an

ous EP in September 2001. In 1999 and 2000 he performed on four releases by The Black Heart Procession: on the tracks "A Light So Dim" and "It's a Crime I Never Told You About the Diamonds in Your Eyes" on the album '' 2'', all tracks on the EPs ''Fish the Holes on Frozen Lakes'' and '' A Three Song Recording'', and "A Heart Like Mine" on the album '' Three''. All four releases also included contributions by Jason Crane of

, a band that Rubalcaba would later join. 2000 also saw Rubalcaba's final recording with Thingy, on the album ''To the Innocent''. In September 2000 Rubalcaba returned to San Diego to join Rocket from the Crypt, replacing drummer Adam Willard. He performed on the albums ''

Group Sounds , often abbreviated as GS, is a genre of Japanese rock music which became popular in the mid to late 1960s and initiated the fusion of Japanese ''kayōkyoku'' music and Western rock music. Their music production techniques were regarded as playin ...

'' (2001) and '' Live from Camp X-Ray'' (2002) and their accompanying tours. In 2001 he became a founding member of the instrumental

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band Earthless with bassist Mike Eginton and guitarist Isaiah Mitchell. In 2002 he also joined a new lineup of the hardcore punk band Battalion of Saints, reuniting with Clikatat Ikatowi guitarist Scott Bartoloni. In 2003 he joined Mannekin Piss, in which he played

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

with future

bassist Dean Reis, performing on the 2004 EP ''Planet Death''. In 2004 he joined one of Rocket from the Crypt singer/guitarist John Reis' other bands,

, replacing drummer Jason Kourkounis. With Hot Snakes he performed on the album '' Audit in Progress'' (2004) and the ''

Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

'' EP (2005). Earthless' debut '' Sonic Prayer'' was released in April 2005. John Reis live with Sultans 1-10-07

After a tour of Australia in Spring 2005 Hot Snakes announced their breakup. A live performance recorded that May for Australian radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

was released in 2006 as '' Thunder Down Under''. Rocket from the Crypt soon announced their breakup as well; their final performance on

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

2005 was recorded and released in 2008 as '' R.I.P.'' In January 2006 Rubalcaba replaced Tony Di Prima in another of John Reis' bands, the Sultans, which also included Reis' brother and former Mannekin Piss bassist Dean Reis. The Sultans performed infrequently until their breakup a year later. In 2007 Earthless released their second album '' Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky''. Later that year Rubalcaba performed on the track "From Nothing to Nowhere" on Pinback's album '' Autumn of the Seraphs'' and filled in for

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...

Witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

for several live performances. In October 2008 Earthless released the live album '' Live at Roadburn,'' an album that documents the bands unexpected promotion to the “big stage” and a much larger crowd. He is also part owner of the independent

record store A record shop or record store is a retail outlet that sells recorded music. Per the name, in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, record shops only sold gramophone records. But over the course of the 20th century, record shops sol ...

Thirsty Moon in the Hillcrest Area of San Diego. In 2009 Rubalcaba joined the

supergroup Off! with singer

Keith Morris Keith Morris (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, Circle Jerks, and Off!. Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at t ...

, guitarist Dimitri Coats, and bassist Steven Shane McDonald. The band's first album, ''

First Four EPs ''First Four EPs'' is a compilation album by the band Off! which features former Black Flag and Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The ...

'', was released in 2010.

Discography

This section lists albums and EPs on which Rubalcaba has performed.

References

External links

Mario Rubalcaba official website

Swami Records official website

Rocket from the Crypt official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rubalcaba, Mario American punk rock musicians Rocket from the Crypt members American skateboarders Drummers from San Diego Living people 1972 births Off! members Hot Snakes members Sultans (band) members 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 21st-century American drummers Artist skateboarders