Moistboyz is an American
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
band formed in
New Hope, Pennsylvania
New Hope is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,612 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. New Hope is located approximately north of Philadelphia, and lies on the west b ...
in 1991 by Guy Heller and
Mickey Melchiondo. Moistboyz music is typically fast-paced punk/metal, combining stream-of-consciousness lyrics with aggressive rock guitar riffs.
As in Melchiondo's band
Ween, both he and Heller assume aliases: Mickey Moist and Dickie Moist.
History
Melchiondo and Heller met when they were both 14. However, they didn't develop a musical partnership until 7 years later. While Melchiondo's other band
Ween was working on their third album
Pure Guava, Heller's band False Front was working out of the same farm house studio. During times when Melchiondo's Ween bandmate wasn't around, he and Heller would make music on their own. Describing the early sessions for recording with Heller, Melchiondo said “We started doing this really aggressive music and it was really getting us off, and we were really doing so much of it that we had enough to fill up a tape.” These sessions would result in the creation of the first Moistboyz record.
Moistboyz have released five studio records starting with the 1994 EP ''Moistboyz''. A full-length album, ''Moistboyz II'', followed in 1996. Recorded by Heller (vocals/lyrics) and Melchiondo (guitar/music) using drum machine and a lo-fi sensibility, both records were originally released on the
Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...
label, Grand Royal. In 2005, these first two records were combined and released as one album, ''Moistboyz I+II'' on Sanctuary Records, now on Chocodog Records.
In 2002, ''
Moistboyz III'' was released on
Mike Patton
Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock bands Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also fronted and/or played with Tomahawk, The ...
's label,
Ipecac Records
Ipecac Recordings is an independent record label based in California. It was founded on April 1, 1999, by Greg Werckman (ex-label manager of Alternative Tentacles, ex-lead singer of DUH (band), DUH, ex-employee of Mercury Records) and Mike Patton ...
. This is the first Moistboyz record to feature songs with real drums, performed by Lou Croschetti.
''Moistboyz IV'' was released in 2005 on
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is, as of 2013, a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest ...
. The album was mixed by Chris Shaw, features
Claude Coleman, Jr. on drums, and bass by producer
Andrew Weiss on "Fuck You". This album is significantly more politically charged than prior records: for example, the opening song, ''I Don't Give A Fuck Where The Eagle Flies'' is a direct response to
John Ashcroft
John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, Lobbying, lobbyist, and former politician who served as the 79th United States attorney general under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. A Republican Party (United States), R ...
's song
Let the Eagle Soar.
In 2013, the band announced they would release their 4th album, ''Moistboyz V'', which was released on Heller and Melchiondo's label, Neverman Records, distributed by MVD Audio. Recording started in late 2012 in New Hope, PA and finished in Lago Vista, TX in early 2013. Melchiondo stated that this album was originally going to be made concurrently with his solo debut "The Deaner Album", but after a few weeks of working on both he decided to focus his energy on ''Moistboyz V'' instead and complete his solo album later.
''Moistboyz V'' was produced and engineered by Melchiondo, and mixed by Stephen Haas. The album covers multiple musical styles, such as the southern rock-influenced ''Down on the Farm'' and the alt ballad "My Time to Die". Guest musicians include
Chuck Treece (drums) on "Protect and Serve", "Medusa", "Garbageman" and Joe Kramer (guitar) on "Protect and Serve", "Chickendick", "Down on the Farm" and "My Time to Die".
Members
*Guy Heller (Dickie Moist)
*
Michael Melchiondo, Jr. (Mickey Moist)
Current touring members
*Stephen Haas
*
Nick Oliveri (
Mondo Generator) (
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...
)
*Hoss Wright (
Mondo Generator)
Previous touring members
*
Claude Coleman Jr. (
Ween, Amandla,
Eagles of Death Metal)
*
Dave Dreiwitz (
Ween,
Marco Benevento
Marco Benevento (born July 22, 1977) is an American pianist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who has been a fixture of the New York experimental music rock music, rock and jazz scene since 1999. He is the founder and rec ...
,
Instant Death)
*Bill Fowler (
Sound of Urchin)
*
Chris Harfenist (
Sound of Urchin)
*
Jeff Pinkus
Jeff "J.D." Pinkus (born October 26, 1967) is an American bassist best known for his work with Butthole Surfers from 1985 to 1994 and since their 2009 reunion.
In 1990, he and Butthole Surfers' lead vocalist Gibby Haynes released '' Digital Du ...
(
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...
)
Discography
*''Moistboyz'' (1994)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Hard rock musical groups from Pennsylvania
Musical groups established in 1991
1991 establishments in Pennsylvania
Sanctuary Records artists