Rocketboy was an American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. This music is typically performed by Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to whi ...

band formed in

Covington, Georgia Covington is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia and the seat of Newton County, and is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,192. History Covington was founded by European immigrants to the Unite ...

, in 1993. Commonly categorized simply as

, Rocketboy's musical style was heavily influenced by a hodge-podge of mainstream artists such as

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

and

Vigilantes of Love Vigilantes of Love was an American rock band fronted by Bill Mallonee, with many secondary players drawn from the musician pool in and around Athens, Georgia, United States. In its later manifestations in the later 1990s and early 2000s, Mallo ...

. The band initially performed under the name "The Pain" (also known as "Cain's Pain"). After signing a record contract with

R.E.X. Records R.E.X. Records, also known as R.E.X. Music, was an independent record label founded by Doug Mann and Gavin Morkel, which operated from 1987 until running into financial difficulty in 1995. Operations were based in Chicago until 1990 when the com ...

in 1995, the name "Rocketboy" was formally adopted.

History

Rocketboy was an offshoot of the Covington band Steel Water, which included a line-up of several local musicians who performed together mainly at churches and private events. After the group dissolved, the three remaining members — Trey Bailey, Slade Curtis and Jason Parker — regrouped to form Cain's Pain. Cain's Pain added the Atlanta-area lead guitarist Kip Bell and performed regularly at local churches, clubs and theaters. The band's early schedule included regular shows at The Strand Theater in

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

. Between 1993 and 1995, the band toured the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

extensively as a modest but faithful

fan base A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of ...

formed. In 1994, Joe Coleman (later of ''Teia Perma'' fame) replaced the original drummer Jason Parker. Soon thereafter, the band recorded and self-released ''Smile''. Singles from ''Smile'' appeared on the Cranial Captivity Records release of ''Cranial Captivity: Fettered in the Mind's Eye'' and the Floppy Fish Records release of ''Fish Faves Vol. 1''. In December 1994, Coleman left the band and the local drummer Rob Jones became the permanent drummer. In early 1995, the band signed a record contract with the now defunct

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

label

. This marked a milestone for the band and their small-town

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

style and modest exposure gave way to a punchier sound and a growing fan base in cities across the

eastern United States The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital. As of 2011, the Eastern ...

. To signify this coming of age, the band dropped "The Pain" and adopted the name "Rocketboy". In November 1995, Rocketboy recorded their first album with R.E.X. Records, ''No Sign of Intelligent Life'' (1996), at OMNIsound Studios in Nashville. The album was produced by Armand John Petri who had previously worked with

The Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band based in Buffalo, New York, composed of lead vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik, bassist and vocalist Robby Takac, as well as several rotating members since its formation in 1986. After starting ...

and

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs are an American alternative rock band founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four albums that c ...

. Though the album was a critical success among fans, the financial troubles of R.E.X. Records hindered marketing support of the release. Despite a lack of label support, the band continued to play shows across the eastern United States, sharing the bill with such groups as

Third Day Third Day was a Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia in 1991. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee (both of whom were the only constant members) and Billy Wilkins. The band's name is a reference to the ...

MxPx MxPx () is an American punk rock band from Bremerton, Washington, formed in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera (bass guitar, lead vocals), Yuri Ruley (drums, percussion), Tom Wisniewski (lead guitar, backi ...

and

Plankeye Plankeye (also spelled PlankEye and Plank Eye)1 was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1991 in Orange County, California, Orange County, California. The band's name is derived from Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 7:3 in the New Testament: ...

. Tim "Yogi" Watts became the drummer when Jones left in March 1996. Rocketboy also hired David Mardis to manage the band's affairs and the recording of their follow-up album ''Now That We Have Your Attention'' (1997). Mardis had previously managed and produced albums for

. ''Now That We Have Your Attention'' was recorded at Furies Studios in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and was produced by Mardis. The band's 1997 schedule included a tour with

Bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is a newlywed. When marrying, if the bride's future spouse is a man, he is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, ...

in support of ''Now That We Have Your Attention'', but once again had little label support. The band subsequently requested an unconditional release from their record contract. Touring continued through the end of 1997. On December 31, 1997, Rocketboy played their final show at ''The Warehouse'' in

Lexington, South Carolina Lexington is the most populous town in and the county seat of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. It is a suburb of the state capital, Columbia, South Carolina, Columbia. The population was 23,568 at the 2020 Census, and it is the ...

Reunion

In 2007, Rocketboy reunited for a short tour, and in 2008 announced that they were reforming to begin writing a new album, more than a decade after their previous release.

Discography

Smile ''(Independent release, 1994)'' ::# Loud ::# Prodigal Son ::# Onion Ring ::# Blind Drive ::# Shades of Grey ::# I Should... ::# Disappear ::# Peace or Pieces? ::# Heavy Metal ::# Eve
No Sign of Intelligent Life ''(

, 1996)'' ::# Gary's Garage ::# Fly ::# Disco Ball ::# Call Me Kind ::# Siren Song ::# Wishing Well ::# An Angel's Kiss ::# Seed ::# Richard ::# I Should... ::# Shades of Grey
Now That We Have Your Attention ''(R.E.X. Records, 1997)'' ::# High Dive ::# Cool ::# Chaos ::# Siren Song ::# Mother May I ::# Illegitimate Son ::# Disco Ball ::# Between ::# Silver Love ::# Pretend ::# Call Me Kind ::# Breathe

References

{{reflist

External links

Rocketboylives.com Official web site)

The New Normal: blog by Trey Bailey

Rocketboy albums at alibris.com

Armand John Petri
Christian rock groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Musical groups established in 1993