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, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christians, Christian individuals. The extent to w ...

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 2010 Census, its population 14,113. History Covington was founded by European immigrants to the United Stat ...

, in 1993. Commonly categorized simply as

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

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, ...

, R.E.M.,

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

and

Vigilantes of Love Vigilantes of Love is 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, Mallone ...

. 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 referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern po ...

extensively as a modest but faithful

fan base A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and 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 ...

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 is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

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 and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

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, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

. 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'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

and

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was 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 album ...

. 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 during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee (both of whom were the only constant members) and Billy Wilkins. Drummer David Carr was the ...

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and

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. 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 capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, 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 newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the '' bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, br ...

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

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