Rogue Wave is an
indie rock band from
Oakland, California, and headed by Zach Schwartz (a.k.a. Zach Rogue) who created the band after losing his job in the
dot-com bust. Their first album was ''
Out of the Shadow'' which was released privately in 2003 and re-released in 2004. In the fall of 2004 they went on a national tour of the
United States. Their most recent album, ''Cover Me'', was released on February 17, 2017, through Easy Sound Recording Company.
History
Formation of Rogue Wave and other projects
In early 2002, Zach Rogue decided to take some time off from his home base of San Francisco and set off with a one-way ticket to New York in March with the intention of recording one or two songs with friend Bill Racine. He came away with an album's worth of material that would later become Rogue Wave's debut, Out of the Shadow. After returning to the
Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
with a nearly completed record in hand, Zach decided to leave his former band, the Bay Area-based Desoto Reds, in which he played guitar, and form his own group. At the end of 2002, while preparing the album for release, Zach rounded out the band's lineup with the addition of Patrick Spurgeon (drums, keys, samples, vocals) Sonya Westcott (bass, vocals), and Gram LeBron (guitar, keys, vocals).
Patrick Spurgeon has played with bands Churches, Pancho San, Somehow at Sea, Antenna, Stranded at the Drive In, Ramona the Pest, Brando, Steve Kowalski, Lessick, and has also released solo work as The Phantom Drummer.
Gram LeBron
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal t ...
has been involved in the bands Com Jr, Get Better, The Album Leaf, Port O'Brien, Long and Golden, schrasj, Sad Like Crazy, Conundrum, Jessica Six, All Transistor and has also released solo work a
Golden Gram
He currently plays with Outer Embassy and composes for film and commercials.
Sonya Westcott was in the band Venus Bleeding before her time with Rogue Wave.
Evan Farrell played with The Japonize Elephants, Mega Mousse, Amaldecor, Big Mule, Hunted Haunted Bazergahn Klezmorchestra, Grande Rouge, Kentucky Nightmare, Mama HooHoo.
Patrick Abernethy was formerly a keyboard player with
Beulah before joining Rogue Wave.
Departure and death of Evan Farrell
Evan Farrell left Rogue Wave after the recording of ''
Asleep at Heaven's Gate
''Asleep at Heaven's Gate'' is the third album by American indie rock band Rogue Wave. It was released to average reviews on September 18, 2007. It was produced by Roger Moutenot. "Lake Michigan", the first single from the album, was featured in ...
'' to pursue his other project, The Japonize Elephants, but remained a friend of the band. Farrell died soon after on December 23, 2007 in Oakland CA, suffering from "massive smoke inhalation" in an apartment fire caused by a dangerously obsolete gas-fired floor furnace. Gram LeBron was also in the house. Awakened by Evan's warnings, he was unable to rescue him when forced from the house by the flames. He left behind a wife and two young children. Farrell himself had replaced original bassist Sonya Westcott in 2004.
Patrick Abernethy joined the band in 2007 to take Farrell's place on bass and was later replaced by Cameron Jasper in 2009.
D-Tour
The band is featured extensively in the documentary, D-Tour, produced and directed by Jim Granato, which chronicles Spurgeon's struggles with kidney disease and his wait for a transplant. The film was featured on the show "
Independent Lens" on
PBS. Spurgeon was born with a single kidney.
Permalight
On November 18, 2009 Zach Rogue announced the release date for their fourth full-length album, ''
Permalight''. It was released on March 2, 2010 through
Brushfire Records
Brushfire Records is a record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson (musician), Jack Johnson. Formerly known as ''The Moonshine Conspiracy Records'', the label was founded to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a company owned by Johns ...
.
Nightingale Floors
Rogue Wave announced the release of their fifth studio album, ''
Nightingale Floors
''Nightingale Floors'' is the fifth studio album by Rogue Wave, an American indie rock band. It was released on June 4, 2013 through Vagrant Records.
Background
Work began on the album about a year after the final shows promoting the previ ...
'', on March 27 via their Facebook page. It was released on June 4, 2013.
Signing to Easy Sound Recording Company and Delusions of Grand Fur
In February 2016, the band announced the release of their sixth studio album,
Delusions of Grand Fur
''Delusions of Grand Fur'' is the sixth studio album by Rogue Wave, an American indie rock band based in Oakland, California. It was released on April 29, 2016 through Easy Sound Recording Company.
Background
Rogue Wave frontman Zach Rogue o ...
, through new record label Easy Sound Recording Company (created in 2014 and home to
Fruit Bats,
Futurebirds
Futurebirds are an American indie rock band formed in 2008 from Athens, Georgia, United States.Leahey, AndrewFuturebirds Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-07-05 Their first album, ''Hampton's Lullaby'', was released via the Aquarium Drunkard imp ...
,
Vetiver, and
Marianne Faithfull, among others). It was released on April 29, 2016.
Band members
Current
*Zach Rogue – vocals, guitar, piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer (2002–present)
*Patrick Spurgeon – drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer, samples, vocals (2002–present)
*Masanori Christianson – bass, keyboards, synthesizer, glockenspiel (2010, 2012–present)
*Jon Monahan – guitar, keyboards, synthesizer (2014–present)
Former
*Sonya Westcott – bass, vocals (2002–2004)
*Nathan Petty – drums (2003-2004)
*Evan Farrell – bass, vocals, keyboards (2004–2007)
*Patrick Abernethy – bass, piano, keyboards (2007–2008)
*Gram LeBron – guitar, keyboards, vocals, drums (2002–2008)
*Steve Taylor – keyboards, guitorgan (2009–2010)
*
Ken Christianson
Ken Christianson is an American musician and artist living in Los Angeles, California, U.S, and co-founder of Père Music. He is the composer of the score to the short film ''Better Left Alone'' (2005), resident composer for the Samantha Giron ...
– keyboards, synthesizer, piano, violin, vocals (2010)
*Cameron Jasper – bass, vocals (2008–2011)
*Dominic East – guitar, pedal steel, vocals (2007–2012)
*Dan Iead – guitar, steel pedal (2013)
*Rob Easson – keyboards (2013)
*Nyles Lannon – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals (2016)
Timeline
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PlotArea = left:110 bottom:120 top:0 right:30
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2019
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:vocals;guitar value:red legend:Vocals,_guitar
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar
id:keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards
id:lines value:black legend:Studio albums
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:2
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:2002
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:2002
LineData =
at:18/02/2003 color:black layer:back
at:25/10/2005 color:black layer:back
at:18/09/2007 color:black layer:back
at:02/03/2010 color:black layer:back
at:04/06/2013 color:black layer:back
at:29/04/2016 color:black layer:back
at:17/02/2017 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Zach text:"Zach Rogue"
bar:Pat text:"Patrick Spurgeon"
bar:Masanori text:"Masanori Christianson"
bar:Jon text:"Jon Monahan"
bar:Sonya text:"Sonya Westcott"
bar:Evan text:"Evan Farrell"
bar:Patrick text:"Patrick Abernethy"
bar:Gram text:"Gram LeBron"
bar:Steve text:"Steve Taylor"
bar:Ken text:"Ken Christianson"
bar:Cameron text:"Cameron Jasper"
bar:Dominic text:"Dominic East"
bar:Dan text:"Dan Iead"
bar:Rob text:"Rob Easson"
bar:Nyles text:"Nyles Lannon"
PlotData=
width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Zach from:01/01/2002 till:end color:vocals;guitar
bar:Pat from:01/01/2002 till:end color:drums
bar:Masanori from:01/01/2010 till:end color:bass
bar:Jon from:01/01/2014 till:end color:guitar
bar:Sonya from:01/01/2002 till:01/01/2004 color:bass
bar:Evan from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2007 color:bass
bar:Patrick from:01/01/2007 till:01/12/2008 color:bass
bar:Gram from:01/01/2002 till:01/12/2008 color:guitar
bar:Steve from:01/01/2009 till:01/12/2010 color:keyboards
bar:Ken from:01/01/2010 till:01/01/2011 color:keyboards
bar:Cameron from:01/01/2008 till:01/12/2011 color:bass
bar:Dominic from:01/01/2007 till:01/12/2012 color:guitar
bar:Dan from:01/01/2013 till:01/12/2013 color:guitar
bar:Rob from:01/01/2013 till:01/12/2013 color:keyboards
bar:Nyles from:01/01/2016 till:01/12/2016 color:keyboards
Discography
Studio albums
Notes
EPs
* ''Exclusive EP'' (January 25, 2005)
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...
* ''
10:1'' (August 23, 2005) Sub Pop
* ''The MySpace Transmissions'' (October 3, 2008)
MySpace Records
* ''Cover Me - Bonus'' (February 17, 2017) Easy Sound Recording
Singles
Soundtracks
*
''Napoleon Dynamite'' original soundtrack (2004,
Lakeshore Records
Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...
) song: "Every Moment (live)"
*''
Music from the OC: Mix 5'' (2005,
Warner Bros./Wea) song: "Publish My Love"
*
''Just Friends'' soundtrack (2005,
New Line Records) song: "Eyes"
*''
Stubbs the Zombie: The Soundtrack'' (2005) song: "
Everyday" (
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
cover)
*''
Music from the OC: Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks'' (2006, Warner Bros./Wea) song: "Debaser" (Pixies cover)
*''
Cry_Wolf'' original soundtrack (2005, Lakeshore Records) song: "10:1"
*''
Cheese & Crackers'' (2006, Almost Skateboard Company) song: "Every Moment"
*
''In the Land of Women'' soundtrack (2007,
Lakeshore Records
Lakeshore Entertainment Group, LLC is an American independent film production, finance, and former international sales and distribution company founded in 1994 by Tom Rosenberg and Ted Tannebaum (1933–2002). Lakeshore Entertainment is headquart ...
), song: "Debaser"
*
''Spider-Man 3'' soundtrack (2007,
Record Collection
Record Collection may refer to:
* Record Collection (record label), a Los Angeles-based music studio
* ''Record Collection'' (album), a 2010 album by Mark Ronson & The Business Intl.
*"Record Collection", a song by Kaiser Chiefs on the 2019 album, ...
), song: "Sight Lines"
*''
Heroes'' Episode 1.01: Genesis (2006) song: "Eyes"
*''
For the Kids Three'' (2007,
Nettwerk Music Group) song: "My Little Bird"
*''
Weeds'' OST: Season 2 (2006) song: "Kicking The Heart Out"
*''CLIF GreenNotes Protect the Places We Play'' (2008) song: "Chicago X 12"
*''One Track Mind'' (2008) song: "Harmonium"
*
''Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist'' soundtrack (2008,
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
) song: "Electro-Socket Blues"
*''
(500) Days of Summer
''500 Days of Summer'' (stylized as ''(500) Days of Summer'') is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars ...
'' (2009) song: "Eyes"
*''
Love Happens'' (2009) song: "Lake Michigan"
*''
Scrubs
Scrub(s) may refer to:
* Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland
* Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff
* ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program
* Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...
'' Episode 8.12: Their Story II (2008) song: "Chicago X 12"
*''
Friends with Benefits'' (2011), song: "This Too Shall Pass"
*''
10 Years
10 Years or Ten Years may refer to:
*Decade, a period of ten years
Film
* ''10 Years'' (2011 film), a film starring Channing Tatum
* ''Ten Years'' (2015 film), a Hong Kong film
Music
*10 Years (band), an American alternative metal band
* ''10 Ye ...
'' (2011), song: "Slow Down Kid"
*''
Iron Man 3'' (2013), song: "No Time"
*''
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' (2013) song: "Lake Michigan"
Television and film appearances
Rogue Wave appeared as themselves in the 2009 movie ''
Love Happens'', starring
Aaron Eckhart and
Jennifer Aniston. In the movie, set in Seattle, Eckhart's character is disappointed that tickets to a Rogue Wave outdoor concert are sold out. However, Aniston's character surprises him by borrowing a friend's utility truck with a “cherry picker” boom. She parks the truck near the large open-air amphitheater, and the two of them enjoy a great view of the concert from the elevated bucket.
Rogue Wave is featured on the
Stubbs: The Zombie Soundtrack performing a cover of
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
's "
'Everyday'". Their cover of Buddy Holly's "Everyday" was also plagiarized for a television commercial for the movie ''
Rachel Getting Married''.
A live version of their ''
Out of the Shadow'' track, "Every Moment", appeared on the soundtrack for the movie ''
Napoleon Dynamite'', but not in the movie itself.
The song "Eyes" was featured in the movie ''
Just Friends'', the sixteenth episode of season two of ''
90210'', the pilot of television series ''
Heroes'', and a 2010 commercial for
LG
Rogue Wave's songs have also appeared in episodes of ''
Heroes'', ''
Friday Night Lights'', ''
Scrubs
Scrub(s) may refer to:
* Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland
* Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff
* ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program
* Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...
'' and ''
Chuck''.
They also had their song "Kicking the Heart Out" on an episode of ''
Weeds'' on
Showtime
Showtime or Show Time may refer to:
Film
* ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film
* ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur
Television Networks and channels
* Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global ...
.
The
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelv ...
show ''
The O.C.'' has used "Publish My Love", "California", and "Interruptions" as well as included "Publish My Love" on ''
Music from the OC: Mix 5,'' a collection of songs used in the show.
Recently, the song "Lake Michigan" was used in an ad for
Microsoft's MP3 player
Zune, as well as a commercial for MLB Network. In 2011, Rob Kardashian danced the Viennese Waltz to "Lake Michigan" in Season 13 of Dancing with the Stars.
The third episode of season five ''
Nip/Tuck'' featured "California".
Their song "Harmonium" is used in an
ESPN commercial for the
UEFA Euro 2008.
In 2008, the band filmed and released a video for the song "Chicago X 12" (from ''
Asleep at Heaven's Gate
''Asleep at Heaven's Gate'' is the third album by American indie rock band Rogue Wave. It was released to average reviews on September 18, 2007. It was produced by Roger Moutenot. "Lake Michigan", the first single from the album, was featured in ...
'') which was directed by actor/comedian
Bob Odenkirk
Robert John Odenkirk (; born October 22, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker best known for his role as Saul Goodman on ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and its spin-off ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). For the latter, he has re ...
.
The song "Love's Lost Guarantee" is featured on one episode of
''One Tree Hill'''s seventh season, as well as in the trailer for the indie-film
Wristcutters.
A poster for a Rogue Wave concert can be seen on the wall of the bakery in
''Stranger than Fiction''.
Rogue Wave's song 'Lake Michigan' can also be heard on the
OPSM Loves Eyes Television Ad created in 2010.
Rogue Wave's song "Eyes" was featured in the pilot episode of ''
Lone Star'', which aired on FOX 9/20/10.
Their song "Eyes" was most recently featured on an episode of ''
Cougar Town'' on 9/29/10.
The song "Everyday" is used in the episode 1.12 (Unpleasantville) of
''The Vampire Diaries'' which aired on the CW in 2010.
The song "College" is featured in the 2013 film
''Carrie''.
In 2013, Rogue Wave also did a collaboration with the cast of
Studio C
''Studio C '' is an American sketch comedy television show created by Matt Meese and Jared Shores. Produced by BYUtv, the show aims to be clean, family-oriented comedy for a national audience.
The show traces its roots to the Brigham Young Uni ...
to produce an Off-set sketch/music video called "Context is Everything".
Rogue Wave's song "Eyes" was featured in a 2015 sketch featuring
Jimmy Fallon
James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...
,
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
and
Will Ferrell for ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon''.
Rogue Wave's song "Lake Michigan" is featured in the movie "
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and its soundtrack.
In 2017, Rogue Wave's cover of
Kim Carnes 1981 song "Bette Davis Eyes" was featured in Season 1, Episode 11 of the TV show ''
Riverdale''.
References
External links
Rogue WaveRogue Wave collectionat the
Internet Archive's live music archive
{{Authority control
Indie rock musical groups from California
Brushfire Records artists
Musical groups from Oakland, California
Sub Pop artists
Articles which contain graphical timelines