Rollo Tomasi is an American

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 from

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 ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Band history

Rollo Tomasi formed in October 1999 by Neil Sandler, Craig Olson, and Neil Keener after Olson and Sandler's previous band Traluma had disbanded. Sometimes compared to bands like

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...

and

The Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas by vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison and bassist David Wm. Sims. They relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1989, where they found kindred spirits in ...

, as well as Sandler's previous bands, Traluma and

Gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

, Rollo Tomasi blend tight rhythms and aggression with a healthy nod to the early,

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 constell ...

bands of the mid-90s DC scene. Their name was taken from the film

L.A. Confidential ''L.A. Confidential'' (1990) is a neo-noir novel by American writer James Ellroy, the third of his L.A. Quartet series. It is dedicated to Mary Doherty Ellroy. The epigraph is "A glory that costs everything and means nothing"— Steve Erickso ...

, in which a police officer creates a fictional character, Rollo Tomasi, to personify all the bad guys who think “they can get away with it". In November 2011, James Staffel of

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

replaced original drummer Craig Olson. In October 2013, bass player Jeff Larsen took over second guitar duties from the departing guitarist Matt Fast, and Chris LaFrombois (formerly of the Reptoids) joined the band on bass. Since the fall of 2016, Brad Bischoff has been the bass player. Members of Rollo Tomasi have been in other notable bands, including

The Sky Corvair ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns 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 English. ''The' ...

Planes Mistaken for Stars Planes Mistaken for Stars was an American rock band. The group was founded in Peoria, Illinois in 1997 and later relocated to Denver, Colorado in 1999. Working with several different labels, they released three studio albums and four EPs before ...

, Brokeback, Hanalei, and Treaty of Paris.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Fear Is Unsafe'' (Shakefork Records, 201

* ''Coward'' (Shakefork Records, 201

* ''Work Slow Crush Foes'' ( Underground Communique Records, 200

* ''He Who Holds You'' (Divot Records, 2001)

Compilation appearances

*''For Kenna Rae'' (Shakefork Records, 2011) *''The World I Know - A Tribute to

Pegboy Pegboy is an American punk band from Chicago, Illinois with a relatively large cult following. They were founded in 1990 by John Haggerty (ex-guitarist for Naked Raygun), along with his brother Joe Haggerty (drums, formerly of The Effigies), ...

'' ( Underground Communique, 2006) *''Live on WLUW 88.7 FM'' (2004) *''Salute - A Tribute to the Fallen and the Survivors of September'' (Paper Crane Records, 2001)

Band members

Current Members *Neil Sandler – Vocals, Guitar (1999–present) *Jeff Larsen – Guitar, Vocals (2013–present), Bass (2007–2013) *Brad Bischoff – Bass (2016–present) *James Staffel – Drums (2011–present)Former Members *Neil Keener – Bass (1999–2000) *Chris LaFrombois – Bass (2013–2016) *Craig Olson – Drums (1999–2002, 2006–2011) *Joe Partyka – Bass (2000–2002) *Pete Croke – Bass, Vocals (2002–2007) *Matt Fast – Guitar (2002–2013) *Chris Insidioso – Drums (2002–2006)

References

External links

Official websiteFacebookInstagramTwitter
American post-hardcore musical groups Rock music groups from Illinois {{US-punk-band-stub