Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in

Van Nuys, California Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...

. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag vocalist

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, comedian, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1 ...

. They are best known for the songs " Low Self Opinion" and " Liar", both of which garnered heavy airplay on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

in the early-mid 1990s. Critic Steve Huey describes their music as "uncompromising, intense, cathartic fusions of

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

noise Noise is sound, chiefly unwanted, unintentional, or harmful sound considered unpleasant, loud, or disruptive to mental or hearing faculties. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrat ...

, and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

experimentalism, with Rollins shouting angry, biting self-examinations and accusations over the grind." In 2000, Rollins Band was included on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's ''100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock'', ranking at No. 47.

History

Precursors (1980–1986)

Rollins was the singer for the Washington, D.C.

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band State of Alert from October 1980 to July 1981. Afterwards, he sang with California punk rock band Black Flag from August 1981 to August 1986. Black Flag earned little mainstream attention, but through a demanding touring schedule, came to be regarded as one of the most important punk rock bands of the 1980s. Less than a year after Black Flag broke up, Rollins returned to music with guitarist Chris Haskett (a friend from Rollins' teen years in Washington D.C.), bass guitarist Bernie Wandel, and drummer Mick Green. This lineup released two records: '' Hot Animal Machine'' (credited as a Rollins solo record and featuring cover art drawings by

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

leader

Mark Mothersbaugh Mark Allen Mothersbaugh (; born May 18, 1950) is an American musician and composer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead vocalist and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose " Whip It" was a top 20 single in the US ...

) and '' Drive by Shooting'' (credited to "Henrietta Collins and the Wifebeating Childhaters"). The music was similar to Black Flag's, though it flirted more with heavy metal and

First edition (1987–1994)

Soon after, Rollins formed Rollins Band with Haskett, bassist Andrew Weiss, and drummer Sim Cain (Weiss and Cain had previously played with Gone, an

instrumental rock Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes instrumental performance and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental music in rock can be found in practically every subgenre of the style. Instrumental rock was most popular f ...

group led by guitarist and Black Flag founder Greg Ginn). Live sound engineer Theo Van Rock was usually credited as a band member. Critics Ira Robbins and Regina Joskow described this lineup as a "brilliant, strong ensemble ... the band doesn't play punk (more a jazzy, thrashy, swing take on the many moods of

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

), but what they do together has the strengths of both. The group's loud guitar rock with a strong, inventive rhythmic clock borrows only the better attributes of metal, ensuring that noise is never a substitute for purpose."

Second edition (1994–1997)

Rollins's tour diaries from this era details the personal and creative tensions that led to Weiss being fired following the ''End of Silence'' tour. These diaries were published by Rollins's 2.13.61 company as ''See A Grown Man Cry'' and ''Now Watch Him Die''. The band's new bassist was jazz and funk veteran Melvin Gibbs, who'd been highly recommended by

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock music, rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992. T ...

guitarist Vernon Reid, a friend of the Rollins Band since the first

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

tour. Cain and Gibbs had also both played in different versions of guitarist

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, Rock music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...

's band. Gibbs performed on Ribot's album '' Rootless Cosmopolitans'' (1990) and Cain on '' Requiem for What's His Name'' (1992). The first video from 1994's ''Weight'', "Liar", was a huge hit on MTV, with Rollins sporting numerous costumes (including a cop and a nun). The band appeared at Woodstock '94, and Rollins was a guest-host for several MTV programs, including ''120 Minutes''. This version of Rollins Band had some of the most overt jazz leanings of the band's history: Gibbs had begun his career with Reid in the 1980s

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

group of drummer

Ronald Shannon Jackson Ronald Shannon Jackson (January 12, 1940 – October 19, 2013) was an American jazz drummer from Fort Worth, Texas. A pioneer of avant-garde jazz, free funk, and jazz fusion, he appeared on over 50 albums as a bandleader, sideman, arranger, and ...

, and worked with Sonny Sharrock on albums like 1987's ''Seize the Rainbow''. These influences, along with Rollins' obsession with the late '60s/early '70s electric/fusion era of iconic trumpeter

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

, shaped this version of the band's music. During the sessions for ''Weight'', Rollins Band recorded with

free jazz Free jazz, or free form in the early to mid-1970s, is a style of avant-garde jazz or an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventi ...

saxophonist Charles Gayle, though these sessions remained unreleased for ten years at Gayle's request to avoid conflicts with his contractual obligations. The Gayle sessions were released in 2003 as ''Weighting''. In 1996, there was a legal battle with the band's former label, Imago Records. Rollins claimed "fraud, deceit, undue influence and economic coercion" on the label's part. They signed with the then-new major label

DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Mo Ostin, his son Michael Ostin and Lenny Waronker as a subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures. The label opera ...

, who released 1997's '' Come In and Burn''. The album had a minor hit with the single "Starve" and the band appeared on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'' to promote the album (season 22, episode 18). However, ''Come In and Burn'' was not as successful as ''Weight'' and, after touring for ''Burn'', Rollins dissolved the group, citing creative stagnation.

Third edition (1999–2003)

Rollins replaced the Haskett-Gibbs-Cain lineup with the Los Angeles rock band Mother Superior, retaining the name Rollins Band, and released '' Get Some Go Again'' (2000) and ''

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million 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 ...

group. Their first album featured "Are You Ready?" a cover of a

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...

song, featuring Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham; Rollins has often expressed fondness for Thin Lizzy and its founder,

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...

Fourth edition (2006)

In between other commitments (his radio show ''Harmony in My Head'', his cable/satellite TV show ''The Henry Rollins Show'', and his spoken word tours), Rollins also reunited the Haskett-Gibbs-Cain lineup. In a March 2006 blog entry on henryrollins.com, Rollins admitted, "Actually we have been practicing on and off for months now, slowly getting it together ... It's been really cool being back in the practice room with these guys after all these years." Rollins told Alan Sculley of '' The Daily Herald'' that this reunion with Haskett, Gibbs and Cain would not become long-term unless the group decided to write new songs: "Let's put it this way. I don't want to go out and hit America again without a new record, or at least a new album's worth of material. Otherwise the thing will lack legitimacy ...

would never do that. And I'm not into a greatest-hits thing. I think a band, if you're going to be around, you should be moving forward and putting in the time and working for it, getting after the art. Otherwise you're just playing retreads. ... Imagine a tree that grows canned peaches. It's nothing I want to do." The band opened some concerts for X, and played on the first-season finale of ''The Henry Rollins Show'' on August 12, 2006.

Hiatus and retirement

In 2011 Rollins stated that he has retired from music, meaning that Rollins Band has come to an end. Former member Jason Mackenroth died on January 3, 2016, in Nevada from

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

Musical style and influences

Rollins Band's sound has been described as

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

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 ...

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 ...

and

funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...

genres. Chris Haskett has highlighted the impact of

King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...

on the original lineup's sound, stating:

"There were three records in particular, at the beginning of the 70s – '' Starless and Bible Black'', '' Larks' Tongues in Aspic'', and ''Red''. And just the aesthetics of those records... they’re so heavy. And they have almost dark quality – they’re almost metal. (...) And those King Crimson records are very, very heavy and dark. They have an incredible musical tension. But they’re also very rich with a lot of depth. The tonalities within the intervals and the progressions – they use a lot of flatted fifths which creates a kind of dark tone. And also just a radical dynamics, if you’re listening to these records – they’re incredibly from powerful - from heavy rich chords to near silence. (...) And they also improvised a lot. A lot of King Crimson stuff is just jamming. It’s not noodling, they’re doing collective improvisation. It’s not all written out. And some of the most amazing parts of their music were just improvised. That was what we also brought into Rollins Band. There was a lot of space for improvisation. Not noodling, not a kind of wasting time. But actually making unwritten music happen. And it’s (sic) also came from
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
."

Mid-career albums such as ''Weight'' also had a pronounced

influence. Rollins Band were a major fixture of the early 1990s Los Angeles alternative metal scene, alongside

Tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...

and Green Jellÿ. Rollins' shout-singing style proved influential to later alternative and

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...

artists, such as Coal Chamber,

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

, Chevelle,

Godsmack Godsmack is an American Rock music, rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is currently composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna and bassist Robbie Merrill. Since its formation, Godsmack has released eig ...

and System of a Down. The Rollins Band songs "

Tearing Tearing is the act of breaking apart a material by force, without the aid of a cutting tool. A tear in a piece of paper, fabric, or some other similar object may be the result of the intentional effort with one's bare hands, or be accidental. ...

" and "Shine" have been covered by

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, ...

Band members

Final lineup

– lead vocals (1987–1997, 1999–2003, 2006) * Chris Haskett – guitars (1987–1997, 2006) * Sim Cain – drums, percussion (1987–1997, 2006) * Melvin Gibbs – bass (1993–1997, 2006)

Former members

* Andrew Weiss – bass (1987–1992) * Jim Wilson – guitars, piano (1999–2003) * Marcus Blake – bass (1999–2003) * Jason Mackenroth – drums, percussion, saxophone (1999–2003; died 2016)

Timeline

ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:30 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:0 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/2007 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:Guitars value:green legend:Guitars id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:Piano value:purple legend:Piano id:Sax value:tan2 legend:Saxophone id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_album Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1987 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1987 LineData = at:05/05/1987 color:black layer:back at:11/01/1989 color:black layer:back at:02/25/1992 color:black layer:back at:04/12/1994 color:black layer:back at:03/25/1997 color:black layer:back at:02/28/2000 color:black layer:back at:08/21/2001 color:black layer:back BarData = bar:Rollins text:"Henry Rollins" bar:Haskett text:"Chris Haskett" bar:Wilson text:"Jim Wilson" bar:Weiss text:"Andrew Weiss" bar:Gibbs text:"Melvin Gibbs" bar:Blake text:"Marcus Blake" bar:Cain text:"Sim Cain" bar:Mackenroth text:"Jason Mackenroth" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4) bar:Rollins from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1998 color:Vocals bar:Rollins from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:Vocals bar:Rollins from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2007 color:Vocals bar:Haskett from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1998 color:Guitars bar:Haskett from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2007 color:Guitars bar:Wilson from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:Guitars bar:Wilson from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:Piano width:3 bar:Weiss from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1993 color:Bass bar:Gibbs from:01/01/1993 till:01/01/1998 color:Bass bar:Gibbs from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2007 color:Bass bar:Blake from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:Bass bar:Cain from:01/01/1987 till:01/01/1998 color:Drums bar:Cain from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2007 color:Drums bar:Mackenroth from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:Drums bar:Mackenroth from:01/01/1999 till:01/01/2003 color:Sax width:3

Discography

Studio albums

Outtakes and demos collections

*'' A Nicer Shade of Red'' (2001) *''End of Silence Demos'' (2002) *''Yellow Blues'' (2003) *''Weighting'' (2004) *''Come In and Burn Sessions'' (2004) *'' Get Some Go Again Sessions'' (2005)

Live albums

*''Live Split Album'' with Dutch band Gore – recorded at El Mocambo, Toronto, Canada, May 17, 1987 *'' Do It'' – Studio Outtakes and Live (1988) *'' Turned On'' (1990) *''Electro Convulsive Therapy'' (1993) *''Insert Band Here: Live in Australia, 1990'' (1999) *''A Clockwork Orange Stage'' (2001) *''The Only Way to Know for Sure: Live in Chicago'' (2002)

EPs

*''Live in Deventer, Holland, October 1987'' (1988) *''I Know You'' b/w '' Earache My Eye'' (1990) *''Hammer of the Rök Gödz'' (1992)

Singles

Promotional singles

*"You Didn't Need" (1992) – radio promo *"Fool" (1994) – 2×12" promo *"Your Number Is One" (2001) – radio promo

Miscellaneous

*'' Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three'' (2002)

Other appearances

References

External links

Henry Rollins official website
*
Henry Rollins details the band's history
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rollins Band 1987 establishments in California American alternative metal musical groups American funk metal musical groups American post-hardcore musical groups Buddah Records artists DreamWorks Records artists Hard rock musical groups from California Heavy metal musical groups from California Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups reestablished in 2006 Sanctuary Records artists