The Zambonis are an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band formed in 1991 by musicians Dave Schneider ( The LeeVees),

Peter Katis Peter Katis is an American Grammy Award-winning record producer, audio engineer, mixer, and musician. Katis is best known for working with alternative and indie rock bands. He works primarily out of his own residential studio, Tarquin Studios, ...

, Jon Aley, and Tarquin Katis, based in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. The Zambonis write songs exclusively about

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

. Schneider says of the band's musical style: “We’re the only band in the world whose two biggest influences are

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...

!” The NHL has commissioned the group to compose theme songs for the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...

and the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

. The band has toured with the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

and fundraised for

Matt Cullen Matthew David Cullen (born November 2, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey center who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). Cullen won the Stanley Cup three times during his career, with the Carolina Hurricanes i ...

's organization, Cullen Children's Foundation. In deference to the

ice resurfacer An ice resurfacer is a vehicle or hand-pushed device for cleaning and smoothing the surface of a sheet of ice, usually in an ice rink. The first ice resurfacer was developed by American inventor and engineer Frank Zamboni in 1949 in Paramount, C ...

and Frank Zamboni, the Zambonis are a licensee of the Zamboni Company.

History

The Zambonis' debut album, ''100% Hockey...and Other Stuff'', was recorded at Tarquin Studios in Connecticut and was released in 1996. The 15-song disc cracked the Top 40 on the

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

charts, and was added to the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

and minor league hockey arena playlists. In October 1999, the band released its second full-length album, ''More Songs About Hockey...and Buildings and Food''. In 2002, the Zambonis opened the

NHL All-Star Game The National Hockey League All-Star Game () is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many of the League's star players playing against each other. The ga ...

along with Jewel and

Five for Fighting Vladimir John Ondrasik III (born January 7, 1965), also known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock, such as the top 40 hits " Superman (It's Not Easy)" ...

. In 2003, the Zambonis released a new album, ''Chippy Sessions'', a compilation of rare live cuts, singles, and demos.

Members

* Dave Schneider - guitar, bass, vocals * Jon Aley - guitar, bass, keyboards, drums * Mat Orefice - drums, vocals * Tom Andrukevich - bass, guitar, vocals * Shawn Fogel - guitar, bass, keyboards, sax, vocals * Tarquin Katis - bass, hardcore vocalist *

- producer, guitar, drums, vocals * Steve Tanski - guitar, bass, vocals * Cary Polick - guitar, vocals * Matt Gonzalez - Hockey Monkey * Bob Anderson - Drums * Rich Dart - Drums

In popular media

In 2000, the Zambonis' single "Hockey Monkey" (co-written by cartoonist

James Kochalka James Kochalka (born May 26, 1967, in Springfield, Vermont) is an American comic book artist, writer, animator, and rock and roll, rock musician. His comics are noted for their blending of the real and the surreal. Largely autobiographical, Ko ...

) was featured in the Mr. Wong episode "Meet the Creep, Pt. 2". In 2002, four Zambonis songs (Breakaway, Slapshot Man, Shot Score, and Hockey Monkey) were featured in the Midway video game NHL Hitz 20-03. In March 2006, the Zambonis' single "Hockey Monkey" (co-written by cartoonist

) was chosen by

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 ("brush"). Twelve species ...

as the theme song to a new sitcom called '' The Loop''.

Discography

Albums

*''100% Hockey...and Other Stuff'' (1996) *''More Songs About Hockey...and Buildings and Food'' (1999) *''To Bleed Black and Gold'' (2000) *''Chippy Sessions'' (2003) *''Greatest Hits'' (2007,

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is an independent record label founded in 1984. The Vancouver-based company was created by principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record label to distribute recordings by the band Moev, but the label expanded in Ca ...

) *''Fight On The Ice'' (2008) *''Five Minute Major (in d minor)'' (2012)

Singles/EPs/Compilations

*"Away Game/Referee's Daughter/Shot Score " (1995) *"Play-Off Fever EP " (1997) *"Avalanche" (1997, split single with Lazerboy) *"Tarquin Records Holiday Extravaganza" (1997 compilation) *"Red Roses For Me" (2000, compilation) *"Greasy Kid Stuff" (2002, compilation) *Split EP with

Harry and the Potters Harry and the Potters are an American rock band known for spawning the genre of wizard rock. Founded in Norwood, Massachusetts, Norwood, Massachusetts, in 2002, the group is primarily composed of brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge, both of whom ...

(2006, split EP) *"Up End Atom" -

Atom and His Package Adam Goren (born January 14, 1975), known by his stage name Atom and His Package, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and teacher. He has released more than 18 albums under various aliases. His music is identifiable by its heavy use of ...

Tribute (2009 compilation)

References

External links

thezambonis.com
- Official page
The Zambonis MySpace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zambonis, The Musical groups established in 1991 Indie rock musical groups from Connecticut Indie pop groups from Connecticut 1991 establishments in Connecticut Musical groups from Bridgeport, Connecticut