Common Rotation
Encyclopedia
Founded in the early 1990s they debuted at the Nassau County Folk Festival and quickly started performing hundreds of gigs a year throughout the North East. Recording their first record as Common Rotation with the help of They Might Be Giants who subsequently backed them on the recording and allowed them to open on their first major tour across America.
Common Rotation have self-released five full length records and 'a song a day' for over ten years online at The Union Maid.
Peter Stass’s documentary film How to Lose chronicled the band's efforts to protest Clear Channel’s monopoly on the musical touring market by playing in fan’s homes from Alaska to Europe.
Amber Benson’s music video "Wasted Words" follows the band while performing for the Yu-pik Indians in the remote fishing villages of Kotlik and Russian Mission, Alaska.
Busch, who is known to most audiences for his work as an actor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Professional, Grey’s Anatomy, House, American Dreamz)
Katz, (De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, Ghostface Killah) is known mostly in hip hop circles for his work with The Rhythm Roots Allstars.
Kufs, is a renowned singer-songwriter whose hard work has kept a song a day on The Union Maid for over ten years. He recently completed his first solo collection of songs, "A Dust Bowl Full O' Cherries.
Common Rotation’s recent tour with Dan Bern can be heard on his two releases, Live in Los Angeles and Live in New York.
Common Rotation provided the soundtrack to the Indie Comedy and Slamdance favorite "Drones" which is currently airing on Showtime Television.
"True Hollywood Romance" from The ClearChannel EP is featured as theme music in Kevin Pollak's comedy special, The Littlest Suspect.
Common Rotation recorded Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
's, "We're Not Gonna Take It" with Mike Viola
Mike Viola
Michael "Mike" Viola is an American singer-songwriter best known as singer, songwriter and "musical architect" of a team he called the "Candy Butchers", a pop-rock band from New York City that recorded three critically acclaimed albums for Sony. A native of Stoughton, Massachusetts, Mike began his...
for the latest installment of Engine Room Recordings
Engine Room Recordings
Engine Room Recordings is an independent record label with a roster of Indie rock and Alternative rock musicians. Beyond marketing and distribution for its artists, the label does booking and artist management....
Guilt by Association series, Guilt by Association Vol. 3
Guilt by Association Vol. 3
Guilt by Association Vol. 3 is a compilation album released November 15, 2011 by Engine Room Recordings. Like its previous installments, Guilt by Association Vol. 1 and Guilt by Association Vol. 2, Guilt By Association Vol...
.
In October Common Rotation will release their newest record God Keeps An Open Gallery. The album was recorded entirely in their current home in Angelino Heights, California with producers Brian Speiser and Julie Wolf. It includes 13 original compositions and a cover of MIA's Paper Planes with guest John Di Maggio. Other guests include They Might Be Giants' Marty Bellar and Daniel Weinkauf, Dan Bern, Mike Viola, Indigo Girls, Lyris Hung, The Dust Bowl Cavilers.
Common Rotation recorded” Salty South” with the Indigo Girls for their newest live record, Staring Down The Brilliant Dream.
Dan Bern and Common Rotation will be releasing a full length record of new songs produced by Adam Busch and Jon Griffin in 2012.
Common Rotation will also release an EP of songs produced by Mike Viola in early 2012.
History
Though other band members have come and gone, Adam and Eric have been with the band since its formation. Founded while the two attended high school in East Meadow, New YorkEast Meadow, New York
East Meadow is a hamlet in Nassau County , New York, United States. East Meadow is an unincorporated area in the Town of Hempstead....
, the band was originally known as 28 Orange Street. As 28 Orange Street, the then-quartet released their first album, titled Common Rotation. Previous band members have included drummer "The Professor" Ken Beck and bassist Mike Uhler. Many of their recordings are from live events, but they also released an EP entitled Clear Channel as well as albums The Big Fear and Isalie.
Their song "Clear Channel" was featured in British Indie filmmmaker Evan Richards' 2006 film, "In a Day."
Living Room
Common Rotation has recently made a name for themselves by going on the road with "living room" tours where, instead of playing at clubNightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s, the band performs in the living rooms of volunteers for donations to cover their travel expenses.
In 2007, however, they performed a "proper" tour of the UK, albeit without Jordan Katz, alongside David Berkeley
David Berkeley
David Berkeley, born David Berkeley Friedland on 22 September 1976 in New Jersey, is an American singer and songwriter.He has released four studio albums, one live album and has published a book, all of them self-produced under the Straw Man label, in a recording career that begun in 2002.Berkeley...
.
Trivia
Adam Busch is also an actor, best known for playing Warren MearsWarren Mears
Warren Mears is a fictional character portrayed by Adam Busch in the American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as its canonical comic book series continuation.-Television:...
on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Common Rotation is out-spoken politically and socially. The Living Room tour was partially inspired by not wanting to play any venues owned by Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
.
Common Rotation has opened for They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
. Several members of The Band of Dans have been involved with CoRo albums. Much like TMBG's Dial-A-Song, CoRo's Union Maid offers a new song every day.
Compilations
- "We're Not Gonna Take It" (Twisted SisterTwisted SisterTwisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
cover) from Guilt by Association Vol. 3Guilt by Association Vol. 3Guilt by Association Vol. 3 is a compilation album released November 15, 2011 by Engine Room Recordings. Like its previous installments, Guilt by Association Vol. 1 and Guilt by Association Vol. 2, Guilt By Association Vol...
(2011).