Jeff Muendel
Encyclopedia
Jeff Muendel is both an author
and Hammond organ
ist/keyboardist
who has published several novels and played with bands including Rattlebone
, Backbiter, Circus Of Power, Masters of Reality
and Hum Machine.
and Madison
, Wisconsin
.
, and he began playing music with neighbor and bass player Roger Deering.
Deering had previously been in a Florida punk band
called The Drills. He and drummer Kerry Furlong had moved from Miami
to Los Angeles
to start a new band. The three musicians added Brendon McNichol
on guitar and the band was born. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/1993-01-06/music/music.html
, who is also credited with discovering and developing Jane's Addiction
, Alice in Chains
, and The Offspring
.
, and at the label's request, the group changed its name to Rattlebone
. With Jerden at the helm, they released a 5-song EP in 1992 and recorder a full-length LP in 1993/94 that was never released. McNichol left Rattlebone in 1995 when the record label dropped the band in response to the Seattle
grunge
movement. The rest of the group split in 1996.
) and then spent three years in the L.A. punk group Backbiter, signed to Man's Ruin Records
.
featuring former members of Tar Babies
and The Appliances SFB. They have releases through Boat Records.
Since earning a master's degree in writing, he has published several novels set in the world of rock and roll
including Beer Goggles And Amplifiers and The Volume Tribes.
His books often deal with themes within the world of rock music
, and his work is often categorized as "Rock Lit". He is an editor for Maximum Ink Magazine and continues to play and record as an organist/keyboardist.
He currently works as an SEO and Online Marketing
consultant, and currently holds the position of Director of Marketing at Broadjam.com
, a social media website focused on independent music.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
ist/keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
who has published several novels and played with bands including Rattlebone
Rattlebone
Rattlebone were a rock group from Los Angeles, USA.The original Rattlebone rose from the ashes of The Drills in Los Angeles, California in 1992. The group signed with Hollywood Records that same year...
, Backbiter, Circus Of Power, Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality is a hard rock group formed in 1981 by guitarist and singer Chris Goss and Tim Harrington in Syracuse, New York. The band is sometimes associated with the "Palm Desert Scene", which includes bands like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age and many other stoner rock or "desert rock"...
and Hum Machine.
Early life and education
Muendel grew up in MilwaukeeMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
and Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
Music career
In 1991, he moved to Hollywood, CaliforniaHollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, and he began playing music with neighbor and bass player Roger Deering.
Deering had previously been in a Florida punk band
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
called The Drills. He and drummer Kerry Furlong had moved from Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to start a new band. The three musicians added Brendon McNichol
Brendon McNichol
Brendon McNichol , is a lap-steel/guitar player, who has played with bands including Queens of the Stone Age, Masters of Reality and Rattlebone. He is now working as a contractor.-Bands:...
on guitar and the band was born. http://www.miaminewtimes.com/Issues/1993-01-06/music/music.html
The Drills
The early shows were performed under the old name, The Drills, because of the reputation they had developed with that name, including one album release. The group was "discovered" by producer Dave JerdenDave Jerden
Dave Jerden is an American record producer, engineer and mixer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock, punk rock and metal genres....
, who is also credited with discovering and developing Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
, Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, and The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
.
Rattlebone
The group was signed to Hollywood RecordsHollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
, and at the label's request, the group changed its name to Rattlebone
Rattlebone
Rattlebone were a rock group from Los Angeles, USA.The original Rattlebone rose from the ashes of The Drills in Los Angeles, California in 1992. The group signed with Hollywood Records that same year...
. With Jerden at the helm, they released a 5-song EP in 1992 and recorder a full-length LP in 1993/94 that was never released. McNichol left Rattlebone in 1995 when the record label dropped the band in response to the Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
movement. The rest of the group split in 1996.
Backbiter
Muendel went on to briefly join a version of Circus Of Power ( RCA RecordsRCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
) and then spent three years in the L.A. punk group Backbiter, signed to Man's Ruin Records
Man's Ruin Records
Man's Ruin Records was an independent record label, owned and founded by Bay Area artist Frank Kozik. After the 1994 release of Man's Ruin's first record, entitled Experimental Audio Research : Delta 6, Kozik worked with artists who he wanted to release; he also designed all of the sleeve art for...
.
The Motor Primitives
Since 2006, Muendel has been playing organ and guitar in The Motor Primitives, a "pop punk" band based in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
featuring former members of Tar Babies
Tar Babies
Tar Babies was a band from Madison, Wisconsin, that released several albums on SST Records. They began their career as members of the Bloody Mattresses. This band split and became the Tar Babies and Imminent Attack. Released two EPs on their own Bone-Air Records and then graduated to the SST...
and The Appliances SFB. They have releases through Boat Records.
Writing
In 1998, Muendel left California to enter graduate school on the East coast and follow his other artistic pursuit - writing.Since earning a master's degree in writing, he has published several novels set in the world of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
including Beer Goggles And Amplifiers and The Volume Tribes.
His books often deal with themes within the world of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, and his work is often categorized as "Rock Lit". He is an editor for Maximum Ink Magazine and continues to play and record as an organist/keyboardist.
He currently works as an SEO and Online Marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
consultant, and currently holds the position of Director of Marketing at Broadjam.com
Broadjam
Broadjam is a US-based music community website, founded in September 1999. The service is aimed primarily at independent musicians. Users can interact with other artists, enter contests, and collaborate with peers through email, reviews, blogs and other social networking tools...
, a social media website focused on independent music.