One Day as a Lion
Encyclopedia
One Day As A Lion is a music project that was started in 2008 by Zack de la Rocha
, the vocalist of Rage Against the Machine
and Jon Theodore
, former drummer of The Mars Volta
. The duo blends elements of rock
, rap
, and punk
. One Day as a Lion released their eponymous debut EP
in July 2008.
and Elvin Jones
. The duo first started playing together at a mutual friends rehearsal room with Theodore on drums and de la Rocha playing an old Rhodes
Mark 1 keyboard through a delay pedal
and an old metal amplifier. The band's name was taken from an infamous black and white graffiti
photograph taken by Chicano
photographer George Rodriguez in 1970 reading "It's better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb." This comes from a minatory slogan popular during the 1930s in Fascist Italy
, "Better one day as a lion than a hundred days as a sheep." The saying is an allusion to Psalms
84:10, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere." The band had soon written a number of songs and signed with Bad Religion
guitarist and co-founder Brett Gurewitz
's record label ANTI-
.
On July 16, 2008, the song "Wild International
" was made available to stream on the band's MySpace
profile and was given its Australian radio premiere by Triple J
and American radio premiere by KROQ
. The band's eponymous debut EP
was released on July 18, 2008 in Australia and four days later in the US, and was also released on iTunes
. The vinyl version was released on October 7, 2008. The EP placed as the 28 album of the week, selling 17,000 copies in its first week. The album has sold extremely well for a five track EP.
On 11 August 2008, de la Rocha spoke to the Los Angeles Times
about the new project, his first interview in over eight years. He revealed that a full-length album was scheduled for an Autumn 2008 release, and stated that they "want to play shows and be a band and go out and start some noise". He also mentions adding members to the group, revealing "We're still in the process of forming as a band - we need a keyboard player, I'm not good enough to do it all myself - so that will be rectified soon".
On June 1, 2010, One Day as a Lion announced that they would play their first festival show at the Fuji Rock Festival
in July via MySpace. On July 17 and 18, the band performed live for the first time in Pomona
, California
aided with Joey Karam
of The Locust
on keys. It is currently unclear whether Karam has become a permanent member of the group. It has also been confirmed that the group are nationally touring Australia
with the Soundwave Festival early 2011 as the third headliner, after Iron Maiden
and Queens Of The Stone Age
. The group has also been confirmed to perform on Saturday of the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
In an interview with Jon Theodore in January 2011, drummer confirmed among other things, an upcoming album and the official participation of Joey Karam in the band.
One Day as a Lion performed one sideshow gig on their Australian tour, held in Melbourne
for the Queensland flood relief
. 100% of the show's proceeds went towards the devastated state.
s
Singles
Zack de la Rocha
Zacarías Manuel "Zack" de la Rocha is an American rapper, musician, poet, and activist best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine.-Early life and childhood:...
, the vocalist of Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
and Jon Theodore
Jon Theodore
Jon Philip Theodore is a drummer, formerly a member of The Mars Volta. He has become best known for his explosive, multi-textural and dynamic playing style.-History:...
, former drummer of The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
. The duo blends elements of rock
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...
, rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
, and punk
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...
. One Day as a Lion released their eponymous debut EP
One Day as a Lion (EP)
One Day as a Lion is the eponymous debut EP by One Day as a Lion, the musical duo consisting of Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha on vocals/keyboard and Jon Theodore, formerly of The Mars Volta, on drums. The mixing for the album was done by Mario C.On July 16 the track "Wild...
in July 2008.
History
Zack de la Rocha had known Jon Theodore for several years before the band was formed and was very impressed with his skills as a drummer, comparing him to John BonhamJohn Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
and Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones
Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
. The duo first started playing together at a mutual friends rehearsal room with Theodore on drums and de la Rocha playing an old Rhodes
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
Mark 1 keyboard through a delay pedal
Delay (audio effect)
Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
and an old metal amplifier. The band's name was taken from an infamous black and white graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
photograph taken by Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
photographer George Rodriguez in 1970 reading "It's better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb." This comes from a minatory slogan popular during the 1930s in Fascist Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, "Better one day as a lion than a hundred days as a sheep." The saying is an allusion to Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
84:10, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere." The band had soon written a number of songs and signed with Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
guitarist and co-founder Brett Gurewitz
Brett Gurewitz
Brett W. Gurewitz , nicknamed Mr. Brett, is the guitarist and a songwriter of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and sister-labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records...
's record label ANTI-
ANTI-
ANTI- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label of Epitaph Records.While Epitaph's focus has shifted over the last decade from mostly punk rock, nowadays ANTI- has a more diverse roster, ranging from country , hip hop , reggae , Soul , folk , rap-rock , indie rock...
.
On July 16, 2008, the song "Wild International
Wild International
"Wild International" is the first track and single from One Day as a Lion's self-titled five track EP. This track was first revealed on July 16. It was made available to stream on . On the same day the song was premiered by the influential L.A. radio station KROQ-FM and on Australian radio...
" was made available to stream on the band's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile and was given its Australian radio premiere by Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
and American radio premiere by KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
. The band's eponymous debut EP
One Day as a Lion (EP)
One Day as a Lion is the eponymous debut EP by One Day as a Lion, the musical duo consisting of Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha on vocals/keyboard and Jon Theodore, formerly of The Mars Volta, on drums. The mixing for the album was done by Mario C.On July 16 the track "Wild...
was released on July 18, 2008 in Australia and four days later in the US, and was also released on iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. The vinyl version was released on October 7, 2008. The EP placed as the 28 album of the week, selling 17,000 copies in its first week. The album has sold extremely well for a five track EP.
On 11 August 2008, de la Rocha spoke to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
about the new project, his first interview in over eight years. He revealed that a full-length album was scheduled for an Autumn 2008 release, and stated that they "want to play shows and be a band and go out and start some noise". He also mentions adding members to the group, revealing "We're still in the process of forming as a band - we need a keyboard player, I'm not good enough to do it all myself - so that will be rectified soon".
On June 1, 2010, One Day as a Lion announced that they would play their first festival show at the Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The 3 day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan...
in July via MySpace. On July 17 and 18, the band performed live for the first time in Pomona
Pomona
Pomona was a goddess of fruitful abundance in ancient Roman religion and myth. Her name comes from the Latin word pomum, "fruit," specifically orchard fruit. She was said to be a wood nymph and a part of the Numia, guardian spirits who watch over people, places, or homes...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
aided with Joey Karam
The Locust
The Locust is a musical group from San Diego, California, United States known for their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness.- Style :...
of The Locust
The Locust
The Locust is a musical group from San Diego, California, United States known for their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness.- Style :...
on keys. It is currently unclear whether Karam has become a permanent member of the group. It has also been confirmed that the group are nationally touring Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with the Soundwave Festival early 2011 as the third headliner, after Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
and Queens Of The Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
. The group has also been confirmed to perform on Saturday of the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
In an interview with Jon Theodore in January 2011, drummer confirmed among other things, an upcoming album and the official participation of Joey Karam in the band.
One Day as a Lion performed one sideshow gig on their Australian tour, held in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
for the Queensland flood relief
2010–2011 Queensland floods
A series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least seventy towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was...
. 100% of the show's proceeds went towards the devastated state.
Members
- Zack de la RochaZack de la RochaZacarías Manuel "Zack" de la Rocha is an American rapper, musician, poet, and activist best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine.-Early life and childhood:...
; vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jon TheodoreJon TheodoreJon Philip Theodore is a drummer, formerly a member of The Mars Volta. He has become best known for his explosive, multi-textural and dynamic playing style.-History:...
; drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Joey KaramJoey KaramJoseph Karam is an American musician known for singing and playing keyboard/synth in The Locust and also formerly was the drummer of the band Le Shok, as well as voaclist for hard core straight edge band Resist....
; keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
Discography
EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Ind |
||
| 2008 | One Day as a Lion One Day as a Lion (EP) One Day as a Lion is the eponymous debut EP by One Day as a Lion, the musical duo consisting of Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha on vocals/keyboard and Jon Theodore, formerly of The Mars Volta, on drums. The mixing for the album was done by Mario C.On July 16 the track "Wild...
|
28 | 3 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
||||||||
| 2008 | "Wild International Wild International "Wild International" is the first track and single from One Day as a Lion's self-titled five track EP. This track was first revealed on July 16. It was made available to stream on . On the same day the song was premiered by the influential L.A. radio station KROQ-FM and on Australian radio... " |
20 | 6 | One Day as a Lion | |||||
| "One Day as a Lion" | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||