Possum Dixon
Encyclopedia
Possum Dixon was an American
alternative rock
band. Fronted by singer/songwriter/bassist Rob Zabrecky
, the group's neo-new wave
pop and post punk style first appeared among a string of early independently released 7 inch singles and on their self-titled debut on Interscope Records
in 1993. Zabrecky's lyrical content often described love lost and slacker life in Los Angeles
.
. Initially performing as a duo, they mixed haphazard punk-folk compositions with store-front theatre to some measurable success, primarily performing at LA art/coffeehouses (Bebop Records & Fine Art, Jabberjaw, Pik-Me-Up). The following year, longtime friends and former schoolmates Robert O’Sullivan (guitar/organ/keyboards) and Rich Truel (drums) were enlisted and together a fuller musical range was explored. Chronicling their hometown's east side slacker life with a pop-rock sensibility, the band incorporated influences from the Talking Heads
, Human Hands, Wall of Voodoo
, Dream Syndicate
and Camper Van Beethoven
.
By 1992 Possum Dixon had logged a number of mini-tours and produced a number self-released 7 inch singles and cassettes which included "Music for a One Bedroom Apartment", "Nerves", "Watch the Girl Destroy Me", and a three single box-set released by Pronto Records. Along the way a strong following was built and eventually the band found themselves part of a flowering art-infused, indie and coffeehouse scene in Los Angeles.
Secretly rehearsing by night in a warehouse (where Zabrecky worked as a mailroom clerk by day), hiding their equipment with boxes when they finished, the band diligently polished club-tested material and assembled what would become their first full length major label debut. They eventually found internal harmony without consciously trying. Chavez's disjointed guitar playing wasn't for lack of trying; O'Sullivan's piano crashes weren't for lack of talent. Truel's drumming and Zabrecky's spy-infused bass riffs were all part of a bigger picture about a band who found their own voice from the close confines of practice and proximity to each other in their daily lives. The band also wasn't without lending a helping hand. Beck
, a young anti-folk singer with nothing to his name but a beat-up guitar, would frequently get up on stage before the band played to test his latest material. Zabrecky later recorded a bass track on Beck's first Geffen release, Mellow Gold
.
(Band lineup is listed as R. Zabrecky, C. Chavez, R. Sullivan, B. Reynolds)
(The first two songs were later rerecorded for the 1993 Interscope debut LP.)
, based on the strength of their live performances and briefcase of club proven material. They sought famed LA producer Earle Mankey (Sparks
, 20/20, Concrete Blonde
, Three O’Clock) to polish a batch of spirited, frustrated songs chronicling office romances, drug use, and singlehood. When the CD was released, radio stations picked up "Watch the Girl Destroy Me". Aided by a steady flow of both radio airplay and MTV
airplay (the song's hit video), the track hit #9 on the Modern Rock Tracks
chart in the U.S.
What was initially thought of as an Interscope Records vanity project suddenly grew legs and caught the wildly successful label by surprise. Sales grew, quickly swelling to over 75,000 copies in just over few months. Spin magazine remarked:
The band immediately embarked upon a grueling tour schedule throughout the United States and Europe
, headlining and supporting groups such as the Dead Milkmen
, The Lemonheads
, Reverend Horton Heat, and Violent Femmes
, and receiving accolades along the way.
In 1994, as they were gaining momentum, Interscope refused to release a second single and video. At that time, Beck
and Weezer
were just starting to enter the charts and Possum Dixon found themselves passed over for a second chance at broader success. Within the band, recreational heroin use began to dangerously escalate as fewer people attended shows. As expected, CD sales quickly deflated and the band found themselves struggling to maintain recognition.
Track List:
, Zabrecky’s wife committed suicide from depression. The shock of the loss took a heavy toll on the whole band, exacerbating an already out of control drug issue.
During the sessions, the band replaced drummer Rich Truel with Byron Reynolds, who had served a brief tenure on drums prior to Truel. The band chose Boston producer Tim O'Heir (Sebadoh
, Folk Implosion, Superdrag
) to capture the band's emotional nadir by producing a dark, moody, New Wave
-ish pop album. Displaying some signs of song writing progression, the band couldn't deviate too far from their basic strength: stripped art-punk. The LP was a promising array of influences of 70s power pop to no-wave chaos, and again the critics were positive. Raygun magazine described the group as "a rough-yet polished band whose anguished pop songs and intelligent, esoteric lyrics are love themes for the dysfunctional 90s."
After a semi-uneventful touring schedule, the band released two EPs: Sunshine or Noir and Tropic of Celso, both displaying a more mature, fuller-sounding band. They also contributed a song to 1997's We Are Not DEVO cover album. Around this time Robert O'Sullivan, growing tired of what he perceived as inequitable songwriting credit and member drug problems, quit to pursue other interests.
, was released in 1998 and the group was pressured by the record company to deliver a hit single. During the process, the band enlisted the help of longtime friend and guitarist Matt Devine (Medicine, Permanent Green Light) and the production of The Cars
singer-songwriter Ric Ocasek
, who found clarity in a clean and sober Zabrecky. Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin
also provided backup on the song "Faultlines." Ultimately this produced an album that was more The Cars than Possum Dixon and overshadowed what the group was best known for. Following the release, the group became even more disillusioned and called it quits. The band will probably be remembered most by its distinguished spirit, unique song writing ability and new wave idealism.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band. Fronted by singer/songwriter/bassist Rob Zabrecky
Rob Zabrecky
Rob Zabrecky is an American songwriter, actor and magician. His career began as a musician while being the front man for the band Possum Dixon. He later found success as a magician and actor....
, the group's neo-new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
pop and post punk style first appeared among a string of early independently released 7 inch singles and on their self-titled debut on Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
in 1993. Zabrecky's lyrical content often described love lost and slacker life in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
History
Formed in 1989 by college friends Zabrecky and Celso Chavez (guitar), the pair took their name from a suspected murderer mentioned on television show America's Most WantedAmerica's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
. Initially performing as a duo, they mixed haphazard punk-folk compositions with store-front theatre to some measurable success, primarily performing at LA art/coffeehouses (Bebop Records & Fine Art, Jabberjaw, Pik-Me-Up). The following year, longtime friends and former schoolmates Robert O’Sullivan (guitar/organ/keyboards) and Rich Truel (drums) were enlisted and together a fuller musical range was explored. Chronicling their hometown's east side slacker life with a pop-rock sensibility, the band incorporated influences from the Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
, Human Hands, Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo was an American New Wave group from Los Angeles best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music with the spaghetti western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.-Formation:...
, Dream Syndicate
Dream Syndicate
The Dream Syndicate was an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California active from 1981 to 1989. The band was associated with the Paisley Underground music movement.-History:...
and Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven
Camper Van Beethoven is an American alternative rock group formed in Redlands, California in 1983.An eclectic band, Camper Van Beethoven mixes elements of pop, ska, punk rock, folk and alternative country, as well as various types of world music. Their aggressive musical pluralism created a...
.
By 1992 Possum Dixon had logged a number of mini-tours and produced a number self-released 7 inch singles and cassettes which included "Music for a One Bedroom Apartment", "Nerves", "Watch the Girl Destroy Me", and a three single box-set released by Pronto Records. Along the way a strong following was built and eventually the band found themselves part of a flowering art-infused, indie and coffeehouse scene in Los Angeles.
Secretly rehearsing by night in a warehouse (where Zabrecky worked as a mailroom clerk by day), hiding their equipment with boxes when they finished, the band diligently polished club-tested material and assembled what would become their first full length major label debut. They eventually found internal harmony without consciously trying. Chavez's disjointed guitar playing wasn't for lack of trying; O'Sullivan's piano crashes weren't for lack of talent. Truel's drumming and Zabrecky's spy-infused bass riffs were all part of a bigger picture about a band who found their own voice from the close confines of practice and proximity to each other in their daily lives. The band also wasn't without lending a helping hand. Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, a young anti-folk singer with nothing to his name but a beat-up guitar, would frequently get up on stage before the band played to test his latest material. Zabrecky later recorded a bass track on Beck's first Geffen release, Mellow Gold
Mellow Gold
Mellow Gold is the third studio album by American alternative rock musician Beck, as well as his major label debut. Mellow Gold was released on March 1, 1994 on the strength of the surprise hit "Loser"...
.
Possum Dixon EP
In 1991 the band released a self-titled, 5-song cassette.(Band lineup is listed as R. Zabrecky, C. Chavez, R. Sullivan, B. Reynolds)
- "Watch the Girl Destroy Me"
- "She Drives"
- "Question In My Mind"
- "Sister"
- "Stare Into The Sun"
(The first two songs were later rerecorded for the 1993 Interscope debut LP.)
Music for a One Bedroom Apartment box set
In 1992 Possum Dixon released a box set of singles through Pronto Records as 45rpm vinyl records. The box included colored photocopy paper inserts with images and titles for each disc. The band lineup is listed as "Rob Zabrecky - Vocals, Upright Bass; Celso Chavez - Hollow Guitar, Vocals on Blue Boss; Robert Sullivan - Solid Guitar, Steve P. - Drums".- Side A: "Watch the Girl Destroy Me"
- Side B: "Here She Comes"
- Side C: "I'm Not Trapped in Executive Slacks"
- Side D: "Stare Into the Sun"
- Side E: "Lies"
- Side F: "Blue Bossa"
Possum Dixon LP
In 1993 the band signed to Interscope RecordsInterscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
, based on the strength of their live performances and briefcase of club proven material. They sought famed LA producer Earle Mankey (Sparks
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
, 20/20, Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde is an alternative rock band based in the United States. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2004, and once again in 2010.-Biography:...
, Three O’Clock) to polish a batch of spirited, frustrated songs chronicling office romances, drug use, and singlehood. When the CD was released, radio stations picked up "Watch the Girl Destroy Me". Aided by a steady flow of both radio airplay and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
airplay (the song's hit video), the track hit #9 on the Modern Rock Tracks
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart in the U.S.
What was initially thought of as an Interscope Records vanity project suddenly grew legs and caught the wildly successful label by surprise. Sales grew, quickly swelling to over 75,000 copies in just over few months. Spin magazine remarked:
- "Zabrecky's new wave-noir vignettes are littered with overheard conversations, chattering radios, lucky numbers, and visitors from other planets - the markings of one man's attempt to make some sense out of postmodern chaos."
The band immediately embarked upon a grueling tour schedule throughout the United States and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, headlining and supporting groups such as the Dead Milkmen
Dead Milkmen
The Dead Milkmen is an American satirical punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman , guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro , bassist Dave Schulthise and drummer Dean Sabatino .Beginning within the local underground...
, The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band first formed in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member....
, Reverend Horton Heat, and Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
, and receiving accolades along the way.
In 1994, as they were gaining momentum, Interscope refused to release a second single and video. At that time, Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
were just starting to enter the charts and Possum Dixon found themselves passed over for a second chance at broader success. Within the band, recreational heroin use began to dangerously escalate as fewer people attended shows. As expected, CD sales quickly deflated and the band found themselves struggling to maintain recognition.
Track List:
- "Nerves"
- "In Buildings"
- "Watch The Girl Destroy Me"
- "She Drives"
- "We're All Happy"
- "Invisible"
- "Pharmaceutical Itch"
- "Executive Slacks"
- "Regina"
- "John Struck Lucy"
- "Elevators"
Star Maps LP
In the spring of 1995, as the group was recording their second Interscope release Star MapsStar Maps
Star Maps is the second album released by American alternative rock band Possum Dixon.It was released in 1996 on the Interscope Records.-Track listing:#Go West - 3:04#In Her Disco - 2:43...
, Zabrecky’s wife committed suicide from depression. The shock of the loss took a heavy toll on the whole band, exacerbating an already out of control drug issue.
During the sessions, the band replaced drummer Rich Truel with Byron Reynolds, who had served a brief tenure on drums prior to Truel. The band chose Boston producer Tim O'Heir (Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
, Folk Implosion, Superdrag
Superdrag
Superdrag is an alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The band had a hit with its 1996 single "Sucked Out" off their album Regretfully Yours, for which a video clip was broadcast regularly on MTV...
) to capture the band's emotional nadir by producing a dark, moody, New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
-ish pop album. Displaying some signs of song writing progression, the band couldn't deviate too far from their basic strength: stripped art-punk. The LP was a promising array of influences of 70s power pop to no-wave chaos, and again the critics were positive. Raygun magazine described the group as "a rough-yet polished band whose anguished pop songs and intelligent, esoteric lyrics are love themes for the dysfunctional 90s."
After a semi-uneventful touring schedule, the band released two EPs: Sunshine or Noir and Tropic of Celso, both displaying a more mature, fuller-sounding band. They also contributed a song to 1997's We Are Not DEVO cover album. Around this time Robert O'Sullivan, growing tired of what he perceived as inequitable songwriting credit and member drug problems, quit to pursue other interests.
New Sheets LP
What was to be their third and final effort, New SheetsNew Sheets
New Sheets is the third and final full-length album released by alternative rock band Possum Dixon. It was released in 1998 on Interscope Records.- Track listing :# Song From A Box - 0:48...
, was released in 1998 and the group was pressured by the record company to deliver a hit single. During the process, the band enlisted the help of longtime friend and guitarist Matt Devine (Medicine, Permanent Green Light) and the production of The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
singer-songwriter Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
, who found clarity in a clean and sober Zabrecky. Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin
Jane Wiedlin
Jane Marie Genevieve Wiedlin is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and actress. She is best known as the rhythm guitarist of the all-female New Wave band The Go-Go's.-Early life:...
also provided backup on the song "Faultlines." Ultimately this produced an album that was more The Cars than Possum Dixon and overshadowed what the group was best known for. Following the release, the group became even more disillusioned and called it quits. The band will probably be remembered most by its distinguished spirit, unique song writing ability and new wave idealism.
External links
- http://www.billboard.com/artist/possum-dixon/120181#/artist/possum-dixon/120181 Possum Dixon at Billboard
- http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/possum-dixon/515367 Possum Dixon at Artist Direct
- http://www.robzabrecky.com/ Rob Zabrecky (Possum Dixon Singer) Official Website
- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1884657/bio Rob Zabrecky on Internet Movie Database
- http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4629389-1.html New Sheets Article in Billboard
- http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4658698-1.html First Spaceland Show Featuring Possum Dixon, Beck and Foo Fighters
- http://www.laweekly.com/2003-07-24/news/rock-magicians LA Weekly Article Featuring Rob Zabrecky and Possum Dixon