Pure Rubbish
Encyclopedia
Pure Rubbish was a rock band
from Houston, Texas
from late 1995 to April 2003. The band's moniker was lifted from Mick Jagger's published opinion about the 1960s rock band Herman's Hermits
. Pure Rubbish had 3 records released between 1998 - 2001. The band also recorded a debut album produced by Mike Clink
entitled Glamorous Youth (2001) that never saw an official release.
The band played on multiple US and UK tours and were included on the Ozzfest 2001 tour in addition to opening shows for the likes of AC/DC
, Black Sabbath
, Motörhead, Nashville Pussy
, The Dictators
, Backyard Babies
, Supersuckers, Marilyn Manson
, and Linkin Park
.
Pure Rubbish appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin
, Billboard
, Guitar World
, Metal Edge
, Kerrang!
, etc. along with being seen on MTV
, VH1
, E!
, and on the 2002 MTV Movie Awards backing Kelly Osbourne
.
as well as stints in short lived bands including Cheetah Chrome Project with the former Dead Boys guitarist and Michael Bruce Band with the former Alice Cooper
Band guitarist. Willie Dunivan's earliest bands included the 1980s rock bands Apeshit and Hip Cat's Alley and he also played drums for the Houston 1990s punk band Stinkerbell. A charismatic frontman and great songwriter, Willie Dunivan was responsible for launching Pure Rubbish into reality. Musically, the Dunivan brothers were exposed to a wide range of influences. Their main influences were 1960s & 1970s rock, 1970s glam, and 1970s punk rock, but also absorbed the music of 1950s rock n roll, blues, r & b, and 1950s & 1960s country. These influences were culled from years of sifting through Willie's huge music collection. The band's sound was self labeled "trash rock" and "glam punk" and was a combination of all their musical influeces.
The band's first show on 12/9/1995 was a KISS
tribute concert with Personality Crisis
bassist Robin Geiger completing the lineup. Geiger played a few more shows with the band into 1996 lending his help until the band could find a full time bassist. After seeing Pure Rubbish at the Westheimer Street Festival
Morgan "Donor" Thompson at 14 years old was recruited to fill the bass position in summer 1996. Later that year Derek broke his arm and the band went on a temporarily hiatus.
Following the hiatus, the band made up for the lost time by gigging heavily around Texas in 1997 opening for many national acts. A friendship with the members of Nashville Pussy
resulted in Pure Rubbish opening for the band the following year on a summer east coast tour. (Derek and Evan could only tour in the summer due to still being in school) While in New York City
, the band met with A&R
executive Tom Zutaut (who signed Guns N' Roses
) which was the first time the band had any sort of major label interest. The band also released their first independent record Heavy Trash Day 7" EP / Tape in 1998 on Willie's own One Hit Records imprint. Morgan Thompson left the band later in 1998 and was replaced by Mike McWilliams on bass and Allan "Al G." Nelson on guitar. Both Mike and Al G. were from the recently transplanted Houston to Austin punk band Teen Cool. At this point Pure Rubbish had generated a minor buzz around the east coast and did another east coast tour in June and July 1999. The band booked a recording session with producer Daniel Rey (Ramones
, Misfits) in New York City while in town. The tour went well but a few months afterwards Al G. parted ways with the band. Later that year, the Daniel Rey recording session was released as the "Tejas Waste" CD EP, the band's second independent record also released on One Hit Records.
In early 2000, Pure Rubbish attended that year's South By Southwest
festival and met (current Motörhead and future Pure Rubbish manager) Todd Singerman at one of the festival's shows that included both Motörhead and Nashville Pussy
on the bill. March 2000 saw Jarrett "JT Trash" Gardner added to the band on guitar for the departed Al G. The meeting with Todd Singerman resulted in a June midwest tour with Pure Rubbish opening for the bands Motörhead, Nashville Pussy
, and the Supersuckers. The tour was the highest profile appearance for the band at that point.
Pure Rubbish headed out on their first west coast tour in July and Augest. On the first date of the tour in Los Angeles
, Todd Singerman brought A&R
coordinator Scott Givens (of Ozzy Osbourne's fledging Divine Recordings) out to see the band. On the strength of that show Pure Rubbish was courted by Divine. The rest of the tour was a success with Lemmy from Motörhead. Around this time Willie Dunivan passed the lead vocal duties to his son Derek who at 15 assumed the frontman role for the band.
Upon returning to Houston after the tour and on the request of Scott Givens and Lemmy, Sharon Osbourne
flew down to see the band play a showcase gig in October. Willie sang for the first half of the set followed by the new lineup of Derek - lead vocals / lead guitar, Evan -drums, Mike - bass / backing vocals, and Jarrett - rhythm guitar / backing vocals making their first live appearance without Willie. This show marked the first time Derek had sung lead vocals live. The showcase gig was well received and after negotiations, Pure Rubbish officially signed to Divine Recordings in November 2000.
who also produced Guns N' Roses
album Appetite for Destruction
). They later went to Los Angeles, California to finish the album at Rumbo Recorders studio from January through March 2001. After the album was completed the band headed back to Houston briefly, only to head back to L.A. to play some promotional showcase gigs. May 2001 saw the band play Ozzfest UK at Milton Keynes, England and three shows in London supporting Motörhead and the Backyard Babies.
Pure Rubbish toured that summer from June through Augest on the Second Stage of Ozzfest
2001 headlined by Black Sabbath
. The tour helped expose the band to new fans along with having segments aired on MTV’s You Hear It First program and VH1’s The Rock Show, but was also a challenge as Pure Rubbish’s brand of rock n’ roll was out of step with the other bands. The band did win over many new fans that found their sound refreshing and called back to an era when hard rock was dangerous and real. In the middle of the tour Pure Rubbish flew over to Paris, France to play a high profile gig as opening bill on the AC/DC “Stiff Upper Lip Tour”. The show was a huge success and the band came back to the States reenergized to finish the rest of the Ozzfest 2001 tour. were 4 songs taken from the Glamorous Youth sessions and released as the S/T EP in August 2001 with different mixes of the songs. Shortly after Ozzfest that summer, the band’s debut full-length album Glamorous Youth was slated for release but was delayed because the label thought the production was too dated.
In 2002, the band continued to play shows while working on new material for a planned (at that time untitled) new album to be recorded consisting of some of the songs recorded for Glamorous Youth along with the band’s newly written songs. They were frustrated over the Mike Clink produced Glamorous Youth album being shelved, but were anxious to record their new songs and start touring again. Again, the release date for the new album was pushed back to summer / fall 2002. Roadrunner Records
was to fund the recording of the new album and the producer chosen was Ed Stasium
(Ramones
, Misfits). Roadrunner thought they could give the songs and album a more modern day production job, which they felt would ensure the album better success. In June 2002 the band (on Sharon Osbourne’s behalf) journeyed to L.A. staying for a month and appeared as Kelly Osbourne’s backing band on the 2002 MTV Movie Awards and the yearly Wango Tango concert. After backing Kelly, Pure Rubbish went into EMI
Studios to record demos for Roadrunner Records. However, only demos of newer songs the band had been working on from mid 2001 - mid 2002 were recorded. A feature article in "Rolling Stone" magazine surfaced that July, which chronicled Pure Rubbish’s tour escapades through the eyes of the youngest band to ever play on Ozzfest.
Upon returning to Houston in July, the band dropped most of the old Glamorous Youth songs and even the newer demos they had recorded for Roadrunner in favor of music that was quite different from the songs the band had been playing only months before. Pure Rubbish’s sound was changing drastically and the band pitched many of the self - produced demos to Roadrunner. Needless to say, Roadrunner (as well as the band’s managers) were confused over the band’s sudden new change in musical direction. Roadrunner wanted the band to keep their original hard rock style and conflicts arose regarding which songs to record for a debut (to the public) full length Pure Rubbish album. Roadrunner would sign the band only if the band they agreed to continue with their original sound. The band were unwilling to meet Roadrunner’s terms and this disagreement led to the demise of the Roadrunner deal. Pure Rubbish continued from mid 2002 into the early months of 2003 but internal musical differences eventually split the band into two different camps concerning what they wanted to do musically. Derek and Evan wanted to create an original sound drawing from (their now key influences) the Beatles, David Bowie, and Radiohead, while Mike and Jarrett wanted to continue playing no frills rock n’ roll.
Pure Rubbish officially split up in April 2003 with Derek and Evan continuing to pursue their musical aspirations in their band Penny Royal (band), and Mike and Jarrett forming the Urgencies in summer 2003 with Al G. and Shawn.
(Mike McWilliams, Allan Nelson, and Shawn Peters had all previously played together in their teen years in the Houston punk band, The Creeps and Teen Cool between 1994-2002. Before playing in Pure Rubbish, Jarrett Gardner previously played in his Houston punk bands, The Green Goblins and The Baysides between 1998–2000)
After the breakup of Pure Rubbish in April 2003, Derek Dunivan and his dad Willie Dunivan both toured the country with New York Dolls
guitarist Sylvain Sylvain in July 2003. Derek was recruited on bass and Willie was recruited on additional vocals.
Derek Dunivan was featured in the book "Uncommon Sound" (2006) written by John Engel specifically about left-handed guitar players.
Pure Rubbish #2: (1996–1998)
Pure Rubbish #3: (1998–1999)
Pure Rubbish #4: (1999–2000)
Pure Rubbish #5: (2000–2003)
(Produced by Pure Rubbish. Recorded at Studio 11, Houston, TX, 1998.)
Songs
Personnel
(Produced by Daniel Rey. Recorded at Baby Monster Studios, NYC, July 1999.)
Songs
Personnel
(Produced by Mike Clink. Mixed by John Travis.)
(Includes alternate mixes different from the versions on the album “Glamorous Youth”.)
Songs
Personnel
(Produced by Mike Clink. Mastered by Dave Collins. Recorded at Digital Services Recording Studio, Houston, TX, and Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, CA, December 2000 - March 2001.)
Songs
Bonus Tracks
Glamorous Youth Outtakes
Studio Recordings (2001–2002)
Personnel
, Guns N' Roses
, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith
, New York Dolls
, Johnny Thunders
, Ramones
, Dogs D'Amour
, AC/DC
, Dead Boys, Stiv Bators
, KISS
, The Clash
, T. Rex
, the Beatles
, Cheap Trick
, David Bowie
, Sex Pistols
, Prince
, Thin Lizzy
, Wildhearts, Mötley Crüe
, Queen
, Joneses, Hangmen, Led Zeppelin
, D Generation
, Generation X
, Jimi Hendrix
, Ted Nugent
, UFO
, among others.
Members of Pure Rubbish later played in
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
from Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
from late 1995 to April 2003. The band's moniker was lifted from Mick Jagger's published opinion about the 1960s rock band Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
. Pure Rubbish had 3 records released between 1998 - 2001. The band also recorded a debut album produced by Mike Clink
Mike Clink
Mike Clink is a record producer who started his career as an engineer at Record Plant Studios, recording such bands as Triumph, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, UFO , Jefferson Starship, The Babys, Heart, Eddie Money and many others.Clink began producing in 1986...
entitled Glamorous Youth (2001) that never saw an official release.
The band played on multiple US and UK tours and were included on the Ozzfest 2001 tour in addition to opening shows for the likes of AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Motörhead, Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their musical style mixes boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock 'n' roll...
, The Dictators
The Dictators
The Dictators are an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio...
, Backyard Babies
Backyard Babies
Backyard Babies are a rock band, from Nässjö, Sweden. The band was formed in 1987 and over the years they have released five studio albums and won a Swedish Grammy. The band is now located in Stockholm, Sweden....
, Supersuckers, Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
, and Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
.
Pure Rubbish appeared in publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
, Metal Edge
Metal Edge
Metal Edge was a magazine covering heavy metal music published by Zenbu Media. It was founded in the summer of 1985, during the height of Glam metal's success.Both Metal Edge and its sister publication, Metal Maniacs, ceased operations in 2009....
, Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, etc. along with being seen on 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....
, VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
, E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
, and on the 2002 MTV Movie Awards backing Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Osbourne
Kelly Michelle Lee Osbourne is an English media personality, television personality, host, judge, fashion designer, singer, and actress, best known for being the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne...
.
Early Years (1995 - 2000)
Pure Rubbish began in 1995 when brothers Derek (guitar) and Evan (drums) Dunivan were only 11 and 9 years old. The young Dunivan brothers were self-taught musicians and learned to play their instruments by listening to records. They recruited their dad Willie Dunivan on lead vocals in late 1995. Willie Dunivan, at 34, was already a veteran musician of the local Houston music scene with his own band Personality CrisisPersonality crisis
Personality crisis may refer to:* Identity crisis , undeveloped or confused identity* Midlife crisis* "Personality Crisis", a song by the New York Dolls* Personality Crisis * Personality Crisis , by The Bear Quartet...
as well as stints in short lived bands including Cheetah Chrome Project with the former Dead Boys guitarist and Michael Bruce Band with the former Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
Band guitarist. Willie Dunivan's earliest bands included the 1980s rock bands Apeshit and Hip Cat's Alley and he also played drums for the Houston 1990s punk band Stinkerbell. A charismatic frontman and great songwriter, Willie Dunivan was responsible for launching Pure Rubbish into reality. Musically, the Dunivan brothers were exposed to a wide range of influences. Their main influences were 1960s & 1970s rock, 1970s glam, and 1970s punk rock, but also absorbed the music of 1950s rock n roll, blues, r & b, and 1950s & 1960s country. These influences were culled from years of sifting through Willie's huge music collection. The band's sound was self labeled "trash rock" and "glam punk" and was a combination of all their musical influeces.
The band's first show on 12/9/1995 was a KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
tribute concert with Personality Crisis
Personality crisis
Personality crisis may refer to:* Identity crisis , undeveloped or confused identity* Midlife crisis* "Personality Crisis", a song by the New York Dolls* Personality Crisis * Personality Crisis , by The Bear Quartet...
bassist Robin Geiger completing the lineup. Geiger played a few more shows with the band into 1996 lending his help until the band could find a full time bassist. After seeing Pure Rubbish at the Westheimer Street Festival
Westheimer Street Festival
The Westheimer Street Festival was a community street fair held bi-annually in Houston, Texas, United States from approximately 1971 to 2004.-Community context:...
Morgan "Donor" Thompson at 14 years old was recruited to fill the bass position in summer 1996. Later that year Derek broke his arm and the band went on a temporarily hiatus.
Following the hiatus, the band made up for the lost time by gigging heavily around Texas in 1997 opening for many national acts. A friendship with the members of Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their musical style mixes boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock 'n' roll...
resulted in Pure Rubbish opening for the band the following year on a summer east coast tour. (Derek and Evan could only tour in the summer due to still being in school) While in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the band met with A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
executive Tom Zutaut (who signed Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
) which was the first time the band had any sort of major label interest. The band also released their first independent record Heavy Trash Day 7" EP / Tape in 1998 on Willie's own One Hit Records imprint. Morgan Thompson left the band later in 1998 and was replaced by Mike McWilliams on bass and Allan "Al G." Nelson on guitar. Both Mike and Al G. were from the recently transplanted Houston to Austin punk band Teen Cool. At this point Pure Rubbish had generated a minor buzz around the east coast and did another east coast tour in June and July 1999. The band booked a recording session with producer Daniel Rey (Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Misfits) in New York City while in town. The tour went well but a few months afterwards Al G. parted ways with the band. Later that year, the Daniel Rey recording session was released as the "Tejas Waste" CD EP, the band's second independent record also released on One Hit Records.
In early 2000, Pure Rubbish attended that year's South By Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival and met (current Motörhead and future Pure Rubbish manager) Todd Singerman at one of the festival's shows that included both Motörhead and Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their musical style mixes boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock 'n' roll...
on the bill. March 2000 saw Jarrett "JT Trash" Gardner added to the band on guitar for the departed Al G. The meeting with Todd Singerman resulted in a June midwest tour with Pure Rubbish opening for the bands Motörhead, Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American hard rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Their musical style mixes boogie rock, Southern metal and psychobilly. Much of the band's lyrical themes mostly revolve around sex, drugs, drinking, fighting, and rock 'n' roll...
, and the Supersuckers. The tour was the highest profile appearance for the band at that point.
Pure Rubbish headed out on their first west coast tour in July and Augest. On the first date of the tour 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...
, Todd Singerman brought A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
coordinator Scott Givens (of Ozzy Osbourne's fledging Divine Recordings) out to see the band. On the strength of that show Pure Rubbish was courted by Divine. The rest of the tour was a success with Lemmy from Motörhead. Around this time Willie Dunivan passed the lead vocal duties to his son Derek who at 15 assumed the frontman role for the band.
Upon returning to Houston after the tour and on the request of Scott Givens and Lemmy, Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
flew down to see the band play a showcase gig in October. Willie sang for the first half of the set followed by the new lineup of Derek - lead vocals / lead guitar, Evan -drums, Mike - bass / backing vocals, and Jarrett - rhythm guitar / backing vocals making their first live appearance without Willie. This show marked the first time Derek had sung lead vocals live. The showcase gig was well received and after negotiations, Pure Rubbish officially signed to Divine Recordings in November 2000.
Later Years (2001 - 2003)
In December 2000, Pure Rubbish entered Digital Recordings in Houston to record their debut album, Glamorous Youth (produced by Mike ClinkMike Clink
Mike Clink is a record producer who started his career as an engineer at Record Plant Studios, recording such bands as Triumph, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, UFO , Jefferson Starship, The Babys, Heart, Eddie Money and many others.Clink began producing in 1986...
who also produced Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
album Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction
Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released in July 1987 on Geffen Records. It was well-received by critics and topped the American Billboard 200 chart...
). They later went to Los Angeles, California to finish the album at Rumbo Recorders studio from January through March 2001. After the album was completed the band headed back to Houston briefly, only to head back to L.A. to play some promotional showcase gigs. May 2001 saw the band play Ozzfest UK at Milton Keynes, England and three shows in London supporting Motörhead and the Backyard Babies.
Pure Rubbish toured that summer from June through Augest on the Second Stage of Ozzfest
Ozzfest
Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...
2001 headlined by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
. The tour helped expose the band to new fans along with having segments aired on MTV’s You Hear It First program and VH1’s The Rock Show, but was also a challenge as Pure Rubbish’s brand of rock n’ roll was out of step with the other bands. The band did win over many new fans that found their sound refreshing and called back to an era when hard rock was dangerous and real. In the middle of the tour Pure Rubbish flew over to Paris, France to play a high profile gig as opening bill on the AC/DC “Stiff Upper Lip Tour”. The show was a huge success and the band came back to the States reenergized to finish the rest of the Ozzfest 2001 tour. were 4 songs taken from the Glamorous Youth sessions and released as the S/T EP in August 2001 with different mixes of the songs. Shortly after Ozzfest that summer, the band’s debut full-length album Glamorous Youth was slated for release but was delayed because the label thought the production was too dated.
In 2002, the band continued to play shows while working on new material for a planned (at that time untitled) new album to be recorded consisting of some of the songs recorded for Glamorous Youth along with the band’s newly written songs. They were frustrated over the Mike Clink produced Glamorous Youth album being shelved, but were anxious to record their new songs and start touring again. Again, the release date for the new album was pushed back to summer / fall 2002. Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
was to fund the recording of the new album and the producer chosen was Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium
Ed Stasium is an American record producer and engineer who has worked on albums by The Ramones, Talking Heads, The Smithereens and Living Colour.- History :Stasium first surfaced in 1970 fronting the band Brandywine, appearing on their sole LP Aged....
(Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Misfits). Roadrunner thought they could give the songs and album a more modern day production job, which they felt would ensure the album better success. In June 2002 the band (on Sharon Osbourne’s behalf) journeyed to L.A. staying for a month and appeared as Kelly Osbourne’s backing band on the 2002 MTV Movie Awards and the yearly Wango Tango concert. After backing Kelly, Pure Rubbish went into EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
Studios to record demos for Roadrunner Records. However, only demos of newer songs the band had been working on from mid 2001 - mid 2002 were recorded. A feature article in "Rolling Stone" magazine surfaced that July, which chronicled Pure Rubbish’s tour escapades through the eyes of the youngest band to ever play on Ozzfest.
Upon returning to Houston in July, the band dropped most of the old Glamorous Youth songs and even the newer demos they had recorded for Roadrunner in favor of music that was quite different from the songs the band had been playing only months before. Pure Rubbish’s sound was changing drastically and the band pitched many of the self - produced demos to Roadrunner. Needless to say, Roadrunner (as well as the band’s managers) were confused over the band’s sudden new change in musical direction. Roadrunner wanted the band to keep their original hard rock style and conflicts arose regarding which songs to record for a debut (to the public) full length Pure Rubbish album. Roadrunner would sign the band only if the band they agreed to continue with their original sound. The band were unwilling to meet Roadrunner’s terms and this disagreement led to the demise of the Roadrunner deal. Pure Rubbish continued from mid 2002 into the early months of 2003 but internal musical differences eventually split the band into two different camps concerning what they wanted to do musically. Derek and Evan wanted to create an original sound drawing from (their now key influences) the Beatles, David Bowie, and Radiohead, while Mike and Jarrett wanted to continue playing no frills rock n’ roll.
Pure Rubbish officially split up in April 2003 with Derek and Evan continuing to pursue their musical aspirations in their band Penny Royal (band), and Mike and Jarrett forming the Urgencies in summer 2003 with Al G. and Shawn.
(Mike McWilliams, Allan Nelson, and Shawn Peters had all previously played together in their teen years in the Houston punk band, The Creeps and Teen Cool between 1994-2002. Before playing in Pure Rubbish, Jarrett Gardner previously played in his Houston punk bands, The Green Goblins and The Baysides between 1998–2000)
After the breakup of Pure Rubbish in April 2003, Derek Dunivan and his dad Willie Dunivan both toured the country with New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
guitarist Sylvain Sylvain in July 2003. Derek was recruited on bass and Willie was recruited on additional vocals.
Derek Dunivan was featured in the book "Uncommon Sound" (2006) written by John Engel specifically about left-handed guitar players.
Members
Pure Rubbish #1: (1995–1996)- Wille Dunivan: Lead Vocals
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Larry Cooper: Rhythm / Lead Guitar
- Robin Geiger: Bass
Pure Rubbish #2: (1996–1998)
- Willie Dunivan: Lead Vocals
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Morgan “Donor” Thompson: Bass
Pure Rubbish #3: (1998–1999)
- Willie Dunivan: Lead Vocals
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Mike McWilliams: Bass
- Allan “Al G.” Nelson: Guitar
Pure Rubbish #4: (1999–2000)
- Wille Dunivan: Vocals
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Mike McWilliams: Bass
- Jarrett “JT Trash” Gardner: Rhythm Guitar
Pure Rubbish #5: (2000–2003)
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Mike McWilliams: Bass, Vocals
- Jarrett “JT Trash” Gardner: Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Singles
- Heavy Trash Day EP 7" / Tape (One Hit Records, 1998, OHR-002, 1000 Copies Pressed)
(Produced by Pure Rubbish. Recorded at Studio 11, Houston, TX, 1998.)
Songs
- Maximum Boy
- You're Mental
- Thunder's Roar
- Born To Lose (Thunders)
Personnel
- Willie Dunivan: Lead Vocals
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Morgan “Donor” Thompson: Bass
- Tejas Waste EP CD (One Hit Records, 1999, OHR-003, 1000 Copies Pressed)
(Produced by Daniel Rey. Recorded at Baby Monster Studios, NYC, July 1999.)
Songs
- Johnny Attitude
- Annoying Customer
- Parts Unknown
- You're Mental
- Maximum Boy
- Whole Lotta Rosie (Young, Young, Scott)
Personnel
- Willie Dunivan: Lead Vocals
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Mike McWilliams: Bass
- Allan “Al G.” Nelson: Guitar
- S/T EP CD (Divine / Priority Records, 2001, DPRO-81547)
(Produced by Mike Clink. Mixed by John Travis.)
(Includes alternate mixes different from the versions on the album “Glamorous Youth”.)
Songs
- Kiss of Death
- Electric Heart
- Parts Unknown
- Let There Be Rock (Young, Young, Scott)
Personnel
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Mike McWilliams: Bass, Vocals
- Jarrett “JT Trash” Gardner: Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Albums
- Glamorous Youth Full Length Album CD (Divine / Priority Records, 2001, 50166-2)
(Produced by Mike Clink. Mastered by Dave Collins. Recorded at Digital Services Recording Studio, Houston, TX, and Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, CA, December 2000 - March 2001.)
Songs
- Kiss Of Death
- Second Hand
- Parts Unknown
- Johnny Attitude
- You’re Mental
- Jetsetter
- Hey Mr. Taylor
- Let There Be Rock (Young, Young, Scott)
- Don’t Close Your Heart (On Me)
- Electric Heart
- Those Days Are Gone
- Kings Of Sleaze
Bonus Tracks
Glamorous Youth Outtakes
- Nothin’ Goes Right
- Rock N’ Roll Forever
- Johnny Attitude (with piano)
- Nothin’ Goes Right (with piano)
Studio Recordings (2001–2002)
- Cant Take No More (Early Version)
- Give It Away
- (My My) She’s Blind
- Can’t Take No More
- Comfortable Distance
- Burn My Brain
- Sense Of Good Intentions
- Kiss Of Death (Live at Ozzfest 2001)
- Lie, Cheat, And Steal (Live in Houston, TX 11/30/2001)
- Radio Interview (2002)
Personnel
- Derek Dunivan: Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
- Evan Dunivan: Drums
- Mike McWilliams: Bass, Vocals
- Jarrett “JT Trash” Gardner: Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Compilations
- "You're Mental" on A Fistful Of Rock 'N' Roll Volume 5 CD (Tee Pee Records, 2000, TP-025)
- "Kiss Of Death" (Live) on Ozzfest 2001 The Second Millennium CD (Divine / Priority Records, 2001, EK - 85950)
- "Electric Heart" on Mad Mike Jones Presents Mototrax 1 CD (Divine / Sanctuary Records, 2002, 84558)
Influences
Pure Rubbish influences included the rock bands Hanoi RocksHanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979, whose most successful period came in the early 1980s. The band broke up in 1985 after the death of their drummer, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley...
, Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
, Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
, Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, Dogs D'Amour
Dogs D'Amour
The Dogs D'Amour were a rock and roll band formed in 1983 in London, England. Over the years the band has had various line-ups, the only constant being vocalist Tyla....
, AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
, Dead Boys, Stiv Bators
Stiv Bators
Stiv Bators , was an American punk rockvocalist and guitarist from Youngstown, Ohio. He is best remembered for his bands, The Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church.- Music and film career :...
, KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, T. Rex
T. Rex (band)
T. Rex were a British rock band, formed in 1967 by singer/songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band formed as Tyrannosaurus Rex, releasing four folk albums under the name...
, the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
, Wildhearts, Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Joneses, Hangmen, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, D Generation
D Generation
D Generation are an American glam punk band formed in 1991 in New York City. The band broke up in 1999, but will reunite in 2011 for shows. During its history the band released three albums, to much critical acclaim...
, Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
, UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
, among others.
Related Bands
Members of Pure Rubbish have previously played in- Apeshit
- Hip Cat's Alley
- Personality Crisis (1990–1995)
- Humungus (ex- members of Verbal AbuseVerbal AbuseVerbal Abuse is a hardcore punk band, originally from Houston, Texas, but which became successful after moving to San Francisco.Verbal Abuse was started in Houston, Texas in 1981 after singer and songwriter Nicki Sicki quit the band Sick Pleasure and moved to Virginia, then back to Texas when he...
and Sick Pleasure) - Cheetah Chrome Project (Dead Boys)
- Michael Bruce Band (Alice CooperAlice CooperAlice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
Band) - Stinkerbell
- The Creeps
- Teen Cool (1994–2002)
- Green Goblins (1998–1999)
- The Baysides (1999–2000)
Members of Pure Rubbish later played in
- Sylvain SylvainSylvain SylvainSylvain Sylvain is an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
Band (New York DollsNew York DollsThe New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
) - Trashcan Punch
- The Richie Whites
- The Ends
- The Materialistics
- The Urgencies
- The Forgotten Boys (later bands included - Tattered Thieves, Wrist Slits)
- Sister Devastation (later bands included - Arcane Flowers, Lady Wreckless, Baby Starjet)
- Backalley Sluts (later bands included - Ginslingers)
- The Alley Queens
- The Modern Kicks
- The Blood Runners
- The Bad Luck Charms (ex-members of Shattered Faith)
- Penny Royal
- Alpha RevAlpha RevAlpha Rev is an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas, fronted by Casey McPherson .-History:Casey McPherson started Alpha Rev in 2005 after the breakup of his previous band Endochine, which had toured with Staind, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pete Yorn and Bob Schneider.Alpha Rev released...
- Highway To Hell (AC/DCAC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
Tribute Band)
Sources
- Rolling Stone Magazine (2002). "Munchkins In The Land Of Ozz". Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- Houston Press (2002). "Glamorous Youth". Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- Houston Press (1997). "Young Punks". Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- Houston Headline (2000). "Pure Rubbish" Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- Houston Headline (2000). "Pure Rubbish" Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- Little Cracked Egg (1998). "This Ain't The Partridge Family, It's Pure Rubbish" Retrieved August 16, 2006.suck