Robin Black
Encyclopedia
Robin Black is a Canadian
glam rock
band, originally known as Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rock Stars, formed in 1998. The band's lead singer also uses Robin Black as his stage name
.
, performing with the band Ballroom Zombies. He moved to Toronto
in 1998 to form Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rock Stars. One of the band members he would find was Killer Ky (Ky Anto); a Canadian guitarist who had played with the band Sassy Scarlet as well as performing with Sylvain Sylvain
(New York Dolls
) and Michael Monroe
's (Hanoi Rocks
) solo groups. Killer Ky joined the band as bass player after the departure of original but short lived member Jackie Duncan. The band also included guitarist/ keyboard player Chris Cunnane aka Starboy, guitarist Stacey Stray and drummer Kevin Taylor. Stacey and Kevin joined the band when they left their previous Toronto
group, The Conscience Pilate, in 1998. In 2002 Stacey Stray left the band. Killer Ky switched to lead guitar and B.B. Mcqueen was added on bass.
The band released their first recording, a novelty CD single
cut in the shape of a star
, in 2000. The album Planet Fame, produced by Moe Berg
and Garth Richardson
, followed on February 14, 2002. It was filled with glam rock
tracks, led by the single "So Sick of You". A video for the single was also released.
Prior to the release of their second album, the band brought in two new members; Chris "The Kidd" Avolos on drums and John "The Creep" Kerns on bass. The 2005 album was named Instant Classic, and was produced by Bob Ezrin
along with Garth Richardson
. For this release the band's name was shortened to just Robin Black.
They toured extensively for this release, including the UK.
Frontman Robin also made an appearance on Showcase
's TV series KinK
. Black was also a judge on the 2006 Much Music VJ Search
. He holds a 2nd degree blackbelt in taekwondo
. Robin also won the 2008 Naga world championships. He now trains at Xtreme Couture in Toronto alongside with other fighters such as Mark Hominick
, Mark Bocek
, and Rob Di Censo.
Robin Black toured the U.K again across July and August 2008 with support from German glam rock band The Pleasures and British based Patchwork Grace. This tour culminated in a headline show at Trash Stock festival, Nottingham.
Somewhat scaled down in the makeup department, he now is a front-running Canadian MMA reporter and color-commentator on the Score and the face of the Fight Network.
1998-2002
ROBIN BLACK AND THE INTERGALACTIC ROCK STARS
2002-2003
ROBIN BLACK
2003-2006
2007-band hiatus
2008-see above for current line up
. In an early interview Robin was quoted as saying he felt safe traveling due to the security that the Taekwon-Do training gave him. He was featured on a MuchMusic
program titled "Robin Black: Cage Fighter". On the program, Black trained with mixed martial artists
Georges St. Pierre
, Sam Stout
, Mark Hominick
, Dan smith and Andrew Bradbury.
Black was also recently a guest commentator at an XMMA show in Montreal featuring David Loiseau
. This marked the first time that not only Robin did 'color' commentary for fights but also the first time a male commentator wore makeup while interviewing fighters. Robin has since been brought in to interview fighters in between rounds at Warrior-1 MMA - Inception.
Black's first professional televised match was against Chris "The Pitbull" Myra
, a tattoo artist in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, and MMA fighter.
Unfortunately for Black, Chris Myra was able to get the win, and beat Black. In his second professional match in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on November 28, 2008 he tapped out early in the first round to grappler Janz Stein. He scored his first win in the ring on February 6, 2009 against Moncton, NB native Stephane Poirier. Black choked Poirier with a triangle choke submission two minutes and fifty seven seconds into the first round of the bout.
Black and Poirier would later rematch for the first ELITE 135 pound Championship belt. Robin bettered his earlier performance against Poirier and was able to secure a rear naked choke to be crowned the first ever ELITE FC 135 pound Champion.
Robin next fought in Edmonton, AB at Adrenaline MMA against Corey Lautischer (1-1). Lautischer beat Black by guillotine choke to secure the win.
Robin then went on to defeat Matt Knysh via TKO in round 2 on February 5, 2010.
He then went on the fight against Eric Perez in which he lost via TKO in round 1 on June 4, 2010 in Winnipeg, MB.
Black's most recent fight was against Mike Reilly on Jan 28th, where he lost 57 seconds into the first round after Mike managed to trap him in an armbar. His current MMA record stands at 3-5. (W-L)
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
band, originally known as Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rock Stars, formed in 1998. The band's lead singer also uses Robin Black as his stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
.
History
Robin Black the frontman has previously lived in Pinawa, ManitobaPinawa, Manitoba
Pinawa is a small Canadian community of about 1500 residents located in southeastern Manitoba, 110 kilometres north-east of Winnipeg. The town is situated on the Canadian Shield within the western boundary of Whiteshell Provincial Park, which lies near the Manitoba-Ontario provincial boundary...
, performing with the band Ballroom Zombies. He moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1998 to form Robin Black and the Intergalactic Rock Stars. One of the band members he would find was Killer Ky (Ky Anto); a Canadian guitarist who had played with the band Sassy Scarlet as well as performing with Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Sylvain
Sylvain Sylvain is an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
(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...
) and Michael Monroe
Michael Monroe
Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm , best known by his stage name, Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician, and multi-instrumentalist who rose to fame as the vocalist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, and has served as the frontman for all-star side projects, such as Demolition 23...
's (Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi 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...
) solo groups. Killer Ky joined the band as bass player after the departure of original but short lived member Jackie Duncan. The band also included guitarist/ keyboard player Chris Cunnane aka Starboy, guitarist Stacey Stray and drummer Kevin Taylor. Stacey and Kevin joined the band when they left their previous Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
group, The Conscience Pilate, in 1998. In 2002 Stacey Stray left the band. Killer Ky switched to lead guitar and B.B. Mcqueen was added on bass.
The band released their first recording, a novelty CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
cut in the shape of a star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
, in 2000. The album Planet Fame, produced by Moe Berg
Moe Berg (musician)
Moe Berg is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer for the rock group The Pursuit of Happiness.-Biography:...
and Garth Richardson
Garth Richardson
Garth "GGGarth" Richardson is a Canadian music producer and engineer. He is the son of renowned Canadian music producer Jack Richardson . Jack was a pioneer of the music recording industry in the 60's and 70's...
, followed on February 14, 2002. It was filled with glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
tracks, led by the single "So Sick of You". A video for the single was also released.
Prior to the release of their second album, the band brought in two new members; Chris "The Kidd" Avolos on drums and John "The Creep" Kerns on bass. The 2005 album was named Instant Classic, and was produced by Bob Ezrin
Bob Ezrin
Robert Alan "Bob" Ezrin is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, known for his work with artists including Alice Cooper, Kiss and Pink Floyd. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2004.-Biography:...
along with Garth Richardson
Garth Richardson
Garth "GGGarth" Richardson is a Canadian music producer and engineer. He is the son of renowned Canadian music producer Jack Richardson . Jack was a pioneer of the music recording industry in the 60's and 70's...
. For this release the band's name was shortened to just Robin Black.
They toured extensively for this release, including the UK.
Frontman Robin also made an appearance on Showcase
Showcase Television
Showcase is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media. Showcase is a predominantly fiction-based service centred around scripted television series and films....
's TV series KinK
KinK
KinK was a Canadian documentary television series, which first aired in 2001 on Showcase. The series profiled some of the more unusual edges of human sexuality, primarily the kink and fetish scenes. It was filmed in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg; the fifth season, set in Halifax, Nova...
. Black was also a judge on the 2006 Much Music VJ Search
VJ Search
VJ Search is the title of a reality television program aired on Canadian music video TV station MuchMusic. A new series is created every few years and the main point is to find a new MuchMusic VJ to join the current list of MuchMusic personalities....
. He holds a 2nd degree blackbelt in taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
. Robin also won the 2008 Naga world championships. He now trains at Xtreme Couture in Toronto alongside with other fighters such as Mark Hominick
Mark Hominick
Mark Hominick is a Canadian mixed martial artist, former TKO Featherweight Champion, and current UFC fighter. Hominick is currently ranked as the #4 featherweight fighter in the world by MMAWeekly.-Mixed martial arts career:...
, Mark Bocek
Mark Bocek
Mark Andrew Bocek is a Canadian mixed martial artist. He competes in the Lightweight division.-Background:Bocek is one of Canada's first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts and has been studying the art for more than a decade...
, and Rob Di Censo.
Robin Black toured the U.K again across July and August 2008 with support from German glam rock band The Pleasures and British based Patchwork Grace. This tour culminated in a headline show at Trash Stock festival, Nottingham.
Somewhat scaled down in the makeup department, he now is a front-running Canadian MMA reporter and color-commentator on the Score and the face of the Fight Network.
Current
ROBIN BLACK- Robin Black - vocals
- Peter Arvidsson - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Chris "Starboy" Cunnane - guitar, backing vocals
- Robby Ruckus (who also plays in Darlings of ChelseaDarlings of ChelseaDarlings of Chelsea are a rock band based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada that launched in 2009. Their sound has been compared to The Rolling Stones, The Hellacopters and Johnny Thunders...
) - bass - Aaron Verdonk - Drums (who also plays in StereosStereosStereos are a Juno nominated pop band from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, formed in 2008. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of hip hop and pop to form their primary style including. Their first act that had them recognized was appearing on the MuchMusic original series,...
)
Former
ROBIN BLACK AND THE INTERGALACTIC ROCK STARS1998-2002
- Robin Black - lead vocals
- Stacey Straye - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Chris "Starboy" Cunnane - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- jackie Duncan - bass (may-sept. 98)
- Killer Ky Anto - bass (sept. 98-May 2002)
- Kevin Taylor aka K-Tron - drums
ROBIN BLACK AND THE INTERGALACTIC ROCK STARS
2002-2003
- Robin Black - lead vocals
- Killer Ky Anto - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Chris "Starboy" Cunnane - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- B.B. McQueen - bass
- Kevin Taylor - drums
ROBIN BLACK
2003-2006
- Robin Black - lead vocals
- Killer Ky Anto - lead guitar, backing vocals
- Chris "Starboy" Cunnane - guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- John "The Creep" Kerns - bass
- Chris "The Kid" Avolos - drums
2007-band hiatus
2008-see above for current line up
Singles
- Star Shaped Single (2000)
- Two Song Tease (2004)
- "Hellraiser" (2003) U.K. only release
Videos
| Year | Title | Director | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | So Sick Of You | Pablo Fairhall | Planet Fame |
| 2002 | Some Of You Boys (And Most of You Girls) | Pablo Fairhall | Planet Fame |
| 2002 | Time Travel Tonight | Kris Lefcoe Kris Lefcoe Kris Lefcoe is a Canadian film writer and director. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Lefcoe graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in philosophy, before attending Norman Jewison's Canadian Film Centre as a Director Resident.... |
Planet Fame |
| 2002 | Take Myself Away | Chris Grismer | Planet Fame |
| 2005 | We See Right Through Ya | Kris Lefcoe | Instant Classic |
| 2005 | Why Don't You Love Me? | Kris Lefcoe & Ghostmilk Studios | Instant Classic |
Mixed martial arts
Robin Black has been a known practitioner of Taekwon-Do and Brazilian Jiu-JitsuBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
. In an early interview Robin was quoted as saying he felt safe traveling due to the security that the Taekwon-Do training gave him. He was featured on a MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...
program titled "Robin Black: Cage Fighter". On the program, Black trained with mixed martial artists
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
Georges St. Pierre
Georges St. Pierre
Georges St-Pierre , often referred to as GSP, is a Canadian mixed martial artist and the current Welterweight Champion of the UFC. St-Pierre is ranked as the No. 1 Welterweight in the world according to Sherdog, MMAWeekly and numerous other publications. St-Pierre is ranked the No. 2 pound for...
, Sam Stout
Sam Stout
Samuel James "Hands of Stone" Stout is a Canadian mixed martial artist from London, Ontario. Currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he is primarily known as a striker with an iron chin.- Mixed martial arts career :...
, Mark Hominick
Mark Hominick
Mark Hominick is a Canadian mixed martial artist, former TKO Featherweight Champion, and current UFC fighter. Hominick is currently ranked as the #4 featherweight fighter in the world by MMAWeekly.-Mixed martial arts career:...
, Dan smith and Andrew Bradbury.
Black was also recently a guest commentator at an XMMA show in Montreal featuring David Loiseau
David Loiseau
David Loiseau is a Canadian mixed martial artist from Montreal, Quebec. He has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, EliteXC, and TKO Major League MMA and is the former TKO Middleweight Champion. He was the first French Canadian to fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
. This marked the first time that not only Robin did 'color' commentary for fights but also the first time a male commentator wore makeup while interviewing fighters. Robin has since been brought in to interview fighters in between rounds at Warrior-1 MMA - Inception.
Black's first professional televised match was against Chris "The Pitbull" Myra
Chris "The Pitbull" Myra
Chris Myra is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist with professional fights with Freedom Fight and King of the Cage promotions.-Martial arts background:...
, a tattoo artist in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, and MMA fighter.
Unfortunately for Black, Chris Myra was able to get the win, and beat Black. In his second professional match in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on November 28, 2008 he tapped out early in the first round to grappler Janz Stein. He scored his first win in the ring on February 6, 2009 against Moncton, NB native Stephane Poirier. Black choked Poirier with a triangle choke submission two minutes and fifty seven seconds into the first round of the bout.
Black and Poirier would later rematch for the first ELITE 135 pound Championship belt. Robin bettered his earlier performance against Poirier and was able to secure a rear naked choke to be crowned the first ever ELITE FC 135 pound Champion.
Robin next fought in Edmonton, AB at Adrenaline MMA against Corey Lautischer (1-1). Lautischer beat Black by guillotine choke to secure the win.
Robin then went on to defeat Matt Knysh via TKO in round 2 on February 5, 2010.
He then went on the fight against Eric Perez in which he lost via TKO in round 1 on June 4, 2010 in Winnipeg, MB.
Black's most recent fight was against Mike Reilly on Jan 28th, where he lost 57 seconds into the first round after Mike managed to trap him in an armbar. His current MMA record stands at 3-5. (W-L)