Rocky Votolato
Encyclopedia
Rocky Votolato is an American singer-songwriter. He was born in Dallas, Texas on March 8, 1977. He was raised in a small town called Frost, roughly 50 miles south of Dallas, until the age of 13. After his parents were divorced, his mother remarried and moved the family to the Pacific Northwest in 1991, where he attended Inglemoor High School
in Kenmore, Washington
. Alienated by his southern roots, the isolation lead him to focusing all of his attention on learning to play guitar and writing songs. Inspired by seeing many punk shows including bands like Jawbreaker and Fugazi, he started several different musical projects while in high school.
When his former band Lying on Loot disbanded in 1996, Rocky Votolato, along with friends Rudy Gajadhar (drums) and Andrew Hartley (bass), started playing under the name Waxwing
. Rocky's younger brother Cody
(The Blood Brothers) soon joined the band on second guitar, and the band recorded their debut 7" for Henry's Finest Recordings. In 1999, Second Nature Recordings
released their first full-length, entitled For Madmen Only. Blending straight-up rock with elements of post-hardcore, and Cody's metal reminiscent guitaring, Waxwing soon established a strong local following. The band then signed with Second Nature Recordings out of Kansas City, MO. The band then released three full length albums: For Madmen Only, in 1999, One for the Ride in 2000, and Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns in 2002. In this time, the band's profile in the Seattle music scene had grown substantially consistently selling out local clubs like the Crocodile Cafe and The Paradox Theater.
In 1999, Rocky Votolato branched out from his work with Waxwing, having written a handful of songs which did not really fit in with their more aggressive, fast-tempo style. Along the way he has toured with the likes of Damien Jurado
, Small Brown Bike
, The Get Up Kids
, The New Amsterdams, Owen
and The Casket Lottery
, members of the latter having provided assistance as backing musicians on occasion. His studio albums have also been littered with appearances from some of Seattle's finest musicians (including players in the bands Red Stars Theory
, Sharks Keep Moving
, The Blood Brothers, Death Cab for Cutie
, Pedro the Lion
and Sub Pop
solo artist Rosie Thomas
). On the production side, Votolato has worked with Matt Bayles
(Pearl Jam
, Botch
, Murder City Devils
, Hayden
), along with Chris Walla
(of Death Cab for Cutie). It is a creative input which has helped see Rocky progress stylistically with every release, from his low key self-titled album released in 1999 - all pretty much recorded live, right through to his recent, alt-country, folk-esque offering, Makers. A video was shot for the first track of Makers, "White Daisy Passing", a song which also appeared on an episode of the popular TV show "The OC".
Rocky also starred in the film, The Edge of Quarrel, which he worked on with Dave Larson from Excursion Records. It also includes members of the Murder City Devils
and Botch
, and is about a gang war between straightedgers and punk rockers where he tries to achieve peace between the two opposing groups.
He has been married to his wife April Votolato for over 10 years, and they live in Seattle with their two children.
Inglemoor High School
Inglemoor High School is a public high school located in Kenmore, Washington. It is one of the largest high schools in the state of Washington and has an average of 23.4 students per teacher. Inglemoor's feeder schools are Kenmore and Northshore Junior Highs and Arrowhead, Kenmore, Lockwood,...
in Kenmore, Washington
Kenmore, Washington
Kenmore is a city in King County, Washington, United States, along the northernmost shores of Lake Washington...
. Alienated by his southern roots, the isolation lead him to focusing all of his attention on learning to play guitar and writing songs. Inspired by seeing many punk shows including bands like Jawbreaker and Fugazi, he started several different musical projects while in high school.
When his former band Lying on Loot disbanded in 1996, Rocky Votolato, along with friends Rudy Gajadhar (drums) and Andrew Hartley (bass), started playing under the name Waxwing
Waxwing (band)
Waxwing was an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington that drew influences from a wide variety of folk and punk groups.-History:The band was formed in 1996 after the dissolution of Lying on Loot, of which Rocky Votolato and Rudy Gajadhar were members...
. Rocky's younger brother Cody
Cody Votolato
Cody Votolato is a musician from Seattle, Washington, best known for being the guitarist in the post-hardcore band The Blood Brothers. He grew up in the eastside suburbs of Seattle, attending high school with his bandmates in the late 1990s when the band originally formed...
(The Blood Brothers) soon joined the band on second guitar, and the band recorded their debut 7" for Henry's Finest Recordings. In 1999, Second Nature Recordings
Second Nature Recordings
Second Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
released their first full-length, entitled For Madmen Only. Blending straight-up rock with elements of post-hardcore, and Cody's metal reminiscent guitaring, Waxwing soon established a strong local following. The band then signed with Second Nature Recordings out of Kansas City, MO. The band then released three full length albums: For Madmen Only, in 1999, One for the Ride in 2000, and Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns in 2002. In this time, the band's profile in the Seattle music scene had grown substantially consistently selling out local clubs like the Crocodile Cafe and The Paradox Theater.
In 1999, Rocky Votolato branched out from his work with Waxwing, having written a handful of songs which did not really fit in with their more aggressive, fast-tempo style. Along the way he has toured with the likes of Damien Jurado
Damien Jurado
Damien Jurado is an American indie rock singer/songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Over the years he has released albums on many labels; today, his primary label is Secretly Canadian.-Music career:...
, Small Brown Bike
Small Brown Bike
Small Brown Bike is a band from Marshall, Michigan, United States that started in 1996. The trademark of Small Brown Bike is their "double vocals" backed by melodies. Their sound is often identified as being similar to other post-hardcore bands, such as Avail, Hot Water Music and Dillinger Four...
, The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids are an American alternative rock band from Kansas City, Missouri. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-90's emo scene, otherwise known as the "second wave" of emo music...
, The New Amsterdams, Owen
Owen (band)
Owen is a solo project of Mike Kinsella, and part of the Chicago indie scene.Kinsella is one of the dominant and influential figures in the Chicago indie scene, having also led the band American Football, and played in the bands Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc and Owls .Owen is known for its soft melodies,...
and The Casket Lottery
The Casket Lottery
The Casket Lottery is a three-piece indie rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, United States signed to Second Nature Recordings.-1997:The band started in 1997 after Nathan Ellis spent time on the road with Coalesce. He and Stacy Hilt struck up an instant friendship and love for music beyond the...
, members of the latter having provided assistance as backing musicians on occasion. His studio albums have also been littered with appearances from some of Seattle's finest musicians (including players in the bands Red Stars Theory
Red Stars Theory
Red Stars Theory is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band was formed in early 1995 when James Bertram was looking for someone to play guitar with and found Tonie Palmasani , Jeremiah Green and Jason Talley...
, Sharks Keep Moving
Sharks Keep Moving
Sharks Keep Moving were a short-lived Seattle rock band that formed in 1998. The band’s original lineup consisted of Jake Snider , Jeff DeGolier , Nate Turpen , and Dan Dean , and J. Clark...
, The Blood Brothers, Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
, Pedro the Lion
Pedro the Lion
Pedro the Lion was an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. Singer-songwriter David Bazan formed the band in 1995 and represented its main creative force, backed by a varying rotation of collaborating musicians. T. W. Walsh is considered to be the sole official band member besides Bazan. In...
and Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
solo artist Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Michigan. It was through mutual friends that she met Trey Many and began playing shows with Velour 100. They recorded one EP together and played a few short tours, where she met Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion...
). On the production side, Votolato has worked with Matt Bayles
Matt Bayles
-Information:Bayles is known for his work with bands such as Isis, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Botch, Mastodon, The Fall of Troy, Minus The Bear, Burnt by the Sun and Norma Jean....
(Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, Botch
Botch (band)
Botch was a four-piece mathcore band from Tacoma, Washington, United States, that formed in 1993 and disbanded in 2002.-History:The band released two full-length albums and a handful of smaller releases including several singles and an EP. Its members went on an indefinite hiatus to form Roy,...
, Murder City Devils
Murder City Devils
-History:The band's original lineup, consisting of Spencer Moody, Dann Gallucci, Derek Fudesco, Coady Willis, and Nate Manny formed in Seattle, Washington in 1996. Gabe Kerbrat was their permanent roadie, and considered a member...
, Hayden
Hayden (musician)
Paul Hayden Desser who records as Hayden, is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Thornhill, Ontario.His early works are a largely eclectic mix of genres from grunge rock to alt country, as demonstrated by his first full album, Everything I Long For, released in 1995. Since then his work has become...
), along with Chris Walla
Chris Walla
Christopher Walla is an American musician and music producer, most notable for being the guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. He is also a former DJ of KCWU, 88.1 The Burg...
(of Death Cab for Cutie). It is a creative input which has helped see Rocky progress stylistically with every release, from his low key self-titled album released in 1999 - all pretty much recorded live, right through to his recent, alt-country, folk-esque offering, Makers. A video was shot for the first track of Makers, "White Daisy Passing", a song which also appeared on an episode of the popular TV show "The OC".
Rocky also starred in the film, The Edge of Quarrel, which he worked on with Dave Larson from Excursion Records. It also includes members of the Murder City Devils
Murder City Devils
-History:The band's original lineup, consisting of Spencer Moody, Dann Gallucci, Derek Fudesco, Coady Willis, and Nate Manny formed in Seattle, Washington in 1996. Gabe Kerbrat was their permanent roadie, and considered a member...
and Botch
Botch (band)
Botch was a four-piece mathcore band from Tacoma, Washington, United States, that formed in 1993 and disbanded in 2002.-History:The band released two full-length albums and a handful of smaller releases including several singles and an EP. Its members went on an indefinite hiatus to form Roy,...
, and is about a gang war between straightedgers and punk rockers where he tries to achieve peace between the two opposing groups.
He has been married to his wife April Votolato for over 10 years, and they live in Seattle with their two children.
Solo
- Rocky VotolatoRocky Votolato (album)Rocky Votolato is the 1999 debut release from Seattle singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato. Originally released in 1999, these songs were recorded in a basement with two microphones over a 4-hour period...
(1999) (Status Recordings) - Rocky V/Seth Warren 7" (1999) (Redwood Records)
- A Brief History (2000) (Your Best Guess)
- Rocky V/Suffering & The Thieves 7" (2002) (Velvet Blue MusicVelvet Blue MusicVelvet Blue Music is an independent record label founded in 1996 by Jeff Cloud . They are a label that has prided itself on a completely independent nature and DIY ethics while also living up to these same qualities...
) - Burning My Travels CleanBurning My Travels CleanBurning My Travels Clean is an album by Rocky Votolato. It was released on April 16, 2002 by the independent label Second Nature Recordings...
(LP) (2002) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) - The Light and the Sound (EP) (2003) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) - Suicide MedicineSuicide MedicineSuicide Medicine is an album by Rocky Votolato. It was released on September 16, 2003 by the independent label Second Nature Recordings. Votolato’s third studio effort is described by some critics as a darker, more brooding album than his 2001 release Burning My Travels Clean.-Track listing:#"The...
(2003) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) - Makers (2006) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) (Barsuk) - End Like ThisEnd Like ThisEnd Like This is an EP by singer/songwriter Rocky Votolato. The EP consists of three B-sides from Rocky Votolato’s groundbreaking album, Makers. Recorded in 2004, these songs sat hidden for almost 3 years until they saw a digital release in 2007....
(EP) (2007) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) - The Brag and CussThe Brag and CussThe Brag and Cuss is the 2007 release from Seattle singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato. It is his second album on Barsuk Records after 2006's Makers.-Track listing:# "Lilly White" - 3:41# "Postcard from Kentucky" - 2:56# "Before You Were Born" - 3:31...
(2007) (Barsuk) - True DevotionTrue Devotion (album)True Devotion is Rocky Votolato's sixth full-length studio album, and third release from Barsuk Records.-Track listing:# Lucky Clover Coin# Fragments# Red River# Eyes Like Static# Sparklers# Instruments# What Waited For Me# Sun Devil...
(2010) (Barsuk)
Waxwing
- Waxwing 7" (1999) (Henry's Finest Recordings)
- For Madmen Only (1999) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) - One for the Ride (2000) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) - Intervention:Collection+Remix (2001) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
) - Nobody Can Take What Everybody Owns (2002) (Second Nature RecordingsSecond Nature RecordingsSecond Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It specialises in indie rock and punk and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels...
)
Allusions
- The song "Prison is Private Property" is roughly based on the Enron scandalEnron scandalThe Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world...
. It is a condemnation of a society where short term financial gains and corporate profit have become the highest goal. - The song "Automatic Rifle" is said to be about the murder-suicide of Rachel LevyRachel LevyRachel Levy was killed at age 17 on March 29, 2002 when Ayat al-Akhras, a teenage Palestinian female suicide bomber, wearing a belt of explosives around her waist, blew herself up at the entrance to a supermarket in Jerusalem's Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood on March 29, 2002...
and Ayat al-AkhrasAyat al-AkhrasAyat al-Akhras was the third and youngest Palestinian female suicide bomber who, at age 18 , killed herself and two Israeli civilians on March 29, 2002 by detonating explosives belted to her body...
.
Sources
- http://www.nowontour.com/news/interviews/00023.php
- http://www.skratchmagazine.com/interviews/INTrockyvotolato.php?vo=11
Reviews
- Rolling Stone Review of Makers
- Scene Point Blank review of Makers
- AbsolutePunk.net review of Makers
- musicGeek.org review of Makers
- Ground Control review of The Brag and Cuss
- The Wheel's Still In Spin short story review of The Brag & Cuss