The Ernies
Encyclopedia
The Ernies were a popular American
Alternative rock
band from Richmond, Virginia
. They released two albums on an independent label before signing to Mojo Records
and releasing their third album entitled Meson Ray.
: Will Hummel, Tom Martin, Matt Goves, and Hayes Smith. Hayes majored in music education, learning the saxophone and the bassoon, and Matt majored in music performance, focusing on percussion. Will studied English, and was especially influenced by the Modernists of the early 20th century.
The Ernies released their self-titled debut album on October 1, 1995. This album featured a three-piece horn section consisting of Steve Bider on alto saxophone, Stefan Demetriadis on trombone, and Hayes Smith on the baritone saxophone. In 1995, bassist Mike Hughes joined the band.
On May 12, 1997, The Ernies released their second album, Dropping Science. This album diverged from the pure ska
style present on their previous album. The first track, "Jive" addresses the style change with lyrics like "We're not ska-core or reggae, jazz or funk, we're not hip-hop or rock or pop" and "to pacify those of you who need a label, call it what you want, we know you'll kick it if you're able". Without Steve Bider in the band, the horn section on Dropping Science consisted only of Stefan Demetriadis on trombone, and Hayes Smith on the baritone saxophone.
. Meson Ray was released on Mojo Records
on April 20, 1999. With trombonist Stefan Demetriadis no longer in the band, the only horn section remaining for this release was Hayes Smith on a variety of saxophones.
A remix of the song "Motivate" appeared during a scene in the movie BASEketball
. This version of the song also appeared on the BASEketball soundtrack
, released by Mojo Records
.
The song "Here and Now" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
in 1999, and has also been featured on various television commercials, including an advertisement for the American
television show CSI: Miami
, the Australian television series Dangerous
, and a U.S. trailer of "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
(Knockin' on Heaven's Door)" in 2003. Sony
also used the song for numerous in-store and DVD advertisements promoting Blu-ray.
On June 07, 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment
featured the song "Polarized" as the theme for the one time special "WWE vs. ECW: Head to Head episode". They also used "Here and Now" as the theme song to the DVD version of Survivor Series 2003
.The songs "Here and Now" and "Polarized" are also featured in a number of promotional training videos for the 2007 comedy Balls of Fury
; specifically the "Backhand Punch" and "Forehand Block" videos. In mid-2008 TGI Fridays used "Here and Now" as a background song for a run of television commercials.
Hayes Smith was a guest saxophonist, recording with The Pietasters
on their 2002 album entitled Turbo
. He is now playing bass and sax for a Dallas, Texas based band called Roy Bennett.
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 from Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. They released two albums on an independent label before signing to Mojo Records
Mojo Records
Mojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records...
and releasing their third album entitled Meson Ray.
History
The Ernies were formed in 1994 by four students of Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
: Will Hummel, Tom Martin, Matt Goves, and Hayes Smith. Hayes majored in music education, learning the saxophone and the bassoon, and Matt majored in music performance, focusing on percussion. Will studied English, and was especially influenced by the Modernists of the early 20th century.
The Ernies released their self-titled debut album on October 1, 1995. This album featured a three-piece horn section consisting of Steve Bider on alto saxophone, Stefan Demetriadis on trombone, and Hayes Smith on the baritone saxophone. In 1995, bassist Mike Hughes joined the band.
On May 12, 1997, The Ernies released their second album, Dropping Science. This album diverged from the pure ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
style present on their previous album. The first track, "Jive" addresses the style change with lyrics like "We're not ska-core or reggae, jazz or funk, we're not hip-hop or rock or pop" and "to pacify those of you who need a label, call it what you want, we know you'll kick it if you're able". Without Steve Bider in the band, the horn section on Dropping Science consisted only of Stefan Demetriadis on trombone, and Hayes Smith on the baritone saxophone.
Mojo Records and beyond
Chris Bondi joined the band in 1997, playing the turntables and theramin. While playing a show in Los Angeles during a tour across the United States, The Ernies were discovered by a record executive and signed to Mojo RecordsMojo Records
Mojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records...
. Meson Ray was released on Mojo Records
Mojo Records
Mojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records...
on April 20, 1999. With trombonist Stefan Demetriadis no longer in the band, the only horn section remaining for this release was Hayes Smith on a variety of saxophones.
A remix of the song "Motivate" appeared during a scene in the movie BASEketball
BASEketball
BASEketball is a 1998 American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy...
. This version of the song also appeared on the BASEketball soundtrack
BASEketball (soundtrack)
-Track listing:#Reel Big Fish: "Take on Me" – 3:02#Nerf Herder: "Don't Hate Me " – 2:46#Deep Blue Something: "Tonight" – 3:42#Supersuckers: "Psyched Out" – 2:52#Plastiscene: "Lemon Yellow" – 4:09...
, released by Mojo Records
Mojo Records
Mojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records...
.
The song "Here and Now" was featured in the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
-Reception:The game was very well-received by most critics, scoring an outstanding 92 on Metacritic based on 18 reviews for the PS1 version. IGN gave the N64 version of the game a 9.1 out of 10 praising the gameplay for "genius control, combo system and design" despite little criticism with sound...
in 1999, and has also been featured on various television commercials, including an advertisement for the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television show CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, the Australian television series Dangerous
Dangerous (TV series)
Dangerous is an Australian television drama series that first screened on 16 January 2007 on FOX8 and was shown in Ireland on RTÉ One. In mid-2008, it began running on The WB's online network in the US....
, and a U.S. trailer of "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
, known internationally as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, is a 2001 animated film directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. The screenplay was written by Keiko Nobumoto, based on the Cowboy Bebop television series created by Sunrise. The plot centers on Spike Spiegel and his crew as they find a criminal who is...
(Knockin' on Heaven's Door)" in 2003. Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
also used the song for numerous in-store and DVD advertisements promoting Blu-ray.
On June 07, 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
featured the song "Polarized" as the theme for the one time special "WWE vs. ECW: Head to Head episode". They also used "Here and Now" as the theme song to the DVD version of Survivor Series 2003
Survivor Series (2003)
Survivor Series was the seventeenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
.The songs "Here and Now" and "Polarized" are also featured in a number of promotional training videos for the 2007 comedy Balls of Fury
Balls of Fury
Balls of Fury is a 2007 American sports comedy film starring Dan Fogler and Christopher Walken. It was directed by Ben Garant and was released on August 29, 2007.-Plot:...
; specifically the "Backhand Punch" and "Forehand Block" videos. In mid-2008 TGI Fridays used "Here and Now" as a background song for a run of television commercials.
Hayes Smith was a guest saxophonist, recording with The Pietasters
The Pietasters
The Pietasters are a seven-piece ska/soul band hailing from Washington, D.C., with additional members from Maryland and Virginia.- History :In 1990, a group of friends were attending college at Virginia Tech in the mountains of Virginia...
on their 2002 album entitled Turbo
Turbo (The Pietasters album)
Turbo is the fifth album by the ska/soul band The Pietasters. It was released in 2002 .-Track listing:# "Told You the First Time" – 2:28# "Set Me Up" – 2:51...
. He is now playing bass and sax for a Dallas, Texas based band called Roy Bennett.
Different Titles
- Polarized A.K.A Sweatin' Mass (Extrme Music Library)
- Organism A.K.A Goin Postal (Extrme Music Library)
- Where do you hide? A.K.A Herectic Humping (Extrme Music Library)
- Bacteria A.K.A All Tha Fixings (Extrme Music Library)
- You Are Everywhere A.K.A Super Dope (Extrme Music Library)
- Fire A.K.A Burning Fire (Extrme Music Library)
Band members
- Will Hummel (Lead vocals/Guitar)
- Matt Goves (Drums, Percussion)
- Hayes Smith (Saxophone, Backup Vocals)
- Mike Hughes (Bass)
- Chris Bondi (Turntables, Theramin)
- Stefan Demetriadis (Trombone)
Albums
| Title | Date of Release | Record Label |
| The Ernies | 1995 | Bob Records |
| Dropping Science | 1997 | Bob Records |
| Meson Ray Meson Ray Meson Ray is the third and last studio release by the alternative/ska band, The Ernies, released in 1999. Meson Ray is the first record by The Ernies to be released under Mojo Records... |
1999 | Mojo Records Mojo Records Mojo Records was a California-based record label founded in 1995 by producer Jay Rifkin. It became a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 1996 and then sold to the Zomba Group in 2001, who placed it under their subsidiary Jive Records... |