The Jonbenét
Encyclopedia
The Jonbenét was an American noise rock
outfit from Houston, Texas
. The band's current lineup is Michael Murland, Dann Miller, J. Andrew Ireland, and Bryan Jackson.
, a young girl whose brutal murder was widely publicized during the mid to late nineties. Their first show was on August 22, 2003 in Sugar Land, Texas
. A logo the band often uses is a slightly-modified Imperial Sugar
crown logo, a company which the town was named after.
Upon returning home, the band wrote some new material and released 3 songs on a split with Houston band, The Kidnap Soundtrack. In January 2005, the two bands toured in support of the self-released split. In April 2005, the band parted ways with bass player Chris Goodwin, and Illinoisan Wil Spent of the Decatur band Secretary moved to Houston and joined the band. They shortly caught the attention of Pluto Records
, an independent record label from Texas. The Plot Thickens EP was released on Pluto Records. It was a re-mastered compilation of the Five Stories Retold ep and their side of the split with The Kidnap Soundtrack.
and At All Cost
from Austin
.
In 2007, after a short tour with Turmoil, Wil Spent left the band due to complications with diabetes.
cover. Side projects have formed including Black Congress featuring Bryan Jackson on vocals and Dann on bass with members of Fatal Flying Guilloteens and God's Temple of Family Deliverance. Michael has started an electronic project with his wife Marlen called Golden Snakes and occasionally releases songs under the name Hospital. On August 10, 2009 the band announced a string of final shows, insinuating the band will no longer continue. the last show was played December,19 2009 At Walter's in Houston,Texas
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
outfit from Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. The band's current lineup is Michael Murland, Dann Miller, J. Andrew Ireland, and Bryan Jackson.
Formation
The band formed originally in the winter of 2001 under the name Central Park Jogger. In the spring of 2002, the band disbanded for a year. The bassist at the time, Grant Miller, suggested the name Jonbenét, the first name of JonBenét RamseyJonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty pageant contestant who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The six-year-old's body was found in the basement of the family home nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. She had been struck on the head and strangled...
, a young girl whose brutal murder was widely publicized during the mid to late nineties. Their first show was on August 22, 2003 in Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
. A logo the band often uses is a slightly-modified Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar
Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana....
crown logo, a company which the town was named after.
First recordings
In November 2003, a seven-song demo was released entitled Seven Short Stories by Mortimer T. Chimneytot. The demo was recorded by Chris Goodwin, who took the spot of bass player after Grant left in January 2004. That May, Andrew Saleeba (drums) left the band and Drew Ireland took over on drums. The new members had completely different styles of playing which led to the re-writing of all the old material. Five of the re-arranged songs were self-released in the Summer of 2004 on an EP entitled Five Stories Retold. The band's first tour was in July 2004 with another Houston band, The Phantom Pains.Upon returning home, the band wrote some new material and released 3 songs on a split with Houston band, The Kidnap Soundtrack. In January 2005, the two bands toured in support of the self-released split. In April 2005, the band parted ways with bass player Chris Goodwin, and Illinoisan Wil Spent of the Decatur band Secretary moved to Houston and joined the band. They shortly caught the attention of Pluto Records
Pluto Records
Pluto Records is a record label started in 1999 by Eric Shirey and Brian Cobbel. Since 2002, it has been owned and operated by Brian Cobbel and based near Dallas, TX. It is primarily known for punk, metal, and hardcore releases, although not exclusively...
, an independent record label from Texas. The Plot Thickens EP was released on Pluto Records. It was a re-mastered compilation of the Five Stories Retold ep and their side of the split with The Kidnap Soundtrack.
Ugly/Heartless
In December 2005, the band finished writing their first full-length entitled Ugly/Heartless. The album was recorded in January 2006 in Houston at Johnny Killed Rock N' Roll Studios. Immediately after recording, the band left for a tour with The Fall of TroyThe Fall of Troy
The Fall of Troy was an American progressive math rock trio from Mukilteo, Washington. The trio consisted of Thomas Erak , Andrew Forsman and Frank Ene...
and At All Cost
At All Cost (band)
At All Cost was an American groove metal/metalcore band from Austin, Texas.-Final Show:The band played a final show on December 19, 2009 with The Jonbenet at Walters on Washington in Houston, Texas.- Members :* Andrew Collins - Vocals, Keyboard...
from Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
In 2007, after a short tour with Turmoil, Wil Spent left the band due to complications with diabetes.
Hiatus
As of 2009, the band is fairly inactive. B. James left the band and Bryan Jackson has since replaced him. Their most recent recordings have yet to be released. The band intends to release an EP in the future with 6 songs including a SwansSwans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
cover. Side projects have formed including Black Congress featuring Bryan Jackson on vocals and Dann on bass with members of Fatal Flying Guilloteens and God's Temple of Family Deliverance. Michael has started an electronic project with his wife Marlen called Golden Snakes and occasionally releases songs under the name Hospital. On August 10, 2009 the band announced a string of final shows, insinuating the band will no longer continue. the last show was played December,19 2009 At Walter's in Houston,Texas
Current members
- Michael Murland - lead vocals, keyboards, piano
- Dann Miller - lead/rhythm guitars, backing vocals
- J. Andrew Ireland - drums, percussion
- Bryan Jackson - bass, backing vocals
Former members
- William Spent - bass
- Chris "Badlose" Goodwin - bass
- Andrew Saleeba - drums
- Grant Miller - bass
- B. James - bass
EPs and Splits
- Substances EP(2009)
- Devil Music, Volume I 7" (April 17, 2007)
- The Plot ThickensThe Plot ThickensThe Plot Thickens is a compilation of old and new tracks from the Houston, Texas band The Jonbenet. It was released on August 26, 2005 by Pluto Records.-Track listing:#"Eating Lightning Pt...
(July 25, 2005) - The Kidnap Soundtrack / The Jonbenet split (January 2005)
- Five Stories Retold (August 3, 2004)
- Five Stories Retold (pre-release) (July 1, 2004)
- Seven Short Stories by Mortimer T. Chimneytot (December 20, 2003)
Videography
- Behold the White Whore (Pluto RecordsPluto RecordsPluto Records is a record label started in 1999 by Eric Shirey and Brian Cobbel. Since 2002, it has been owned and operated by Brian Cobbel and based near Dallas, TX. It is primarily known for punk, metal, and hardcore releases, although not exclusively...
, 2005) - Why We're Dead (Pluto RecordsPluto RecordsPluto Records is a record label started in 1999 by Eric Shirey and Brian Cobbel. Since 2002, it has been owned and operated by Brian Cobbel and based near Dallas, TX. It is primarily known for punk, metal, and hardcore releases, although not exclusively...
,October 19, 2006)
External links
- Official site
- Pluto Records
- The Jonbenet on MySpace
- [ The Jonbenet on Allmusic]