Back Off Cupids was the name of a solo musical project by the San Diego, California musician John Reis. The project took place in 1994, in between sessions with Reis' bands Drive Like Jehu and Rocket from the Crypt. Rocket from the Crypt horn players Jason Crane and Paul O'Beirne were also involved in the project, though the vast majority of the recording was conducted by Reis. Recording took place with friend and fellow musician Gar Wood in his garage.
The music produced by Back Off Cupids was significantly different from Reis' other musical endeavors. While his previous groups had explored genres such as rock and roll, post punk, and post-hardcore in an aggressive fashion, Back Off Cupids was slower, mostly instrumental, and to a certain degree free-form. It most closely resembles Drive Like Jehu in its complexity and intricate song structures, but lacks the aggression and raspy vocals of that group.
Recording of the Back Off Cupids material was completed in 1994, but with the exception of a few songs that appeared on compilations it remained mostly unreleased for several years. Reis left the material shelved for the most part, occasionally mixing and tweaking the arrangements in between touring and recording with Rocket from the Crypt. In 1999, during a period in which Rocket from the Crypt were not as active, Reis completed mixing the material and released it as an album through Drunken Fish Records under the title Back Off Cupids. Of Reis' many musical endeavors, Back Off Cupids remains the most obscure.
Drive Like Jehu was an American post-hardcore band from San Diego active from 1990 to 1995. It was formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg and lead guitarist John Reis, ex-members of Pitchfork, along with bassist Mike Kennedy and drummer Mark Trombino, both from Night Soil Man, after their two bands disbanded in 1990. Drive Like Jehu's music was characterized by passionate singing, unusual song structure, indirect melodic themes, intricate guitar playing, and calculated use of tension, resulting in a distinctive sound amongst other post-hardcore acts and helped to catalyze the evolution of hardcore punk into emo.
Rocket from the Crypt is an American rock band from San Diego, California, originally active from 1990 to 2005, then active during 2011 and again from 2013 to the present.
Hot Snakes are an American post-hardcore band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis had found international success with Rocket from the Crypt. Hot Snakes disbanded in 2005 but reunited in 2011.
All Systems Go is a compilation album by the San Diego, California rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1993 by Cargo Records and Headhunter Records. The album collects songs which were previously only available on 7-inch vinyl singles, as well as some new and unreleased material.
John Reis and also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and The Swami is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which he formed and fronted for the entirety of its career from 1990 to 2005. Prior to this he was the guitarist in the post-hardcore band Pitchfork, and also played in Drive Like Jehu during the early 1990s. In 1999 he formed the Hot Snakes, and in 2000 also formed the Sultans, in which he sang and originally played bass before switching to rhythm guitar. He played in both these bands until their breakups in 2005 and 2007 respectively. He also released a solo recording under the name Back Off Cupids, which was recorded in 1994 but not released until 1999. Over the years he has performed in many other musical acts including Conservative Itch, Stacatto Reads, Custom Floor, and Beehive & the Barracudas. He is the owner of Swami Records, a label he founded in 1999. He frequently works with bands in a studio capacity and releases albums by many southern California groups through his label. He also hosts the "Swami Sound System" program. Reis remains an influential figure in the San Diego underground music community and is currently performing with a new band named The Night Marchers.
Scream, Dracula, Scream! is an album by the San Diego, California rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1995 by Interscope Records. It was the band's first major-label release. Music videos were filmed for the singles "On a Rope," "Born in '69" and "Young Livers," and the band embarked on extensive tours of the US, UK and Europe. They experienced a surge of popularity in the UK, where "On a Rope" entered the music charts at #12 and was a hit on MTV Europe, earning them rave reviews in New Musical Express and allowing them to play Top of the Pops.
Hot Charity is the third album by the San Diego, California punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1995 on the fictitious record label Perfect Sound Records. The original release was limited in number and soon went out of print, however it was re-released in CD format in 2002 by singer/guitarist John Reis on his Swami Records label as part of the compilation album Hot Charity/Cut Carefully and Play Loud.
Pitchfork was an American post-hardcore band formed in 1986 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 1990. They are most well known as the first "real" band of guitarist John Reis, who would later gain fame as the frontman in Rocket from the Crypt, and as the first collaboration between Reis and singer Rick Froberg. As an aspiring visual artist and illustrator, Froberg provided most of the band's artwork while Reis developed his studio skills by acting as producer on their records.
The State of Art is on Fire is an EP by the punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt. It was released in 1995 on Sympathy for the Record Industry. The album was the band's first release to include trumpet player JC 2000.
"Born in '69" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the first single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as both a 7" vinyl and CD single by Elemental Records and peaked at #68 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video directed by Steve Hanft received play on MTV and MTV Europe.
"On a Rope" is a song by the American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the third single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as three separate CD singles by Elemental Records, which combined to form a single set containing three versions of "On a Rope", five cover songs, and a four-song session recorded with Mark Radcliffe at the BBC that was originally broadcast May 26, 1996. "On a Rope" was Rocket from the Crypt's highest-charting single, peaking at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video for the song received play on MTV and MTV Europe.
"Young Livers" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the second single from their 1995 album Scream, Dracula, Scream! It was released as both a 7" vinyl and CD single by Elemental Records and peaked at #67 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video for the song received play on MTV and MTV Europe.
Automatic Midnight is the first studio album by the San Diego, California post-hardcore band Hot Snakes, released in 2000 by Swami Records. Both the band and the album began as a "side project" for John Reis in June 1999, during time off from his main band Rocket From the Crypt. Reis wrote and recorded a batch of songs in San Diego with Delta 72 drummer Jason Kourkounis. To provide vocals for the tracks Reis called in Rick Froberg, whom he had played with in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu from 1986 to 1995. Most of the material from these sessions was used to create Automatic Midnight, which became the first release for Reis' newly formed Swami Records label.
Live from Camp X-Ray is the seventh studio album by the San Diego, California rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 2002 by Vagrant Records. It was the band's final studio album, as they broke up on Halloween 2005. Contrary to the album's title, it is not a "live" album but rather a studio recording.
Back Off Cupids is a solo album by the San Diego, California musician John Reis, released in 2000 by Big Fish Records. "Back Off Cupids" was also the name given by Reis to the musical project. Recording of the album's material took place in 1994, in between sessions with Reis' bands Drive Like Jehu and Rocket From the Crypt, and involved Rocket From the Crypt horn players Jason Crane and Paul O'Beirne. Compared to Reis' other musical projects the music was slower, mostly instrumental, and to a certain degree free-form. The material was shelved for several years until mixing was completed in 1999, and the album was finally released in 2000.
R.I.P. is a live album by the San Diego-based rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released on February 26, 2008, by Vagrant Records. It is a recording of the band's final performance on October 31, 2005, at the Westin Hotel Ballroom in San Diego. It also includes a DVD of the entire performance, including several songs not included on the CD.
"When in Rome " is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the first single from their 1998 album RFTC. It was released as a shaped picture disc by Elemental Records, with the new songs "Tarzan" and "Tiger Feet Tonite" on the B-side. The single did not chart; in fact, of the three singles released from the album, only "Lipstick" managed to make the UK Singles Chart.
"Lipstick" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the second single from their 1998 album RFTC. It was released by Elemental Records in three versions: as a 7" vinyl single and as two different CD singles, each with a different track list. It was the only one of the album's three singles to chart, reaching #64 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Break It Up" is a song by the American alternative rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released as the third and final single from their 1998 album RFTC. It was released by Elemental Records in three versions: as a 7" vinyl single and as two different CD singles, each with a different track list. Although a music video was filmed, the single did not chart. In fact, of the three singles released from the album, only "Lipstick" managed to make the UK Singles Chart.
Jason Crane is an American drummer and trumpeter notable as a member of Rocket from the Crypt, The Black Heart Procession, and Beehive & the Barracudas.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
