Cinder Block (musician)

Last updated
Cinder Block
Cinder of retching red.jpg
Cinder Block performing with Retching Red, 2005
Background information
Birth nameCynthia Morgan
Also known asCynthia Bischoff, Cinder Bischoff
Born (1961-05-13) May 13, 1961 (age 63)
Origin Lincoln, Nebraska, US
Genres Hardcore punk, punk rock
Instruments Vocals
Years active1983–present
Labels Fat Wreck Chords, Lookout! Records, Rodent Popsicle Records
Member of Tilt
Formerly ofPrick, Retching Red, Fabulous Disaster, The Pathogens

Cinder Block (born Cynthia Morgan, May 13, 1961) is an American punk rock vocalist and visual artist. [1] Cinder is most well-known as the lead vocalist for Tilt, a Fat Wreck Chords punk band. [2]

Contents

Early life

Cinder was raised in Nebraska. She categorized herself as being a "festival-goer" and a "concert-goer" in her adolescence. [3] She was a part of Nebraska's punk rock scene in her youth and often visited a venue there called the Drumstick and the Zoobar, where well-known Los Angeles-based bands such as X and Meat Puppets would perform. Cinder cited those bands as influences that inspired her to pursue her own career as a punk rock musician. She also felt inspired by the rebellion, energy, and artistry in punk rock. She began songwriting in the 1970s, [4] and she started her first band in 1983. [3]

Cinder has cited theater as an inspiration to her. Growing up, she enjoyed plays by Sam Shepard and William Shakespeare, as well as existential poetry and the Beat Generation. [5] In the mid-1980s, Cinder wrote a "punk rock opera," based on the mythological story of Agamemnon, called Hubris. [5] She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Arts, acting, and directing [3] from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.[ citation needed ]

Cinder moved to the San Francisco Bay Area around 1987. She also credited the Bay Area scene for heavily influencing her, and in a 1999 interview, she stated that she still felt like she was a part of the Bay Area scene. [3]

Tilt

Tilt was mainly active from 1992 to 2001, during which period Cinder Block was the lead vocalist and lyricist for the band. She also assumed bookkeeping responsibilities in the band. [3] At one point during the band's tenure, Cinder Block was the only female artist on the Fat Wreck Chords label, although by 1998, Fat Wreck had signed one other female-fronted band, The Muffs. [3] As one of very few female punk rock vocalists, Cinder cited difficulties that she encountered throughout her career, including one time when a male fan approached her and told her that she would have attracted a larger and more passionate crowd if she had been a male vocalist. [3] Cinder partially attributed Tilt's initial breakup in 2001 to the increasing success and demands of Cinder Block, Inc., the merchandising company she founded with her former husband, Tilt guitarist Jeffrey Bischoff. [5]

In 2015, Cinder reunited with Tilt to play a one-off reunion show during a festival to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Fat Wreck Chords. In 2017, Tilt reunited again for another show at 924 Gilman Street, a music venue in Berkeley, California. [6]

Other musical projects

Before Tilt, Cinder was in a band called Prick. The band was not the first Cinder had ever joined, but it was the first to ever have any releases. [5]

She sang with the all-female band Fabulous Disaster for a short time. [7] She would then go on to form the hardcore punk band Retching Red in 2004. [8] Since 2018, she has sung for The Pathogens, although The Pathogens are on a temporary hiatus due to Cinder relocating from California to perform in a family band called The Morgans. [5]

Cinder worked for Fabula magazine and Punk Rock Confidential . [9]

Her lyrics typically focus on left wing political themes and other irreverent topics. [10] Some of her songs have feminist themes. [4]

Business endeavors

Cinder Block and Jeffery Bischoff founded a licensing and merchandising store, Cinder Block, Inc, in 1989. [11] Cinder Block, Inc. was based in Oakland, California, and started in a warehouse as Cinder and Bischoff's means of financially supporting their burgeoning music careers. [3] One of their earliest clients was the punk rock band AFI. [11] In 1997, Cinder Block, Inc. had 14 full-time employees and was responsible for printing shirts and merchandise for Vans Warped Tour. [12] [3] By 2005, Jeffery Bischoff was the president of Cinder Block, Inc. At its peak, Cinder Block had over 300 clients; some of the store's most high-profile clients included the alternative rock artists The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, R.E.M., and Phil Collins. Aside from merchandising, Cinder Block, Inc. also offered full tour service, e-commerce, ticketing, and business development for its clients. [11]

In 2009, Transom Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based equity firm, acquired Cinder Block, Inc. from Jeffery Bischoff, who, by that point, only retained partial ownership of the business. In March 2014, Anschutz Entertainment Group and Transom Capital Group announced that they would merge BandMerch and Cinder Block, Inc. into one standalone company that would continue under the name BandMerch. By that point, Cinder Block, Inc.'s CEO was Jason Greene. [13]

Personal life

She was married to Jeffery Bischoff. They have since divorced. [5] Cinder makes silkscreens and has been doing so for almost two decades. [14] In her free time, she enjoys yoga. In a 1998 interview, she stated that her doctors were "about 90% sure" she had multiple sclerosis, but yoga helped alleviate her symptoms. [3]

Cinder has named Billie Holiday, Édith Piaf, Nina Hagen, Exene Cervenka, and Lady Gaga as vocal inspirations. [5]

Cinder is in recovery for drug and alcohol addiction, a process which she began in the 1990s. The first record she wrote, released, and performed on tour after achieving sobriety was Tilt's Collect 'Em All . [4] About her recovery, she stated in a July 1998 interview that it was difficult to maintain sobriety while touring, but that "[recovery is] the best thing I ever did. Some people think when artists sober up that they have nothing more to say. It's just made my writing more intense and my music more angry, I think. It's made performance much much more enjoyable, because I can put so much more energy into it. I've been on tour before where I've been so run down from just a little bit of drinking. I've been struggling so hard just to get through the set that I haven't been able to concentrate on the ideas that I'm trying to get across, or making a connection with the people on stage or with the audience. And now I can. It's a fucking miracle; it's a gift. It's one of the gifts of recovery that I'm so glad that I finally surrendered to." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NOFX</span> American punk rock band

NOFX is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Bassist/lead vocalist Fat Mike, rhythm guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every release by the band, although Sandin departed briefly in 1985, only to rejoin the following year. El Hefe joined the band in 1991 to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the best-known iteration of the lineup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strung Out</span> Punk rock band from California

Strung Out is an American punk rock band from Simi Valley, California, formed in 1989. They are known mainly for their musical style, which fuses aspects of melodic punk rock, progressive rock and heavy metal to form their primary sound. They have released nine studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords as well as one Live album, 2 B-sides collections, a best-of, a box set and appeared on numerous compilations and skate/surf/dirt bike/offroading videos. They have played on the Warped Tour and continue to tour internationally. The band currently have an ongoing collaboration beer with Lucky Luke Brewing Company called “Astrolux Golden Ale”. Their albums have charted on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lawrence Arms</span> American punk rock band

The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. They have released seven full-length albums and toured extensively.

<i>The Unraveling</i> (Rise Against album) 2001 studio album by Rise Against

The Unraveling is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Rise Against, released on April 24, 2001 by Fat Wreck Chords. Following the release of the extended play Transistor Revolt in 2000, the band signed with Fat Wreck Chords and began working on the album at Sonic Iguana Studios with producer Mass Giorgini. Musically, The Unraveling is rooted in melodic hardcore, which later came to be the band’s signature style; conversely, its lyrics differ from their more politically-driven later work, focusing more on personal relationships and issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Sane</span> Irish-American musician

Justin Cathal Geever, known professionally as Justin Sane, is an American singer and guitarist. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of Anti-Flag, a punk rock band formed in 1988 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that was known for its left-wing political views.

Bracket is an American rock band from Forestville, California formed in 1992. The lineup consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Marty Gregori, bassist and backing vocalist Zack Charlos, drummer Ray Castro, and guitarist and backing vocalist Angelo Celli, who replaced Larry Tinney in 1998. Bracket has issued numerous albums, EPs and singles since its inception, including many releases for Caroline Records and Fat Wreck Chords. Their sound could most easily be described as power pop influenced punk rock with a continued focus on vocal harmonies.[1][2][3]

Screw 32 is a Berkeley/East Bay-area US punk rock band. Their name has many supposed origins, the most popular stating that it is derived from an anti-skateboarding measure on the ballot in Concord, California. They were noted for their self-publicity and ordered stickers by the thousands, sticking them in numerous places. They were also known to "tag" their names with Sharpies on numerous objects and in numerous places.

<i>More Betterness!</i> 1999 studio album by No Use for a Name

More Betterness! is the fifth studio album by punk rock band No Use for a Name, released in 1999.

<i>Collect Em All</i> 1998 studio album by Tilt

Collect 'Em All is the third studio album by Californian punk rock band, Tilt. It was released in March 1998 on Fat Wreck Chords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teenage Bottlerocket</span> American pop punk band

Teenage Bottlerocket is an American rock band formed in Laramie, Wyoming in 2000. The rock band was formed by twin brothers Ray and Brandon Carlisle, following the dissolution of their previous band, Homeless Wonders. The band's music is heavily influenced by guitarist and co-vocalist Kody Templeman's other band, The Lillingtons, and punk rock acts such as Ramones, Screeching Weasel, Green Day, The Bouncing Souls, and Misfits; Their music has been referred to as "Ramones-core", "Weasel-core" and "leather jacket punk".

<i>Been Where? Did What?</i> 2001 compilation album by Tilt

Been Where? Did What? is an album by Californian punk rock band Tilt. It was released in November 2001 on Fat Wreck Chords. It consists of previously unreleased tracks and cover versions, recorded by the band between 1992 and 1999.

<i>Viewers Like You</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Tilt

Viewers Like You is the fourth and final studio album by Californian punk rock band, Tilt. It was released in August 1999 on Fat Wreck Chords.

<i>Til It Kills</i> 1995 studio album by Tilt

'Til It Kills is the second studio album by California punk rock band, Tilt. It was released in April 1995 on Fat Wreck Chords.

<i>Play Cell</i> 1993 studio album by Tilt

Play Cell is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Tilt. The album was released on June 4, 1993, through Lookout Records with the catalog number LK 071. It was the group's last release on Lookout! before the band signed to Fat Wreck Chords two years later. Play Cell also marks the last Tilt recording to feature bassist Pete Rypins, who left the group in 1994 and was replaced by Gabe Meline.

Creepy is a San Francisco, California-based indie rock/pop punk band that formed in 2002.

Star Fucking Hipsters is an American punk rock band from New York City who have released albums on Fat Wreck Chords and Alternative Tentacles records. They have been called a "punk supergroup" and feature members from numerous notable bands including Leftöver Crack, Ensign, and The Ergs!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat Mike</span> American musician

Michael John Burkett, known professionally as Fat Mike, is an American musician and producer. He is the bassist and lead vocalist for the punk rock band NOFX and the cofounder and bassist of the punk rock supergroup cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Burkett started out with his first band False Alarm in 1982.

Tilt is an American punk rock band from the East Bay, California, formed in 1992. The group's debut studio album, Play Cell, was released through Lookout Records in 1993. They would soon after get signed to Fat Wreck Chords, which the rest of its albums were released through. The band consisted of Cinder Block (vocals), Jeffrey Bischoff (guitar), Pete Rypins (bass), and Vincent Camacho (drums). Starting on February 15, 1994, at the Cattle Club in Sacramento and ending on April 6, 1994, in Vancouver, Tilt supported Green Day on their Dookie tour.

Diesel Boy is an American punk rock band from Santa Rosa, California, United States. They were formed in 1993 and were active until 2002. In 2022, they announced they would release a new album for SBÄM Records, which was released in 2023. They have a 7" on Fat Wreck Chords, four full-length albums released on Honest Don's Records, one full-length on SBAM and a split EP with the band Divit that was released on Coldfront Records.

The Bombpops are an American punk rock band formed in San Diego, California in 2007. The band was formed by co-front women Jen Razavi and Poli van Dam; it has had many formation changes since 2007. The band is signed to Fat Wreck Chords.

References

  1. ↑ "Cinder Block facts". Freebase. August 8, 2007. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013.
  2. ↑ "I found this song in the road: Tilt- Viewers Like You". Songsfromtheroad.blogspot.com. August 22, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Talvi, Silja J.A. (7 July 1998). "Interview with Cinder Block of Tilt". Heckler. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Hefflon, Scott (1 September 1998). "Tilt - Collect 'em All Interview". Lollipop Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Schubert, Daniel (January 2021). "Interview - CINDER BLOCK". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Brown Paper Tickets - The fair-trade ticketing company". Thelookouting924.brownpapertickets.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Tilt's Cinder Block Fronting Fabulous Disaster". PunkNews. 27 July 2003. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "Tours: Retching Red (ex-Tilt) touring Europe, United States". Punknews.org. 4 April 2006.
  9. ↑ "The 7 Year Bitch Page!/Articles and Interviews/Article 37". Archived from the original on 2009-10-20. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  10. ↑ "Bands: Fat Wreck Chords". Fatwreck.com. Fat Wreck Chords . Retrieved April 5, 2012.
  11. 1 2 3 Yulico, Nicholas (25 January 2005). "Cinder Block puts shirts on bands' backs". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Prague Post Online: Night & Day: The feminine force". 24 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-11-24. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  13. ↑ "AEG Live, Transom Capital Merge BandMerch with Cinder Block, Creating Merch Powerhouse". Yahoo! News, Billboard . 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "THE OAKBOOK - Oakland: Grown Up Punk". 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
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.