Justin Marler

Last updated

Justin Marler
Justin marler.jpg
Marler in 2011
Background information
Born (1972-07-29) July 29, 1972 (age 50)
Origin Chico, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1990, 1999–2009
Labels London, Very Small, Earache, Tee Pee, The Music Cartel, Catacomb

Justin Marler (born July 29, 1972)[ citation needed ] is an American musician. He is known for being a founding member of the stoner rock band Sleep and for leaving a burgeoning career in music to become a monk in an Eastern Orthodox monastery.

Contents

In 1990, Marler joined the members of a little-known band called Asbestosdeath (with Al Cisneros, Chris Hakius and Matt Pike), which the members later renamed Sleep. Soon after recording Sleep's first full-length record, Volume One, Marler vanished, while the band went on to become metal icons.

Marler turned up at Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery in northern California and was later transferred to a monastery on a nearly-deserted island in Alaska. [1] During his seven-year stint as a monk, he founded the widely distributed zine titled Death to the World . The zine had a considerable impact on youth counterculture during the mid- to late-1990s, [2] which caught the attention of the mainstream press and quickly led to the release of Marler's first book, Youth of the Apocalypse, which he co-authored with a fellow monastic.

In 1999, Marler left his reclusive life in the monastery and returned to California where he restarted his music career, with former Sleep bandmate Chris Hakius, as the lead singer for an alternative band called The Sabians. Marler then moved to Austin, Texas in 2005 where he remained a musician and publishing author, [3] active in the Austin music scene with his current band, Shiny Empire. [4]

Books

Discography

with Sleep

as Monk John Marler

with The Sabians

Related Research Articles

A fanzine is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest. The term was coined in an October 1940 science fiction fanzine by Russ Chauvenet and first popularized within science fiction fandom, and from there the term was adopted by other communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sleep (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Sleep is an American heavy metal band from San Jose, California. Guitarist Matt Pike and bassist and vocalist Al Cisneros have been the only constant members throughout its history, with several changes of drummers throughout their history. Critic Eduardo Rivadavia describes them as "perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band" and notes they exerted a strong influence on metal in the 1990s. The band first gained attention with their second album, Sleep's Holy Mountain (1992). However, conflict with the band's record company contributed to Sleep's breakup by the end of the decade. Sleep's third album, Dopesmoker, was released after the band's dissolution. The band reformed in 2009 and has played sporadic live dates internationally since. In 2018, Sleep surprise-released their comeback album, The Sciences, on Third Man Records, to critical acclaim.

Queercore is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically society's disapproval of the LGBT community. Queercore expresses itself in a DIY style through magazines, music, writing and film.

Tobi Celeste Vail is an American independent musician, music critic and feminist activist from Olympia, Washington. She was a central figure in the riot grrl scene—she coined the spelling of "grrl"—and she started the zine Jigsaw. A drummer, guitarist and singer, she was a founding member of the band Bikini Kill. Vail has collaborated in several other bands figuring in the Olympia music scene. Vail writes for eMusic.

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

Flipper is an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979, continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s, then reuniting in 2005. The band influenced a number of grunge, punk rock and noise rock bands. Their slowed-down, bass-driven and heavily distorted style of punk is considered to have inspired bands such as the Melvins and Nirvana, whose bass player Krist Novoselic played with the band in the 2000s.

This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb were a folk punk band from Pensacola, Florida, United States. Their first recording was released in 1997 on Ghostmeat Records. Their later releases have been on Plan It X Records and No Idea Records, but now appear on their own label Plan-It X South. This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb initially started as a new wave band, with folk singer David Dondero on drums. They quickly switched to playing country music, but their punk roots were evident enough in their music that they became one of the premiere bands at the forefront of the folk-punk genre. They did several US tours including an Alaska tour 2003(?), played at Geekfest, and toured to Europe.

<i>Apocalypse Dudes</i> 1998 studio album by Turbonegro

Apocalypse Dudes is the fourth album by the Norwegian band Turbonegro. It is the first studio album with Euroboy as the lead guitarist and the last before the band disbanded in December 1998. Released in early 1998 in Norway and Germany, the album was a huge success for the then underground band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voodoo Glow Skulls</span> American ska punk band

Voodoo Glow Skulls are an American ska punk band formed in 1988 in Riverside, California, by brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas and their longtime friend Jerry O'Neill. Voodoo Glow Skulls first played at backyard parties and later at Spanky's Café in their hometown of Riverside, where they played shows with the Angry Samoans, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Firehose, Murphy's Law, and The Dickies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seraphim Rose</span> American Orthodox monk and writer

Seraphim Rose, also known as Seraphim of Platina, was an American hieromonk of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia who co-founded the Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, California. He translated Eastern Orthodox Christian texts and authored several works. His writings have been credited with helping to spread Eastern Orthodox Christianity throughout the West; his popularity equally extended to Russia itself, where his works were secretly reproduced and distributed by samizdat during the Communist era, remaining popular today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Cisneros</span> American musician

Al Cisneros is an American musician. He is the lead singer and bassist for stoner rock/doom metal bands Sleep and Om. He also was a member of Shrinebuilder and Asbestosdeath and has put out nine releases as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Pike</span> American musician (born 1972)

Matthew Pike is an American musician best known as the guitarist of stoner metal/doom metal band Sleep and the frontman of High on Fire. With High on Fire, Pike won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Electric Messiah".

Lydia is an American indie rock band from Gilbert, Arizona, formed in 2003.

Death To The World is an Eastern Orthodox zine published in the United States.

Threnody Ensemble are a three piece experimental classical music group who formed in 1997, first as a two piece made up of Dave Cerf and Erik Hoversten, but soon as a trio when cellist Dominique Davison joined a year later.

Brutal Knights are a Canadian punk band formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario.In 2010, the band has been described as "the most energetic revivalist hardcore act" in Toronto. Brutal Knights are also known for their humorous lyrics, written by vocalist Nick Flanagan. Flanagan is also a comedian, and sometimes performs stand-up at their shows. According to Flanagan, guitarist Jon Sharron writes most of the music.

<i>Jerusalem</i> and <i>Dopesmoker</i> 1999 studio album by Sleep

Jerusalem and Dopesmoker are two versions of the third album by the American heavy metal band Sleep. The former title was released in 1999 by The Music Cartel and the latter was released by Tee Pee Records in 2003. The music for these albums comprises an extended hour-length piece, developed over four years and recorded in 1996 under the auspices of Sleep's label at the time, London Records. When recording had completed, London was unhappy with the finished product and refused to release it, leading to Sleep's disbandment and the album surfacing on bootlegs and unauthorized indie releases in subsequent years. All versions of the album received very positive reception from music critics, who described it as a high-water mark in both the stoner metal and doom metal genres.

Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began during the early 1990s within the United States in Olympia, Washington and the greater Pacific Northwest and has expanded to at least 26 other countries. Riot grrrl is a subcultural movement that combines feminism, punk music, and politics. It is often associated with third-wave feminism, which is sometimes seen as having grown out of the riot grrrl movement and has recently been seen in fourth-wave feminist punk music that rose in the 2010s. The genre has also been described as coming out of indie rock, with the punk scene serving as an inspiration for a movement in which women could express anger, rage, and frustration, emotions considered socially acceptable for male songwriters but less common for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riff Raff (rapper)</span> American rapper from Texas

Horst Christian Simco, better known by his stage name Riff Raff, is an American rapper. He was originally managed by Swishahouse co-founder OG Ron C. After being associated with rapper and producer Soulja Boy's imprint S.O.D. Money Gang Inc., Riff Raff was signed to DJ and producer Diplo's record label Mad Decent from 2013 to 2015.

<i>The Punk Singer</i> 2013 American film

The Punk Singer is a 2013 documentary film about feminist singer Kathleen Hanna who fronted the bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, and who was a central figure in the riot grrrl movement. Directed by filmmaker Sini Anderson and produced by Anderson and Tamra Davis, the film's title is taken from the Julie Ruin song "The Punk Singer", from Hanna's 1998 solo effort.

Heart and Mind is an album by the American alternative rock band Sister Double Happiness, released in 1991. It was their major label debut.

References

  1. Athitakis, Mark: "Riff Raff", SF Weekly, 2000.
  2. Duncan Collum, Danny: "Punks to Monks", Utne reader, 1997.
  3. Marler, Justin, "Austin, San Antonio and the Hill Country", Moon Handbooks, 2005.
  4. Ratigan, John: "A Spectacular Crap #28", http://combatmusicradio.com/aspectacularcrap/?p=373, 2010.

Sources