Rain Parade | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Genres | Paisley Underground, psychedelic rock |
Years active | 1981–1986, 1988, 2012–present |
Labels | |
Members | Matt Piucci Steven Roback John Thoman Derek See Stephan Junca Mark Hanley |
Past members | David Roback Will Glenn Eddie Kalwa Mark Marcum Gil Ray Alec Palao |
Website | rainparadeofficial |
The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012.
Originally called the Sidewalks, the band was founded in Los Angeles by college roommates Matt Piucci (guitar, vocals) and David Roback (guitar, vocals) in 1981, [1] [2] who had attended Carleton College together. [3] David's brother Steven Roback (bass, vocals) joined the band shortly thereafter. David and Steven had been in a band called the Unconscious with neighbor Susanna Hoffs (who went on to become a member of the Bangles, the most famous of the Paisley Underground bands). The band soon added Will Glenn (keyboards and violin) and later Eddie Kalwa (drums). They self-released their debut single, "What She's Done to Your Mind" on their Llama label in 1982. [1]
In 1983, they released their debut album, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip , on the Enigma/Zippo label. [4] Critic Jim DeRogatis would later write in his book Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock (2003) that "Emergency Third Rail Power Trip is not only the best album from any of the Paisley Underground bands, it ranks with the best psychedelic rock efforts from any era", with uplifting melodies offset by themes that were "dark and introspective." [5] According to DeRogatis, the album showcased "the Robacks' ethereal vocals, Eddie Kalwa's precise drumming, Will Glenn's colorful sitar, violin, and keyboard accents, and an intricate, chiming, but droney two-guitar attack that picks up where the Byrds left off with 'Eight Miles High.'" [5]
After David Roback left to form a new band, Opal, [4] the rest of the band continued to record as a four-piece, releasing the mini-LP Explosions in the Glass Palace in 1984. [1] NME would later write, in praise of Explosions in the Glass Palace: "Sound cathedrals? We got ‘em ... mind-meltingly beautiful guitar sounds, employed sparingly and dynamically amid dark, dizzy tales of murder, madness and drug paranoia." [6] [7] The song "No Easy Way Down" was cited as a "mantra for an altered state of mind, and testament to a band who, however fleetingly, made music that sounded like the best drugs ever." [6]
After the release of a single, "You Are My Friend", drummer Eddie Kalwa left and was replaced by Mark Marcum, with John Thoman (guitar, vocals) also added to the line-up. [1]
The band was signed to Island Records, and recorded a live album in Japan called Beyond the Sunset. [8] Their third album, Crashing Dream, came out in 1985. [8]
The band split in 1986, reforming briefly in 1988 to finish off a double album they had started, which was never released. [1]
Piucci would go on to release the LP Can't Get Lost When You're Goin' Nowhere with Tim Lee, under the band name Gone Fishin'. He later joined Crazy Horse. [4]
Steven Roback went on to form the band Viva Saturn whose debut release appeared on the San Francisco label Heyday Records, which was run at the time by Pat Thomas of the band Absolute Grey. Viva Saturn went on to release two additional LPs, Soundmind and Brightside.
In 1983–1984, David Roback made the psychedelic folk album Rainy Day, consisting of cover versions performed by various members of the Paisley Underground scene that Roback had enlisted, under the name Rainy Day. He then formed the band Clay Allison – which became Opal, featuring former Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith (who also appears on Rainy Day). Following the dissolution of Opal, Roback formed Mazzy Star in 1989 with singer-songwriter Hope Sandoval, who had joined Opal to perform with them the previous year, taking over lead vocals from Smith upon the latter's departure during a European tour.
Keyboardist Will Glenn was also a member of the Rainy Day project, The Three O'Clock, and Viva Saturn, and recorded with Mazzy Star under the name William Cooper. Glenn died of cancer on March 16, 2001.
Mark Marcum joined the heavy metal band Savage Grace after leaving Rain Parade, and appeared on the 1986 album After the Fall from Grace and a 1987 EP, Ride into the Night. [9]
The Rain Parade reformed in 2012, performing their comeback gig on December 20, 2012 at Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco on a sold out bill with Powder and the Bang Girl Group Revue. The Rain Parade lineup included original members Matt Piucci, Steven Roback and John Thoman, augmented by Mark Hanley, Alec Palao and former Game Theory drummer Gil Ray. This lineup also performed at The Earl in Atlanta, GA on January 19, 2013, in a benefit for Bobby Sutliff of The Windbreakers, who had been injured in a car accident.
In December 2013, Rain Parade played two nights with three other reunited Paisley Underground bands—the Bangles, the Dream Syndicate, and the Three O'Clock—at The Fillmore in San Francisco (Dec. 5) and The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles (Dec. 6, a benefit concert for Education Through Music-Los Angeles). [10] [11]
In 2014, drummer Gil Ray gave up performing due to health concerns, and was replaced in the lineup by returning member Stephan Junca. Ray died of cancer in 2017.
Three new recordings by Rain Parade were released in November 2018 as part of a compilation album called 3 × 4, which also included the Dream Syndicate, the Bangles, and the Three O'Clock, with each of the four bands covering songs by the other three. [12] Following the initial Record Store Day First release as a double album on "psychedelic swirl" purple vinyl, Yep Roc Records released the album on LP, CD, and digital in February 2019. [13] [14]
David Roback died from metastatic cancer on February 25, 2020. [15]
The band released their first studio album in 38 years, Last Rays of a Dying Sun , on August 4, 2023. [16]
The Bangles are an American all-female pop rock band formed in Los Angeles, in 1981. They are known for hit singles during the 1980s that made them one of the most successful pop rock groups of the decade. The band’s biggest commercial successes include "Walk Like an Egyptian" (1986), which became a worldwide phenomenon, "Manic Monday" (1986), a song written by Prince, and a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s "Hazy Shade of Winter" (1987), which was featured in the film Less Than Zero. Their ballad "Eternal Flame" (1989) became a big hit, topping the charts in several countries and is one of their signature songs. Other hits included "In Your Room" (1988) and "If She Knew What She Wants" (1986).
The Dream Syndicate is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, originally active from 1981 to 1989, and reunited since 2012. The band is associated with neo-psychedelia and the Paisley Underground music movement; of the bands in that movement, according to the Los Angeles Times, the Dream Syndicate "rocked with the highest degree of unbridled passion and conviction." Though never commercially successful, the band met with considerable acclaim, especially for its songwriting and guitar playing. Bandleader Steve Wynn reformed the band in 2012, and four studio albums have been released since 2017.
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owing a particular debt to 1960s groups such as Love and the Byrds, but more generally referencing a wide range of pop and garage rock revival.
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Santa Monica, California, from remnants of the group Opal. Founding member David Roback's friend Hope Sandoval became the group's vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal. The band's current lineup consists of Sandoval, Colm Ó Cíosóig, Suki Ewers (keyboards), and Josh Yenne.
She Hangs Brightly is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star. It was released on May 21, 1990, by Rough Trade Records and re-released by Capitol Records later in the year.
Green on Red was an American rock band, formed in the Tucson, Arizona punk scene, but based for most of its career in Los Angeles, California, where it was loosely associated with the Paisley Underground. Earlier records have the wide-screen psychedelic sound of first-wave desert rock, while later releases tended more towards traditional country rock.
The Three O'Clock is an American alternative rock group associated with the Los Angeles 1980s Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer and bassist Michael Quercio is credited with coining the term "Paisley Underground" to describe a subset of the 1980s L.A. music scene which included bands such as Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Green on Red, the Long Ryders and the Bangles.
Michael Quercio is an American musician. He is the founder, bassist and lead singer of The Three O'Clock, and coined the term Paisley Underground as the name of a musical subgenre.
David Edward Roback was an American guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as a founding member of the alternative rock band Mazzy Star.
Opal was an American rock band in the 1980s. They were part of the Paisley Underground musical style. The band's name is derived from "Opel", a song by Syd Barrett.
Happy Nightmare Baby is the only studio album by the American band Opal, released in 1987 by SST Records in America and Rough Trade Records in England. It was the only album released by the band while together, singer Kendra Smith leaving during the tour to promote it, to be replaced by Hope Sandoval, the band evolving into Mazzy Star.
Viva Saturn was an alternative/neo-psychedelic rock group from Los Angeles, California, founded by Steven Roback of Rain Parade. The band was active from 1989 to 1998.
The discography of the Bangles, an American all-female band, consists of five studio albums, ten compilation albums, one extended play, twenty-five singles, and three video albums.
Kendra Smith is an American musician who was a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, a member of Opal, and later recorded as a solo artist.
Rainy Day was an all-star Paisley Underground band, a collaborative project composed of members of Los Angeles-based bands including Dream Syndicate, The Three O'Clock, Rain Parade and The Bangles.
"Getting Out of Hand" is the debut single by American female band the Bangles, produced by the band themselves and released in 1981.
Emergency Third Rail Power Trip is the debut album by American rock band Rain Parade, released in 1983. It is one of the most prominent records in the Paisley Underground movement of the 1980s.
George Gilbert "Gil" Ray was an American rock drummer, guitarist, and vocalist, best known for his recordings in the 1980s and 1990s as a member of the bands Game Theory and The Loud Family. In late 2012, he joined Rain Parade as drummer for a series of reunion performances.
Crashing Dream is the second album by the American band Rain Parade, released in 1985 by Island Records.
Brightside is an album by the American band Viva Saturn, released in 1995. It was the band's final album, as Restless Records chose not to release 1998's Ships of Heaven.