 | This article contains promotional content .(May 2024) |
Ron Burman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Occupation | President of Mascot Label Group North America |
| Years active | 1986 - Present |
| Employer(s) | Mascot Records 2013-present Current (President) |
Ron Burman is an American music executive.
Burman was born in Philadelphia in 1965 and moved to Jacksonville, Florida when he was 12. [1] Between 1986 and 1988, while pursuing Communication Studies at Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, Burman served as the Concert Director for Student Campus Entertainment (SCE) where he booked bands for the campus nightclub, The Club Down Under, The Metro Night Club, [2] as well as working at FSU's college radio station WVFS in Tallahassee. [1] While head of SCE, Burman booked hundreds of bands, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Ramones, Jello Biafra, Alpha Blondy, The Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Love Tractor, and many others.
While still a student, he also completed a summer internship at Bulging Eye Booking & Management in Norman, Oklahoma, [1] who managed and booked bands including The Flaming Lips, Mudhoney, the Afghan Whigs and Alice Donut, whom Burman would go on to manage for several years. Burman graduated from FSU in 1988 with a B.A. in communications. [2]
Burman moved to New York City in 1988 to work for Associated Booking Corporation (ABC Booking), where he booked Anita Baker, B.B. King, Black Uhuru, Dr. John, The Wailers Band, Third World, and Yellowman, among others. among others. In 1991, he founded Stretch Management, which lasted until 1996. During this time he became the personal manager and tour manager for punk rock and alternative bands, including his old clients Alice Donut, Drunken Boat and Japanese noise-punks Ultra Bidé. [2] His bands toured several times across America, Canada, Japan, and Europe. [2] Burman signed both Alice Donut and Ultra Bidé to Jello Biafra's independent label, Alternative Tentacles. [3]
Following Stretch Management's closure, Burman became the showcase manager/festival booker for the CMJ Music Marathon in 1996 and 1997, booking over 1,000 bands into 60 New York venues, including giving Limp Bizkit and Rammstein their first shows in New York City. [2]
In 1997, Burman was hired by independent metal label Roadrunner Records which was beginning to expand from metal to more commercial mainstream and alternative rock. Less than two years into his career at Roadrunner, as a junior A&R executive, Burman was tipped off to two self-released albums by Vancouver band Nickelback: Curb and The State . [2]
Persuading the label to let him fly to Vancouver, Burman was impressed by the fans waiting outside the club in the rain, and the band's performance of “Leader of Men” from "State." [2] After three months of back and forth within the label, Roadrunner signed the group and re-issued the album, followed by Silver Side Up (2001) with its international hit, “How You Remind Me.” Burman went on to A&R a further five records for the band [4] that would go on to sell over 50 million albums internationally. [5] After the success of Nickelback, Burman was promoted to Senior Vice-president of A&R. [1]
Burman also signed the Vancouver quartet Theory of a Deadman, [3] protégés of Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger, who co-produced them through his own production company, 604 Records, together with Joey Moi. Impressed by singer Bryan Crouch, Burman signed another Canadian band: Hail the Villain, a melodic hard rock quartet from Ontario. [6] Roadrunner re-released their first album, Population: Declining in 2010.
Other Burman Roadrunner signings include the Australian hard rock band Airbourne, whose albums "Runnin’ Wild" and "No Guts. No Glory." both entered the American, Canadian, and British charts, as well as Black Stone Cherry, The Wombats, Madina Lake, Doubledrive and Biffy Clyro. [4]
In 2013, Burman became President of Mascot Label Group North America. [7] The Dutch label has a rock, metal, blues and blues-rock roster that has enjoyed success on European charts, with artists such as Joe Bonamassa, Gov't Mule, Volbeat, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, and Black Label Society.
After joining Mascot, Burman helped in signing Black Stone Cherry to the label, whom he had previously signed to Roadrunner. [8] Burman has developed an international roster with artists from North America including: 10 Years, Any Given Sin, Black Stone Cherry, Conquer Divide, Crobot, The Cold Stares, The Georgia Thunderbolts, Otherwise, P.O.D., Shaman's Harvest, [9] Earthside and Calva Louise.
Burman was interviewed in the documentary film Freaks In Love by filmmakers David Koslowski and Skizz Cyzyk, covering Alice Donut's 25-year career in 2011, and additionally appeared in the VH1 TV series Metal Evolution that same year. [10]
He was also interviewed for the 2023 documentary film Hate To love: Nickelback by Leigh Brooks.
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
Eric Reed Boucher, known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, they released records for other bands as well. Dead Kennedys guitarist East Bay Ray and vocalist Jello Biafra formed Alternative Tentacles, but Biafra became the sole owner in the mid-1980s. Alternative Tentacles no longer owns the rights to Dead Kennedys recordings after a 2000 lawsuit.
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, and bassist Mike Kroeger. It went through several drummer changes between 1995 and 2005 before Daniel Adair joined.
Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death is a compilation album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys. It was released in June 1987 through front man Jello Biafra's record label Alternative Tentacles.
"California Über Alles" is the debut single by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was the group's first recording and was released in June 1979 on the Optional Music label, with "The Man with the Dogs" appearing as its B-side. The title track was re-recorded in 1980 for the band's first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, and the original recording as well as the B-side were later included on the 1987 compilation Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was first released on September 2, 1980, through Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom, and I.R.S. Records in the United States. It was later issued by Jello Biafra's own Alternative Tentacles label in the United States. It is the only Dead Kennedys studio album to feature drummer Bruce Slesinger and guitarist Carlo Cadona.
Bedtime for Democracy is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as conformity, Reaganomics, the U.S. military, and critique of the hardcore punk movement. The album's title refers to the 1951 comedy film, Bedtime for Bonzo starring Ronald Reagan and also reflects the band's weary bitterness from the trial they were undergoing at the time over the controversial art included with their previous album. By the time recording of Bedtime for Democracy had begun, the Dead Kennedys had already played what would be their last concert with Jello Biafra and announced their breakup immediately after the release of the record, whose opening track is a cover of David Allan Coe's "Take This Job and Shove It."
Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as one of the most powerful independent metal labels of the 1980s and 1990s, it would eventually become a massive host of metal acts; most seen in Roadrunner United and the following live concert. Since then, the label had continued to put out major releases, though by the 2020s, most major acts had left the label and it had been acquired by Warner Brothers, being relegated to something much smaller than before.
D.O.A. is a Canadian punk rock band from Vancouver. They are often referred to as being among the "founders" of hardcore punk, along with Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Angry Samoans, Germs, and Middle Class. Their second album Hardcore '81 was thought by many to have been the first actual reference to the second wave of the American punk sound as hardcore.
Plastic Surgery Disasters is the second full-length album released by punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Recorded in San Francisco during June 1982, it was produced by the band and punk record producer Thom Wilson, with Geza X getting a "special thanks" underneath the DK's/Wilson credit for additional production. The album is darker and more hardcore-influenced than their debut album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables as a result of the band trying to expand on the sound and mood they had achieved with their 1980 single "Holiday in Cambodia". It was the first full-length album to feature drummer D.H. Peligro, and is frontman Jello Biafra's favorite Dead Kennedys album.
Brujeria is an American extreme metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1989. The band has Spanish lyrics with topics such as Satanism, anti-Christianity, sex, immigration, narcotics smuggling, and politics. Brujeria portrays Mexican imagery, with several members being Hispanic and Latino Americans, while the band's name stands for brujería.
Curb is the debut studio album by Canadian rock band Nickelback. Recorded at Turtle Recording Studios in Richmond, British Columbia, with producer Larry Anschell, it was originally released exclusively in Canada by FACTOR on May 15, 1996. The album was reissued locally later in the year by Shoreline Records. After Nickelback signed with Roadrunner Records in 1999, Curb was remastered and released internationally on June 25, 2002. However, the remastered edition is controversial for its audio quality compared to the original issue as its dynamic range was significantly reduced and introduced severe clipping problems throughout.
"Too Drunk to Fuck" is the fourth single by Dead Kennedys. The record was released in May 1981 on Cherry Red Records with "The Prey" as the B-side. Both songs from this single are available on the rarities album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death (1987).
Alice Donut is a punk rock band from New York City formed in 1986. The band released six albums before splitting up in 1996. They reformed in 2001.
Black Stone Cherry is an American rock band, formed in 2001 in Edmonton, Kentucky. They were signed to Roadrunner Records until 2015; the band is now signed to Mascot Label Group. The band consists of Chris Robertson, Ben Wells, Steve Jewell and John Fred Young. Black Stone Cherry has released eight studio albums as well as two EPs and have charted seventeen singles on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks charts. Their latest album, Screamin' at the Sky, was released in 2023.
Prairie Home Invasion is a collaborative studio album by Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon, backed by Nixon's backing band the Toadliquors. Released in 1994 by Biafra's record label Alternative Tentacles, the album's lyrics predominantly deal with political themes, as well as criticism of corporate rock and country pop.
Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors is a punk album by Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys and Canadian band D.O.A., released in 1990. It is notable for "Full Metal Jackoff," a furious 14-minute song that touches on then-relevant topics such as Willie Horton, the Iran-Contra Affair, Oliver North, the crack epidemic, and many others.
Burning Image are an American deathrock band formed in Bakersfield, California in 1982. Burning Image first released a 7" single with the songs "The Final Conflict" and "Burning Image, Burning" in the summer of 1984. The compilation 1983–1987 in 2004 and album Fantasma (2009) were both released on Alternative Tentacles, record label owned by former Dead Kennedys singer, Jello Biafra, with album Oleander (2011) being self-published. Burning Image celebrates 39 years as a band, in 2021, with a new album.
The Georgia Thunderbolts are an American rock band from Rome, Georgia. Formed in 2015, the band released their debut album Can We Get a Witness through Mascot Records in 2021.