Zebrahead | |
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Background information | |
Origin | La Habra, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels |
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Spinoffs | Darling Thieves |
Members |
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Past members |
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Website | zebrahead |
Zebrahead is an American rock band from La Habra, California, formed in 1996. The group's current line-up comprises rapper Ali Tabatabaee, bassist Ben Osmundson, drummer Ed Udhus, lead guitarist Dan Palmer and lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adrian Estrella. Playing a style of music that merges elements of pop-punk and hip hop music, they have released thirteen studio albums.
The band was formed in 1996 by Tabatabaee, Osmundson and Udhus, as well as vocalist and rhythm guitarist Justin Mauriello and lead guitarist Greg Bergdorf. Mauriello departed from the group in 2004, following the release of the band's fifth studio album Waste of MFZB . His role was filled in 2005, with the addition of Matty Lewis, who made his debut on Broadcast to the World (2006). Bergdorf then departed from the group in 2013, being replaced by Palmer, who was first featured on Call Your Friends (2013). In 2021, Lewis left the band and was replaced by Estrella.
Zebrahead was formed in La Habra, California in summer 1996 [1] [2] [3] by guitarist Greg Bergdorf and drummer Ed Udhus, (both formerly of the band 409), bassist Ben Osmundson (formerly of 3-Ply) and singer/rhythm guitarist Justin Mauriello (formerly of Once There). All four musicians, whose bands at the time shared the same practice space, became acquainted with one another after experimenting with different music styles together. This led to all four leaving their respective bands and forming their own and naming it Zebrahead. [4] [5] Inspired by bands such as Fugazi and Descendents and uninterested in the local musical trends of the time, Zebrahead began experimenting and incorporating elements of hip-hop into their sound, leading to the inclusion of rapper Ali Tabatabaee as a co-vocalist. [6] The first song ever composed was "Check", which was later included on their first demo tape, One More Hit, released shortly after. [7] [8]
The band issued their self-titled debut album in April 1998 through indie label Doctor Dream Records, before signing with major label Columbia Records to release their mainstream debut Waste of Mind later that year. [9] The album contains several re-recorded songs from their demo release alongside new tracks, including the minor radio hit "Get Back", which charted at No. 32 on the U.S. Hot Modern Rock Tracks charts. The band's follow-up Playmate of the Year was released in August 2000 and charted at No.4 on the U.S. Top Heatseekers chart. The extended play Stupid Fat Americans followed in February 2001 as a Japan-exclusive release.
Zebrahead recorded and released their fourth studio album, MFZB , in 2003; this was their last publication under Columbia Records. The album is noted for trading in the hip-hop funk elements of the band's previous releases in favor of a heavier punk rock sound that would eventually carry over and develop in future releases. Zebrahead spent the majority of 2004 promoting the album at various festivals in Japan, including the Summer Sonic Festival. [10] The band's extensive touring earned them a sizeable fanbase in the country, leading MFZB to chart at No.9 on the Japanese Charts and earn a gold certification. A follow-up to MFZB titled Waste of MFZB – containing songs that didn't make the final cut of the former – was released exclusively in Japan in July 2004 [11] where it topped the Billboard Japan chart.
Shortly after Zebrahead's Japanese tour, co-vocalist/rhythm guitarist Justin Mauriello left the band due to creative differences. [12] As the singing/rapping dynamic between Mauriello and co-vocalist Ali Tabatabaee was crucial to Zebrahead's sound, the band immediately began the search for a replacement. Matty Lewis, a former member of the band Jank 1000 that had previously toured with Zebrahead, was advised by Udhus and Osmundson to try out for the part in December 2004, to which he won. [13] Lewis' inclusion was announced at a private concert at the Anaheim House of Blues, California on March 8, 2005, before the group started recording their next studio album.
Zebrahead's sixth album Broadcast to the World debuted in February 2006 in Japan, where it certified gold. It was later issued in other countries as the year progressed. During that time, the band toured the U.S. as part of the Warped Tour festival [14] and later Europe, notably playing at the UK's annual Download Festival. [15] Ali Tabatabaee and Matty Lewis also performed the theme of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), "His World".
Following a two-month hiatus after writing material for their seventh album, Zebrahead returned to Europe in May 2007 on a co-headline tour with MxPx [16] and went on to tour the UK as part of the annual Get Happy Tour the following October. [17] Afterwards, the band continued writing and recorded demos with producers Jason Freese, Howard Benson [18] and Cameron Webb. [19] The album, Phoenix , was released in July 2008, preceded by the Not the New Album EP a day earlier. The band later returned to the UK and performed at the Download, Leeds Slam Dunk and Greenfield festivals, before going on to tour the rest of Europe and Japan for the remainder of the year. An American leg of the tour was originally planned to take place after, however, Lewis became ill, and in order to avoid permanent damage to his voice, the tour was cancelled. [20]
In Spring 2009, Zebrahead announced the release of a cover album featuring songs originally sung by female musicians from the 1990s–2000s for the following November. Panty Raid is preceded by the single "Girlfriend" originally by Avril Lavigne. [21] To promote it, the band began the Less Than Jake tour in late 2009 and toured through Japan and Europe, eventually concluding in the U.S. in Spring 2010. [22] In the fall that followed, the band had started recording original material for the first time since the release of Phoenix. Proceeded by the singles "Ricky Bobby" and the title track "Get Nice!", Zebrahead's ninth studio album Get Nice! was released in July 2011, reaching No. 3 on the U.S. Top Heatseekers chart. Promotion came in the form of the tour Get Nice! or Die Trying, where the band performed in venues and festivals throughout Europe, Japan and Australia and the United States between the album's release and the summer of 2012. [23] [24]
After recording in the first half of the year, Zebrahead's tenth studio album Call Your Friends was released worldwide in August 2013. Around the same time, the band announced the departure of guitarist Greg Bergdorf, who chose to leave in order to spend more time with his family. Lead guitarist of Death by Stereo, Dan Palmer took his place as the band's new guitarist. [25] Zebrahead then toured in the U.S., Europe and Japan over the course of the following year, this time alongside acts MxPx and Allister. In October 2014, the band released their live DVD Way More Beer, which was filmed and recorded during the band's tour of Germany earlier that year. [26]
In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of Zebrahead's formation, the band released their first compilation album Greatest Hits? – Volume 1 on March 11, 2015, exclusively in Japan. As well as familiar material, the compilation features several re-recorded songs from the band's earlier albums with former lead singer/rhythm guitarist Justin Mauriello, this time featuring current lead Matty Lewis. [27] The re-recorded songs were released separately outside Japan as the band's eleventh studio album under the title The Early Years – Revisited on April 21, 2015. [28]
After recording earlier in the year, Zebrahead's twelfth album Walk the Plank was issued on October 7, 2015. A continuation of their Walk the Plank/Out of Control tour that took place earlier that year ran between October 1 – December 11, 2015, in Japan and Europe. The band released a second compilation album on November 24, 2017, titled The Bonus Brothers , featuring songs that were previously only available on the Japanese editions of their albums, [29] while their thirteenth studio album Brain Invaders was released in March 2019. [30]
In April 2021, Zebrahead announced the departure of co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Matty Lewis. [31] Adrian Estrella (Assuming We Survive and Mest) was revealed as his replacement on June 28, 2021. [32] The band's first single with Estrella, "Lay Me to Rest", premiered the following month on July 30, 2021 [33] while the EP III, the band's first release with Estrella, followed on November 26, 2021. The band's follow-up EP, titled II, was released on February 3, 2023.
I was released on November 13, 2024.
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AllMusic described Zebrahead's music as punk rap, [34] and also said that they are a rap rock group that "[owes] far more to the old school than the new". [35] Faster, Louder categorized them as "pop-punk/rapcore exponents". [36] The Boston Phoenix said that the band "combined the pop-punk cuteness of Blink-182 with the rap-metal aggression of Limp Bizkit." [37]
Current members
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Touring and session members
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MFZB is the fourth studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead. "Rescue Me" was released to radio on January 20, 2004.
Suburban Legends are an American ska punk band that formed in Huntington Beach, California, in 1998 and later based themselves in nearby Santa Ana. After building a fanbase in the Orange County ska scene through their numerous regular performances at the Disneyland Resort, a series of lineup changes in 2005 introduced elements of funk and disco into the group's style.
Waste of Mind is the second studio album and major label debut by American punk rock band Zebrahead. The song "Check" was featured on the soundtrack of the video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Andrew Robert Nielsen, known professionally as MC Lars, is an American record producer, rapper, cartoonist, podcaster and educator. He is one of the self-proclaimed originators of "lit-hop", and is the founder and CEO of the independent record label Horris Records. He has been cited as the creator of the term "iGeneration", which he was credited with doing in 2003. He has released five studio albums, five EPs, four collaborative releases, and two books.
Playmate of the Year is the third studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead, it is also their final album released via Columbia Records.
Zebrahead, more commonly known as Yellow or The Yellow Album, is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Zebrahead. The songs "Check" and "Hate" are both re-recorded from their One More Hit demo tape released two years prior in 1996. Most of the songs on the album would end up re-recorded later and released as part of the band's follow-up and first mainstream album, Waste of Mind. The song "Check" would therefore end up re-recorded twice so far.
Released exclusively in Japan, Waste of MFZB is the fifth studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead. It is their final album with band member Justin Mauriello, who left the group shortly afterwards.
Broadcast to the World is the sixth studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead. The album was influenced by Lit's A Place in the Sun (1999). It is their first album with new co-vocalist/rhythm guitarist Matty Lewis, who replaced former member Justin Mauriello after he left the group in late 2004.
Ali Tabatabaee is an Iranian-American musician who is one of two main vocalists in the rock band Zebrahead. Alongside bandmate Matty Lewis, he performed the titular character's theme song for the 2006 video game Sonic the Hedgehog.
Phoenix is the seventh studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead. Shawn Harris of The Matches created the artwork for the album, as he did with the band's previous album Broadcast to the World. Phoenix was made available for streaming via Fuse's website on July 31, 2008, before being released on August 5, 2008 through Icon Mes. The band was due to embark on a US tour in August and September 2008, but had to cancel it when frontman Matty Lewis started suffering from vocal issues. They ended up going on a tour of mainland Europe in October 2008.
The discography of Zebrahead, an American punk rock band, currently consists of 13 studio albums, 2 compilation albums, 39 singles, 43 music videos, 5 video albums, 7 extended plays and 1 demo.
Justin Mauriello is the lead singer and guitarist for the alternative rock band Darling Thieves, and former guitarist and founding member of punk rock band Zebrahead.
Panty Raid is the eighth studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead.
Get Nice! is the ninth studio album released by American punk rock band Zebrahead. It is the band's first album to feature original material since the release of their seventh studio album Phoenix in 2008. It is the last album to feature Greg Bergdorf as lead guitarist after his departure in 2013.
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Call Your Friends is the tenth studio album by American punk rock band Zebrahead released in Japan on August 7, 2013 and worldwide on August 13 and 16, 2013 respectively. The album is available in five different covers, each available in a specific region.
Greatest Hits? – Volume 1 is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Zebrahead, released March 11, 2015 exclusively in Japan. The album is followed by the lead single "Devil on My Shoulder", released March 26, 2015.
The Early Years – Revisited is the eleventh studio album by American punk rock band Zebrahead released on April 21, 2015. The album is made up of re-recorded tracks from the band's early years between 1998 and 2003 that feature then current lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matty Lewis and lead guitarist Dan Palmer, as opposed to former band members Justin Mauriello and Greg Bergdorf who featured on the original recordings.
Walk the Plank is the twelfth studio album by American punk rock band Zebrahead, released in Japan on October 7, 2015, and globally on October 16, 2015.
Brain Invaders is the thirteenth studio album by American punk rock band Zebrahead. It was released in Japan on March 6, 2019, and globally on March 8, 2019. The band announced the album on January 9, 2019, along with a music video for the album's first single, "All My Friends Are Nobodies". This is the first Zebrahead album to be self-released outside of Japan, as well as the final album with lead vocalist Matty Lewis before his departure from the group in 2021. A deluxe edition featuring bonus material was released on August 9, 2019, and an instrumental version was released on August 7, 2020. The song "All My Friends Are Nobodies" was later featured on the soundtrack of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2.
"The songs in the album are songs that were recorded for previous album "MFZB", but it's not because they were not good, but because they were dangerously good! "- Justin
We're old friends with Howard," says Tabatabaee of Benson, who produced the song "Hell Yeah.
Zebrahead are a sort of rap-rock outfit owing far more to the old school than the new