Halfcocked

Last updated

Halfcocked
Origin Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Genres Hard rock
Years active1997–2002; 2023-PRESENT
LabelsCurve of the Earth, Megatronic/DreamWorks
MembersJohnny Heatley
Charlee Johnson
Tommy O'Neil
Sarah Reitkopp
Jaime Richter
Regina Zernay Roberts
Past membersJennifer Kobran

Halfcocked (also known as Half Cocked, Halfc*cked or Half-Cocked) is an American hard rock band. Influenced by 1970s hard rock and punk rock, along with 1980s glam metal, [1] they started out in Boston in 1997 and signed with independent label Curve of the Earth Records. In 1999 the band placed third in the finals of the WBCN Rock & Roll Rumble, [2] being the first "wild card" act to play in the finals. They signed with DreamWorks imprint Megatronic Records (headed by Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One) and moved to Los Angeles in 2000. [3] After numerous delays, [4] they released one final album— The Last Star —before splitting up in 2002.

Contents

Personnel

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powerman 5000</span> American rock band

Powerman 5000 is an American rock band formed in 1991. The group has released ten albums, gaining its highest level of commercial success with 1999's Tonight the Stars Revolt!, which reached number 29 on the Billboard 200 while spawning the singles "When Worlds Collide" and "Nobody's Real". Frontman Spider One, younger brother of fellow metal musician Rob Zombie, has been the only consistent member of the lineup since the band's formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Cars</span> American pop-rock band

The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.

Orbit is an American, Boston, Massachusetts-based rock band. Formed in 1994, the band went on hiatus in late 2001. Their initial releases were on drummer Buckley's own Lunch Records label before the band moved to major label A&M Records in the summer of 1995. The three members of the original trio signed the deal with A&M.

Reveille was an American nu metal band from Harvard, Chelmsford, and Shirley, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Mangini</span> American drummer

Michael Anthony Mangini is an American musician, primarily known as the former drummer of progressive metal band Dream Theater, with whom he played between 2010 and 2023. He has also played for bands and artists such as Annihilator, Extreme, James LaBrie, and Steve Vai. Before joining Dream Theater, Mangini was a faculty member at Berklee College of Music. Between 2002 and 2005, he set five World's Fastest Drummer records. Mangini appeared on the Discovery Channel show Time Warp, displaying his drum skills for high-speed cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWBX</span> Boston radio station

WWBX is a radio station with a hot adult contemporary format in Boston, Massachusetts. The format started at 98.5 FM on February 9, 1991, and moved to 104.1 FM, replacing WBCN on August 12, 2009, to allow for the launch of WBZ-FM at 98.5 the next day. Its studios are located in Brighton, and its transmitter is on the upper FM mast of the Prudential Tower.

The Sheila Divine is an American, Boston-based rock group. Critics compare their sound to the band's own heroes, mainly the early 1980s post-punk. The band is most often noted for its loud/soft musical dynamic and Aaron Perrino's soaring vocals, screaming in key one moment and howling a falsetto the next. The band has a large die hard fan base in what is often called "the three Bs": Boston, Buffalo, and Belgium.

Mistle Thrush was a female-fronted 1990s alternative rock band based in Boston, Massachusetts. They've been described by the Boston Herald as The Cure-meets-Fairport Convention. Steve Morse of The Boston Globe wrote that Valerie Forgione, the band's singer, has "some of the most versatile pipes since the dream-pop heyday of Kate Bush" and that the "band remains a local treasure". During the band's heyday, their songs frequently charted in CMJ's Top 200. According to the band's website, they're on hiatus but their last album was released in February 2002. In January 2011, they reunited to play their first concert since 2003. Forgione's current project is called Lovina Falls.

Ulrich Wild, is an American record producer, engineer and mixer specializing in the rock and metal genres. Born and raised in Switzerland, Ulrich is now a naturalized citizen in the United States, living in Los Angeles, California. In a career that has spanned over 20 years, his numerous credits include producing or engineering albums for bands such as Dethklok, Sex Slaves, Project 86, Pantera, Here Comes the Kraken, Static-X, Otep, Stabbing Westward, Powerman 5000, Deftones, Seether, Bleeding Through, Breaking Benjamin, Taproot, SOiL, World Entertainment War, and many other artists, and for soundtracks including Freddy vs. Jason, Mission: Impossible 2, and House of Wax. He has also remixed songs by the band Mindless Self Indulgence. He was nominated for a Grammy for best engineered non-classical album in 1995 for his work with White Zombie.

Splashdown was an American pop rock band formed in 1996 in Allston, Massachusetts. The group disbanded in 2001; their last show was at the release party for the debut CD of Freezepop on February 2 of that year. Their last release was the single Metamorphosis, which was put on streaming services and digital sale platforms on November 21, 2023.

The Rock 'n' Roll Rumble, begun in 1979, is a Greater Boston "battle of the bands" competition sponsored by Boston Emissions, an online local music program formerly broadcast on WBCN and WZLX. The Rumble remains the longest running event of its kind in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazing Crowns</span> American rock band

The Amazing Crowns was a rock band that began in Providence, Rhode Island in 1993. The lineup of the Crowns consisted of vocalist Jason "King" Kendall, bassist Jack "the Swinger" Hanlon, guitarist J.D. Burgess, and drummer Judd Williams. The band's music has been described as "a hot & fast concotion of punked-up rockabilly".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny A.</span> American songwriter

John Antonopoulos, known professionally as Johnny A., is an American musician, guitarist, and songwriter.

Regina Zernay Roberts is an American instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. She is lead singer and bass player of Detroit Diesel Power. She played bass guitar and Moog synthesizer with Scarlet Fever, the all-female backing band that toured with Cee Lo Green during 2010 and 2011. She toured several years in the New Orleans cowpunk band, Cowboy Mouth; was founding bassist/singer of Los Angeles punk rock band Méchant; and was bassist for the hard rock band, Halfcocked.

Quintaine Americana is a hard rock band from Boston that started out in 1995.

<i>Occupation: Rock Star</i> 2000 studio album by Halfcocked

Occupation: Rock Star is the second release by Boston hard rock band Halfcocked. It was released by Curve of the Earth in April 2000. The album won a Boston Music Award (BMA) for Outstanding Debut Album.

The Downbeat 5 is a Boston-based rock band started in 1999 by former DMZ guitarist J. J. Rassler and his then-wife, Jen,. The band's music draws on 1960s girl group sounds, garage rock, and rougher-edged British Invasion bands like The Rolling Stones.

Charlee Johnson is an American drummer, guitarist and songwriter, originally from San Bernardino, California. Johnson was a founding member and chief songwriter of Utah punk band Deviance / 3½ Girls. The band relocated to Boston, Massachusetts and signed with Curve of the Earth Records for their sole EP, "Rule". Johnson then left to form Halfcocked with guitarist Tommy O'Neil, bassist/backing vocalist Jhen Kobran and lead vocalist Sarah Reitkopp, later adding guitarist Johnny Rock Heatley who guested on debut album Sell Out and joined as a full member with second album Occupation: Rock Star. Halfcocked relocated to Los Angeles and signed with DreamWorks in early 2000 by Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One, released final album The Last Star in 2001, then folded after a brief tour. Johnsson went on to join childhood hero Danzig for a brief stint as "Charlee X", before joining award-winning Nirvana tribute band, Pennyroyal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Montgomery (singer)</span> American musician

James Montgomery is an American blues musician, best known as the lead singer, blues harp player, frontman, and bandleader of The James Montgomery Blues Band. Montgomery collaborates with many star performers and recording artists. He is also the past President of The New England Blues Society.

<i>Hell and Back Together: 1984–1990</i> 1992 compilation album by T.S.O.L.

Hell and Back Together: 1984–1990 is a compilation album by the American rock band T.S.O.L., released in 1992 through Restless Records. It includes material from the band's hard rock/glam metal era with singer/guitarist Joe Wood and drummer Mitch Dean, which saw lineup changes resulting in the departure of original members Ron Emory and Mike Roche. It compiles tracks from the albums Revenge (1986), Hit and Run (1987), and Strange Love (1990), two tracks from other compilations, and three songs recorded live for radio station WBCN in Boston. It was the final album released by this incarnation of T.S.O.L.; in 1999 the original lineup of Emory, Roche, Jack Grisham, and Todd Barnes reacquired legal rights to the band's name and relaunched the group with a return to its hardcore punk roots.

References

  1. Draping Heavy Metal in Sequins, and Proud of It!, Isaac Guzman, Daily News|location=New York, May 2001.
  2. "The Sheila Divine wins the WBCN Rumble", Jim Sullivan, Boston Globe , F4, May 29, 1999.
  3. Bye-bye, Half Cocked Archived August 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Bret Milano, Boston Phoenix , May 26, 2000.
  4. Suburban voices Archived January 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine , Sean Richardson, Boston Phoenix, July 26, 2001.