Rich Kids on LSD
Encyclopedia
Rich Kids on LSD was a California
n hardcore punk
band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California
, a suburb of Santa Barbara
. They were associated with the "Nardcore
" scene that evolved out of nearby Oxnard
. Their music expanded over the years from West Coast hardcore to a mix of hardcore with rock elements. This style, along with touring, made them very popular on the European scene, especially among skaters in the eighties and nineties.
Their music can be heard on their webpage, which features "RKL Radio" with nearly all of their songs streamed including a complete discography.
in a 2002 interview with Thrasher magazine: “It happened that some guy said, 'Ha, those kids will never be anything, they're just a bunch of rich kids on LSD, man.' The first party we played we didn't have a name for the band, so we put that one on the flier and it just stuck.” The beanie boy logo was born one night while Bomer and Jason were being tattooed. Bomer was attempting to draw a dragon tat pattern. On seeing the drawing, Jason commented, "Yeah dood, it's Cecil! Where's Beanie?" Dan Sites was sitting alongside drawing a flyer for a show supporting Suicidal Tendencies
in Oxnard and drew a beanie guy jumping from a building. Beanie boy was born.
returned to the band in 1993 to help finish their European tour. This sparked the band to record its fifth album, Riches to Rags. The band suffered an ill-fated break-up in 1996 which led most of the members of the band to go on to other projects and form new bands. However only a year later did the band return with most of its previous members minus drummer Dave Raun
and guitarist Barry "D'Live" Ward who had their spots filled by Boz Rivera and Chris Flippin.
Guitarist Chris Rest and the bands original drummer Richard "Bomer" Manzullo, formed The Other with Mad Caddies
drummer Boz Rivera. Boz would later go on to join RKL when they reunited in 1997.
Bassist Joe Raposo along with Chris Rest and Boz Rivera also compose half of the San Francisco based group King City.
Vocalist Jason Sears
did a track for a Snot tribute album released November 7, 2000 entitled Strait Up
to their late lead singer Lynn Strait
. Lynn Strait was a long-time friend of the band and his name can be viewed in the liner notes "Special Thanks" section of RKL's Rock N Roll Nightmare album released in 1987.
Jason Sears later did an album with the San Diego based band Mercury Legion.
, former drummer of RKL, who also played in Lagwagon
, Bad Astronaut
, Jaws, and The Ataris
, committed suicide
. Lagwagon
paid tribute to Derrick with their 2005 release of the album Resolve.
On December 12, 2005, the original drummer Richard Anthony Manzullo (aka "Bomer") died due to heart failure at his home in Summerland, California
. The cause of death was the result of a long time battle with drug addictions.
Joe Raposo appears on Bass Guitar on The Real McKenzies 2005 album 10,000 Shots, and The Real McKenzies 2008 album Off The Leash.
On January 31, 2006, Jason Sears
died due to complications while undergoing a detox treatment involving ibogaine
in Tijuana
, Mexico
. The cause of death was the result of a pulmonary embolism
caused by thrombosis
.
The three deceased members were directly referenced by NOFX
in Doornails, a song from their 2006 album "Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
".
Actor Josh Brolin claimed in a New York Times interview to have been a member of RKL (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/t-magazine/02well-cover.html)
The band is referenced by Janez Detd.
in My Life My Way, a song from their 2008 album "For Better For Worse".
RKL's song "Tell Me the Truth" is referenced by Snot
in Mr. Brett, a song from their 1997 album Get Some
The beanie boy character appears on the cover of Annihilation Time's 2005 album "Annihilation Time II".
Currently the future for RKL remains uncertain and it is unknown if there will be a new singer (the band once had a different singer when they reformed in 1992). There were rumors of an "RKLAOKE" show sometime in the Summer of 2006 as a benefit concert to raise money for Jason's kids Anthony, Sierra, and Cisco. The show would have featured the remaining members of the band playing all the past favorites with different members of the audience.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
n hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band formed in 1982 in Montecito, California
Montecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
, a suburb of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. They were associated with the "Nardcore
Nardcore
Nardcore is a hardcore punk movement that came out of Southern California in the early 1980s, originating in Silver Strand Beach, Oxnard and Port Hueneme. Early bands in the Nardcore scene included Agression, Dr. Know, False Confession, Ill Repute, Habeas Corpus, RKL, Stalag 13 and Scared Straight...
" scene that evolved out of nearby Oxnard
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...
. Their music expanded over the years from West Coast hardcore to a mix of hardcore with rock elements. This style, along with touring, made them very popular on the European scene, especially among skaters in the eighties and nineties.
Their music can be heard on their webpage, which features "RKL Radio" with nearly all of their songs streamed including a complete discography.
Meaning of the band name
The group's name came about as a mere fluke from some light hearted criticism. According to vocalist Jason SearsJason Sears
Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006...
in a 2002 interview with Thrasher magazine: “It happened that some guy said, 'Ha, those kids will never be anything, they're just a bunch of rich kids on LSD, man.' The first party we played we didn't have a name for the band, so we put that one on the flier and it just stuck.” The beanie boy logo was born one night while Bomer and Jason were being tattooed. Bomer was attempting to draw a dragon tat pattern. On seeing the drawing, Jason commented, "Yeah dood, it's Cecil! Where's Beanie?" Dan Sites was sitting alongside drawing a flyer for a show supporting Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
in Oxnard and drew a beanie guy jumping from a building. Beanie boy was born.
RKL break-up and return
After a couple line-up changes in the late eighties and early nineties, the original vocalist Jason SearsJason Sears
Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006...
returned to the band in 1993 to help finish their European tour. This sparked the band to record its fifth album, Riches to Rags. The band suffered an ill-fated break-up in 1996 which led most of the members of the band to go on to other projects and form new bands. However only a year later did the band return with most of its previous members minus drummer Dave Raun
Dave Raun
Dave Raun a resident of Fresno, California, is the drummer for the seminal California punk rock band Lagwagon. He also filled in on drums for a short period of time for Sean "SC" Sellers of Good Riddance. Additionally, Raun drums for the punk rock cover band/supergroup Me First and the Gimme...
and guitarist Barry "D'Live" Ward who had their spots filled by Boz Rivera and Chris Flippin.
Guitarist Chris Rest and the bands original drummer Richard "Bomer" Manzullo, formed The Other with Mad Caddies
Mad Caddies
The Mad Caddies are a third wave ska band from Solvang, California. The band formed in 1995 and has released five full-length albums, one live album, and two EPs...
drummer Boz Rivera. Boz would later go on to join RKL when they reunited in 1997.
Bassist Joe Raposo along with Chris Rest and Boz Rivera also compose half of the San Francisco based group King City.
Vocalist Jason Sears
Jason Sears
Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006...
did a track for a Snot tribute album released November 7, 2000 entitled Strait Up
Strait Up
Strait Up is the second studio album by Snot. Released on November 7, 2000, the album features appearances by the lead vocalists of a number of major rock groups...
to their late lead singer Lynn Strait
Lynn Strait
James Lynn Strait was the lead singer and lyricist for the rock band Snot. He died in a car accident on December 11, 1998 at the age of 30.-Biography:...
. Lynn Strait was a long-time friend of the band and his name can be viewed in the liner notes "Special Thanks" section of RKL's Rock N Roll Nightmare album released in 1987.
Jason Sears later did an album with the San Diego based band Mercury Legion.
RKL today
On March 30, 2005, Derrick PlourdeDerrick Plourde
Derrick William Plourde was a drummer who was born in Goleta, California. Active between 1989 and his unexpected death in 2005, he was a former member of Lagwagon, Bad Astronaut, Jaws, The Ataris, Mad Caddies, Rich Kids on LSD, and others.Suspected as bipolar and battling drug addiction, Derrick...
, former drummer of RKL, who also played in Lagwagon
Lagwagon
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, just outside Santa Barbara, California. They formed in 1990 and went on hiatus and reunited several times over the years...
, Bad Astronaut
Bad Astronaut
Bad Astronaut is an American indie/punk rock band founded in 2000 by Joey Cape, singer from Lagwagon. In Bad Astronaut, Joey Cape explores a new style of pop, with lyrics often about deep and intricate personal matters....
, Jaws, and The Ataris
The Ataris
The Ataris are a rock band from Anderson, Indiana. They have released five studio albums, and their most recent E.P. was released on November 25, 2010 on the Gainesville, Florida based label, Paper + Plastick. It contained the brand new tracks "All Souls' Day" and "The Graveyard of The Atlantic"...
, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Lagwagon
Lagwagon
Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, just outside Santa Barbara, California. They formed in 1990 and went on hiatus and reunited several times over the years...
paid tribute to Derrick with their 2005 release of the album Resolve.
On December 12, 2005, the original drummer Richard Anthony Manzullo (aka "Bomer") died due to heart failure at his home in Summerland, California
Summerland, California
Summerland is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2010 census, down from 1,545 at the 2000 census.The town includes a school and a Presbyterian Church...
. The cause of death was the result of a long time battle with drug addictions.
Joe Raposo appears on Bass Guitar on The Real McKenzies 2005 album 10,000 Shots, and The Real McKenzies 2008 album Off The Leash.
On January 31, 2006, Jason Sears
Jason Sears
Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006...
died due to complications while undergoing a detox treatment involving ibogaine
Ibogaine
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in a number of plants, principally in a member of the Apocynaceae family known as Iboga . A hallucinogen with both psychedelic and dissociative properties, the substance is banned in some countries; in other countries it is being used...
in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The cause of death was the result of a pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
caused by thrombosis
Thrombosis
Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel is injured, the body uses platelets and fibrin to form a blood clot to prevent blood loss...
.
The three deceased members were directly referenced by NOFX
NOFX
NOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
in Doornails, a song from their 2006 album "Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
Wolves in Wolves' Clothing
-Trivia:* The untitled track 19 is actually a compilation of early, short demo clips, many of which are acoustic.* The first 1062 vinyl copies of the album were pressed yellow/green vinyl...
".
Actor Josh Brolin claimed in a New York Times interview to have been a member of RKL (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/t-magazine/02well-cover.html)
The band is referenced by Janez Detd.
Janez Detd.
Janez Detd. is a Belgian pop punk band that formed in 1995.The group saw the light of day in and about 1994, and was first baptized as "Jane's Detd." , with from the start Nikolas "Bones" Vanderveken & Bob as the most founding members...
in My Life My Way, a song from their 2008 album "For Better For Worse".
RKL's song "Tell Me the Truth" is referenced by Snot
Snot (band)
Snot was an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California. Formed in 1995, the band released their debut studio album Get Some with founding vocalist Lynn Strait in 1997 and disbanded after his death in 1998. In 2008, the lineup of guitarists Mike Doling and Sonny Mayo, bassist John Fahnestock...
in Mr. Brett, a song from their 1997 album Get Some
The beanie boy character appears on the cover of Annihilation Time's 2005 album "Annihilation Time II".
Currently the future for RKL remains uncertain and it is unknown if there will be a new singer (the band once had a different singer when they reformed in 1992). There were rumors of an "RKLAOKE" show sometime in the Summer of 2006 as a benefit concert to raise money for Jason's kids Anthony, Sierra, and Cisco. The show would have featured the remaining members of the band playing all the past favorites with different members of the audience.
Band members
| (1982–1985) |
|
|---|---|
| (1985–1986) |
Jason Sears Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006... - vocals |
| (1986–1987) |
Jason Sears Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006... - vocals |
| (1987–1990) |
Jason Sears Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006... - vocals |
| (1990–1992) |
(R.K.L. disbanded) |
| (1992–1993) |
|
| (1993–1996) |
Jason Sears Jason Sears was an American punk rock vocalist from Santa Barbara, California, best known for his work with Rich Kids on LSD , from 1982 to their first breakup in 1990 and again from 1993 to 2006... - vocals Dave Raun Dave Raun a resident of Fresno, California, is the drummer for the seminal California punk rock band Lagwagon. He also filled in on drums for a short period of time for Sean "SC" Sellers of Good Riddance. Additionally, Raun drums for the punk rock cover band/supergroup Me First and the Gimme... - drums |
| (1996–1997) |
(R.K.L. on hiatus) |
| (1997-January 31, 2006) |
|
| (January 31, 2006–present) |
(R.K.L. on hiatus) |
Discography
- Nardcore, Compilation LP (Mystic RecordsMystic RecordsMystic Records is a record label and music production company that was based in Hollywood CA one block south of Hollywood and Vine and later moved to Oceanside, California...
, 1984; "US Steel", "Lies", "No Respect") - It's a Beautiful Feeling, 7" EP (Mystic Records, 1984)
- Covers, Compilation LP (Mystic Records, 1984; "Chinese Rocks")
- Mystic Super Seven Sampler #1, Compilation LP (Mystic Records, 1984)
- Return to Slimey Valley LP , Compilation LP (Mystic Records, 1985; "Evil In You")
- Keep LaughingKeep LaughingKeep laughing is an album by hardcore punk band Rich Kids on LSD, released in 1985. It was produced and engineered by Phillip Raves at Mystic Studios in Hollywood.-Track listing:...
LP (Mystic Records, 1985) - RocK 'n Roll Nightmare LP (Alchemy Records, 1987; re-released on CD by Epitaph Records)
- Double Live in Berlin LP (Destiny Records, 1989; recorded live in Germany on 1988 tour)
- Revenge is a Beautiful Feeling LP (Destiny, 1989)
- Reactivate LP (Epitaph RecordsEpitaph RecordsEpitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
, 1993) - Riches to Rags LP (Epitaph Records, 1994)
- Revenge is a Beautiful Feeling, CD (1999)
- Keep Laughing (w/ It's a Beautiful Feeling), Mystic Re-release, CD (2002)