Rx Bandits
Encyclopedia
RX Bandits is a four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...

. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

, California
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...

. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...

 and at The Bamboozle
The Bamboozle
The Bamboozle is an annual rain-or-shine, three-day music festival held in New Jersey. Every year, new bands compete for spots during the two days. The event evolved out of the Skate and Surf Festival.- The Characters:...

.

Early years (1995-1999)

Originally known as The Pharmaceutical Bandits, the band began their career by participating in the third wave ska revival of the 1990s. In 1997, they released Those Damn Bandits
Those Damn Bandits
Those Damn Bandits is the first full length release by the then-ska band The Pharmaceutical Bandits, now known as Rx Bandits. Originally released in 1997 through Antedote Records , the album was later re-released in 1998 after Drive-Thru Records signed the band...

, which featured guest appearances by Jimmy the Robot
Jimmy The Robot
James Randall Briggs is an American musician, best known for his dual role as keyboardist and saxophonist for the Orange County rock band The Aquabats, of which he performs under the stage name and persona of Jimmy the Robot....

 of the Aquabats and Chris Colonnier of Jeffries Fan Club
Jeffries Fan Club
Jeffries Fan Club was a southern California Third-wave ska band formed in 1996. The band released several albums on now-defunct Vegas Records before breaking up in 2001. The band played their final show January 6, 2001 at The Glasshouse in Pomona, which was later released on CD under the title...

 and The Forces of Evil
The Forces of Evil
The Forces of Evil was an Orange County-based third wave ska band, formed in January 2001 with the intention of creating a ska supergroup. The band split in 2005 after releasing a four-song EP, which was available on their website...

. Noting the Bandits' potential, a Los Angeles Times review of the album said "Now comes a young, talented ska band, the Pharmaceutical Bandits. It would be OK with me if the Grinch spared them but swiped their ska records and left a shelf of Who, Clash, Bob Marley, Elvis Costello and Neil Young." Matt Embree attended Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School is a public school for grades 9 to 12 located in Los Alamitos, California, and also serving the city of Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor. It is the only traditional high school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District; the far smaller Laurel High School serves...

, which was an incubator for other third wave ska bands such as Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...

, Save Ferris
Save Ferris
Save Ferris was a ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off.-History:...

, and The Scholars
The Scholars (band)
The Scholars were an American band. Like the Nuckle Brothers, No Doubt and Reel Big Fish, they are one of the main founding bands of the Orange County ska scene....

.

Drive-Thru years (1999-2006)

In 1998, the band released Halfway Between Here and There
Halfway Between Here and There
Halfway Between Here and There is the second full length release by ska band Rx Bandits.Two versions of the album exist. The first one was released under the name The Pharmaceutical Bandits. The second was a re-release with new artwork under the now-familiar Rx Bandits moniker...

. On this album, the band began to branch out beyond the third wave ska sound.

The album's success allowed them to tour with well-known acts such as The Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang
The Bloodhound Gang may be a reference to:*The Bloodhound Gang , a segment on the program 3-2-1 Contact*The Bloodhound Gang, a band that took its name from the TV show segment...

, Goldfinger
Goldfinger (band)
Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer...

, and Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish
Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band...

, and later to headline shows with up-and-comers such as New Found Glory
New Found Glory
New Found Glory is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida. Formed in the summer of 1997, founding members were lead vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Joe Marino...

 and Freakdaddy frequently opening for them.

In 1999, the album was re-released with a new track list, 2 remastered songs, and new artwork. The '99 release was released under the band's new name—RX Bandits.

In the time between Halfway Between Here and There and their next release, Progress
Progress (Rx Bandits album)
Progress is an album released by Rx Bandits on July 17, 2001 through Drive-Thru Records.The LP was originally titled Artificial Intelligence and the Fall of Technology.The album was recorded during a tumultuous time in the band's lineup...

, bassist Franz Worth and saxophonist Noah Gaffney left the band. Worth was replaced by James Salomone, formerly of My Superhero
My Superhero
My Superhero was an American ska punk band formed in Anaheim, California, who were originally active from 1994 to 2003.-Biography:My Superhero formed in 1994 and quickly released their debut album entitled SKAteboard Music in 1995 under their own independent label Sick Little Monkey Music...

. Gaffney's position was left open.

With 2001's Progress, the band continued to expand their sound. The album contained the song "Analog Boy," which was made into one of their three music videos. At this point, the band consisted of Embree, Tsagakis, Balling, and Salomone. The album included a number of guest performers, including former member Noah Gaffney.

Shortly after the release of the album, Chris Sheets joined the band on trombone as well as Steve Choi on guitar and keyboards. Choi had played keyboards on the demos for Progress, but when it came time to record, they decided instead to have Rich Zahniser of The Hippos
The Hippos
The Hippos were an American rock band formed in 1995 in Los Angeles, California, and disbanded in 2000. During the band's lifetime they released 3 full-length albums...

, who was touring with the band, play on the album. Chris Colonnier also played with the band at times, filling the same role as Zahniser. Soon after they gained the new members, James Salomone and Rich Balling
Rich Balling
Rich Balling is a former member of the Rx Bandits, leaving the band after the release of their third album, Progress.He is also the founder and one of the members of The Sound of Animals Fighting under the name "Nightingale", and the editor of the books Revolution on Canvas and Revolution on Canvas...

 left the band. They had many temporary replacements for Salomone, most notably Johnny Tsagakis, Chris' younger brother, but eventually Joe Troy, a longtime friend of Embree, who helped to write the song "What If?" on Halfway Between Here and There, joined the band as their bass player. Balling was replaced by saxophonist Steve Borth, who had played formerly in the popular East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...

 ska punk band Link 80
Link 80
-Band history:Link 80 started in late 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr...

. Their line-up of Embree, Tsagakis, Sheets, Choi, Troy and Borth would go on to create the next two albums, The Resignation
The Resignation
The Resignation is the fourth full length release from Californian ska punk band Rx Bandits. It peaked at #148 on the Billboard 200.-Track listing:All songs written by Matthew Embree, except where noted....

 and ...And the Battle Begun
...And the Battle Begun
-Rx Bandits:* Matthew Embree – vocals, guitar* Steve Choi – guitar, keyboards* Steven Jess Borth II – saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals* Chris Sheets – trombone, backing vocals, percussion* Joseph Troy – bass...

.

2003 saw the release of The Resignation, a CD/DVD combination. Guitars, bass, drums, and some keyboards were all recorded live in studio, and vocals, horns, percussion and additional keyboard parts were then overdubbed. The band allowed themselves a limited number of takes for each part, and once a take was recorded it was left as it was - no punch-ins were allowed. Embree shared songwriting duties with Steve Choi, whereas Embree had previously been responsible for all of the band's material.

Musically, the album continued to branch out beyond Progress into new musical territory, including experimentation with unconventional time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....

s. The Resignation featured overtly political lyrics as the band evolved even further from their ska-punk days as the Pharmaceutical Bandits, a subject that drummer Chris Tsagakis commented on in an interview conducted by former member Rich Balling
Rich Balling
Rich Balling is a former member of the Rx Bandits, leaving the band after the release of their third album, Progress.He is also the founder and one of the members of The Sound of Animals Fighting under the name "Nightingale", and the editor of the books Revolution on Canvas and Revolution on Canvas...

 for Skratch Magazine:
The album cover of The Resignation is an original composition called "Predictable" by Aaron Nagel
Aaron Nagel
Aaron Nagel is the original trumpet player for punk rock/ska core act Link 80, born and raised in Berkeley, California. He currently plays guitar in the band DESA with other former Link 80 members Ryan Noble, Adam Davis, and Barry Krippine....

, a Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

 artist and member of both Link 80
Link 80
-Band history:Link 80 started in late 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr...

 and DESA
Desa (band)
Desa is a rock band from Oakland, California. The band is currently signed to and released its second album in 2006. The band recently completed a two-month US tour with labelmates Rx Bandits to help promote the new album...

.

In 2004, the band released a DVD of live performances that were filmed during their many live shows. It was one of the first released on Embree's Mash Down Babylon Record label (aka MDB Records). It contains two Easter Eggs: a performance of the song "Up to No Good," the only song recorded during the sessions for The Resignation that was not included on the album as well as studio footage of the band working on the album. During the DVD's slide show, the background music is performed by Apotheke, a side project run by several members of the band.

MDB/Sargent House

...And the Battle Begun
...And the Battle Begun
-Rx Bandits:* Matthew Embree – vocals, guitar* Steve Choi – guitar, keyboards* Steven Jess Borth II – saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals* Chris Sheets – trombone, backing vocals, percussion* Joseph Troy – bass...

 was initially released online on June 24, 2006 and was made available for purchase during the band's 2006 US Tour. The album's title refers to the poetry of Lord Byron, in which the phrase appears repeatedly.

The album was originally slated to be released in 2005 through Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records, established in 1996, was a California-based record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. It has produced various pop punk bands, many with a distinct SoCal sound....

 (with one album left on their contract), but for unspecified reasons, the band and label chose to part ways, causing lengthy delays in the release date. Finally free of any legal setbacks, the CD was made available via online order from MDB Records
Mash Down Babylon Records
Mash Down Babylon Records is a record label started by Matt Embree, the lead singer of the Rx Bandits. -About:Most of the music is recorded in Matt Embrees garage which also doubles as a mail order room for merch ordered from their website...

 and on specified tour dates. Officially it debuted in retail stores in October 2006, after which the band performed a Northeastern CD release tour to promote the album.

On June 28, 2006, the band announced via their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 page that saxophone player and backup vocalist Steve Borth had left the RX Bandits to pursue his own band, Satori. This announcement came in the midst of their 2006 US Summer Tour to the surprise of many fans. Borth played his final show with the RX Bandits on Tuesday, June 27, 2006 at the Bowery Ballroom
Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...

 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

.

In conjunction with Refused TV, the Bandits recorded a music video for the title track off ...And the Battle Begun
...And the Battle Begun
-Rx Bandits:* Matthew Embree – vocals, guitar* Steve Choi – guitar, keyboards* Steven Jess Borth II – saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals* Chris Sheets – trombone, backing vocals, percussion* Joseph Troy – bass...

. It is only their second music video since the making of a video for "Analog Boy" in 2001, and their first independently produced video for the song "I Will Live" on the Those Damn Bandits album. The "I Will Live" video was never officially released, although some bootleg copies still exist.

They released their live set from the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 2007 exclusively on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

. Live from Bonnaroo 2007 is currently only available for download from the U.S. iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

.

During the summer of 2008 the band did a headlining tour with support from Portugal. The Man
Portugal. The Man
Portugal. The Man is an American psychedelic rock band based in Portland, Oregon, but originally from Wasilla, Alaska. The group released their first two albums with Fearless Records. They also released material on their own imprint Approaching AIRballoons through indie label Equal Vision Records...

, Maps & Atlases, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground is an indie band started by Kirk Huffman and Kyle O'Quin of Gatsbys American Dream. Like Gatsbys, the band draws influence from a wide variety of musical genres...

 and Facing New York
Facing New York
Facing New York is a three-piece progressive indie rock band from the Bay Area, California, formed in January 2004.The band is currently on Five One Inc. Records and has released two full-length albums, one EP, two splits, and one single sampler....

.

Cathy Pellow of Sargent House
Sargent House
Sargent House is a Los Angeles based management company and record label. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and who also owns a music video production company called Refused TV. Pellow began managing the rock outfit RX Bandits in 2006...

 announced via the RX Bandits fan site plans for a live DVD featuring their live performance at the Glasshouse in Pomona, CA on August 22, 2008 as well as interviews and footage from the writing and recording for the next album. That writing and rehearsing process saw the departure of Chris Sheets, leaving the band a four-piece and without horns for the first time in its history.

Mandala (2009-2011)

Their latest album, Mandala was released as a digital download on July 14, 2009 and the CD was released on July 21, 2009 on Sargent House
Sargent House
Sargent House is a Los Angeles based management company and record label. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and who also owns a music video production company called Refused TV. Pellow began managing the rock outfit RX Bandits in 2006...

. They then headed out on a co-headlining tour with Dredg
Dredg
Dredg is an American rock group formed in 1993 in Los Gatos, California. The band consists of vocalist Gavin Hayes, guitarist Mark Engles, bassist Drew Roulette and drummer Dino Campanella....

 with revolving support from Good Old War
Good Old War
Good Old War is an indie band from Philadelphia, PA featuring former members of Days Away.-Biography:Good Old War is made up of Keith Goodwin, Daniel Schwartz, and Tim Arnold. The band's name comes from the last names of the three members; Goodwin for Good, Arnold for Old, and Schwartz for War...

, Zechs Marquise and As Tall As Lions
As Tall as Lions
As Tall as Lions was an Indie Rock band from Long Island, New York.- History :High school friends Dan Nigro , Saen Fitzgerald , Brian Fortune and Cliff Sarcona founded the band in December 2001 as they were looking to continue the momentum of a previous project.- Blood and Aphorisms :"Blood and...

.

On January 4, 2010 the band announced some U.S. tour dates starting in March with support from Zechs Marquise
Zechs Marquise
Zechs Marquise formed in El Paso in the spring of 2003, taking its name from a popular Japanese anime character. In June 2006 the band released "34:26", a live improvised set culled from their frequent west coast tours. The group's first proper full length Our Delicate Stranded Nightmare was...

 and The Builders And The Butchers. This tour featured a 3-night stand at The Gramercy Theatre in New York City, where they performed (in their entirety) The Resignation, ...And The Battle Begun, and Mandala on each respective night (an album per show). They recruited some close friends to play horns for these shows. In September 2010, they had a similar run of shows at The Troubador in Los Angeles.

Last Summer Tour (2011)

On April 12, 2011, the band announced that their forthcoming summer U.S. tour would be their last. A brief statement was given by the band:
The tour was composed of 36 shows spanning from May 4, 2011 to August 7, 2011.

Fans first believed the announcement to mean that the band were breaking up when, in fact, they are simply stopping their summer tours. Steve Choi has confirmed this in a Playmaker interview:

Side projects

Over the years, several members found time for side projects.

Embree and Chris Tsagakis can also be found in The Sound of Animals Fighting
The Sound of Animals Fighting
The Sound of Animals Fighting was an American rock supergroup founded by Rich Balling of Rx Bandits. They released a trilogy of records between 2004 and 2008, and performed only four live shows, following their second release in 2006...

 as “Walrus” and “Lynx,” respectively. Former trombonist for RX Bandits, Rich Balling
Rich Balling
Rich Balling is a former member of the Rx Bandits, leaving the band after the release of their third album, Progress.He is also the founder and one of the members of The Sound of Animals Fighting under the name "Nightingale", and the editor of the books Revolution on Canvas and Revolution on Canvas...

, is known as the vocalist, The Nightingale
Nightingale
The Nightingale , also known as Rufous and Common Nightingale, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscicapidae...

 in The Sound of Animals Fighting
The Sound of Animals Fighting
The Sound of Animals Fighting was an American rock supergroup founded by Rich Balling of Rx Bandits. They released a trilogy of records between 2004 and 2008, and performed only four live shows, following their second release in 2006...

. Joe Troy, Chris Sheets, and Steve Choi have performed live with the band, which also includes Anthony Green
Anthony Green (musician)
Anthony Green is a musician from Holland, PA. He is currently the lead singer of Circa Survive, previously in the bands Saosin, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Audience of One, Jeer at Rome, High and Driving, and Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer.-Circa Survive:Anthony Green joined California rock...

 (ex-Saosin
Saosin
Saosin is an American rock band originally hailing from Newport Beach, California. The band was formed in 2003 and recorded its first EP, Translating the Name, that same year with original singer Anthony Green. Green left Saosin following the band's decision to sign with a commercial label,...

, known more recently as vocalist for Circa Survive
Circa Survive
Circa Survive is an American alternative rock band from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburb of Doylestown, formed in 2004. The band consists of vocalist Anthony Green, former singer of Saosin and members of the now-defunct This Day Forward....

) and Craig Owens (ex-Chiodos
Chiodos
Chiodos is an American post hardcore band from Davison, Michigan. Formed in 2001, the group was originally known as "The Chiodos Bros," the band's name was a tribute to filmmakers Stephen, Charles, and Edward Chiodo, responsible for the film Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Chiodos released their...

 vocalist). RX Bandits also collaborated with members of Finch and Days Away in The Sound Of Animals Fighting recordings.

Steve Borth played with the Northern California skacore band, Link 80
Link 80
-Band history:Link 80 started in late 1993 in the East Bay of California. In the beginning, original members played around town as Drano, The Rag-Tags, and Mr...

, signed to Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established May 1996.-Artists:...

. He later started the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...

/rocksteady
Rocksteady
Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton...

 band Satori
Satori (band)
Satori Charleston, SC Southern Rock/Jam Band. 2000-2006Matt Kelley - Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar, Mike Zahn - Lead Guitar, Paul Bracewell - Percussion, Jacob Henley - Drums, Nathan Gee - Bass, & John Hagar - Piano & Organ....

 which has also featured Embree on bass, members of The Exit
The Exit
The Exit is a New York City-based band indie/punk/reggae group, formed in 2000. The band's music blends '80s dub and reggae with '90s punk and indie rock. The band's members include Ben Brewer on lead guitar and vocals, and Gunnar Olsen on drums. Jeff DaRosa was formerly the band's lead vocals and...

, and Chris Murray.

Steve Choi collaborated with Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established May 1996.-Artists:...

 founder Mike Park
Mike Park
Mike Park is a Korean American musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and most recently an acoustic solo project under his own name...

 in both The Chinkees
The Chinkees
The Chinkees are an American ska punk band fronted by Mike Park . The group debuted with 1998's The Chinkees Are Coming!, and followed with 1999's Peace Through Music and 2002's Searching for a Brighter Future before a greatest hits album was released in 2003...

 and The Bruce Lee Band
The Bruce Lee Band
The Bruce Lee Band is the name given to the releases of Mike Park and his backing band which has so far included Less Than Jake and the Rx Bandits....

. The RX Bandits were featured as Park's Bruce Lee Band during the recording of the Beautiful World EP. Choi is also a member of the band Machines, in which he plays the drums.

September 9, 2008 saw the release of Matt Embree's acoustic sideproject, entitled Love You Moon. The album consists solely of Matt on the acoustic guitar with the exception of 3 tracks where Chris Tsagakis assists on drums. This album was presold at the RX Bandits' concurrent tour. He also released an EP covers entitled "Maracay" during the last RX tour. The album was recorded during a trip to Venezuela and all proceeds went to Doctors Without Borders.

Embree and Tsagakis have also played guitar and drums, respectively, with Lauren Coleman in her project, Pebaluna. The three met when she was recording in the Elizabethan in late 2005.

Matt Embree can also be heard on other projects such as those of the hip-hop group Seekret Socyetee, 2 Drunk'n Poets, and V.I.T.A.L. Emcee's solo album, "The Secret of the Invisible Man," all of which have been released on Embree's MDB Records.

Tsakagis is recording and performing solo material under the name C-Gak. He also released an album under the moniker of Technology.

Embree also started a new group with Lisa Papineau name ME & LP. They released their first ep Chez Raymond August 9th, 2011 and toured the West Coast.

Choi is currently producing bands, recently working with Silver Snakes and Gardening Not Architecture.

Band members

  • Matthew Embree – Vocals/Guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    /Percussion/Keyboard
  • Steve Choi – Guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    /Keyboards
    Synthesizer
    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

    /Vocals/Percussion
  • Joseph Troy – Bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    /Vocals
  • Christopher Tsagakis
    Christopher Tsagakis
    Christopher Tsagakis born is one of the founding members and current drummer for the band Rx Bandits. He is also a member of The Sound of Animals Fighting, with former bandmate Rich Balling. Chris has an electronic side project entitled "Technology." He is also a prolific painter...

     – Drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

  • Christopher Sheets (Trombone
    Trombone
    The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

    /Vocals/Percussion on The Resignation and ...And The Battle Begun)
  • Steven Borth II (Saxophone
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

    /Vocals/Keyboard
    Keyboard instrument
    A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

    /Percussion on The Resignation and ...And The Battle Begun)
  • John Tsagakis (Bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    )
  • James Salomone (Bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     on Progress)
  • Rich Zahniser (Keyboards
    Synthesizer
    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

    /Trombone
    Trombone
    The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

    /Vocals)
  • Franz J. Worth (Bass
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

     on Those Damn Bandits and Halfway Between Here and There)
  • Noah Gaffney (Saxophone
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

    /Vocals on Those Damn Bandits and Halfway Between Here and There)
  • Rich Balling
    Rich Balling
    Rich Balling is a former member of the Rx Bandits, leaving the band after the release of their third album, Progress.He is also the founder and one of the members of The Sound of Animals Fighting under the name "Nightingale", and the editor of the books Revolution on Canvas and Revolution on Canvas...

     (Trombone
    Trombone
    The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...

    /Vocals on Those Damn Bandits, Halfway Between Here and There and Progress)

Albums

Title Release date Label
Demo(nstration) 1996 Self-produced
Those Damn Bandits
Those Damn Bandits
Those Damn Bandits is the first full length release by the then-ska band The Pharmaceutical Bandits, now known as Rx Bandits. Originally released in 1997 through Antedote Records , the album was later re-released in 1998 after Drive-Thru Records signed the band...

1997 Antedote Records; Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records
Drive-Thru Records, established in 1996, was a California-based record label owned by siblings Richard and Stefanie Reines. It has produced various pop punk bands, many with a distinct SoCal sound....

Halfway Between Here and There
Halfway Between Here and There
Halfway Between Here and There is the second full length release by ska band Rx Bandits.Two versions of the album exist. The first one was released under the name The Pharmaceutical Bandits. The second was a re-release with new artwork under the now-familiar Rx Bandits moniker...

October 26, 1999 Drive-Thru Records
Progress
Progress (Rx Bandits album)
Progress is an album released by Rx Bandits on July 17, 2001 through Drive-Thru Records.The LP was originally titled Artificial Intelligence and the Fall of Technology.The album was recorded during a tumultuous time in the band's lineup...

July 17, 2001 Drive-Thru Records
The Resignation
The Resignation
The Resignation is the fourth full length release from Californian ska punk band Rx Bandits. It peaked at #148 on the Billboard 200.-Track listing:All songs written by Matthew Embree, except where noted....

July 15, 2003 Drive-Thru Records
...And the Battle Begun
...And the Battle Begun
-Rx Bandits:* Matthew Embree – vocals, guitar* Steve Choi – guitar, keyboards* Steven Jess Borth II – saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals* Chris Sheets – trombone, backing vocals, percussion* Joseph Troy – bass...

October 10, 2006 MDB Records
Mash Down Babylon Records
Mash Down Babylon Records is a record label started by Matt Embree, the lead singer of the Rx Bandits. -About:Most of the music is recorded in Matt Embrees garage which also doubles as a mail order room for merch ordered from their website...

/Sargent House
Sargent House
Sargent House is a Los Angeles based management company and record label. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and who also owns a music video production company called Refused TV. Pellow began managing the rock outfit RX Bandits in 2006...

Live from Bonnaroo 2007
Live from Bonnaroo 2007
Live from Bonnaroo 2007 is a recorded live set from progressive rock band Rx Bandits. The set was recorded live at the 2007 Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee...

 (iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 Release)
December 5, 2007 MDB Records
Mash Down Babylon Records
Mash Down Babylon Records is a record label started by Matt Embree, the lead singer of the Rx Bandits. -About:Most of the music is recorded in Matt Embrees garage which also doubles as a mail order room for merch ordered from their website...

/Sargent House
Sargent House
Sargent House is a Los Angeles based management company and record label. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and who also owns a music video production company called Refused TV. Pellow began managing the rock outfit RX Bandits in 2006...

Mandala July 21, 2009 MDB Records
Mash Down Babylon Records
Mash Down Babylon Records is a record label started by Matt Embree, the lead singer of the Rx Bandits. -About:Most of the music is recorded in Matt Embrees garage which also doubles as a mail order room for merch ordered from their website...

/Sargent House
Sargent House
Sargent House is a Los Angeles based management company and record label. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and who also owns a music video production company called Refused TV. Pellow began managing the rock outfit RX Bandits in 2006...

Live at Park Ave April 12, 2010 Verve
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...


Compilations

Title Release date Label Songs contributed
Hooked on Ska-nics 1998 Johnny Bravo Records "S.A.M."
Double Exposure 1998 Go Kart Records "Wrong with Me"
Punk Vs. Ska Round 2 February 10, 1998 Skratch Ray Records "Saw Red"
Ska Sucks May 1998 Liberation Records "Teen Idol"
Hey Brother...Can You Spare Some Ska January 19, 1999 Vegas Records "Teen Idol (Remix)"
You'll Never Eat Fast Food Again November 9, 1999 Drive-Thru "What If", "Wrong with Me", "All The Time (acoustic)"
Fatty's Favorites 2000 We The People Records "High Skool"
Punk Goes Metal August 1, 2000 Fearless Records "Holy Wars"
For the Kids December 22, 2000 Together "What If"
Welcome to the Family
Welcome to the Family
Welcome To The Family is a compilation album released on November 20, 2001 by Drive-Thru Records. The CD features mostly previously unreleased songs by the label's bands and is packaged in a miniature cardboard pizza box...

November 20, 2001 Drive-Thru "Analog Boy", "Mastering the List"
Go Kart MP300 Raceway October 28, 2003 Go-Kart Records "Overcome (the Recapitulation)", "Sell You Beautiful"
Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1
Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1
Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 is a Rock Against Bush compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It contains a collection of songs, both released and unreleased, by various punk rock artists and includes a bonus DVD with political facts, commentary regarding the U.S...

April 20, 2004 Fat Wreck Chords "Overcome (the Recapitulation)"
Drive Thru / Rush More Records sampler 2005 Drive-Thru/Rushmore "Decrescendo"
Dead Bands Party: A Tribute to Oingo Boingo
Dead Bands Party: A Tribute to Oingo Boingo
Dead Bands Party: A Tribute to Oingo Boingo is a tribute album by various artists to the band Oingo Boingo.-Track listing:# "Dead Man's Party" – 4:14# "Only a Lad" – 3:22# "Violent Love" –...

May 10, 2005 Indianola Records "Grey Matter"
Listen To Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

 - A Tribute
August 16, 2005 Drive-Thru "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" is a topical song written by the American musician Bob Dylan. Recorded on October 23, 1963, the song was released on Dylan's 1964 album The Times They Are a-Changin and gives a generally factual account of the killing of 51-year-old barmaid Hattie Carroll by...

"
Body of War
Body of War
Body of War, directed by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue, is a 2007 documentary following Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran paralyzed from a bullet to the spine, on a physical and emotional journey as he adapts to his new body and begins to question the decision to go to war in Iraq.As Tomas's journey...

: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran
March 18, 2008 Sire/Wea "Overcome (the Recapitulation)"

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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