Rump Shaker by Suburban Legends

After selling over 20,000 copies of their self-produced, self-titled EP, they nabbed the interest and studio production wizardry of Oingo Boingo's John Avila (production credits also include Boingo, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Cábula, The Pilfers, Quetzal), whose ear for bright horns and edgy melodies brought their first full length release, "Rump Shaker" to fruition in 2003. "Rump" has since sold 15,000 copies on the band's own imprint, and is to be released this year in the UK on Brand New Hero Records.

With their record still going strong in 2004, the band also released "Season One" a live CD/DVD of their videos, raucous performances, and song rarities. They continue to tour the nation in support of the releases, recently closing a summer tour with ska veterans Reel Big Fish, Rx Bandits and MU330. Harrowing tour schedules have posed only a minor challenges for the Orange County natives: though the band is young, they are veritable stage veterans, frequently selling out Southern California venues like House of Blues, Chain Reaction, and The Glasshouse, having shared the stage with Goldfinger to Sugarcult to Fishbone, and having performed over 962 perfectly choreographed shows in the year 2002 alone.

Most of the near-thousand performances were done during consecutive stints as Downtown Disney's resident outdoor entertainment during the summer and holiday seasons, which required the band to do four half-hour sets every evening for months. This arrangement and the band's growing popularity amongst the nightly crowds opened the door for the band's most public performance to date: on the main stage for Disney's nationally televised World Series pep rally. Originally slated to underline classic rockers, Queen, Suburban Legends were informed the day of the performance that they were the only, and headlining act, with their faces magnified on a 30ft x 40x giant screen and their music amplified on television sets across the nation. In another pivotal performance, they lit up millions of small screens on their first stint on the nationally-televised Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon in August 2003.

But glittery televisions, bright lights, and rock tours are not what Suburban Legends are about. More, it is a vision-one of an eight-man, well-oiled entertainment machine with as much heart as panache, with a voice for everyone-a 3-year old tot, a 15 year old punk rocker, a 22-year old jaded music journalist, a 45-year old parent of two-equally. Such universal appeal is rarity in the contemporary world of music.

But the Suburban Legends are a very special octet.

For additional information

PoBox 1026

Orange, CA 92856

www.suburbanlegends.com

tbonebrian@suburbanlegends.com

Average Customer Review: 5