Rocket From The Crypt

John Reis, singer and guitarist, launched San Diego's Rocket from the Crypt in summer 1990 after growing weary of his existing hardcore punk outfit Pitchfork and vowing never to appear on any stage. The first roster featured bassist Petey X, guitarist N.D., drummer Sean, and backing vocalist Elaina; together they issued Paint as a Fragrance in 1991. Although the debut raised the group's profile, Sean and Elaina soon left the region, prompting the arrival of new drummer Adam "Atom" Willard and saxophonist Paul "Apollo 9" O'Beirne, one of Reis' regular drinking companions.

Following the 1992 release of Circa: Now! on Cargo Records and its strong underground reception, major labels competed for the band, which ultimately chose Interscope. The label reissued Circa: Now! in 1993, allowing the single "Ditch Digger" to appear in MTV's Buzz Bin. Saxophonist Jason "JC 2000" Crane then joined as the sixth member, steering Rocket from the Crypt toward a punky, horn-driven direction that produced the 10-inch The State of Art Is on Fire in 1995.

That same year the band delivered three albums total, among them the limited-edition Hot Charity LP and its most widely praised work to date, Scream, Dracula, Scream. Three singles emerged from the album, one being the international hit "On a Rope," which won over British listeners. RFTC appeared in 1998, and Group Sounds followed on the newly affiliated Vagrant label in early 2001. Throughout the early 2000s the group operated like a rock & roll machine, its garage punk sound remaining as vital as that of acts riding the punk revival wave. Individual side projects gradually pulled the members apart, so that 2002's Live from Camp X-Ray reflected divided attention when touring proved impossible. Three years afterward the band ended with a farewell performance on October 31, 2005; Vagrant later captured the hometown show for the live album R.I.P., released in February 2008.

Rocket from the Crypt reconvened in 2013 for several concerts and has appeared sporadically since. In 2015 Reis and his Swami label issued Vintage Piss, a long-shelved collaboration with Sonny Vincent of the influential New York punk band the Testors that had been recorded in 2003 and finally assembled for release in April 2015.