Who says you can only be in one band? Side projects are a great way for rock stars to try a new sound while not compromising the reputation of their main band and for this, we are eternally grateful. Check out 10 side projects you might not have know about that were started by some of your most beloved punks below.
Rehasher
Featuring Less Than Jake’s Roger Manganelli
Mangenelli started Rehasher in 2000 with former members of fellow Gainesville bands Army of Ponch and Savage Brewtality. The band is more of a passion project for Manganelli as their fast-tempo punk rock is where he got his roots and he truly is the backbone of the band, sometimes playing multiple instruments. Rehasher has released two albums thus far, 2004’s Off Key Melodies on No Idea Records, followed by Speed Access to My Brain which came out in 2009 on Paper + Plastick/Moathouse. The band is currently working on a 7” split with Teen Agers.
Check out “Average” from Off Key Melodies:
Sludgeworth
Featuring Danny Vapid of Screeching Weasel and Dan Vapid and the Cheats
Chicago, Illinois punk rocker Danny Vapid has been kicking ass and taking names in different bands for years. In 1989, Vapid left Screeching Weasel to focus on Sludgeworth and the band remained together until 1992, during which time they released an EP, an album, a 7” and a live CD/DVD. In 1992, musical differences forced the members to part ways and Vapid returned to the resurrected Screeching Weasel. The band briefly reunited in 2007 to perform at Riot Fest and later at Insubordination Fest.
Smack your ears on some tasty Vapid licks in the form of “Someday,” from their album Losers of the Year:
Tuesday
Featuring Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio
After influential ska-punk band Slapstick broke up, and before Alkaline Trio formed, bassist Dan Andriano started Tuesday with former Slapstick members Matt Stamps and Rob Kellenberger. The band was only active for a short time, releasing an EP titled Early Summer, and a full length, Freewheelin, in 1997 on Asian Man Records. The band toured the US during this time, but things ground to a halt when Andriano was approached by Matt Skiba to start Alkaline Trio, whose explosive popularity took up all of Andriano’s time. Kellenberger went on to play with Duvall and Colossal, while Stamps moved on to play in The Honor System.
Chow down on “My Mess” from Freewheelin:
Pinhead Gunpowder
Featuring Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day
Back in 1990, while Green Day was still working their way up to super stardom, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong started Pinhead Gunpowder. Their name is based off of a brand of “high octane” green tea discovered by Pinhead’s drummer Aaron Cometbus, who also wrote a majority of the songs for the band. During their heyday, the band released two full lengths as well as a number of extended plays and compilation appearances. In 2010 the band re-united to perform at a benefit for the famous punk club 924 Gilman Street.
Check out their self-titled EP:
Daredevils
Featuring Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion, Josh Freese of The Vandals/Nine Inch Nails
Daredevils were a very, very short-lived side project featuring Brett Gurewitz, who had just quit Bad Religion for the second time. The band also featured Oscar-winning director Gore Verbinski (who directed three of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, as well as four Bad Religion music videos), Josh Freese of The Vandals and Nine Inch Nails fame, and Dean Opseth. The band released a single, two-track single, in 1994, which featured the track “Hate You,” allegedly written about Bad Religion bassist Jay Bentley, who claimed Gurewitz had left the band for the money.
The song is pretty good, so check out the title track from Hate You:
Legion of Doom
Featuring Chad Blinman and Trever Keith of Face to Face
In 2004, Face to Face vocalist Trever Keith and producer Chad Blinman started The Legion of Doom, an electronica group/production team with the intention of taking on a series of specialized creative projects. The first project on their agenda, completed in 2007, was the album Incorporated which featured mash-ups of various punk and hardcore songs, two years later they released The Legion of Doom vs. Triune. A huge claim to fame for the Legion is their contributions to movie soundtracks, primarily in the horror genre. Among those credits are remixes for films including Saw II, Saw III, Underworld: Evolution, Underworld:Rise of the Lycans, and Resident Evil: Extinction.
Listen to “Unintended Consequences” from Legion of Doom vs. Triune:
The Bollox
Featuring Jason DeVore of Authority Zero and Keith Walker of Last Action Zeroes
The Bollox, formed in 2007 is a Celtic folk-punk band formed by former Last Action Zeroes drummer Keith Walker and Jason DeVore, front man of Authority Zero. The band started out of a friendly jam session, soon adding Jason Combs, Brad Park, and Greg McLarty. The band’s lyrics tackled issues including immigration, poverty, and, of course, drinking. They have only released one album thus far; their highly rated self-titled effort which was released in 2012.
Check out “Tura’lu” from Bollox:
Rumbleseat
Featuring Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard of Hot Water Music
Rumbleseat started in 1998 when Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard of Hot Water Music recruited Bitchin’ lead singer Samantha Jones and started an acoustic-folk band. The band had a relatively short tenure but during their time on the scene they released four 7”’s before putting out their eventual full length, …is Dead. The album collects the tracks from the 7″, two compilation tracks, and four previously unreleased jams. Since then, Rumbleseat has taken a backseat as Chuck and Chris returned to Hot Water Music, who last released a live album in 2013.
Check out their cover of Johnny Cash’s “Jackson” from …is Dead:
LaGrecia
Featuring Jason Shevchuck of Kid Dynamite and None More Black
Jason Shevchuck has been rocking for years, playing guitar and singing for such bands as Bound, Kid Dynamite, None More Black and OnGuard. One of his more recent endeavors was the punk-influenced rock band LaGrecia, formed with fellow members Dana Berkowitz and Sal Dell’Aquilia. Before the band broke up in 2008, they released only one album, On Parallels on Suburban Home Records. It received stellar reviews.
Sink your teeth into “The Montage” from LaGrecia:
The Killing Tree
Featuring Tim McIIrath and Todd Mohney of Rise Against
In the time before Tim McIIrath began Rise Against, he and fellow members from his old band Baxter got together with the itch to perform heavier music and The Killing Tree was born. Since Rise Against and The Killing Tree overlapped for a while, McIIrath and the gang performed under false identities while recording and performing for fear that Rise Against’s label Fat Wreck Chords would find out about their double duty. During their tenure they released three albums and EP’s, the latest being We Sing Sin. Although The Killing Tree hasn’t released any music since 2006, McIIrath has expressed interest in getting the band back together some day.
Check out “Replace My Heart” from The Romance of Helen Trent