The Aquabats

Over the course of a twenty year career, The Aquabats have made a name for themselves in both the musical and comedic worlds; their matching costumes and masks, designed to look like those of a superhero, have added an extra dimension to their music and in particular their live performances - their alleged crime-fighting is a staple of the comedic aspect of their gigs. That’s not to say, though, that these alternative personas and the focus on comedy has been developed purely as a distraction from their music; they’ve proven their diversity over the past couple of decades, having orginally started out as an eight-piece playing ska-influenced material, and gradually going on to reinvent themselves as a new wave act.

The current lineup includes two original members, frontman The M.C. Bat Commander and bassist Crash McLarson, as well as Jimmy the Robot on keyboards, Ricky Fitness behind the drum kit and Eagle ‘Bones’ Falconhawk on guitar. The sophisticated development of their comedic characters mythology has spawned a television series, ‘The Aquabats! Super Show!’, and is a major part of their live shows, too, with athletic mock fights and even fire-breathing from The M.C. Lars Commander amongst the onstage antics that they've made their signature.

The Bronx formed in 2002 of singer Matt Caughthran, guitarist Joby J. Ford, bassist James Tweedy and drummer Jorma Vik. Before very long at all the band began to garner the attention of industry insiders including Jonathan Daniel, manager of American Hi-Fi, who became their manager, and Island Def Jam Music Group who became their label after only 12 live shows.

Following a string of independent releases and live shows across the U.S. and Australia, The Bronx felt they were ready and produced their major-label debut titled “The Bronx” in 2006 – their second self-titled album. The album featured the tracks “History’s Stranglers” and “White Guilt”, with Ken Horne of The Dragons playing guitar on a number of tracks before becoming a fully fledged member of the band.

In 2007 The Bronx announced they would start recording two albums, the first, their third eponymous album “The Bronx” was released in 2008, and the second under the moniker Mariachi El Bronx, another self-titled album “Mariachi El Bronx” in 2009. The albums saw the departure of Jeff Tweedy on bass replaced by Brad Magers formerly of Christiansen and the arrival of Vincent Hidalgo. In 2008 The Bronx played the entirety of the Warped Tour and appeared as the highly revered band Black Flag in the film “What We Do Is Secret”. The band’s live performances were split between playing mariachi music under the “Mariachi El Bronx” alter-ego and rock shows under “The Bronx” moniker.

The synonymous Mariachi El Bronx and The Bronx continued their trend of releasing all self-titled albums with their Mexican folk follow-up “Mariachi El Bronx” in 2011 and punk follow-up the “The Bronx” in 2013. A number of members in the band also played guitar for the Canadian indie band Armistice as well as collaborating with rapper Schoolly D on the theme music for the Adult Swim show “Aqua Something You Know Whatever”.