User:Rugburngreensburgpa

Rugburn (Greensburg PA)

Rugburn,(also known as Rugburn,Greensburg PA) is a noise rock band based in the town of Bovard PA.Founding member is bassist Chris Willis (commonly known as "Willis").Other members include vocalist Gino Martin,drummer Chris "Oz" Osselborn,and guitarist Matt "Chunk" Urchick.The band formed in the spring of 1991 under the name "No Hope" and soon played their first show at The Eldorado,a now-defunct nightclub in Greensburg,PA that catered to mostly a heavy-metal crowd.The band changed its name to Rugburn,under the advice of longtime friend Ten Feet Tall vocalist Aaron Tlumack,for their next show at Bonkers,a popular teen club in Latrobe,also commonly known as Illusions and Danceland.Rugburn was well-received at Bonkers,and enjoyed high attendance at their shows as well as competing in their annual Battle Of The Bands.

Rugburn recorded a demo onto a 4-track machine with the help of another longtime friend,Ten Feet Tall guitarist Tom Jagger,and gigged for two years as the aforementioned venues,as well as Derry Theatre,Derry Community Center,the Upstage,The Lithuanian Club in Elizabeth PA ,The Greensburg Armory (now the YWCA Annex), Greensburg-Salem High School Cafeteria,and various colleges,VFW"s and fire halls around Westmoreland and Allegheny county,most notably the Charleroi Fire Hall.During this time,the band shifted from a "skate-rock" oriented sound,to a grittier,dissonant growl reminiscent of bands such as Helmet,Jesus Lizard,Unsane,Alice Donut,and NoMeansNo,all the while staying true to their roots of old-school hardcore and 70's hard rock.The band recorded another demo on an 8-track machine at Jingle House studio(with an engineer only know the band as 'Jeff') in New Stanton,PA,that reflected the changes in sound.

A pivotal moment came when Rugburn performed a gig with Bunjie Jambo on New Year's Eve of 1993 at the Gargoyle,a coffee shop in Warren,Ohio known for hosting early gigs of the band Clutch.After the well-received gig,the band headed home,only to have their vehicle skid on ice and crash through a highway exit sign,causing damage to the car that resulted in an 8-hour drive home at 20mph.The band's luck improved dramatically when Lou DelBene,an attendee at the New Year's gig that introduced himself to the band,called and expressed interest in forming a record label and having Rugburn record some material for it.The band gave Lou the Jingle House demo,and plans were soon on their way to cut 2 tracks for his label compilation called Spine 1000.

Rugburn recorded 2 tracks to a digital 16-track at the home of Gargoyle owner Tim Gaicias (who also engineered the session)for the compilation,but technical issues led to a disappointing sound.The band redeemed themselves shortly after when they recorded 10 songs onto analog 8-track at Sound 7,a studio in Evans City,PA, run by local radio personality Lee Hollihan, that was a favorite with Pittsburgh punk and indie-rock bands.The label,which by then was called Kind Sound,released the CD There's A Sucker Born,in 1996.

Although the CD was well-received,the delay in release caused a loss in momentum for Rugburn,and by the time the CD was available,personal,physical,and financial issues,combined with declining interest in the band by the members and their fans resulted in the band's breakup in 1997.

In the fall of 2010,Rugburn reformed to perform a reunion show at Wrangler's bar in New Derry,PA.Interest in the band by local nightclub 42nd Street Rock House led them to perform a series of gigs,opening for such acts as Kim Phuc,Texas Hippie Coalition,Lizzy Borden,and Full Blown Chaos, as well as write new material.

In late August 2011,the band suffered a blow when Oz was severely injured in a fall,leaving him unable to use his legs.As of this date,his condition has been slowly improving and a full recovery is expected.Willis became incarcerated in October of 2011 as a result of a non-violent criminal offense and began an 18 month sentence.Shortly before reporting to prison,he and the rest of Rugburn began laying tracks for a new album at Local Commotion studio with Gregg Livengood at the helm.As of this date,the album remains unfinished.