Bad Astronaut is an American

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band founded in 2000 by

Joey Cape Randal Joseph Cape (born November 16, 1966) is an American singer and musician. Active since 1989, Cape is best known as the frontman of the California punk rock band Lagwagon. Cape released his first solo album, ''Bridge'', in 2008. His secon ...

, singer from

Lagwagon Lagwagon is an American punk rock band originally from Goleta, California, just outside Santa Barbara. They formed in 1989, went on hiatus in 2000, and reunited several times over the years. Their name comes from the band's tour van, which can ...

. In Bad Astronaut, Joey Cape explores a style of alternative rock, with lyrics often about deep and intricate personal matters. The band released its debut album, ''Acrophobe'' in 2001, followed by '' Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem'' in 2002 on Honest Don's Records. The band released its third and final album, ''

Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment ''Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment'' is the third studio album from the American indie rock band, Bad Astronaut. It was released in November, 2006, on Fat Wreck Chords and follows '' Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem'' from 2002 and ...

'' on November 14, 2006, on

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

. Upon the album's release,

announced, "without Derrick, there is no Bad Astronaut" on the band's Myspace page, deciding the resulting record would be the last for Bad Astronaut. (Drummer

Derrick Plourde Derrick William Plourde (October 17, 1971 – March 30, 2005) was an American drummer, musician and artist. Born in Goleta, California, he was active from 1989 until his death in 2005. Although best known as a former member of Lagwagon, Plourd ...

committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

in March 2005.) Joey Cape expressed plans on releasing a b-sides album sometime in the future. Bad Astronaut reformed to play their first live shows in July 2010. They played four shows in California, with Mike Hale of In the Red and Joey Cape doing a solo act as the openers. On December 2, 2016, Fat Wreck Chords announced that Erik Herzog had died.

Discography

*''War of the Worlds'' (2001, Owned & Operated – split with

Armchair Martian Armchair Martian, formed in 1993, is an American trio based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. They are a punk and alt-country band influenced by Descendents, Hüsker Dü, and Uncle Tupelo. They have put out numerous recordings through four record ...

) *''Acrophobe'' (2001, Honest Don's Records) *'' Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem'' (2002, Honest Don's Records) *''

'' (2006, Fat Wreck Chords)

Music videos

* "The Passenger" (2002)

Band members

– Lead Vocals, Guitar *

Marko DeSantis Sugarcult is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California formed in 1999. The band currently consists of Tim Pagnotta ( lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Airin Older (bass guitar, backing vocals), Marko DeSantis (lead guitar), and Kenny Liv ...

– Bass *

– Drums (deceased) *

Angus Cooke The Ataris are an American punk rock band from Anderson, Indiana. Formed in 1996, they released five studio albums between 1997 and 2007. Their best-selling album is ''So Long, Astoria'' (2003), which was certified gold. Their high-charting s ...

– Cello, Percussion, Vocals * Thom Flowers – Guitar, Vocals * Jonathan Cox – Keyboard * Todd Capps – Keyboard, Vocals * Erik Herzog – Drums (deceased)

References

External links

* Punk rock groups from California Musical groups established in 2000 Fat Wreck Chords artists {{US-punk-band-stub