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Gravity Kills was an American
industrial rock Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...
band from
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
. Their music was described by one critic as "a blending of eerie industrial rock with a pop-infused melodic chorus and a bit of hard-core head banging."Jacquie Kubin, "Jamming across generations; Bo Diddley, Kirchen together; Gravity Kills seeks new momentum."
Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...
, January 31, 2002.
The band was formed in 1994. They had their first hit single with "
Guilty Guilty or The Guilty may refer to: * Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard Law *Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction *Guilt (law) ...
", a track later released on their 1996 debut album ''
Gravity Kills Gravity Kills was an American industrial rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. Their music was described by one critic as "a blending of eerie industrial rock with a pop-infused melodic chorus and a bit of hard-core head banging."Jacquie Kubin, ...
''. The band released two additional albums of new material, ''
Perversion Perversion is a form of human behavior which deviates from what is considered to be orthodox or normal. Although the term ''perversion'' can refer to a variety of forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are con ...
'' in 1998 and '' Superstarved'' in 2002, as well as a remix album in 1997. Their singles "
Falling Falling or fallin' may refer to: *Falling (physics), movement due to gravity *Falling (accident) *Falling (execution) *Falling (sensation) People * Christine Falling (born 1963), American serial killer who murdered six children Books * ''Fall ...
" (from ''Perversion'') and " One Thing" (from ''Superstarved'') both achieved minor radio success. Due to the lack of tour support from their record label, they were unable to complete a tour for ''Superstarved'' and broke up in 2003. From 2005 to 2012, Gravity Kills reunited for occasional one-off festivals and shows. Gravity Kills' songs have been featured on soundtracks for a variety of media, such as ''
Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
'', '' Se7en'', ''
Escape From L.A. ''Escape from L.A.'' (stylized on-screen as ''John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.'') is a 1996 American Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, co-written and p ...
'', and ''
Kissing a Fool ''Kissing a Fool'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Doug Ellin. It primarily stars David Schwimmer, Jason Lee, Mili Avital, Kari Wührer, and Vanessa Angel. Schwimmer was one of the executive producers. Plot Max (David Schwi ...
'', in addition to video games such as the ''
Test Drive A test drive is the driving of a motor vehicle to assess its drivability or roadworthiness, and general operating state. A person who tests vehicles for a living, either for an automobile company, automotive media for review purposes, or a moto ...
'' franchise. They have toured with such bands as
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
,
Sevendust Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lowery ...
,
Local H Local H is an American rock band originally formed by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, bassist Matt Garcia, drummer Joe Daniels, and lead guitarist John Sparkman in Zion, Illinois in 1990. The members all met in high school in 1987 and founde ...
, Flaw, Sister Machine Gun, and
Pigface Pigface is an American industrial rock supergroup formed in 1990 by Martin Atkins and William Rieflin. History Pigface was formed from Ministry's ''The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste'' tour, which produced the ''In Case You Didn't Feel Lik ...
.


History


Formation, name, and self-titled debut album (1994–1996)

As the band was forming in 1994, keyboardist Doug Firley was reading an article where he misread what he thought said "like the Gravity Kills." He went back through the article and could not find what he thought he had read. Firley told drummer Kurt Kerns and guitarist Matt Dudenhoeffer about it and thought that Gravity Kills would be a great name for the band. Kerns and Dudenhoeffer really made sense of the name when comparing what they were doing with music (deconstructing samples and noise) to an architect they were both into named
Lebbeus Woods Lebbeus Woods (May 31, 1940 – October 30, 2012) was an American architect and artist known for his unconventional and experimental designs. Known for his rich, yet mainly unbuilt work and its nonetheless significant impact on the architec ...
and his theories regarding deconstruction and ultimately reconstruction. In response to a contest from St. Louis area radio station
KPNT KPNT (105.7 FM, "105-7 The Point") is a commercial radio station licensed to Collinsville, Illinois, and broadcasting to Greater St. Louis. It mainly airs an alternative rock radio format, with some elements of active rock. It is owned by Hubba ...
for a compilation CD of local artists, the trio brought in vocalist Jeff Scheel (Kerns' cousin) to record and mix a track in one week during the summer of 1994. The resulting song, "
Guilty Guilty or The Guilty may refer to: * Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard Law *Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction *Guilt (law) ...
", was given heavy airplay and quickly became the most requested song at the station. The band continued to write and record songs throughout 1995.Carrie Borzillo, "Gravity Kills Gives TVT Pull" ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', June 22, 1996.
Although nearly an entire year had passed since "Guilty" was first released, Gravity Kills finally played their first live show in November 1995 at a soldout venue in St. Louis. Later that month, the band officially signed a record deal with
TVT Records TVT Records (Tee-Vee Tunes) was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 24-year history, the label released 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, ...
. The band's first self-titled album was released in March 1996, and peaked at No. 89 on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...
chart and No. 1 on the
Billboard Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart. "Guilty", the first single, found heavy airplay upon its release. It peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart, No. 39 on the
Billboard Mainstream Rock Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart, and at No. 86 on the Billboard 100 chart. Videos were made for "Guilty", "Enough", and " Down". "Enough" in particular had peaked at No. 98 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. Hollywood also embraced the band's music as they landed songs on three high profile soundtracks: '' Se7en'', ''
Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The development of the first game was originally based on an idea that Ed Boon and John Tobias had of making a v ...
'', and ''
Escape From L.A. ''Escape from L.A.'' (stylized on-screen as ''John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.'') is a 1996 American Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, co-written and p ...
''. The band had re-recorded the song "Blame" for the ''Escape From L.A.'' soundtrack, and it was released as an individual single. Gravity Kills toured in the summer of 1996 with the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
and embarked on a solo tour that fall.Amy Hutchinson, "'Gravity' takes music into the 'dark side'; Band is part of emerging industrial sound from underground out into the mainstream."
Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...
, October 10, 1996.
With the success of the first album, the band quickly established itself on the rock scene as one of the most promising young bands in the industrial music scene. Gravity Kills' album was also released worldwide with chart success in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, and
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.


''Manipulated'', live tours, and ''Perversion'' (1997–2000)

In 1997, TVT Records released a remix compilation album called '' Manipulated'' which contained remixes from the band's self-titled debut album songs "Guilty", "Blame", "Enough", "Down", and "Here". That year, they contributed a song to the
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...
''
Random In common usage, randomness is the apparent or actual lack of pattern or predictability in events. A random sequence of events, symbols or steps often has no :wikt:order, order and does not follow an intelligible pattern or combination. Ind ...
'', "Poetry and Power". Gravity Kills also briefly collaborated with the musician
Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...
on a song titled "Suffocating". It was meant to be included on the soundtrack to the film ''
Spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...
''; however, Moby disliked the outcome, and instead worked with
Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been ...
for the soundtrack. The outtake was later released online. On April 19, 1998, Scheel suffered a whiplash when he got overexcited during a warm-up gig at the University Wellness & Activities in
San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...
. He had not performed live with the band since a previous live concert at the Q101 Festival in
Chicago, IL (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
on October 16, 1997. The injury happened at a club in what was supposed to be a low-key gig that attracted 6,000 fans, according to the band's label, TVT Records. The injury, which put Scheel out of commission for a few weeks, came less than a week before
Junkie XL Tom Holkenborg (born 8 December 1967), also known by his stage name Junkie XL or occasionally JXL, is a Dutch composer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and engineer. Originally known for his trance productions, he has moved to producing e ...
leader
Tom Holkenborg Tom Holkenborg (born 8 December 1967), also known by his stage name Junkie XL or occasionally JXL, is a Dutch composer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer, and engineer. Originally known for his trance productions, he has moved to producing ...
injured his back in an onstage accident; ironically, Junkie XL and Gravity Kills were scheduled to join British band
Pitchshifter Pitchshifter are an English industrial rock band from Nottingham, formed in 1989. The band was started by lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A. Carter, and bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden. The band’s early material was characterized for ...
on a U.S. tour on June 3. The band released their second studio album in June 1998, titled ''
Perversion Perversion is a form of human behavior which deviates from what is considered to be orthodox or normal. Although the term ''perversion'' can refer to a variety of forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are con ...
''. The album was less successful than their self-titled debut but still sold well, peaking at No. 107 on the Billboard 200 chart.Carrie Borzillo, "BILLBOARD 200" ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', July 18, 1998.
The single "
Falling Falling or fallin' may refer to: *Falling (physics), movement due to gravity *Falling (accident) *Falling (execution) *Falling (sensation) People * Christine Falling (born 1963), American serial killer who murdered six children Books * ''Fall ...
" peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and was featured in the 1998 racing video game ''
Test Drive 5 ''Test Drive 5'' is a racing video game developed by Pitbull Syndicate and published by Accolade for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1998. Development Accolade spent $3 million on a television advertising campaign for Test Drive 5 and Test ...
'' along with Pitchshifter,
Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
, Junkie XL, and
KMFDM KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project. ...
. "Alive" and "Drown" also appeared in another game from the same franchise in 1998, ''
Test Drive Off-Road 2 ''Test Drive 4X4'' (known as ''Test Drive Off-Road 2'' in North America) is a racing video game co-developed by Accolade's internal development team and Pitbull Syndicate, and published by Accolade for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. Develop ...
''. On July 1, 1998 at the
Summerfest Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts app ...
in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, Scheel got the whole crowd chanting "Fuck you!" while the show was being broadcast live on a
mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
local radio station, Lazer 103 FM. This was a familiar phrase to the July 2, 1997 Summerfest. The station's DJ tried to get the crowd to stop, but he was having mic problems and the crowd ignored him. In August 1999, drummer Kerns had left the band, reasons for leaving as a chance for him to spend time with his family and to return to practicing architecture. He was replaced by Brad Booker, former drummer for the band Stir.


''Superstarved'', Doug Firley's injury, and split-up (2001–2003)

After the release of ''Perversion'', numerous recording sessions commenced for the third album between June 1999 and August 2001. An entire tracklist was completed; however, the band was dissatisfied with the mixes and returned to the studio. Gravity Kills also signed with their new label
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...
. The initial sessions would later be leaked online (by Scheel himself), which also contained six songs that had not made the final album's cut. In May 2002, Sanctuary Records released the third and final studio album '' Superstarved''. The UK version of the album was released by Mayan Records (which was a part of Sanctuary Records) and the Japan version of the album was released by
Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ent ...
. The single " One Thing" had charted at No. 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, the band's highest position to date. Just after the album's release, on May 3, 2002, keyboardist Firley sustained serious injury to his hand in
Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
while performing in front of a sold out crowd. The injury occurred when Firley dropped the 300 pound custom-made spring-loaded steel keyboard on his hand, shattering the bones in his right ring finger during the band's performance of their single "One Thing". The band returned home to St. Louis after finishing the weekend shows in New Jersey and New York for Firley to seek treatment and had to sell off the components of the recording studio it owned, thus ending the cycle of tour dates. Firley later underwent surgery to fix his hand. On January 4, 2003, the band officially broke up, a statement posted on the site read as follows: The band members scattered to different occupations. Matt Dudenhoeffer returned to an engineering job outside of the music industry. Doug Firley went on tour with
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
as a keyboard tech and then worked as a draftsman before forming the production team Shock City Productions with Chris Loesch. Brad Booker became the new drummer for the band
Apartment 26 Apartment 26 was a nu metal/industrial metal band from Leamington Spa, England, formed in 1998. They released two albums on the major labels Hollywood Records and Atlantic Records, ''Hallucinating'' and ''Music for the Massive'' respectively. Af ...
, and later reunited with his previous band Stir on multiple occasions. Jeff Scheel went to work at the Box Talent Agency as an agent for corporations, casinos, and clubs. Scheel was also the vocalist of a band called Star 13 (stylized as *13).


Reformation, performances, and abandoned fourth studio album (2005–2012)

On October 28, 2005, Gravity Kills reunited to perform for a self-created Halloween music festival in St. Louis, Missouri entitled The Killoween Freakshow. It was initially to be an annual event, as another Killoween occurred on October 28, 2006, at Pop's Nightclub and Bar. Due to a scheduling conflict, Killoween was instead The Nightmare Before Thanksgiving on November 21, 2007. Gravity Kills confirmed rumors that had persisted over the past year on October 20, 2009 and the band announced that they were working on new music. The band performed in Tulsa at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on May 7, 2010, and at Roberts Orpheum Theater in St. Louis, MO on June 25, 2010 as part of a benefit show. The band was working on a follow-up album, as they maintained an online diary regarding their progress. They revealed a working title for one of the songs, "Again". One of those nights... On December 13, 2018, Gravity Kills noted on their official Facebook page that the last time the band had performed together was on November 23, 2012 at
The Pageant The Pageant (also called The Pageant Concert Nightclub) is a popular American nightclub in St. Louis, Missouri. Built as a dedicated nightclub, The Pageant first opened its doors on October 19, 2000. It was named for a "long-gone Pageant movie ...
in St. Louis, Missouri. The band was considered to be in hiatus, but in November 2022 they previewed a vinyl reissue of their self-titled debut album. The post displayed the tentative vinyl packaging and no release date was given.


Band members

;Final members *Jeff Scheel —
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
(1994–2003, 2005–2012) *Matt Dudenhoeffer —
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
(1994–2003, 2005–2012) *Doug Firley — bass,
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
(1994–2003, 2005–2012) *Kurt Kerns —
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
, vocals (1994–1999, 2005–2012) ;Former members *Brad Booker — drums (2000–2003)


Discography


Studio albums


Remix albums/singles


Charting albums and singles


Albums

*1996 Gravity Kills
Heatseekers Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is rad ...
No. 1 *1996 Gravity Kills The Billboard 200 No. 89 *1998 Perversion The Billboard 200 No. 107 *2002 Superstarved CMJ Retail charts No. 62


Singles


Music videos


Other appearances


See also

*
List of alternative music artists This is a list of alternative rock artists. Bands are listed alphabetically by the first letter in their name (not including "The"), and individuals are listed by the first name. 0–9 * +44 * 3 Doors Down *3OH!3 * 4 Non Blondes *7 Yea ...
*
List of industrial music bands This is a list of notable bands who have predominately produced industrial music. Separate lists are maintained of bands that predominately produce electro-industrial and industrial metal 0-9 * 16 Volt * 3Teeth A * à;GRUMH... * Acumen N ...


References


External links


Official Gravity Kills
on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Official Gravity Kills Music
on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Official Jeff Scheel's Blog
on
Blogspot Blogger is an American online content management system founded in 1999 which enables multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. Pyra Labs developed it before being acquired by Google in 2003. Google hosts the blogs, which can be accessed thr ...

Allmusic entry for Gravity KillsGravity Kills
at
MTV.com MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
{{Authority control TVT Records artists 1994 establishments in Missouri Musical groups from St. Louis Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups reestablished in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2012 Alternative rock groups from Missouri American industrial metal musical groups American electronic rock musical groups Musical quartets Virgin Records artists