The Mooney Suzuki is an American garage rock band that formed in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1996. Originally comprising vocalist and guitarist Sammy James, Jr., guitarist Graham Tyler, bassist John Paul Ribas and drummer Will Rockwell-Scott, the band has released four studio albums – ''

People Get Ready "People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the '' People Get Ready'' album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' ...

'' (2000), '' Electric Sweat'' (2003), '' Alive & Amplified'' (2004) and '' Have Mercy'' (2007). The current lineup includes founding members James and Rockwell-Scott, guitarist Chris Isom and bassist Reno Bo.

History

The band formed in 1996, after Graham Tyler responded to an ad that former 2 Skinnee J's guitarist, Sammy James Jr., posted in a guitar store. They released their first two singles, "Taking Me Apart" and "Love is Everywhere" in 1998. The band takes its name from two lead singers for the band Can,

Malcolm Mooney Malcolm Mooney (born 1944) is an American singer, poet, and artist, best known as the original vocalist for German krautrock band Can. Biography Mooney began singing in high school, and was a member of an a cappella vocal group known as the ''S ...

and

Damo Suzuki , better known as Damo Suzuki (ダモ鈴木), is a Japanese musician who has been living in Germany since the early 1970s and is best known as the former lead singer of the krautrock group Can. Biography As a teenager, Suzuki spent the late 196 ...

. The band came out with their first EP in 1999, followed by their first album, ''

'', in 2000 on the

Estrus The estrous cycle (, originally ) is the set of recurring physiological changes that are induced by reproductive hormones in most mammalian therian females. Estrous cycles start after sexual maturity in females and are interrupted by anestrous ...

label. In early 2002, the band won the New York Regional Poll in The 1st Annual Independent Music Awards for "My Dear Persephone" They broke up shortly afterwards, but soon reunited at the behest of

The Donnas The Donnas were an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1993. The band consisted of Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Torry Castellano (drum ...

. After shows with

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums wit ...

and

The Greenhornes The Greenhornes were an American garage rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1996 by vocalist/guitarist Craig Fox, bass guitarist Jack Lawrence and drummer Patrick Keeler. They released their debut album '' Gun For You'' in 1999, follo ...

, the band decided to record another record with Jim Diamond. Electric Sweat came out in 2002 and the band toured with longtime friends

the Strokes The Strokes are an American rock band from New York City. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Mor ...

and

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...

rockers

the Hives The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album '' Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single "Hate to Say I Told You So". ...

. This tour led to their signing with Columbia Records, followed by appearances on

Late Night with Conan O'Brien ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...

The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn ''The Late Late Show'' is an American late-night television talk and variety comedy show on CBS. It first aired in January 1995, with host Tom Snyder, who was followed by Craig Kilborn, Craig Ferguson, and current host James Corden. The show ...

, and

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme features Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show) ...

. During this time, Sammy James Jr. penned the title track in the Jack Black movie '' School of Rock''. He also wrote the closing theme "Tread Lightly Rosie Grier." In 2003, at

Lollapolooza Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Mus ...

, the band began playing new songs, such as "Primitive Condition" which would appear on

the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

-produced album, Alive and Amplified. The song became the band's biggest hit, appearing in the '' Madden 2005'', '' Shaun White Snowboarding'', and in the '' ATV Offroad Fury 3'' soundtrack. "Alive and Amplified" broke into 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 ...

at No. 38, and appeared in the 2005 remake of '' Fun with Dick and Jane'', as well as the 2006 film '' Grandma's Boy''. They also contributed to the ''

Burnout 3 ''Burnout 3: Takedown'' is a 2004 racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is the third instalment in the ''Burnout'' series, which is characterised by fast-paced arcade racing. A staple of the serie ...

'' soundtrack, with another single from that album, "Shake that Bush Again." Soon the band toured with

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...

. The band traded labels for

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...

in 2005. The band's album "Have Mercy" was to have been released on

in summer 2007 (originally set for January 2007, and then spring, according to V2 marketing materials). Due to the reorganization of V2 announced in January 2007, the album was not released on that label, but instead came out on June 19 on indie label Elixia Records. In 2007, the band recorded a cover version of Cher's "

Just Like Jesse James "Just Like Jesse James" is a song recorded by American singer and actress Cher for her nineteenth album '' Heart of Stone'' (1989). It was released as the third North American and second European single in October 1989, by Geffen Records. The so ...

" for Engine Room Recordings' compilation album ''

Guilt by Association Guilt may refer to: *Guilt (emotion), an emotion that occurs when a person feels that they have violated a moral standard *Culpability, a legal term *Guilt (law), a legal term Music * ''Guilt'' (album), a 2009 album by Mims * "Guilt" (The Long Bl ...

'', which appeared in September 2007. Around this time, they also recorded the "spring soundtrack" for

DKNY DKNY is a New York City–based fashion house for men and women, founded in 1984 by Donna Karan. History Karan worked for 15 years at Anne Klein, including 10 as its head designer. In 1984 Karan and her late husband Stephan Weiss were offered t ...

jeans. In 2008 the band is in the studio recording their fifth album and made a cameo appearance in Ben Stiller's film ''

Tropic Thunder ''Tropic Thunder'' is a 2008 satirical action comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a ...

'', in addition to contributing covers of "I Just Want to Celebrate" and "

All Along the Watchtower "All Along the Watchtower" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, '' John Wesley Harding'' (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original ve ...

" to the film's soundtrack. Sammy James Jr. mentored a young rocker for an episode of the award-winning MTV series ''

Made Made or MADE may refer to: Entertainment Film * ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom * ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music * ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016 * ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013 * ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007 *'' M.A.D.E. ...

''. In April 2019 it was announced the band would play the

Mercury Lounge The Mercury Lounge is a live music venue in the Lower East Side of New York City. Like its brother venue The Bowery Ballroom, The Mercury Lounge is celebrated as an iconic indie venue due to its acoustics, its fostering and even launching of up ...

on July 19 as part of the venue's 25th anniversary celebrations. The show sold out immediately. In May, a second show was added for July 20.

Side projects

Guitarist Chris Isom formed a band, Loud Owls, while bassist Reno Bo played bass with Albert Hammond, Jr., putting his

solo 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 co ...

on hold. Sammy James Jr. played

with bands such as

The Pierces The Pierces are a Los Angeles-based band consisting of sisters Allison and Catherine Pierce. Early life Allison Margaret Pierce (born July 22, 1975) and Catherine Eleanor Pierce (born September 12, 1977) were born in Birmingham, Alabama. They tr ...

, Men Without Pants and Native Korean Rock, featuring Russell Simins of

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spenc ...

and

Karen O Karen Lee Orzolek (born November 22, 1978) is a South Korean-born American singer, musician, and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist for the indie rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Early life She was born in Seoul, South Korea, the daughter of a Ko ...

of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. In April 2010, Will Rockwell-Scott became the drummer for Australian rock band

Wolfmother Wolfmother is an Australian hard rock band from Sydney. Formed in 2004, the group is centred around vocalist and guitarist Andrew Stockdale, who is the only constant member of the line-up. The band has been through many personnel changes since ...

. That same year, Mooney Suzuki's song "Do It" was used for a commercial by

SAP AG Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is ...

Discography

;Studio albums *''

'' (2000) *'' Electric Sweat'' (2002) *'' Alive & Amplified'' (2004) *'' Have Mercy'' (2007)

Members

Notable past members include

Nikolai Fraiture Nikolai Philippe Fraiture (born November 13, 1978) is an American musician best known as the bassist of the American rock band The Strokes. Since co-founding the band in 1998, he has released six studio albums with them. Among other creative pr ...

and the Strokes' manager,

Ryan Gentles Ryan Michael Gentles (born November 28, 1977) is an American music manager and the CEO of Wiz Kid Management. He is best known as the longtime manager of the New York City-based band The Strokes, whom he managed from 2000 until 2020. Career ...

, Jay Braun of the Negatones, Steven Mertens of Adam Green and the

Moldy Peaches The Moldy Peaches were an American indie group founded by Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Leading proponents of the anti-folk scene, the band has been on hiatus since 2004. The appearance of their song " Anyone Else but You" in the film '' Juno'' ...

, Carson Bell of The Pattern, and Marc-Phillipe Eskenazi of Albert Hammond, Jr.Huber, H. Ma
Mark Eskenazi hits the road with the Mooney Suzuki
, March 2006, Harvard Crimson. Retrieved August 2011 Original member Graham Tyler left the band to become a graphic designer, while drummer Augie Wilson relocated upon graduating from Cooper Union. The current lineup includes guitarist Chris Isom, who has played with members of

The Fiery Furnaces The Fiery Furnaces are an American indie rock band, formed in 2000 in Brooklyn, New York.. - ''In 2000 they moved Brooklyn... and began playing as the Fiery Furnaces late in the year''. - Allmusic The band's primary members are Matthew and Eleanor ...

and The Negatones, as well as bass player Reno Bo, who contributes to Albert Hammond, Jr. and The Fame. Drummer Will Scott rejoined the band for their Have Mercy tour after leaving upon the completion of Electric Sweat. Scott has also played drums for New York City-based quintet Apes & Androids.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mooney Suzuki, The Garage punk groups Garage rock groups from New York (state) Independent Music Awards winners Telstar Records (U.S. label) artists Musical groups from New York City