Motorpsychos were a heavy rock band from

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. They released four albums and won several regional and national band competitions, and consisted of longtime members Pamela Simmons, Amy Bianco, and Dennis Brown.

Biography

Motorpsychos were formed in Pittsburgh in 2000 by guitarist Pamela Simmons and singer Rachel Cassady, both formerly of the band Go To Helen. Rounding out the original lineup were bassist Amy Bianco, also of the Pittsburgh hardcore ensemble Reducer, and drummer Tom Venturino. Shortly before the band recorded its debut album, Venturino departed and was replaced by Dennis Brown. The band became one of the most successful rock groups in Pittsburgh and toured throughout the northeastern United States. The self-titled album ''Motorpsychos'' was released in June 2002. Cassady unexpectedly left the band in late 2003. Instead of merely recruiting a new lead vocalist, Motorpsychos decided to expand their sound by adding singer/guitarist Abby Krizner (formerly of Throttle Audio). Bianco and Simmons took on lead vocal duties as well, resulting in a unique three-frontwoman lineup. This expanded version of Motorpsychos debuted in January 2004 and quickly began accumulating accomplishments, including a first-place finish in the

Rolling Rock Rolling Rock is a 4.4% abv American lager launched in 1939 by the Latrobe Brewing Company. Although founded as a local beer in Western Pennsylvania, it was marketed aggressively and eventually became a national product. The brand was sold to Anh ...

Hard & Heavy Rock Wars in 2004. Their second album ''Piston Whipped'', recorded with prize money, was released in January 2005 and featured Bianco, Simmons, and Krizner all singing lead on alternating tracks. Following the album's release, the band placed strongly in several national rock competitions, becoming finalists in the 2005

Zippo A Zippo lighter is a reusable metal lighter produced by Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States. Thousands of different styles and designs have been made in the nine decades since their introduction, including milita ...

Hot Tour Competition and winning the 2005 K-Rock, Hard Rock Winter Rock Challenge, a competition with 107 other bands. Motorpsychos were also awarded with slots on the WXDX

X-Fest X-Fest is an annual music festival held in various venues throughout the United States by Clear Channel Communications radio stations. It features alternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, grunge, and industrial rock bands. Noblesville, Indiana T ...

in 2005 and the

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...

in 2005 and 2006. The band's third album, ''Coming of Rage'', was released on January 31, 2009. The album was recorded about a year earlier, in late 2007 and early 2008, but the release was delayed while the band investigated record company offers for distribution and promotion. The band eventually released the album independently.''Whirl'' Magazine, "Sign of the Times
,May 2009. Krizner departed shortly thereafter, and the band continued as a trio. Their fourth album, ''Sheppard's File'', was released on May 19, 2012.

Discography

* ''Motorpsychos'' (2002) * ''Piston Whipped'' (2005) * ''Coming of Rage'' (2009) * ''Sheppard's File'' (2012)

Notes and references

External links

* {{Authority control Heavy metal musical groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups from Pittsburgh