Roadsaw is an American rock band, formed in 1994. To date, the band has released six studio albums.

History

Early years (1994–1997)

In the year 2000, the band gave the following explanation for their name:

"We were really, really stoned, we saw something we didn’t know what it was. We called it a Roadsaw. We joked about that being the name of our band, and then it stuck ... It’s like a big piece of heavy machinery tearing up the road"

Roadsaw released their first

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

, "Fancy Pants", with the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

"Handed You Your Ass", on Curve of the Earth Records in 1994. The following year, they recorded their first album, ''One Million Dollars'' (sometimes styled as ''$1,000,000''), with the same label. The album featured the same two tracks from the previous single. Two years later, the band released their second full album, ''Nationwide'', originally with Curve of the Earth, and the re-released with M.I.A. Records.

Lunasound and Wonderdrug Records (2000–2006)

Roadsaw released their next album, ''Rawk n' Roll'', in 2000, as an LP release via

Tortuga Recordings List of Tortuga Recordings releases References {{Reflist Black metal record labels Doom metal record labels ...

and a

self-released Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pr ...

CD. This album was subsequently re-released by Sweden's Lunasound Recording in 2002. In 2001, the band recorded a compilation album, ''Takin' Out the Trash'', on the label Wonderdrug Records. The album contained live recordings, demos, outtakes, and a cover of the

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

song "Outta Love Again". In 2002, they contributed to ''Sucking the 70s'', a

stoner metal Stoner rock, also known as stoner metal or stoner doom, is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock. The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Kyuss and Sleep. ...

various artist tribute to artists from the 1970s. They recorded a stoner version of the song "Vehicle" from the American band

The Ides of March The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several Religion in ancient Rome, religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling d ...

. In 2006, they then contributed a performance of the

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

song "

When the Levee Breaks "When the Levee Breaks" is a country blues song written and first recorded by Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy in 1929. The lyrics reflect experiences during the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. "When the Levee Breaks ...

" to the sequel, ''

Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle Again ''Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle'' is a follow-up album to the 2002 compilation '' Sucking the 70's''. It was released in 2006 by Small Stone Records. Like the original, it features stoner rock bands covering songs from the 1970s. Trac ...

''.

Small Stone Records (2007–2011)

''Rawk n' Roll'' was re-released again in 2007 by

Small Stone Records ::''This page is about the record label. For the Small Stone effect pedal, see Electro-Harmonix''. Small Stone Records is an American record label based in Detroit, MI. It was founded in 1995 by Scott Hamilton and is a self-dubbed "heavy rock" ...

. Roadsaw then recorded two further albums with Small Stone Records: ''See You in Hell!'' (2008) and ''Roadsaw'' (2011).

Ripple Music (2016–present)

In 2016, Roadsaw signed to the label

Ripple Music Ripple Music is a California-based independent record label founded in 2010 by Todd Severin and John Rancik. The company encompasses a record label, a music publishing business, a marketing, promotion and sales team, and distribution for independen ...

. Their first album with the label, ''Tinnitus the Night'', was released in June 2019. This was followed by another compilation album, ''More Trash'', (self-released on the band's

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

page) in 2020.

Musical style and influences

Roadsaw cite artists such as Cactuss, Iron Butterfly, Black Sabbath, Captain Beyond, and Josh Homme (Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age) as influences on their work; however, they also note that they are influenced further by "heavy blues and psychedelic rock."

Band members

Current members

*Craig Riggs –

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 ...

* Ian Ross –

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 ...

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 ...

* Tim Catz – bass, drums

Past members

* Jeremy – drums * Dave Unger –

keyboards 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 ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''One Million Dollars'' (1995) * ''Nationwide'' (1997) * ''Rawk n' Roll'' (2007) * ''See You in Hell!'' (2008) * ''Roadsaw'' (2011) * ''Tinnitus the Night'' (2019)

Extended plays

* ''Roadsaw EP'' (2012)

Singles

* "Man's Ruin" (1996) *"Fancy Pants" (2005) * "American Dream" (2007)

Compilation albums

* ''Takin' Out the Trash'' (2000) * ''More Trash'' (2020)

Compilation contributions

* ''The Boston Sherwood Tapes'' (2001) Split with ''Blackrock'' * ''

Sucking the 70s ''Sucking the 70's'' is a two disc collection of 1970s songs covered by modern stoner rock bands. It was released by Small Stone Records in 2002. A second album, ''Sucking the 70's – Back in the Saddle Again'', was released in 2006. The album ...

'' (2002) Various Artists * ''

'' (2006) Various Artists

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1995 Hard rock musical groups from Massachusetts