Rooney is the primary musical project of singer-songwriter
Robert Schwartzman
Robert Coppola Schwartzman (born December 24, 1982) is an American filmmaker, director, screenwriter, actor and musician. Schwartzman is best known for directing ''Dreamland'', ''The Unicorn'', and ''The Argument'', acting in his cousin Sofia ...
, evolving from its origin as an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed by high school friends in Los Angeles.
Before Schwartzman decided to continue with the project and take it in a different direction, the band's most enduring line-up consisted of Schwartzman (lead vocals, guitar), Louie Stephens (keyboards, piano), Taylor Locke (lead guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Winter (bass guitar) and
Ned Brower (drums, backing vocals). The band is named after Ed Rooney, the principal in ''
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' is a 1986 American teen comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes and co-produced by Tom Jacobson. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck with supporting roles by Jennifer ...
'' portrayed by actor
Jeffrey Jones
Jeffrey Duncan Jones (born September 28, 1946) is an American character actor, best known for his roles as Emperor Joseph II in '' Amadeus'' (1984), Edward R. Rooney in ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), Charles Deetz in ''Beetlejuice'' (1988 ...
.
Their music is reminiscent of
British Invasion
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" on ...
rock and 1980s pop, and has been compared to
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes ( keyboard ...
,
Jellyfish
Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrell ...
,
Sloan and
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
. They have toured the nation with acts such as
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing ...
,
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 ...
,
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
,
Travis,
Keane,
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello (lead guitar) ...
,
OK Go, and
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout mul ...
.
History
1999–2002: Formation
Rooney first formed as Ed Rooney in 1999. The original lineup consisted of Robert Schwartzman, Matthew Winter on bass, Teddy Briggs on drums, and Matthew Star (née Srolestar) and Taylor Locke on guitar. Ned Brower replaced Briggs as drummer and Louie Stephens was added as keyboardist. They released a series of independent EPs called ''Deli Meats'' (2000), ''Plug It In'' (2001), and ''Mastedonia'' (2002).
The band played multiple shows a month around Los Angeles and
Anaheim and built up a strong following. Schwartzman moved to
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 ...
to attend the Eugene Lang College at the New School. Instead of writing papers, he spent his dorm room nights writing new Rooney songs. Schwartzman sent his latest material to his bandmates in LA and flew home every month to perform. They recorded another demo CD with producers
Keith Forsey
Keith Forsey (born 2 January 1948) is an English pop musician and record producer.
Early life
Forsey began his career as a percussionist in the mid-late 1960s as the drummer for The SpectrumCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons - The Vault - Chris ...
and Brian Reeves. It consisted of the songs "Popstars," "If It Were Up To Me," and "Losing All Control." The demo made its way around LA and created buzz for the band at the major labels and management companies. Schwartzman decided to leave school and pursue the band full-time. Rooney played a show at the Roxy in early 2002 packed with Rooney fans and A&R representatives. After the show, the president of Geffen Records approached the band. After meeting all interested parties, the band went to Interscope to meet with
Jimmy Iovine
James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...
. Iovine expressed his love for the demo and said he would produce a couple of tracks himself if they signed with them. Based on their roster, Rooney signed the deal with Geffen/Interscope in 2002.
2003–04: Debut album
The band was interested in having
Ric Ocasek
Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...
produce the album. Ocasek got his hands on the demo CD and immediately contacted Schwartzman. They spent a lot of time talking about the songs and Ocasek wanted to use the demo songs on the album, feeling they were finished. Rooney flew out to New York City for a show with
Phantom Planet
Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is best known for ...
at CBGB's. Schwartzman loved Ocasek's pink Jazzmaster, the one he used in The Cars. Ocasek said he could use it for the show, but Schwartzman took it back to LA and held on to it for quite a while. The label liked the idea of Ocasek producing the album, but since he loved the demos so much, everyone thought that Keith Forsey and Brian Reeves, who recorded the demos, should be given the opportunity.
Once the band and producers decided on the material and Taylor and Louie graduated from high school, they started recording at NRG Studios in
North Hollywood, California
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
. Most of basic tracking was done at NRG. They moved to The Jungle Room in Burbank to finish the album.
The label wasn't happy with the way "I'm Shakin'" was sounding. The band tried it different ways, but it just wasn't right. The band asked Iovine, who had agreed to produce 2 tracks, to produce the song. Iovine hired engineer Adam Kasper to run the session. They recorded at Village Studios in West Los Angeles. Tension was running high, and the session took over three weeks. Iovine felt the song came out great and approved Andy Wallace to mix the album. Wallace allegedly broke down in tears when he was asked.
The band hit the road with Weezer shortly after they finished recording. Then their friends The Strokes asked Rooney to open for them on their fall headline tour in 2002. At the end of the year, still no album out, they sold out a show at the Palace Theater (now the Avalon) in Hollywood. The band was frustrated that the album wasn't released, but the label assured them it would be out the summer of 2003. The band toured with
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 ...
and
OK Go, followed by a tour with
Pete Yorn
Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, '' Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is ...
and
Grandaddy
Grandaddy is an American indie rock band from Modesto, California. The group was formed in 1992, and featured Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Kevin Garcia and Tim Dryden, until Garcia's death in 2017 following a stroke.
After several ...
. Finally the album was released May 20, 2003. The band hit the road on
Lollapalooza 2003, its first year back as a national tour. The acts included The Namedroppers,
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello (lead guitar) ...
,
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout mul ...
,
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 is an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1994 by rappers Charles Stewart (Chali 2na), Dante Givens (Akil), Courtenay Henderson (Soup aka Zaakir), Marc Stuart (Marc 7); and disc jockeys Mark Potsic ( DJ Nu-Mark) and Lucas Ma ...
,
Incubus
An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in t ...
, The Donnas,
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...
, and Rooney (on the main stage).
"Blueside" was the lead-off single, which gained much play on alternative radio. The band was over the moon when they heard their song on their hometown radio station KROQ. The song was also featured in the video game ''Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004''.
Album sales were slow until in 2004, when they had a cameo appearance in an episode of ''
The O.C.
''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initiali ...
'', "
The Third Wheel," where they sang the songs "Sorry Sorry," "I'm Shakin'," "Popstars," and "I'm a Terrible Person." The latter was used in the commercial of
Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño; 8 January 1939) is a Venezuelan-American fashion designer known for her personal style, and for dressing various First Ladies, including Jacqueline Onassis, Laura Bush, Michell ...
's fragrance CH, in 2007. "Blueside" was featured on the ''
Tiger Woods PGA Tour
''PGA Tour'' is a series of golf video games developed and published by Electronic Arts - and later their EA Sports sub-label - since 1990. The series primarily features courses featured on the U.S. PGA Tour, and other notable courses (such as t ...
2004'' soundtrack and "I'm Shakin'" was featured on an episode of the daytime soap opera ''
All My Children''.
On November 16, 2004, the band issued their first DVD, ''Spit & Sweat.'' The hour-long documentary features interviews with the band and live performances from Los Angeles. The DVD also includes the videos for "Blueside," "I'm Shakin'," and "If It Were Up to Me".
2005–08: ''Calling the World''
Following their summer tour, the band began their third sessions for a second album. Only three songs from the previous sessions ("Don't Come Around Again," "Paralyzed," and "Tell Me Soon"), were kept for their new album, ''
Calling the World
''Calling the World'' is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Rooney. It was released on July 17, 2007.
The album is the result of almost three years of recording, with over 50 songs recorded during the sessions. " When D ...
''. On March 6, 2007, the single "
When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" was released on their official MySpace. The single also was used in commercials of the TV show ''
Beauty and the Geek
''Beauty and the Geek'' is an American reality television series that premiered on The WB on June 1, 2005. It has been advertised as "The Ultimate Social Experiment" and is produced by Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg and J.D. Roth. The show's ti ...
''. It was also used in an episode of ''
Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County'', in the ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...
'' season 1 episode "Wild Brunch" and in the movie ''
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional character appearing in several mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Crea ...
''. The album was released to stores July 17, 2007 and debuted #42 on The Billboard Top 100 Albums chart.
Between the release of the first album and ''Calling the World'', Rooney recorded, produced, and mastered two complete albums that were subsequently scrapped. Schwartzman has stated his desire to re-record these two albums for release in 2011.
Rooney headed out on a headlining tour dubbed "The Calling the World Tour" in May 2008 in the United States, which was scheduled to run through August. The band said during live shows that they planned to record a new album upon after the tour ended.
2009–11: ''The Wild One'' and ''Eureka''
Rooney worked on the theme for the show ''
Iron Man: Armored Adventures'' on the
Nicktoons
Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Viacom, now known as Paramount Global) in their ...
network. The song premiered online on March 29, 2009, and the show launched on April 24, 2009.
Rooney became free agents, not attached to any record label. The new self-released EP ''Wild One'' was exclusively available only at live shows. The band started a winter tour with
Tally Hall
Tally Hall is an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 2002. The band is known for upbeat melodies and whimsical lyrics. The members originally described their musical style as "wonky rock," later redefining their soun ...
and
Crash Kings
Crash Kings is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2006. The members are vocalist–keyboardist Antonio "Tony" Beliveau, his brother, bassist Mike Beliveau, and drummer Tom Roslak. The band's debut album, ''Crash Kings'', ...
on November 27, 2009, in Los Angeles. The tour went through most of December. The band streamed several songs from the album on
MySpace days before the official first day of the tour. The EP was subsequently available for sale on Amazon's MP3 and Apple's iTunes stores.
Rooney's third full-length album was released on June 8, 2010, through California Dreamin' Records, Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. The album features the lead single "I Can't Get Enough" and the final appearance of bassist Matthew Winter, who announced his departure from the band in February 2010. With new bassist Brandon Schwartzel, Rooney toured again nationally in Summer 2010 with bands
The Young Veins
The Young Veins was an American rock band from Topanga, California. The band was composed of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker, two former members of the Las Vegas band Panic! at the Disco, along with bassist Andy Soukal, drummer Nick Murray and keyboa ...
and
Black Gold supporting.
"Holdin' On" was released as the second single in 2011.
2016–present: New line up and ''Washed Away''
In February 2016 Robert Schwartzman announced in a newsletter that the band is in the process of recording new material and will feature an entirely new line-up. They also released a new song for free download entitled "Come On Baby". Regarding the decision to continue with a new line-up, Schwartzman stated, "I met all the guys who played with Rooney for so many years in high school, and it was sort of like a high school relationship where you marry your high school sweetheart kind of thing, right out of school. And I think as you grow up, you realize, like, 'Who am I? What do I want?', and you start to connect with new people. And I started to meet all these other musicians that I had collaborated with, and it was over that hiatus that I kind of came back around to recording music that just felt like Rooney, kind of returning to this Rooney sound. I think everyone in the band for so long has been pursuing so many other things, that I think naturally it was time to make a change and shift to bring in new people."
On March 4, 2016, Schwartzman announced the new Rooney single, "My Heart Beats 4 U". The new album, titled ''Washed Away'', was released on May 16. Schwartzman performed most of the instruments on the album, along with several session musicians including guitarist Taylor Johnson and drummer Joel Plotnik, both of whom have been among the rotating cast of players in the current live line-up of Rooney. Other musicians who have performed live in Rooney shows since the return from hiatus in early 2016 include Ben Messelbeck (bass), Phil Danyew (keyboards), Mike McKee (keyboards) and Brian Henspeter (drums).
Current band members
*
Robert Schwartzman
Robert Coppola Schwartzman (born December 24, 1982) is an American filmmaker, director, screenwriter, actor and musician. Schwartzman is best known for directing ''Dreamland'', ''The Unicorn'', and ''The Argument'', acting in his cousin Sofia ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Boaz Roberts- lead guitar
Sean Sobash- bass
* Maxwell Flanders - drums
Matthew Jordan- keys
Past band members
*Teddy Briggs – drums
*Matthew Star (né Srolestar) - rhythm guitar
*Matthew Winter – bass guitar, vocals
*Taylor Locke – lead guitar, vocals
*
Ned Brower – drums, percussion, vocals
*Louie Stephens – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
*Brandon Schwartzel - bass guitar
Discography
Albums
EPs
Singles
Notes
DVDs
*''
Spit & Sweat'' (2004)
Compilation appearances
*"Animal I Have Become" and "One-X", from the album One-X (Three Days Grace)
*"You Got It", from the album Roy Orbison Celebration (2009)
*"Metal Guru", from the album ''
Herbie: Fully Loaded Soundtrack'' (2005)
*"Death on Two Legs", from the album ''
Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen'' (2005)
*"Here Today, Gone Tomorrow", from the album ''
We're A Happy Family''
Ramones tribute (2003)
*"Merry X-Mas Everybody", from the album ''The Year They Recalled Santa Claus'' and ''
The O.C. Mix 3: Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah''
*"Sleep Song" featured in ''
The Chumscrubber
''The Chumscrubber'' (German: ''Glück in kleinen Dosen'') is a 2005 comedy-drama film, directed by Arie Posin, starring an ensemble cast led by Jamie Bell. The plot, written by Posin and Zac Stanford, focuses on the chain of events that foll ...
''
*"I'm Shakin'" featured in ''
Teachers 4: Top of the Class''
*"I'm Shakin'" featured in ''
The O.C.
''The O.C. '' is an American teen drama television series created by Josh Schwartz that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. "O.C." is an initiali ...
'' (S01E15)
*"When Did Your Heart Go Missing" featured in
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional character appearing in several mystery book series, movies, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Crea ...
(2007)
Digital-only releases
*"When You Walk into the Room", released online only
*"Forever Young", released online only
Music videos
References
External links
Rooney website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rooney
Indie rock musical groups from California
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Musical groups established in 1999
Musical quintets
Crossroads School alumni
Geffen Records artists
Alternative rock groups from California
Superball Music artists
1999 establishments in California