Symbol Six is an American

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

band formed in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

, United States, in 1980 by Eric Leach, Phil George, Mark Conway, Donny Brook (original bass player for Necros), Taz Rudd, and Steve Cooper. Originating in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and Orange County, when the band started the average age of the band members was 15 years old. The band has played clubs such as the Cuckoo's Nest (Costa Mesa, Ca.), Godzillas (Sun Valley, Ca.), and Bards Apollo (South Central, Los Angeles). Symbol Six has played with Social Distortion,

Bad Religion Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...

, T.S.O.L.,

45 Grave 45 Grave is an American rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1979. The original group broke up in 1985, but vocalist Dinah Cancer subsequently revived the band. History The band was founded during the punk rock movement by Paul B. Cutler i ...

, Youth Brigade,

Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a ...

, RF7 and

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It ...

History

In December 1981, Robbie Fields, owner and founder of

Posh Boy Records Posh Boy Records is a Hollywood, California-based record label owned by the American-born, British-educated Robbie "Posh Boy" Fields, a sometime high school substitute teacher and former copy boy at the '' Los Angeles Times'' who took an inter ...

, went to a band rehearsal and booked Symbol Six in the studio to record and produce their self-titled debut EP,''Symbol Six''. The album was recorded at Brian Elliot studios in North Hollywood, California, with engineer David Hines and co-producer Jay Lansford. The album was completed in three days with front cover artwork by Jim Evans of '' Skateboarder''. Back cover photos were taken by music photographer Edward Colver. The EP debuted on

KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The st ...

's Rodney Bingenheimer show in April 1982. The album was named a top pick in ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...

'' in 1982: ''Symbol Six'' was distributed world-wide by Green World but the group broke up shortly after the album was released. In 1988, the album was re-released on the compilation titled ''Split'', with

's album '' Living in Darkness''.

Aftermath

In 1984, Eric Leach and Taz Rudd formed the short-lived Hollywood sleaze band Stahlin with

Izzy Stradlin Jeffrey Dean Isbell (born April 8, 1962), best known as Izzy Stradlin, is an American guitarist. He was a co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of their fame in 1991, and with whom he r ...

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...

. Shortly afterwards, Leach and Rudd, along with

Brent Muscat Brent Muscat (born April 23, 1967) is an American musician best known as the guitarist of glam metal band Faster Pussycat. Faster PussyCat, etc. Faster Pussycat was formed in the 1980s Hollywood glam metal boom. The original line up consisted ...

, Patrick Muzingo, and Todd Muscat, formed the rock n’ roll punk band Shanghai. The group was spotted by

Kim Fowley Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was the American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed The Runaways in the 1970s. He has bee ...

, producer of The Runaways,

KISS A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, and

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

at The Troubadour. Shanghai played the re-opening of the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...

in April 1986 with Guns N' Roses and Faster Pussycat. Taz Rudd formed the band the Wrecklords consisting of members of Chantee's (Pipeline), Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos. He went on to play in Atoms, Der Stab, Funeral, Flower Leperds, Voodoo Church, Decry, Pirates of Venus, Shanghai,

Rock City Angels Rock City Angels was an American rock band from Florida. They found only limited success, and are perhaps best known for having Johnny Depp as a guitarist before he launched his acting career. History The band was founded in 1981 as The Abuser ...

, and Aces & Eights (formed with Phil George and Evan Shanks) which performed at The Viper Room in August 2009 joined on stage by

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

and

Steven Adler Steven Adler (born Michael Coletti; January 22, 1965) is an American musician. He was the drummer and co-songwriter of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s. Adler was fired from Guns N' Roses ...

of Guns N' Roses. Mark Conway is the guitarist of Neighborhood Watch, a Venice California punk band formed in 1983. Rapidfire was a metal band that Mark played guitar in also. Neighborhood Watch is active .

Reformation

The band reformed in 2010 with all the original members. They met at That British Place Rehearsal Studios in Santa Monica and started writing and playing new material. Working with engineer Jimmy Sloan they released their self produced debut LP, ''"Monsters 11"'' on Symbol Six Music. Donny Brook was soon replaced by Evan Shanks on bass and Mark Conway was replaced by Tony Fate and then by Grey Spikes in 2011. Symbol Six joined The Crowd for

Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus. History Founded in 1978, Rhino was originall ...

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and th ...

Posh Boy Night at Rhino Records pop-up store in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in June 2011 to help raise money for the charitable organization MusiCares. In 2012, Symbol Six played with acts including

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

, Jello Biafra,

Lower Class Brats Lower Class Brats are a street punk band founded in Austin, Texas in January 1995. Based out of Southern California since 2017. Biography Formed in 1995 in Austin TX, Lower Class Brats . mix Punk, Oi!, 70s Glam and straight ahead rock and rol ...

, and The Adicts. Symbol Six went back into studio with Phillip (Philco) Raves of

Mystic Records Mystic Records is an American record label and music production company specializing in hardcore punk, crossover thrash, underground music, vintage and cult records. It is owned and operated by Doug Moody. The label was first established in Hollywo ...

to record their third album Dirtyland in summer 2012. Symbol Six appeared live in Hollywood on November 15, 2012, with

Nick Oliveri Nick Steven Oliveri (born October 21, 1971) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a former bassist of Kyuss and later Queens of the Stone Age from 1998 to 2004. Oliveri is also a solo artist a ...

of Dwarves (band), Mondo Generator, and

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American 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 multiple lin ...

performing

Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years ...

's "Back To Dungaree High" In 2011, Dr. Strange Records in Alta Loma, California, negotiated with Posh Boy Records and re-released original and unreleased tracks on 12" vinyl in February 2013. The released album also included a version of

The Weirdos The Weirdos are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California. They formed in 1975, split-up in 1981, re-grouped in 1986 and have remained semi-active ever since. Critic Mark Deming calls them "quite simply, one of the best and brigh ...

' ''The Hideout''. Symbol Six was signed to Jailhouse Records March 1, releasing a compilation split with Fang (band), 2013, a compilation split with

Rikk Agnew Richard Francis "Rikk" Agnew Jr. (born December 9, 1958) is an American musician with a career spanning more than 40 years. He has previously been a member of some of the most influential bands of the Orange County hardcore punk genre, as w ...

, 2015 and their third studio album, ''Dirtyland'', in 2014.

Band members

;Current members * Eric Leach - Vocals (1980–1982, 2010–present) *Phil George - Drums (1980–1982, 2010–present) * Evan Shanks - Bass (2011–present) *Tony Fate - Guitar (2011–present) ;Former members *Donny Brook - Bass (1980–1982, 2010–2011) *Steve Cooper - Guitar (1980–1981) *Mark Conway - Guitar (1980–1982, 2010–2011) *Taz Rudd - Guitar (1980, 2010–2014)

Films

1982, Symbol Six was interviewed and performed in the documentary ''The Slog Movie'' shot and directed by

Dave Markey David Markey (born December 3, 1963 in Burbank, California, United States) is an American film director. Biography As a self-taught filmmaker and musician, David Markey directed, produced, edited, and photographed most of his films, the majority ...

with Circle One, Wasted Youth, Red Cross, TSOL, The Chiefs, SIN 34,

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rol ...

Chuck Dukowski Gary Arthur McDaniel (born February 1, 1954 ), better known by his stage name Chuck Dukowski, is an American punk rock musician most well known for being the bass player, and occasional songwriter for Black Flag. Career Early years Dukowski ...

, Robo & Dez Cadena (Black Flag).

Discography

* 1982 ''Symbol Six Debut'' EP Catalog #PBS 1030 (Posh Boy Records) * 1987 ''The Future Looks Brighter'' Compilation Catalog #PBS 120 (Posh Boy Records) * 1988 '' Living in Darkness'' Symbol Six Bonus Tracks Catalog #PBCD 88122-2 (Posh Boy Records) * 1991 ''Ego/Taxation 7"'' SINGLE Catalog #PBS 37 (Posh Boy Records) * 1993 ''The Posh Boy Story (More Or Less)'' CD (U.K. Release) Catalog #PBCD 8160 (Posh Boy Records) * 2010 ''Monsters 11'' (Symbol Six Music) * 2011 ''Scare America'' Records Compilation (Scare America Records) * 2012 ''Chaotic Reasoning,'' Volume One Compilation (Kaos Records) * 2012 ''Get Fucked, Let's Rock'' Compilation (Olystis Music & Production) * 2012 ''Underground Comp - Volume I)'' Compilation (Suicide Kings Records) * 2013 ''Dr. Strange Records Re-Release Posh Boy E.P.'' W/ Bonus Tracks Catalog DSR-128 (Dr Strange Records) * 2013 ''Dirty Old Punks Compilation Radio Athens Greece - Volume 2'' (Canadian Ensign Records) * 2013 ''Jailhouse Records 7"'' COMP with

The Scarred The Scarred is an American former garage punk band from Anaheim, California, formed in 2003, on the East Coast-based label Jailhouse Records. Formed by Samuel Clemens, they are one of the only old school punk bands active from Anaheim, and known f ...

, Violent Affair, & Tenebrae (Jailhouse Records) * 2014 ''Symbol Six/ Fang (band)'' Split Release Date April 19, 2014 Catalog #JHR 047 (Jailhouse Records) * 2014 ''Dirtyland'' LP Catalog #JHR 049 (Jailhouse Records) * 2014 ''The Posh Boy Story (More Or Less)'' CD Catalog #8160-2 / Damgood 11 (Damaged Goods Records) * 2015 ''Symbol Six/

'' Split Catalog #JHR 055 (Jailhouse Records)

References

External links

* {{official, https://www.facebook.com/SymbolSix Punk rock groups from California Musical groups established in 1980