Rosemary's Billygoat is an American heavy metal/

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

band formed 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' ...

South Bay in 1991, consisting of singer Mike Odd, guitarist Neal Gargantua, bassist Pat Trick and drummer Paul Bearer. Influenced both musically and visually by the likes of

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, guillot ...

Rob Zombie Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...

Gwar Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...

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

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...

, Rosemary's Billygoat are best known for their theatrical horror-themed stage shows which incorporate many comically absurd props and stunts, including

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...

fire breathing Fire breathing, fire-breathing, firebreathing, fire breather, or firebreather may refer to: * Fire-breathing monster, a mythological or fantastical monster able to breathe fire * Fire breathing (circus act) Fire breathing is the ac ...

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

s, mock

crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

, flaming

pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle aroun ...

s and various costumed monsters and creatures. Musically, the band has been described as "aggro and dark yet jovial", showcasing an "oozing brew of

doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * L ...

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. ...

, dark

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

and

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

". Over the last two decades, Rosemary's Billygoat have attracted a strong

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

in the Los Angeles punk and metal underground, having shared stages with the likes of such cult bands as Gwar, W.A.S.P.,

The Dickies The Dickies are an American punk rock band formed in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in 1977. One of the longest tenured punk rock bands, they have been in continuous existence for over 40 years. They have consistently balanced catchy mel ...

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 ...

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 in ...

Haunted Garage Haunted Garage was a horror punk and heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. Fronted by singer and B-movie actor Dukey Flyswatter, the band were recognized for their campy horror and science fiction-inspired songs and outrageous shock ro ...

and more; in 2013, the ''

OC Weekly ''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. OC Weekly was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007. The paper was distributed at coffee ...

'' newspaper ranked Rosemary's Billygoat number 10 on their list of the ten greatest

shock rock Shock rock is the combination of rock music or heavy metal music with highly theatrical live performances emphasizing shock value. Performances may include violent or provocative behavior from the artists, the use of attention-grabbing imagery ...

bands of all time.

Biography

;20th century activities The exact origins of Rosemary's Billygoat are vague and largely undocumented by both the band and the music press; website ''Sonic Eclectic'' once remarked "as far as incomplete biographies go, Rosemary’s Billygoat may have the most incomplete-est". According to several unverified accounts, the genesis of Rosemary's Billygoat began when singer Mike Odd met drummer Denis Fleps while working at a

head shop A head shop is a retail outlet specializing in paraphernalia used for consumption of cannabis and tobacco and items related to cannabis culture and related countercultures. They emerged from the hippie counterculture in the late 1960s, and ...

together in

Hermosa Beach Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Bay region of th ...

. The two would regularly attend shows for such theatrical comedy bands as

Celebrity Skin ''Celebrity Skin'' is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released on September 8, 1998, in the United States on DGC Records and internationally on Geffen Records. It was the last album released by the band before the ...

and the Imperial Butt Wizards, the latter of which Mike Odd became a performer for, and after recruiting bassist Lance Underpantz and former

Nip Drivers The Nip Drivers were an American punk rock band formed in 1980 in Torrance, California. The band was the brainchild of lead singer Mike Webber, and for a time included guitarist Kurt Schellenbach, Janus Jones on bass, and Nick Passiglia on drum ...

guitarist Neal Gargantua, formed Rosemary's Billygoat in 1991. In a 2017 interview, Odd clarified that drummer Paul Bearer of the Imperial Butt Wizards and bassist Pat Trick of The Detonators joined roughly two or three years later, and the band has retained the same line-up ever since. In 1993, Rosemary's Billygoat made their recorded debut on the 7"

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

''Songs for Gentlemen'' with the Imperial Butt Wizards, where

Subterranean Records Subterranean Records is an independent record label based in San Francisco, California. Founded by Steve Tupper and a then partner, Michael Fox in 1979, it focused on that city's underground punk and industrial music scene. Subterranean and fell ...

described their early sound as "militant witchcraft punk with a

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

edge", while Odd himself retrospectively described it as "drunk rock". In 1994, Rosemary's Billygoat self-released their debut album ''Pizza of Darkness'' on

picture disc Picture discs are gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics that extend at lea ...

, produced by noted punk rock producer

Geza X Geza Gedeon (born September 28, 1952), professionally known as Geza X, is an American producer. He was a personality in the Los Angeles punk scene in the late 1970s. He is now a producer. He was born in Indiana and moved to California when he was a ...

. After signing with Los Angeles indie label Porterhouse Records in 1997, the band released their second album ''Cheeses of Nazareth'', produced by

Steve Kravac Steven B. Kravac (born June 17, 1964), is a Canadian-born RIAA gold-accredited record producer, recording engineer, musician and composer. He is the owner of the music label Porterhouse Records and its sub-labels Porterhouse Prime Vinyl and Porte ...

and

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 ...

Greg Hetson Greg Hetson (born June 29, 1961) is an American guitarist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and has lived in the Los Angeles area since he was 2 years old. Active since 1979, Hetson is best known as the guitarist for the influential hardcore pu ...

. Hetson, in addition to contributing

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of playing a traditional ...

on the album, wrote its

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

, fondly reminiscing about the first time he had seen the band play at Los Angeles' Club Lingerie and writing "if you enjoy the theatrics of Gwar and

Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...

; if you can appreciate eclectic musical genius ranging from the

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been ...

, then get down on your knees and worship at the altar of Rosemary's Billygoat!". ;21st century activities RosemarysBillygoat2016

Rosemary's Billygoat underwent a shift in their visual style in 2002, when the band recruited special effects artist Craig Macintyre to help design new props and outfits for the group including goat-exoskeleton structures and monster-type prop art, effectively creating their current over-the-top horror-themed imagery and stage show. This was followed by the release of Rosemary's Billygoat's third album ''Evilution'', again produced by Steve Kravac. Though the band continued to be a popular live attraction, critical response towards the album was mixed:

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, rating the album with three stars out of five, summarized that Rosemary's Billygoat were "sure to appeal to horror movie fans", drawing favorable comparisons to Gwar,

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

and

Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity (also known as COC) is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina, formed in 1982. The band has undergone multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with guitarist Woody Weatherman as the sole const ...

and praising Neal Gargantua's "inviting riffs and wicked soloing", but criticizing Mike Odd's "grating" vocals and their "laughable" cover of

Pat Benatar Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...

s "

Hell Is for Children "Hell Is for Children" is a hard rock song by American rock singer Pat Benatar. It was written by guitarist Neil Giraldo, bass player Roger Capps and Benatar. The song is about child abuse and was recorded by Benatar in 1980 for her second stud ...

". In 2008, Rosemary's Billygoat embarked on a national tour with similarly theatrical Los Angeles horror rock bands on what was dubbed "The Hollywood Freak Show", a tour spanning nearly sixty shows in thirty states. A

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

entitled ''The Hollywood Freak Show: Skatopia'' chronicling the tour and its stop at

Skatopia Skatopia is an skatepark near Rutland, Ohio, United States, owned and operated by pro skater Brewce Martin. Skatopia is known for its anarchist atmosphere and annual music festivals Bowl Bash and Backwoods Blowout. It was described by one write ...

Rutland, Ohio Rutland is a village in Meigs County, Ohio, United States. The population was 393 at the 2010 census. Geography Rutland is located at (39.042291, -82.128967). The village lies in the Appalachian Plateau physiographic region. It is situated in ...

was shot but ultimately unfinished. On December 14, 2012, Rosemary's Billygoat released their first music video for a new song called "

Hobbit Hobbits are a fictional race of people in the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. About half average human height, Tolkien presented hobbits as a variety of humanity, or close relatives thereof. Occasionally known as halflings in Tolkien's writings, ...

Feet", directed by artist

Gris Grimly Steven Soenksen (born 1975), better known under his pen name Gris Grimly, is an American illustrator and author who mostly writes darkly whimsical children's books. Originally from Nebraska, he spent many years living and working in the Los Angel ...

. Released on the same day as the North American premiere of the film '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'', the song and video revolves around singer Mike Odd taking a sexy woman home from a bar, only to discover she has large, hairy " Hobbit feet". In an interview with

L.A. Record ''L.A. Record'' is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In Mar ...

, Odd claimed to have received over one hundred pieces of

hate mail Hate mail (as electronic, posted, or otherwise) is a form of harassment, usually consisting of invective and potentially intimidating or threatening comments towards the recipient. Hate mail often contains exceptionally abusive, foul or otherwise ...

from angry

Tolkien fans Tolkien fandom is an international, informal community of fans of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially of the Middle-earth legendarium which includes ''The Hobbit'', ''The Lord of the Rings'', and ''The Silmarillion''. The concept of Tolkien ...

upset with the video's sexualized portrayal of Hobbits, in particular a scene where Odd sensually licks spray cheese off a prosthetic Hobbit foot. The same year, Odd starred in the music video for The Radioactive Chicken Heads' song "Headless Mike", based on the 1940s carnival attraction

Mike the Headless Chicken Mike the Headless Chicken (April 20, 1945March 17, 1947) was a male Wyandotte chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off. After the loss of his head, Mike achieved national fame until his death in March 1947. In Fruita, C ...

. ;Current status and future plans As of 2017, Rosemary's Billygoat continue to play shows in the Southern California area, often performing alongside their shock rock colleagues like Haunted Garage and The Radioactive Chicken Heads or playing more offbeat events such as opening for the Los Angeles production of Re-Animator: The Musical. Since 2011, Odd frequently talked about plans to release a fourth Rosemary's Billygoat studio album, tentatively titled ''Psychobillygoat''. In a 2017 interview, Odd revealed that the album had actually been recorded for several years, though the band ultimately lacked the means of releasing it, with Odd expressing a desire to press it on 12" vinyl instead of through digital means. Although Odd stated for many years that the actual ''Psychobillygoat'' album has become "a running joke that it's the album that will never happen", the album was released digitally on August 8, 2022.

The Rosemary's Billygoat Odditorium

Outside of his work with Rosemary's Billygoat, vocalist Mike Odd has been involved with numerous ventures and endeavors, musical and otherwise. From 2004 to 2007, Odd operated The Rosemary's Billygoat Odditorium on

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

, a curios store which sold strange and bizarre artwork, furnishings and trinkets, and regularly hosted small-scale concerts and performances. Following the store's closing, Odd moved his business to the internet, where he continues to sell horror-themed clothing, art and furnishings, as well as through his company Monster Buckles, which makes custom horror and band-themed

belt buckles A belt buckle is a buckle, a clasp for fastening two ends, such as of straps or a belt, in which a device attached to one of the ends is fitted or coupled to the other. The word enters Middle English via Old French and the Latin ''buccula'' ...

. In 2012, Mike Odd hosted the comedic stage show "Dr. Odd's Medicine Show" at

Knott's Scary Farm Knott's Scary Farm or Knott's Halloween Haunt is a seasonal Halloween event at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. It is an event in which the theme park is transformed into "160 acres of horror", via a series of roaming monsters, terr ...

, a seasonal

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

event at the

Buena Park Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 mil ...

theme park

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...

, where he performed over 100 shows alongside

Zamora the Torture King Zamora the Torture King is the stage name of Tim Cridland, an American sideshow performer. Zamora was an original member of the Jim Rose Circus, where he performed painful feats as entertainment. His stunts include fire eating, sword swallowing, ...

. As "Dr. Odd", Odd also hosted the accompanying DVD for

and

guitarist

John 5 John 5 is the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It relates Jesus' healing and teaching in Jerusalem, and begins to evidence the hostility shown him by the Jewish authorities.Plummer, A. (1902)Cambri ...

s 2012 solo album ''

God Told Me To ''God Told Me To'' (released in some theatrical markets as ''Demon'') is a 1976 science fiction horror film written, directed, and produced by Larry Cohen. Like many of Cohen's films, it is shot on location in New York City and incorporates aspe ...

'', and has adapted his show as a solo act which he has performed at various venues and events in the Los Angeles area. In the mid-2000s, Mike Odd formed an

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

side project called Blood Pharm with former

Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk bandLife Is Good Out Now
Floggingmolly. ...

guitarist John Donovan, releasing a self-titled album. In 2005, Odd, as "Mike Odd & the Oddities", contributed a cover of

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...

s "Nature Trail to Hell" for the compilation ''Mr. Snail's Halloween Party'' on Snail Sounds Records, the label operated by

The Radioactive Chicken Heads The Radioactive Chicken Heads are an American virtual band formed in Orange, California in 1993. Operating anonymously under the guise of mutant chickens and vegetables, the Chicken Heads' music is primarily a mix of punk rock, heavy metal music, ...

. Since 2014, Odd also acts as manager and spokesperson for the heavy metal parody band

Mac Sabbath Mac Sabbath is an American Parody music, parody Heavy metal music, heavy metal tribute act, tribute band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2014. The self-appointed founders of "Drive Thru Metal", the band is primarily a parody of English heav ...

Discography

;Studio albums * ''Pizza of Darkness'' (1994, self-released) * ''Cheeses of Nazareth'' (1998, Porterhouse Records) * ''Evilution'' (2002, Porterhouse Records) * ''Psychobillygoat'' (2022, self-released) ;EPs *''The Birth'' (1992, self-released) *Imperial Butt Wizards / Rosemary's Billygoat - ''Songs for Gentlemen'' (1993, Theologian Records) ;Compilation appearances *"G.I. Joe Rapes Barbie" - ''Beautiful Music to Throw Blows To'' (1993, J-Sin) *"Pic 'N' Scabs" - ''Quadruple Headache'' (1996, Last Resort Records) *"Time to Hate the Swiss" - ''Metal Slam Dance - The Media Kitchen Project'' (1999, Hermosa Records)

Members

; Current members * Mike Odd - vocals * Neal Gargantua - guitar * Pat Trick - bass * Paul Bearer - drums ; Former members * Denis Fleps - drummer * Lance Underpantz - bass

References

External links

*
Rosemary's Billygoat
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosemary's Billygoat Bands with fictional stage personas Comedy rock musical groups Hard rock musical groups from California Heavy metal musical groups from California Horror punk groups Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups from Los Angeles Punk rock groups from California 1991 establishments in California