Common Rotation is an American indie folk rock band consisting of Eric Kufs, (vocals, guitar),

Adam Busch Adam Richard Busch (born July 6, 1978) is an American actor, film director and singer best known starring as Warren Mears on the television series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. Career Busch was born in East Meadow, New York. His first film ro ...

(vocals, saxophone, harmonica, glockenspiel), and

Jordan Katz Jordan ( ar, الأردن; Romanization of Arabic, tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; Romanization of Arabic, tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levan ...

(vocals, trumpet, banjo). The three are childhood friends from New York City and have been making music together for almost 20 years.

History

The band was formed by Kufs and Busch while they were in high school in

East Meadow, New York East Meadow is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York. The population was 38,132 at the 2010 census. Many residents commute to Manhattan, which is away. History In ...

in the early 1990s with two other members, and was originally known as ''28 Orange Street''. They debuted at the Nassau County Folk Festival, and soon began performing hundreds of gigs each year throughout the northeastern United States. As 28 Orange Street, the

quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations ...

released their first album, titled ''Common Rotation''. The band recorded its first record as Common Rotation with the help of

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a dr ...

, who subsequently backed them on the recording and allowed them to open on their first major

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

across the United States. In 2007 they toured the United Kingdom, albeit without Jordan Katz, alongside

David Berkeley David Berkeley (born David Berkeley Friedland, 22 September 1976) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released four studio albums, one live album and has published a book, all of them self-produced under the ''Straw Man'' label, in a ...

. Common Rotation have

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 (pri ...

five full length records and 'A Song A Day' for over ten years online at the website "The Union Maid".

Collaborations

Common Rotation can be heard on

Dan Bern Dan Bern (also known as Bernstein; born July 27, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, novelist and painter. His music has been compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello.Brett H ...

's two albums, ''Live in Los Angeles'' and ''Live in New York'' and provided the soundtrack to the film "

Drones Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

". "True Hollywood Romance" from ''The ClearChannel EP'' is featured as

theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances ...

Kevin Pollak Kevin Elliot Pollak (born October 30, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and podcast host. He has appeared in over 80 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's legal film '' A Few Good Men'', Jacob Goldman in '' Gr ...

's comedy special, ''The Littlest Suspect''. Common Rotation recorded

Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band originally from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island, New York. Their best-known songs include " We're Not Gonna Take It" and " I Wanna Rock", both of which were associated wit ...

's, " We're Not Gonna Take It" with Mike Viola for the latest installment of Engine Room Recordings Guilt by Association series, Guilt by Association Vol. 3. The band recorded "Salty South" with the

Indigo Girls Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. The two met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part o ...

for their live record, ''Staring Down The Brilliant Dream''.

In other media

Peter Stass's documentary film ''How to Lose'' chronicled the band's efforts to protest Clear Channel's monopoly on the musical touring market by playing in fan's homes from Alaska to Europe.

Amber Benson Amber Nicole Benson (born January 8, 1977) is an American actress, singer, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1999–2002), and has also directed, produced ...

's music video for ''Wasted Words'' follows the band while performing for the

Yupik peoples The Yupik (plural: Yupiit) (; russian: Юпикские народы) are a group of indigenous or aboriginal peoples of western, southwestern, and southcentral Alaska and the Russian Far East. They are related to the Inuit and Iñupiat. Yup ...

in the remote fishing villages of Kotlik and Russian Mission, Alaska. Their song "Clear Channel" was featured in British Indie filmmaker Evan Richards' 2006 film, "In a Day."

Personnel

Busch is also known for his work as an actor (''

The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo ''The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo'' is a children's mystery television series that ran on Nickelodeon between 1996 and 1999. A total of 41 episodes of 30 minutes each were produced. Episodes from the first three seasons were taped at Nickelodeon ...

, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Professional,

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

American Dreamz ''American Dreamz'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Paul Weitz. It satirizes both popular entertainment and American politics during the second Bush administration, called a "cultural satire" by Weitz. Reviews were mixed and the ...

''). Katz has worked with hip hop groups (

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternat ...

, Big Daddy Kane,

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

Neon Trees Neon Trees is an American rock band from Provo, Utah. The band received nationwide exposure in late 2008 when they opened several North American tour dates for the band The Killers. Not long after, the band was signed by Mercury Records. Thei ...

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and ''Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

Jennifer Nettles Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Nettles is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush, and prior to this she fronted the Atlanta-based band ...

, The Rhythm Roots Allstars). Kufs is a singer-songwriter who has completed his first solo collection of songs, "A Dust Bowl Full O' Cherries.'

Compilations

*"'' We're Not Gonna Take It''" (

cover) from Guilt by Association Vol. 3 (2011).

References

External links

Official websiteMySpace websiteThe Union Maid ArchiveCommon Rotation at This Might be a Wiki
{{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from New York (state)