Note: While the below is written in present tense, RB is of course no more, finito, a thing of the past, over, gone, done. I was simply too lazy to rewrite it.

The Obligatory Cheesy Band Biography

So. Revolution Block is a five-piece band out of Knoxville, TN. They made their debut on November 7, 1993, as a fill-in band during a battle of the bands showcase. They not only won that night, but went on to win the entire competition (against 55 other bands), with word-of-mouth drawing bigger crowds each time. They have been named Knoxville's best heavy band by a local alternative newspaper, and have been written up in Alternative Press, as well.

Revolution Block has played to enthusiastic crowds all over the southeast, from Chapel Hill, NC, to Atlanta, GA, sharing stages with bands such as Mutha's Day Out, Superdrag (also from Knoxville), Stuck Mojo, and Amphetamine Reptile artists Today Is The Day. They have been included on several compilation CDs of regional bands, and in September of '95, released their first compact disc, Role Model, which rose to number six in Knoxville record stores the first week after its release.

"Yes, but what do they sound like?", you're asking yourself (I know your type). The music itself is best described as an eclectic mix of funk, punk, and hardcore. Raw and aggressive, the band strives to be as honest and direct as possible when delivering their socio-political message, with themes ranging from religious hypocrisy to inner-city violence to racial intolerance (of any kind). With a style ranging from a melodic croon to vocal-cord fraying screams (sort of like Elton John...on crack), singer Jared Hasmuk is responsible for the lyrics that are the basis of Revolution Block's intensity. Accompanying Hasmuk with backing vocals is bassist Adam Bucco, whose spine-rattling funk conspires with drummer Dan Orchik's dynamic P.Funk-meets-MOD grooves to grind out the solid rhythms that get the crowd off its collective ass. The guitars, sometimes smoothly gliding melodies, sometimes ruthlessly brutal crunch, are played by Chris Bertelsen and Aaron Standridge. Bertelsen is responsible for much of the song-crafting, while Standridge occasionally comes forward for backing vocals, in addition to trading in his guitar to sing lead on the CD's title track (and a wicked fast cover of Bring the Noise, a la Public Enemy and Anthrax).

On the CD, Revolution Block comes across as five guys who can play well enough to make a CD, and want to work your mind as well as your body. On the stage, however, they are more of a veritable tour de force of non-stop energy who have chosen music as their medium of choice to wreak mayhem on the world's intolerance and ignorance. Revolution Block might not be able to change the world during their stay, but they certainly plan to wake a few people up along the way...

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