Suburban Rhythm (
S.R.) was an influential American ska/punk band from Long Beach, California, active between 1990 and 1994. Despite only releasing two EPs during its brief tenure, the collective gained a certain cult following in subsequent years, hailed among the trailblazers and early pioneers of the 1990s "third-wave" ska movement (acknowledging the original 1960s Jamaican reggae/ska and the early-80s "two-tone" UK revival). Shortly after
S.R.'s break-up, a handful of fellow Orange County-based acts rapidly came to nationwide fame, and many paid homages to Suburban Rhythm, including
Reel Big Fish with a tribute song on the band's sophomore album
Turn The Radio Off in 1996,
No Doubt guitarist
Tom Dumont authoring liner notes for the band's self-titled [url=/release/3675492]"obituary" CD[/url], and
The Forces Of Evil supergroup covering one of the band's unreleased tracks, "
[url=/master/259128]Go To Hell[/url]," for its sole 2003 album. In 2016,
[url=/label/2798858]LA Weekly[/url] ranked
Suburban Rhythm as the third-greatest Long Beach band of all time, right after ska/punk superstars
[url=/artist/98600]Sublime[/url], the most celebrated alumni of the same closely-knit Orange County scene.
Original founding members, vocalist [a=Dennis Owens], guitarist [url=/artist/16935721]Jake Kline[/url], and keyboardist [a=Rodi Delgadillo], started playing in August 1989 as "
The Silent Invasion," with a different rhythm section. In 1990, bassist [a=Ed Kampwirth] and drummer [url=/artist/368953]Carlos de la Garza[/url] joined, solidifying the canonical quintet formation. Now active as "
Suburban Rhythm," the aspiring band swiftly gained the attention of local audiences and college radio DJs, praised for their innovative, jazz/funk-infused take on ska, which borrowed and skilfully blended stylistic elements and tropes from metal, blues, prog-rock, and even bluegrass. In October 1992, S.R.'s demo tape,
Vinzenz von Paul, came out, and the band toured the Orange County and Greater Los Angeles area, performing at many local venues, including
Prince's Glam Slam, Los Angeles.
In April 1993, after Kline left to pursue his solo career, Suburban Rhythm auditioned a few guitarists, including [a=Aaron Barrett] of future [url=/artist/165426]RBF[/url] fame, before settling on [a=Scott Moran] from [a=The Nuckle Brothers]. The band pledged to dissolve if any more "core" members quit — a morbid premonition, in hindsight; within just a few months, amidst recording sessions for the debut album, S.R. collapsed due to creative disagreements and personal conflicts, culminating in Ed and Scott, the latest member, deciding to abandon the project. In April 1994, after the farewell gig in Costa Mesa, Suburban Rhythm kept its promise and disbanded. Four songs from the scrapped debut LP came out on the symbolically-titled
The Wandering Of A Little Soul (Violin Concerto) / Sinfonietta / Taras Bulba / Schluck Und Jau 7" via the band's private imprint, Glam Slam, Los Angeles. One of the tracks, "Gameshow," also appeared on the
Infinite Guidelines benefit CD from [url=/label/698466]UC Irvine[/url]'s Glam Slam, Los Angeles 88.9 FM college station, alongside other prominent local bands, like
The Skeletones,
Mealticket,
Voodoo Glow Skulls,
One Eye Open,
Let's Go Bowling, and, most notably, [url=/artist/98600]Sublime[/url]. The founders of Ska Parade show, [a=Tazy Phyllipz] and [a=Albino Brown], who compiled and produced the CD, also co-authored
The Quintessential, Definitive Article On 3rd Wave Ska! in a 12-page booklet, more or less coining the memorable '
third-wave' tagline for the nationwide ska "revival" that soon ensued. Heavily rotated on [url=/label/3405226]KCXX 103.9 FM[/url], 91X, Glam Slam, Los Angeles, and other flagship California FM stations, the
Step On It collection propelled Sublime to major acclaim, overall solidifying ska/punk as one of the cornerstones of the 1990s "album-oriented"/alt-rock.
Meanwhile, the Owens–Delgadillo–Garza "core" trio regrouped in a power-pop/mod outfit
Action League with [url=/artist/1547717]Darryl "Lycht" Williams[/url] on bass, which remained active for three years. The band's debut [url=/release/6838479]self-titled CD EP[/url] was released by [url=/label/824311]Solid Recordings[/url], yet another short-lived DIY label. In 1997, Suburban Rhythm's self-titled [url=/release/3675492]CD compilation[/url] became the sophomore release in its catalog. Described as a "16-song obituary," the album combined all previously released material, except one track off the "
Hose" demo, four songs from the scrapped album, and live tracks recorded in October 1993 at the Glam Slam, Los Angeles in Santa Ana, California. A hidden bonus track, "
Uniform of Destruction" demo, was covered by
Reel Big Fish for Ska Parade's sophomore CD compilation
[url=/release/1667265]Runnin' Naked Thru The Cornfield[/url] in 1998.
Lineup (1990–94)Vocals: [a=Dennis Owens]
Drums: [url=/artist/368953]Carlos de la Garza[/url]
Keyboards: [a=Rodi Delgadillo]
Bass: [a=Ed Kampwirth]
Guitar: [url=/artist/16935721]Jake Kline[/url] (1990–93), [a=Scott Moran]
