Contents
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* 1 History
o 1.1 Height of career
o 1.2 Breakup
o 1.3 Compilation
* 2 Musical style
* 3 Trivia
* 4 Members
* 5 Discography
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History
In August of 1989, vocalist Dennis Owens, guitarist Jake Kline, keyboardist Rodi DelGadillo, bassist Deryke Cardenaz, and drummer Christine Tasche formed a band called The Silent Invasion. After a few months of rehearsal, the band played their one and only show just after Christmas in Tasche's back house in front of a few friends. Shortly after, Tasche left the band.
Several months later, John Gamba responded to their "Drummer Wanted" flyer and was soon added to the band roster. The band soon decided to change their name to Suburban Rhythm. Kline hated the name, but due to him having missed that particular meeting in which the name was changed, the others decided Kline would have no say in the matter. Eight months later and after playing several shows, Gamba was ousted due to "personality conflicts", leaving the band once again without a drummer.
Carlos De La Garza, drummer for another O.C. band, The Trenchtown Invaders, took Gamba's spot as drummer. One month later, Cardenaz quit for unknown reasons. Through an "acquaintance of an acquaintance", the band found Ed Kampwirth to replace Cardenaz. With the addition of Kampwirth, the band's sound began to solidify.
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Height of career
In October of 1992, the band released their first (and only) demo, Hose. After this, the size of Suburban Rhythm's fanbase grew dramatically.
In April of 1993, Kline quit the band for reasons known only to him. Kline's departure left the band with Dennis Owens and Rodi DelGadillo as the only two original members remaining. The band vowed to break up if any more of the core members (including Kampwirth and De La Garza) decided to quit, fearing replacing any more members might "water things down to the point of embarrassment."
Despite depression within the band, they decided they would stick together and find a new guitarist. After several try-outs, the band "settled" with Scott Moran. Soon after this, Chris Siglin was hired as the band's manager.
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Breakup
In late October or early November of 1993, Suburban Rhythm started to record their first album. At this point, band member relations were becoming unstable. According to Owens, more and more arguments ensued between band members about "this-that-and-the-other's problem with this-that-and-the-other"
The initial recording sessions proved unsatisfactory. After several more arguments, it was decided to re-record the album at another studio. Friction among the band members grew worse as the band continued to argue. Finally, in the middle of the sessions, Kampwirth and Moran announced they were quitting the band.
The band kept the promise they made after Kline left and put the band to rest. S.R. played its last show on April 2, 1994 in Costa Mesa, CA.
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Compilation
In 1997, three years after the band's breakup, a 16-song "obituary" CD was released from Long Beach record label Solid Recordings. The album contains all three tracks from the Hose demo cassette, all four tracks from the Almost There 7" vinyl, plus nine previously unreleased tracks. The album also includes five tracks recorded live from the Big Black Room in Santa Ana, CA in 1993, as well as a hidden garage-recorded track entitled "Uniform of Destruction".
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Musical style
Suburban Rhythm ran the gamut of musical styles. While primarily labeled a ska/punk band, some of their recordings displayed styles from funk (e.g. "18 Inch Ruler"), to metal, jazz, blues, and even country (e.g. "Blue Hawaii"). Their tone also had range, from dark and moody styles, such as "Coming Out Of The Woodwork" and "Tension", to playful, fast-driven songs like "Game Show", "Bixville" and their cover of Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting".
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Trivia
Popular O.C. ska band Reel Big Fish has paid homage to Suburban Rhythm on many occasions. Their debut CD, Turn the Radio Off, includes a tribute song to Suburban Rhythm entitled "S.R". They also covered Suburban Rhythm's "Uniform of Destruction" for the Ska Parade's compilation album, Runnin' Naked thru the Cornfield. (Suburban Rhythm's "Coming out of the Woodwork" is featured on the same album.)
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Members
* Dennis Owens (vocals)
* Rodi DelGadillo (keyboard)
* Deryke Cardenaz (bass guitar) (1990–1992)
* Ed Kempwirth (bass guitar (1992–1994)
* Jake Kline (guitar) (1990–1993)
* Scott Moran (guitar) (1993–1994)
* Christine Tasche (drums) (1990, with The Silent Invasion)
* John Gamba (drums) (1990–1991)
* Carlos de la Garza (drums) (1991–1994)
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Discography
Year Title Format Details
1992 Hose Cassette Out of print
1994 Almost There 7″ Vinyl Out of print
1997 Suburban Rhythm CD 16-song compilation released through Solid Recordings
99 Degrees
Suburban Rhythm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm feeling 99 degrees, and I don't mean Fahrenheit! It's Celsius you fool! When I see your wretched face, it stabs me right between the eyes, just like the knife I'd use if I was gunna murder you!
It's slipping down my back like lizards sliding in a sewer. If you should find this tape, then put away an easy lure(?)! You make them climb across my back like a cotton candy tree. You're as attractive as a pile of stinking rotten meat!
I'm feeling 99 degrees, and I don't mean Fahrenheit! It's Celsius you oaf! When I hear your wicked words, they chop me up until I bleed, just like the loop I'd use if I was gunna strangle you!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yaaaaaaaaaaaay!
If I were to count the ways that I really hated you, I'd use all of my fingers and that of my families too! My anger toward you just cannot be shown the light, you're the source, the epicenter of my plight!
I'm feeling 99 degrees and I don't mean Fahrenheit! Aw, fuck off. The sense that emanate from you are like bullets through my chest, coming from the gun I would use to shoot you down!
[Deep breath in and out]
It doesn't matter.... you're not human anyway.
The lyrics of Suburban Rhythm's song "99 Degrees" express an intense and visceral hatred towards an unnamed individual. The opening lines suggest that this hatred is so strong that the singer does not even consider the subject of the song to be fully human. The lyrics are full of images of physical and emotional violence, with the singer expressing the desire to stab or strangle the subject. The repeated refrain of "I'm feeling 99 degrees" reinforces the idea of the singer's feverish and irrational state of mind.
The lyrics also make use of vivid and grotesque imagery to convey the disgust and disdain that the singer feels towards the subject. The simile of "lizards sliding in a sewer" is particularly effective in conjuring up an image of something slimy and repulsive. Likewise, the comparison of the subject to "stinking rotten meat" further emphasizes their repugnance to the singer.
Overall, the lyrics of "99 Degrees" are a disturbing and unsettling expression of hatred and violence. They paint a picture of someone consumed by rage and obsessed with a desire for revenge against an individual who is portrayed as utterly despicable and beyond redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not inclined to think that you're some kind of human being. Your bad karma racing from the essence of your genes. My contempt for you is written in my DNA, I hate you more and more and more with every passing day!
I don't believe you're a decent human. The bad vibes you emit are inherited from your ancestors. My animosity towards you is inherent in my genes and has been intensifying with time.
I'm feeling 99 degrees, and I don't mean Fahrenheit! It's Celsius you fool! When I see your wretched face, it stabs me right between the eyes, just like the knife I'd use if I was gunna murder you!
I'm experiencing extreme anger towards you. It's not a physical temperature; it's a state of mind. Looking at your detestable face provokes me to strike you, just as if I were to stab you with a knife.
It's slipping down my back like lizards sliding in a sewer. If you should find this tape, then put away an easy lure(?)! You make them climb across my back like a cotton candy tree. You're as attractive as a pile of stinking rotten meat!
Your presence disgusts me to the core. It feels like slimy lizards moving down my back. If you come across this recording, don't attempt to approach me easily. The very thought of you makes me feel like ants crawling on cotton candy. You're as repulsive as a mound of decaying flesh.
I'm feeling 99 degrees, and I don't mean Fahrenheit! It's Celsius you oaf! When I hear your wicked words, they chop me up until I bleed, just like the loop I'd use if I was gunna strangle you!
Your words cause me intense distress. It's not a physical temperature; it's a mental state. Your corrupted thoughts slice me into pieces, like the loop I'd use to choke you.
Knuckles whiten as the thought of you approaching grows, knuckles tighten as my never ending tension shows, brain matter sizzles as I wonder why I feel this way, it doesn't matter you're the victim of my blinding hate!
Thinking about your arrival invokes a fight-or-flight response in me. The never-ending tension in my muscles intensifies. The pressure on my brain increases, trying to comprehend the root cause of my aggression towards you, but it doesn't matter. You're the target of my intense, all-consuming fury.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, yaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Screaming out in frustration and resentment.
If I were to count the ways that I really hated you, I'd use all of my fingers and that of my families too! My anger toward you just cannot be shown the light, you're the source, the epicenter of my plight!
I detest you beyond measure, and it's a shared emotion among my entire family. But, my hatred towards you can't be explained in words or actions; you're the origin of my pain and misery.
I'm feeling 99 degrees and I don't mean Fahrenheit! Aw, fuck off. The sense that emanate from you are like bullets through my chest, coming from the gun I would use to shoot you down!
I'm boiling with wrath inside, not literally, but as a figure of speech. The vibe coming out of you pierces my heart like bullets, like the ones I'd use to fatally wound you.
[Deep breath in and out]
Trying to calm down and collect oneself.
It doesn't matter.... you're not human anyway.
Nothing else matters; I know you're not really human.
Contributed by Ryan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Teh Slime
Goddamn this album is just beyond incredible.
FoxFan12
I'm not even really sure if I like the melody that much, or if I just like the way that the tension builds up.
baseplayer21
i have this labeled as ska cause im lazy, but they were a ska punk band. ska punk is defined as playing on the off-beat, which is how they played. i agree with you that they were a multi-genre band, which is part of why they were so respected.
Cody Rochester
This song makes me feel things only Stevie Wonder sees
Lightavion
No comments in years. It's okay, I still love these guys! All the other bands are just shit.
Gerard Jerry
SKA-Punk with a Ph.D Reminds me a lot of FishBone
Teh Slime
I’ve heard them compared to Fishbone a lot and I totally see it, especially the funky influences.
Alain Bougie
If you enjoy this song and tis kind of sound, you should definitely take a listen at Nuclear Rabbit.
Trite Garbage
Damn right, they were a straight up punk band. They weren't ska punk. If anything they were Punk with a little tiny bit of ska (the upstrokes). PS Just because a band uses brass or upstrokes, doesn't auto-make them ska or any sub-genre of ska.
Erick Lange
@Razzeka For sure. This song in particular sounds more akin to early Incubus or Red Hot Chili Peppers.