Rocknoceros | id

There are two artists with the name Rocknoceros:
1. A raucous Philadelphia garage pop punk band from 1989-1991
2. A children's band from Virginia (http://www.rocknoceros.com/)



1. A raucous Philadelphia garage pop punk band from 1989-1991
Rocknoceros roamed the Philadelphia area between 1989 and 1991 playing shows and releasing a cassette titled "We Are Rocknoceros and We Eat a Lot!," a collection of 7 not-so-subtle songs about feeding and mating, the almost exclusive behaviors of this particular species. In 1991, the Rocknoceri migrated to Sydney, San Francisco, New York City, and St. Louis in search of more grazing and love.

"We Are Rocknoceros and We Eat a Lot!" is still available from England's Acid Tapes (TAB 080).

Review from File 13, June 1991:

The deeper I got into this, the more I liked it. First, it's very funny. Clever liner notes, including a Rocknoceros action figure (some assembly required), and a pleasant trip down memory lane with a cover of the old Schoolhouse Rock classic "My Hero Zero." Moreover, it's good, crashing rock & roll, a little more than the B-52's -- who are eerily recalled both during the Rocknoceros Theme Song and the breezy, lilting vocals running through "Big Cats" -- and a little less than Sonic Youth, although that's where they seem to be headed. The abrasive-voiced Debbie ... sings/yells the lead on each song, but at times it sounds like they invited the whole neighborhood into the basement with them. "Swimming Man" and "Big Cats" are amusingly erotic (although I could do without the irritating cat imitation), and "Start It All Over Again" is wonderful, needing neither humor nor violence to win me over. A fun tape. -Richards


2. A children's band from Virginia (http://www.rocknoceros.com/)

Zooglobble Recommended!: "Kudos to the great taste of the DC area. You already know what the rest of the country is starting to find out - that Rocknoceros is a gem of a band."

"An outstanding mix of folk and rock...literate songs...poppy approach...multi-generational appeal." - NPR, Best Music for Kids and Families

As every family with youngsters in the DC area already knows, Rocknoceros (pronounced like rhinoceros) is three guys: Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie. After seeing them perform, there is no denying that they are not a typical trio. Coach Cotton is the ring-leader, frequently immersed in a sea of knee-high concert goers. Wearing a wireless head-set microphone, he wades through the mass of dancing children, dispersing high-fives and shaking a tambourine. Williebob provides the necessary string work for the show, moving among a collection of guitars, mandolins, and banjos while wearing a kazoo around his neck. Boogie Woogie Bennie is a one-man-band within the power trio, employing a contraption that one four-year-old fan described as "the piano-drum". The piano-drum allows Boogie Bennie to play the bass drum with his right foot, the snare drum and hi-hat cymbal with his left foot, and the keyboard with his hands (with his left hand playing the bass parts). Together, Rocknoceros is able to cover a dizzying range of musical styles in each set. From Tin Pan Alley to the shores of Jamaica, Rocknoceros hops from genre to genre like a toad on summer asphalt.

Having already released three award-winning records, Rocknoceros will be releasing their first kid-friendly concept album, "Colonel Purple Turtle". The new album tells tales of the Colonel and his friends in their make-believe home of Soggy Bog. The theme of "Colonel Purple Turtle" is one of friendship and working together, a subject that matters to Coach, Boogie Woogie Bennie, and Williebob, as the three members of Rockncoeros have been best friends since they were children. The record reflects their abiding trust in each other, and their desire to share the message of camaraderie through song. .