Unwritten Law
Unwritten Law |
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Unwriten Law is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California (a suburb of San Diego) and currently recording for Abydos Records. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are best known for their singles "Seein' Red," "Rest of My Life," and "Save Me (Wake Up Call)." Their most recent release is a "best of" album entitled The Hit List, released on January 2, 2007.
Band History
Formation
Unwritten Law formed in Poway, California (a suburb of San Diego) in 1990. Original drummer Wade Youman generally takes credit for starting the band, and a number of players came and went before the lineup coalesced to include Scott Russo on vocals, Steve Morris and Rob Brewer on guitars, and John Bell on bass. They released their first cassette demo in 1992, followed by the 7" vinyl single Blurr in 1993. The band quickly established themselves in the prolific San Diego music scene of the early 1990s that also included groups such as blink-182, Buck-O-Nine, Sprung Monkey, Drive Like Jehu, and Rocket From the Crypt.
Early albums
In 1994 the band recorded their first album, Blue Room, which was released by local label Red Eye Records. It established their early sound of fast-paced punk rock and gave them the opportunity to build their reputation by playing local shows in and around the San Diego area. Songs such as "CPK," "Shallow," and "Suzanne" would become favorites with local fans and would remain in their live set for years to come. The album attracted the attention of Epic Records, who signed the band to a recording contract and re-released Blue Room the following year.
Their second album, Oz Factor, was released in 1996. The songs "Denied" and "Superman" recieved airplay on several southern California rock radio stations and were released as singles. Over the next year the band toured the United States with bands such as blink-182 and Pennywise.
Self-titled album and tours
By 1997 Unwritten Law had signed to Interscope Records and bassist John Bell had left the band. Studio musician Micah Albao joined them in Seattle for the recording of their self-titled album Unwritten Law which was released in 1998. The singles "Lonesome," "Cailin," and "Teenage Suicide" became minor hits on rock radio stations. Pat "PK" Kim joined as their new permanent bass player and the band embarked on the Vans Warped Tour, which took them across North America, Europe, and Australia. In Australia the band developed an enthusiastic and dedicated following, and they would return there over the next few years and release several singles and live recordings exclusive to the country.
Mainstream popularity
The band spent a considerable amount of time recording and preparing their next release, 2002's Elva. The album was a stylistic change of pace, deliberately moving away from their established punk rock formula and towards a more accessible hard rock sound. The lead single "Up All Night" became somewhat popular, but it was "Seein' Red" and its accompanying music video which brought the band their greatest success, reaching #1 on US modern rock charts. They toured extensively in support of the album alongside bands such as Sum 41 and The Used.
In 2003 the band was invited by VH1 to film an episode of the live acoustic series Music in High Places. The invitation happened somewhat by accident, as the station was hoping to attract Jimmy Eat World but contacted Unwritten Law's management by mistake. The band recorded a set of acoustic performances in various locales at Yellowstone National Park. They prepared the recordings for release as an album, but Interscope declined to release it. The band ended their contract with Interscope and signed to Lava Records, who released Music in High Places as an album. The performance was also released as a DVD entitled Live in Yellowstone. The song "Rest of My Life" from this performance received airplay on modern rock radio stations nationwide.
Lineup changes
Shortly after the release of Music in High Places founding drummer Wade Youman was ejected from the band due to personal and professional issues (he would go on to play with Underminded and Black President). For the recording of their next album Here's to the Mourning drummers Adrian Young of No Doubt and Tony Palermo of Pulley joined the band in the studio. The band got along so well with Palermo that by the time of the album's release in 2005 he had joined as their permanent drummer. Much of the lyrics on the album were co-written by singer Scott Russo's girlfriend Aimee Allen, with whom he formed the side project Scott & Aimee. Allen and Linda Perry contributed to the writing of the album's lead single "Save Me (Wake Up Call)," which reached #5 on US modern rock charts. This was followed by the single "She Says."
In March of 2005 guitarist Rob Brewer was fired from Unwritten Law due to disputes with Russo and other band members. The band chose not to replace him and continued on as a 4-piece. They continued to tour in support of Here's to the Mourning across the United States as well as internationally.
Recent activity
Unwritten Law spent much of 2006 recording a "best of" album entitled The Hit List, which was released on January 2, 2007 by Abydos Records. It includes 17 of the band's most popular songs, most of which were re-recorded by the current lineup, as well as 2 new songs including lead single "Shoulda Known Better." Interscope also released a "best of" compilation entitled 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection which includes songs from the albums Unwritten Law and Elva. On January 3, 2007 the band performed "Shoulda Known Better" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Band members
| (1991 - 1998) Blue Room Oz Factor |
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| (1998) Unwritten Law (studio recording only) |
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| (1998 - 2003) Elva Music in High Places |
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| (2005) Here's to the Mourning |
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| (2005 - current) The Hit List |
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Current members
- Scott Russo – vocals
- Steve Morris – guitar, backing vocals
- Pat "PK" Kim – bass, backing vocals
- Tony Palermo – drums
Past members
- John Bell - bass (1991 - 1998)
- Wade Youman - drums (1991 - 2003)
- Rob Brewer - guitar (1991 - 2005)
Discography
Albums
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Blue Room | Red Eye Records | CD/Cassette | First album. | |
| 1996 | Oz Factor | Epic Records | CD | Last album with bassist John Bell. | |
| 1998 | Unwritten Law | Interscope Records | CD | First album with bassist Pat Kim. | |
| 2002 | Elva | Interscope Records | CD | ||
| 2003 | Music in High Places | Lava Records | CD | Last album with drummer Wade Youman. | |
| 2005 | Here's to the Mourning | Lava Records | CD | First album with drummer Tony Palermo. Last album with guitarist Rob Brewer. | |
| 2007 | The Hit List | Abydos Records | CD | "Best of" album including 2 new songs, new recordings of 14 previously released songs, and 3 songs from Here's to the Mourning. |
EPs & 7" vinyl
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Blurr | Red Eye Records | 7" vinyl | First single. Out of print. | |
| 1996 | Lame | Epic Records | 7" vinyl | Promotional release only. Out of print. | |
| 1999 | Visit to Oz | Interscope Records | EP | Australian tour EP. Out of print. |
Compilation albums
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection | Interscope Records | CD | "Best of" compilation of tracks from Interscope releases Unwritten Law and Elva. |
Singles
| Album Cover | Year | Song | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | "Denied" | Epic Records | CD | Out of print. | |
| 1996 | "Superman" | Epic Records | CD | Out of print. | |
| 2000 | "Lonesome" | Interscope Records | CD | Australia-only release. Also includes live recordings of "Falling Down," "Denied," "CPK," and "Lonesome." Out of print. | |
| 2001 | "Up All Night" | Interscope Records | CD | Also includes the non-album tracks "Darkside" and "Baby, Baby (demo)." | |
| 2002 | "Seein' Red" | Interscope Records | CD | Also includes the non-album tracks "Take Me Away" and "Mean Girl (Trickbaby remix)." | |
| 2005 | "Save Me (Wake Up Call)" | WEA/Atlantic | CD | Contains radio edit and non-album Reggae mix of "Save Me" and non-album remix of "Slow Dance." | |
| 2005 | "She Says" | WEA International | CD | Also includes non-album remixes of "Get Up" and "F.I.G.H.T." |
Official bootlegs
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Live in Hollyweird | no label | CD | Live recording from the Palace in Hollywood. Released in a limited edition of 2,000. Out of print. |
Non-album tracks
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Song(s) | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1997 | Before You Were Punk | Vagrant Records | "Goody Two Shoes” | Originally performed by Adam Ant. Features members of Buck-O-Nine on horns. |
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1999 | Short Music for Short People | Fat Wreck Chords | "Armageddon Singalong" | Compilation of 101 bands playing 30-second songs. |
| 2002 | Don't Make Me Pull This Thing Over | Roadrunner Records | "Take Me Away" | Soundtrack album to MTV's Road Rules. | |
| 2004 | unreleased | no label | "Home in Paradise" | Used as theme song for TV series North Shore. |
Demos
| Album Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Six Song Demo | no label | Cassette | Recorded at Blindfold Studios. Out of print. |
Videography
Music videos
| Year | Title | Album | Other information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Teenage Suicide" | Unwritten Law | ||
| 1998 | "California Sky" | Unwritten Law | ||
| 1998 | "Holiday" | Unwritten Law | ||
| 1999 | "Cailin" | Unwritten Law | ||
| 2002 | "Up All Night" | Elva | ||
| 2002 | "Seein' Red" | Elva | ||
| 2003 | "Rest of My Life" | Music in High Places | ||
| 2005 | "Save Me (Wake Up Call)" | Here's to the Mourning | ||
| 2005 | "She Says" | Here's to the Mourning |
Video releases
| Cover | Year | Title | Label | Format | Content | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Live in Yellowstone | DVD | Complete Music in High Places episode of acoustic recordings in Yellowstone National Park. |
Chart positions
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | U.S. Modern Rock | U.S. Main- stream Rock | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | "Cailin" | - | 28 | - | Unwritten Law |
| 2002 | "Seein' Red" | - | 1 | - | Elva |
| 2002 | "Up All Night" | - | 14 | - | Elva |
| 2003 | "Rest of My Life" | - | 16 | - | Music in High Places |
| 2005 | "Save Me (Wake Up Call)" | - | 5 | - | Here's to the Mourning |
| 2005 | "She Says" | - | 32 | - | Here's to the Mourning |
| 2006 | "Shoulda Known Better" | - | - | - | The Hit List |
Trivia
- Unwritten Law is referenced in the blink-182 song "Josie" (on the album Dude Ranch) in the line "My girlfriend likes UL and DHC" (DHC refers to Dance Hall Crashers). The original members of blink-182 and Unwritten Law grew up in Poway, California and frequently played together during their bands' early years. Unwritten Law singer Scott Russo sang backing vocals on the song.
- Several of Unwritten Law's songs have been included in films:
- "Cailin" is used in Coyote Ugly.
- "Seein' Red" is used in Grind.
- Several of their songs have also been used in video games:
- "Get Up" is preloaded onto Xbox 360 premium pack hard drives and is also used in the trailer for Indigo Prophecy.
- "Celebration Song" is used in Need for Speed: Underground 2 and MX vs. ATV Unleashed.
- "F.I.G.H.T." is used in Burnout Revenge and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.