User:Cinder Block

Cinder Block, also known as Cinder Bischoff, is a California based artist, musician and entrepreneur. Originally hailing from Lincoln Nebraska, Cinder got her BFA in acting and directing at the University of Nebraska and worked on many main stage and underground theatre productions. Highlights of Cinder's student theatrical career were major roles in “The Hostage”, “Fool for Love”, and directing “Rattlesnake in a Cooler”. Cinder wrote a punk rock opera "Hubris" based on the Agamemnon myth which was staged as a laboratory production at UNL. After graduating college Cinder moved to the S.F. Bay Area in the mid 80's and eventually formed the punk band Tilt which went on to success in the 90's. Tilt put out five full length albums, one on Berkeley's Lookout! Records and four on San Francisco's Fat Wreck Chords. Tilt toured extensively including Warped Tour, a couple of European jaunts and a mini-tour of Brazil in 2001. The return show on November 24th 2001, at the band’s home-venue of Berkeley’s famed 924 Gilman Street, marked the last live Tilt performance. Concurrent with Tilt’s formation Cinder co-founded Cinder Block Inc., a full service music merchandising and licensing company which started in a small warehouse in Oakland, CA in 1989 and has grown to be a competitive force in the entertainment industry. Cinder Block Inc. restructured in 2009 and changed its name to Cinder Block LLC. The company is entering a new phase of evolution which has been referred to as “Cinder Block 2.0” and both Cinder and Co-founder, Jeffery Bischoff, continue their work with the company. Cinder's graphic art consists of large silk screened canvases which utilize her lifelong interest in photography combined with a bold sense of color and texture, the content of which parallels the social commentary and dark humor of her songwriting. Cinder has been known to accept commissions, examples of which can be seen in the front dining room of Emeryville California's Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, a popular East Bay eatery owned in part by Mike Dirnt of Green Day. Cinder has participated in many musical side projects over the years. Two of which were the classic-country cover band East Bay Drifters and a brief stint fronting SF band Fabulous Disaster. Cinder, with partner Mike Avilez (Oppressed Logic), formed the hardcore punk band Retching Red in 2005. Retching Red, the name partly refers to Cinder’s natural red hair, put out two full length albums and one 7" split with DC based band The Twats. Retching Red completed two full US tours and One European tour before going on "hiatus" in 2007. Retching Red caught the attention of XM radio programmer Lou Brutus who gave the band airplay on punk channel Fungus 53. Cinder is a photo-contributor to Fat Mike's (of NOFX) magazine: Punk Rock Confidential. Cinder has contributed backing vocals to the recordings of several compatriot punk rock bands, most notably covering The Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York” with No Use For A Name. A documentary crew filmed a live version of the song which aired on TV in Ireland but has not surfaced in the United States.