Bobgoblin | en

BOBGOBLIN is a post-punk, power-pop concept group formed in 1993 in Dallas, TX by singer/songwriter Hop Litzwire (aka Sgt. Hop Manski), drummer Avsharian, guitarist Lech Vogner, and bassist Hech Mohech. Reminiscent of their influences, which include, among many, The Clash, XTC, Buzzcocks, Killing Joke, Cheap Trick, The Cars, and The Pixies, their raw, locally-produced cassette tape Rocket Box established the band's presence on the local scene early on, helping them to form bonds with some of the best bands in Dallas, including Hagfish, Funland, UFOFU, and Baboon. Despite the promising beginnings, the band's existence floundered somewhat for a year or so, with Lech Vogner eventually opting to leave the band to concentrate on a previous musical committment and Mohech moving on to generally greener pastures. Though the band's line-up would be incomplete shortly after its release, BOBGOBLIN first full-length CD was revealed to a good deal of local acclaim. Titled JET, the CD, which was slightly more polished than Rocket Box, quickly became a local favorite, landing on Top-10 lists in rags around the region like The Met and The Dallas Observer, and providing tracks for a CD-compilation assembled by one of Dallas' biggest rock stations. With the CD making some waves, it would not be long before the group would become complete again. With the arrival in 1994 of Tony Jannotta (Cpl. Glascock), a newly invigorated BOBGOBLIN would take off from there, with a more reliable string of raucous live shows and a growing following. In 1996, with Barry Poynter (a former band-mate of Litzwire's and by then an established studio-owner and producer) filling in on guitar and acting as co-producer and engineer, BOBGOBLIN set out to sonically update JET and add some new tracks for an album that would eventually be known as "The 12-Point Master Plan." At the time of the recording, BOBGOBLIN was being courted by major-labels, with the idea that the current recording would be accepted as the group's first major-label release. The ultimate choice of label proved to be a unlucky one for BOBGOBLIN, as the label underwent extreme changes around the time of the release, which resulted in the band being almost completely unknown to most of the employees of the label, many of whom had been recently hired. With a release that was loved by a few and hated by about the same amount, and a visual concept that was misunderstood and mismanaged, the band, which now included Jason Weisenberg on guitar, toured in support of the record until the lack of label support got the best of them - they requested and were granted a release from the label in 1999. Even with a few stations around the country attempting, virtually independently, to garner excitement for the record, the BOBGOBLIN experiment was over for the time being. Litzwire, Avsharian, and Jannotta - and Weisenberg for a time - went on to record two critically-acclaimed records under the name of their less abrasive, more melodic alter-ego, AOJ. "Part 3: Coping With Insignificance" (2000) and "Muscle" (2004) were released on Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape's label My Records and on Suburban Home Records respectively. After a brief period with current RISE AGAINST and former HAGFISH guitarist Zac Blair in the band, Jannotta moved to guitar for the recording of "Muscle" and bassist Darian Stribling, also a longtime friend of Litzwire's and also an establish producer/engineer, subsequently joined the band. With a few "Reunion" shows as BOBGOBLIN popping up here and there over the years, the group decided in 2009 to bring the concept fully back to life. As of late-2011, the first half of their resulting excursion in the studio, "Love Lost for Blood Lust," is set to be released, with the second half to be release in early-Spring 2012. Old mate Barry Poynter again appears as co-producer, engineer, and additional guitarist on the new album. .