The Mooney Suzuki

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The Mooney Suzuki
Origin	New York City
Genre(s)	Rock, Garage Rock, Glam Rock
Years active	1996–Present
Label(s)	Estrus, Columbia, V2, Elixia Records[1]
Website	TheMooneySuzuki.com
Members
Sammy James Jr., Chris Isom, Will Rockwell-Scott, Reno Bo
Former members
Graham Tyler, John Paul Ribas, Augie Wilson, Marc-Phillipe Eskenazi (credited as Michael Miles)

The Mooney Suzuki is a NYC rock and roll band formed in 1996 by Sammy James, Jr. (guitar/vocals), John Paul Ribas (bass), Graham Tyler (guitar) and Will Rockwell-Scott (drums). They have released four albums and one EP, The Mooney Suzuki, People Get Ready, Electric Sweat, Alive & Amplified, and Have Mercy. The band's sound can be described as high-energy rock'n'roll, drawing heavily from mod, soul, garage, and British Invasion influences. Their name is taken from the first two singers of the 1970s German Krautrock band Can: Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki.

The band was featured in the Madden 2005 soundtrack and in the ATV Offroad Fury 3 soundtrack, with their song "Alive and Amplified", as well as the Burnout 3 soundtrack, with "Shake that Bush Again." They appeared again in a video game, NHL 08, with "99%" from the album Have Mercy. The band has also appeared on the popular BBC 1 programme Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, as well as Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Ironic or not, the band is now the signature artist for the Suzuki brand (the automaker) and an edited version of "Alive and Amplified" appears on all Suzuki commercials.

"Alive and Amplified", which broke into the UK Top 40 chart at #38, was featured once again in the 2005 remake of Fun with Dick and Jane, as well as the 2006 film Grandma's Boy. The band composed, as well as providing backing guitar for, the original songs performed by Jack Black and the Kids for the movie School of Rock.

The band's latest album "Have Mercy" was to have been released on V2 Records in summer 2007 (originally set for January 2007, and then spring, according to V2 marketing materials). Due to the reorganization of V2 announced in January 2007, the album was not released on that label, but instead came out on June 19th on indie label Elixia Records[2].

In 2007, the band recorded a cover version of Cher's "Just like Jesse James" for Engine Room Recordings' compilation album Guilt by Association, set to be released this September. Around this time, they also recorded the "spring soundtrack" for DKNY jeans. Currently the band is in the studio recording their fifth album and will make a cameo in Ben Stiller's film Tropic Thunder in summer of 2008. On May 12th, Sammy James Jr. mentored a young rocker for an episode of the award-winning MTV series MADE.[3]

1 Discography
2 External links

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

People Get Ready (5 September 2000)
Electric Sweat (12 May 2003)
Alive & Amplified (20 September 2004)
Have Mercy (19 June 2007)
The Mooney Suzuki CBGB OMFUG Masters: Live June 29, 2001 The Bowery Collection (18 March 2008)

[edit] EPs

The Mooney Suzuki (August 1999)
Maximum Black (18 September 2006)

[edit] Singles

Taking Me Apart (1998)
Love Is Everywhere (1998)
Turn My Blue Sky Black (1999)
Your Love Is a Gentle Whip (2000)
Hot Shitter (2002)
Oh Sweet Susanna (29 April 2002)
Hey Joe (2003)
In a Young Man's Mind (14 July 2003)
Shake That Bush Again (2004)
Alive & Amplified (17 January 2005)
99% (2007)

[edit] Compilations

Now We Are 5 (1998, Sonic Unyon Records)
New Wave Explosion (1999, Super 8)
A Fistful of Rock 'n' Roll (2000, Tee Pee Records)
Estrus 100% Apeshit Rock Sampler Vol. 2 (2000, Estrus Records)
Fields and Streams (2002, Kill Rock Stars)
New Blood the New Rock and Roll Vol. 2 (2002, Artrocker)
School of Rock Soundtrack (2003, Atlantic Records)
The New Indie Alive and Amplified For 2005 (2005, Universal)
Herbie: Fully Loaded Soundtrack (2005, Hollywood Records)
Fun with Dick & Jane Soundtrack (2005, Varese Saranbande)
The Ringer Soundtrack (2005, Fox Searchlight)

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

In "School of Rock" you can see Sammy James Jr and Graham Tyler tuning up their guitars backstage when the band "School of Rock" are about to go on stage.
The Mooney Suzuki contributed to the School of Rock's song and played the rhythm guitar.
Sammy James Jr plays on Albert Hammond, Jr.'s solo release "Yours to Keep" and Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes, as well as Ryan Gentles, their manager, once played on a tour with Mooney Suzuki.
When The Mooney Suzuki played The Roxy Theater in Hollywood on March 22, 2008, Sammy James Jr. mentioned that in The Mooney Suzuki there has been over 30 members and that he is not just taking a page out of Spinal Tap's book.