The Hippos

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The Hippos
The Hippos on the cover of their 1999 album Heads Are Gonna Roll
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genres	Ska, ska punk, pop rock, synthpop
Years active	1995–2003
Labels	Fueled by Ramen, Vagrant, Interscope, Olympic
Members
Ariel Rechtshaid James Bairian Louis Castle Rich Zahniser Danny Rukasin Kyle Briggs

The Hippos were an American rock band formed in 1995 in Los Angeles, California, and disbanded in 2000. During the band's lifetime they released 3 full-length albums. Their early work is best classified as part of the third wave of ska music, or as ska-punk, though in the later years of their career the band transitioned to a more pop rock sound utilizing synthesizers.

Band History

Formation

The Hippos formed in Los Angeles, California in 1995 with a lineup of Ariel Rechtshaid on vocals and guitar, James Bairian on bass, Louis Castle on trumpet, Rich Zahniser and Danny Rukasin on trombones, and Kyle Briggs on drums. This lineup would remain virtually unchanged throughout the band's career. They self-released a cassette demo entitled Attack of the Killer Cheese and began playing shows around southern California, establishing themselves amongst a prolific ska scene including bands such as Reel Big Fish, No Doubt, Buck-O-Nine, Dance Hall Crashers, Link 80, Save Ferris, and The Aquabats.

Forget the World

By 1996 the band had attracted the attention of Fueled by Ramen Records and entered the studio to record their first album, Forget the World. Jointly released the following year through Fueled by Ramen and Vagrant Records, the album was essentially a traditional ska punk effort focusing on upbeat tempos and heavy brass instrumentation. It afforded the band their first national tours at a time when ska and punk rock were gaining national attention. The band toured on and off in support of Forget the World for over a year.

Heads Are Gonna Roll

By 1999 the band had signed to major label Interscope Records and released their second album, Heads Are Gonna Roll. Musically the album found the band transitioning to a more pop-rock sound, using fewer ska rhythms and instead incorporating synthesizers. It was their most successful album and their only major-label release. The song "Wasting My Life" received airplay on some independent radio stations. The band toured the United States in support of the album.

Demise

Following tours in support of Heads Are Gonna Roll drummer Kyle Briggs left the group. Over the next few years the band rehearsed and recorded new songs with other drummers, expanding their use of keyboards, synthesizers, and programming. However, the members drifted into other projects and it became apparent that the band would not continue on as they once had. They quietly broke up, but released a posthumous self-titled album in 2003 through Olympic Records. The product of several years of recording, the album completed their transition from traditional ska punk to synthpop, almost completely severing ties to the southern California ska scene from which the band had spawned.

Following the band's breakup the members moved on to other musical projects. Castle and Bairian formed the band Dirty Little Secret. Rechtshaid played with them for a time before forming his own group Foreign Born, and also became a producer, working with bands such as Taking Back Sunday and We Are Scientists. Rukasin became a band manager, while Zahniser formed the band Southbase. Briggs went on to form the band Tripod, in which he played from 2000 to 2003. In 2006 he relocated to Portland, Oregon where he released a solo album under the name Long Distance Runner and joined the band Junkface.

Band members

• Ariel Rechtshaid – vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming
• James Bairian - bass, vocals
• Louis Castle - trumpet, vocals, keyboards, programming
• Rich Zahniser - trombone, vocals, keyboards, programming
• Danny Rukasin - trombone, keyboards
• Kyle Briggs - drums (1995 - 2000)
• Blair Singa - drums on The Hippos
• Nate Morton - drums on The Hippos
• Garrett Ray - drums on The Hippos

Discography

Albums

Singles

Non-album tracks

Demos