BIOGRAPHY
2010-2011
FIRST ERA
The "First Era" is the band from 2010-2012 during their initial years and Demo release. These looks are from the 'These Pretzels are Salty', 'Carnage Pwnage' and 'Paranoia Junkie' music videos. 📷 by CheapSushi.
These Pretzels are Salty - This was the bands first song. It encompassed the sound they wanted. They became really egotistical after a friend decided to shoot a video for them because that's when new friends, money, booze and drugs started popping up frequently. The band did very little for a while. They basically just coasted off one track. Although the local scene enjoyed sharing this track around. The video ended up on the local cable access music show. The band knew there had to be more though.
Carnage Pwnage - This was the bands first serious song. Well at least serious in song writing terms. The song basically mocked the local metal-heads and started up controversy but the band really got a kick out of it. The video was quite a success and even has a re-edit. The video was in heavy rotation for a while but the band still didn't even have a demo release. There has also been two fan made covers/tributes of the song; one by band 'Wasted' and the other by the band 'Inked and Scarred'.
Paranoia Junkie - Drugs...lots of drugs. The band started messing around with psychotropic drugs to try to get a new sound but they just ended up tweaking a lot and making another hard rock song. They were super paranoid but they loved it. They're look change a bit to reflect that.
No Rush - Growing tired of the pressure to make a song they just sat around drinking booze and sure enough someone left the recorder on and this is what came out of a really short jam session. The band decided to calm their look down even further but kick up the pace of the music.
Carnage Pwnage - This was the bands first serious song. Well at least serious in song writing terms. The song basically mocked the local metal-heads and started up controversy but the band really got a kick out of it. The video was quite a success and even has a re-edit. The video was in heavy rotation for a while but the band still didn't even have a demo release. There has also been two fan made covers/tributes of the song; one by band 'Wasted' and the other by the band 'Inked and Scarred'.
Paranoia Junkie - Drugs...lots of drugs. The band started messing around with psychotropic drugs to try to get a new sound but they just ended up tweaking a lot and making another hard rock song. They were super paranoid but they loved it. They're look change a bit to reflect that.
No Rush - Growing tired of the pressure to make a song they just sat around drinking booze and sure enough someone left the recorder on and this is what came out of a really short jam session. The band decided to calm their look down even further but kick up the pace of the music.
2011-2023
SECOND ERA
The "Second Era" is the band from 2012 to 2022 during their 'Punk Riots', 'Windy City Takeover' (single), 'Blood Money' (single), 'Vicious Cycles' (single) and 'Institutionalized' (singe) days. 📷 by TraceofHatred & CheapSushi.
Punk Riots EP - Sometime later the band decided to go back to their roots and started getting back into the bands Krusty was a huge fan of. They were going around local small clubs and playing some really raw music. At one of the shows the band got frustrated by cops hovering around and that night the pigs finally crashed the whole show. They found Spectre there and after more drinking they decided to make an EP together. With their new sound came a new attitude and style.
Cookies & Biscuits Records & End of the Year Show - After releasing their Demo (initially under the name 'The Ghost of Rick James') and Punk Riots EP and near the end of their contract, the label threw an End of the Year Show
The End (Demo) - The song was added onto the Demo after the band name change. It signified the transition from 'The Ghost of Rick James' to '1st Assault'. It was a proto-song in terms of the what kind of sound the band was moving towards. It laid the foundation for what would eventually become what the band wanted to release with 'Windy City Takeover'.
Windy City Takeover (single) - The bands reinvention of themselves, although still in progress.
Blood Money (single) -
Vicious Cycles (single) - The song was initially released in an unpolished / demo-like state on Youtube as a "Practice" session. The band was just about to start their hiatus again due to personal issues going on with every member. The name of the song came many years later, looking back, to describe the issues the band members were facing.
Cookies & Biscuits Records & End of the Year Show - After releasing their Demo (initially under the name 'The Ghost of Rick James') and Punk Riots EP and near the end of their contract, the label threw an End of the Year Show
The End (Demo) - The song was added onto the Demo after the band name change. It signified the transition from 'The Ghost of Rick James' to '1st Assault'. It was a proto-song in terms of the what kind of sound the band was moving towards. It laid the foundation for what would eventually become what the band wanted to release with 'Windy City Takeover'.
Windy City Takeover (single) - The bands reinvention of themselves, although still in progress.
Blood Money (single) -
Vicious Cycles (single) - The song was initially released in an unpolished / demo-like state on Youtube as a "Practice" session. The band was just about to start their hiatus again due to personal issues going on with every member. The name of the song came many years later, looking back, to describe the issues the band members were facing.
STORY
Pre-2010
During the end of elementary school, "Krusty" was just getting into actively listening to music. He never really paid much attention previously but enjoyed listening to the radio in the car with his dad; listening to 70s, 80s and 90s hits. His dad grew up on disco and loved artists like the Bee Gees but overall music wasn't a big part of his life. But everything changed during his freshmen year of high school. There, he met someone in his cohort, which they called division (in Chicago), who was dressed in all black, who questioned him about music, had an interesting personality and this intrigued him. By chance, the beginning of Freshmen year was also the era of Nu-Metal. Something about the sound, the videos, the looks completely engrossed him. Krusty started to heavily get into bands like Slipknot, Static-X, Nothingface, Korn, Mudvayne, Spineshank, Kittie and a few others. It was a dramatic change for Krusty.
Krusty at the time was a quiet person, distant, and wasn't talkative. So hearing this aggressive, loud, in-your-face music helped bring out something in him that wasn't usually expressed. This was something that came together because of his upbringing. Him and his dad were immigrants to the U.S., leaving behind everyone they've ever known and started fresh in a place somewhere completely different, without any support. Some things happened around this time that led up to this decision, such as the country falling apart at the end of Communism, Krusty's grandmother passing away due to misdiagnosis, his mother pressuring the situation and a few other things but the ramifications were profound. So as a child, growing up, Krusty only had his dad in his life. But because they came with nothing, his dad had to work long hours and do what he could to help them survive. Krusty recalls having to sleep with his jacket during winter due to the lack of heat, roaches crawling all over him while sleeping and some other poor conditions. Krusty's mom came to the U.S., a year before his dad and him, to help put things in place because her Uncle came first to the U.S., but she completely abandoned them when they came and had nothing to do with his life, even decades later. Due to circumstances, issues at school, issues with people who would come and go, and many other things, it would leave Krusty with some lasting scars. Many horrible traumatic things happened to Krusty during his early years that aren't talked about anymore but influenced his direction, attitude and interests. This is why as soon as he discovered all these bands, so much changed for him.
Krusty changed a lot but there was still further to go. Krusty quickly became a typical so called 'mall-goth', wearing Tripp pants bought at Hot Topic, wearing all black, painting his nails black, wearing spikes & chains, using Manic Panic hair gel to spike it downward. He started going to shows, band signings, listening to music with friends, etc. But Sophomore year, things took a quick turn again. At the time Myspace was becoming a big deal and a huge change to the music scene was happening. The genre Metallic Hardcore / Hardcore was having a revival, along with the new so called "screamo" scene. The album that changed everything for him was Norma Jean's 'Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child'. He would listen to it on his Sony disc player over, over and over, even while going to sleep. A few months later another major shift happened when Deathcore blew up and the "br00tal" scene began and Krusty got hooked and completely took over his musical tastes. Krusty soon began to get heavily into the genre and changed his appearance and interests once again. But this alienated him from the core group that began his change initially. So although there was a mark difference from his earlier years, he felt isolated again even while feeling like he was part of a new and exciting scene / sub-culture.
Krusty ended up having a lasting interest in heavier music, the stories behind bands, music production and so much more. This, along with his isolation, lead to him having full autonomy over what he was about, what he liked and why and what to do with that interest. This would influence what the band 'The Ghost of Rick James' and '1st Assault' would become.
* note: story deviates from real life truth to fiction after this but helps give a reference to this project
"Krusty" grew up in Chicago, which is a major city with lots of diversity, not just in terms of how different each neighborhood can be but also the people there. This led to him having a lot of opportunities to go to garage & basement shows, small and big venues and link up with all kinds of people. He felt isolated in terms of people he met at school but did start to get together with other people he was meeting at shows. Krusty wanted to make his own band and started learning how to play drums. But because he lived in a studio apartment with his dad, he didn't really have options for places to practice except with a kit at his friends house. But sure enough, he created the band 'A 3rd Murder', which was a deathcore-influenced band, especially after hearing Suicide Silence, Chelsea Grin, As Blood Runs Black, My Autumn and many others often included in "top 10 breakdown" videos.
A 3rd Murder started writing a few songs but the friendships were really volatile & superficial. He'd go through several people, never really settling with anyone because everyone was so flakey and unreliable. Krusty ended up writing 3 songs without any help or input from anyone else and basically felt like he was alone in the project. Krusty didn't grow up with those people and it was hard to get together for band practices and even harder to practice drums on his own, because he had to rely on his friend allowing him to use the kit at their house. It was clear the band wasn't really anything more than wishful thinking. Krusty was the one that came up with the band name, he was the one that started the band, got people together but ultimately decided it wasn't working and kicked everyone out and shelved the entire thing.
Krusty again felt disillusioned and dejected. There was a big scene going on but he couldn't find his place in it. Old habits took over and he isolated himself in his room. During this time, he explored the internet and started getting into more music especially Japanese music that was part of the Visual Kei scene. The band 'Dir en grey' became a huge influence on him, as well as 12012, The Gazette and D'espairsRay. Eventually he decided to take his interests and go a different route. He wanted to go to school for graphic design, video production and even fashion design. If he couldn't be in a band himself, he wanted to be part of the scene a different way.
Rico - While going to community college in downtown Chicago, Krusty met Rico in his video production class. Rico was highly into experimental videos and seemed like a very creative person. Rico moved to Chicago from L.A. to get away from some gang activity that he was partially involved in. It was enough to have him going in and out of juvenile detention. His parents were concerned about his future, so decided it was best to move. They settled in the neighborhood of Pilsen on the Southside of Chicago. For a while Rico was frustrated and had a lot of anger for many reasons but had no outlet. So he started making random videos with his camcorder, especially dark & creepy ones. He was really intrigued by serial killers and morbid things. His favorite movie was 'Begotten (1990)'. His parents thought it would be a good idea to get him a drum kit to also let off some steam because they saw how, even though he wasn't acting out and causing trouble outside, his behavior at home was still worrying. With their house, they had enough space for a kit and Rico would end up becoming obsessed with becoming the best. Rico's musical tastes were more eclectic but started leaning into heavier music by the time he met Krusty. After meeting Krusty & hanging out, he started to experiment & practice more while cultivating his own unique style. He never felt he needed a big kit, so has since kept to the simpler setup he started off with. Krusty thought it would be a good opportunity to try to create a band again and 'The Ghost of Rick James' was started.
Winston -
HIATUS
After nights of heavy drinking and constant drug use, three of the members of The Ghost of Rick James decided it was time to get the band moving forward again. The band had numerous run-ins with the law and other illegal activities which in-turn led to stints in prison and lots of rehab. While on a long hiatus the band came up with new material few and far between but when they did, they made sure to really work on their musicianship. The band decided to split with one of its founding members due to disagreements in style and started to pursue something even more aggressive. The band still idolizes Rick James and wants nothing more than to party hard, get a lot of tattoos, make expensive music videos and get laid but knows that their music has to progress.
"Yeah I don't really like their sound but fuck that, I still want in. They've decided to tour under a different name; What a bunch of assholes......Aye, gimmie a smoke, I'm stressing the fuck out!" - The Manager, Rick James
SWITCH UP
Since the band had lost a member they went through a few fill-ins. None of the sissies seemed to fit what the band wanted. Most of the replacements wanted to be all serious & shit and become some lame hard rock or metal band. The members couldn't stand it. But then, one day, they finally found the right replacement.
"We basically found John Wayne sleeping in a camouflaged tent behind Vana's about to punch out Hackit. He basically said he came here to get into hardcore music and he ain't leaving until he finds a band to play with. Well we needed a member and he looked like he was gonna kick our asses...it made sense." - Krusty
With John Wayne now a part of the band, they started to draw even bigger crowds into Vana's particularly. A lot of people at Vana's really disliked Rick James so now that he was more behind the scenes than upfront, the crowd was more accepting of the band.
LEGAL TROUBLES
The band early on found itself in trouble with the law. Krusty would start a lot of fights at Vana's over the most trivial things. If someone looked at him wrong during a show he would jump kick them in the face! If he needed another beer on stage he would throw the empty bottle at the bar. Sometimes he would grope one of the other bands girlfriends when he would run around the audience floor. Winston would talk trash to bands while on & off stage. Sometimes he would tamper with their gear just to get a quick laugh, especially if the band they were playing with was new. Rico would steal drum parts once in a while from other bands when he would wear out his own gear. But it didn't end there. Rick James would sometimes steal money from various venues and show promoters, sell drugs to other bands and managers and even help the band trash hotel & motel rooms then skip out on the bill! They eventually couldn't keep up with all the lawyer fees!
After the release of the Punk-o-Magazine Issue #02 the band got into a serious trademark case about the bands name. The magazine gathered quite a following and it turned out someone from another band read it and showed it to a band with the same name! It turns out there already was a 1st Blood touring in the UK. The band just never bothered to look it up before they used it. Cookies & Biscuits Records lawyers tried to help but ultimately failed because Spanky decided to use grad students instead of successful ones. So because Rick James was a cheap ass and the rest of the band was off doing other crap, so the band name got changed to 1st Assault.
After nights of heavy drinking and constant drug use, three of the members of The Ghost of Rick James decided it was time to get the band moving forward again. The band had numerous run-ins with the law and other illegal activities which in-turn led to stints in prison and lots of rehab. While on a long hiatus the band came up with new material few and far between but when they did, they made sure to really work on their musicianship. The band decided to split with one of its founding members due to disagreements in style and started to pursue something even more aggressive. The band still idolizes Rick James and wants nothing more than to party hard, get a lot of tattoos, make expensive music videos and get laid but knows that their music has to progress.
"Yeah I don't really like their sound but fuck that, I still want in. They've decided to tour under a different name; What a bunch of assholes......Aye, gimmie a smoke, I'm stressing the fuck out!" - The Manager, Rick James
SWITCH UP
Since the band had lost a member they went through a few fill-ins. None of the sissies seemed to fit what the band wanted. Most of the replacements wanted to be all serious & shit and become some lame hard rock or metal band. The members couldn't stand it. But then, one day, they finally found the right replacement.
"We basically found John Wayne sleeping in a camouflaged tent behind Vana's about to punch out Hackit. He basically said he came here to get into hardcore music and he ain't leaving until he finds a band to play with. Well we needed a member and he looked like he was gonna kick our asses...it made sense." - Krusty
With John Wayne now a part of the band, they started to draw even bigger crowds into Vana's particularly. A lot of people at Vana's really disliked Rick James so now that he was more behind the scenes than upfront, the crowd was more accepting of the band.
LEGAL TROUBLES
The band early on found itself in trouble with the law. Krusty would start a lot of fights at Vana's over the most trivial things. If someone looked at him wrong during a show he would jump kick them in the face! If he needed another beer on stage he would throw the empty bottle at the bar. Sometimes he would grope one of the other bands girlfriends when he would run around the audience floor. Winston would talk trash to bands while on & off stage. Sometimes he would tamper with their gear just to get a quick laugh, especially if the band they were playing with was new. Rico would steal drum parts once in a while from other bands when he would wear out his own gear. But it didn't end there. Rick James would sometimes steal money from various venues and show promoters, sell drugs to other bands and managers and even help the band trash hotel & motel rooms then skip out on the bill! They eventually couldn't keep up with all the lawyer fees!
After the release of the Punk-o-Magazine Issue #02 the band got into a serious trademark case about the bands name. The magazine gathered quite a following and it turned out someone from another band read it and showed it to a band with the same name! It turns out there already was a 1st Blood touring in the UK. The band just never bothered to look it up before they used it. Cookies & Biscuits Records lawyers tried to help but ultimately failed because Spanky decided to use grad students instead of successful ones. So because Rick James was a cheap ass and the rest of the band was off doing other crap, so the band name got changed to 1st Assault.
IN STUDIO
From early 2011 to January 2012 the band has been producing demo tapes trying to figure out what songs are going to go on their major LP called 'Windy City Takeover'. But tensions have been high between the band. Lack of commitment, seriousness and extreme partying have totally distanced the band members from each other and goals. Tracks have been made here and there but nothing is set in stone yet. Some suspect the band will never release a full LP and instead will break-up. Despite putting out a promotional advertisement recently on Youtube, many old fans are low on hopes for seeing & listening to anything soon. The band members themselves are so disjointed from music at the moment that morale is at a all time low while each member is trying to get themselves back together. Another issue is that long time friend, co-producer and adviser Spectre hasn't been seen for a while and this of course has the members worried and not as confident about their work. The band recently released a remix of the song 'These Pretzels are Salty' which was produced by Spectre for the 'C&BR End of the Year' album. But no news on Windy City Takeover.
LABEL SPLIT
Rick James was trying to avoid an album contract with Cookies & Biscuit Records and paying a penalty for not having 1st Assault's album out on time. At the moment the band can't get themselves together and unless they would of released an album soon, C&BR was going to fine them. The contract says this would only happen if they stayed with C&BR. C&BR was pissed that they spent so much money promoting 1st Assault but they haven't really put out anything and running a label is expensive. So 1st Assault moved over to Metal Militia Records for a little while. They were suppose to release their first single on Metal Militia (if they made one). And then see where they go from there.
Rick James later decided without the approval of the band to drop Metal Militia and make the band independent. He started promoting their previous two albums on his own trying to gather some cash to help kick-start the bands commitment to music. So far there hasn't been any other news but fans are staying hopeful.
POM RECORDS
In late July the band joined POM Records. Previously the band has been on Cookies & Biscuits but left over a contract dispute. After that they joined Metal Militia and again, they had more disputes especially because they felt MM was "worthless & a waste of time; they're all talk but no show! - Winston", so they left. For a while the band stayed unsigned and self-promoted through Bandcamp. But things change in late 2012. Mr. Schultz, the CEO of POM Records, was looking for bands for his fresh label. He was well connected to the financial world, so he heard of 1st Assault back when they were 1st Blood and were fighting a legal battle for their name. He also heard about all the trouble they would get in. He knew the label needed a band that would stir up noise, get on the news and make an intense entrance. A dull & quiet band would not help the label get any attention, he thought. Mr. Schultz has been prepping the band and getting them the best help possible for their next release.
THE ERAS
These Pretzels are Salty - This was the bands first song. It encompassed the sound they wanted. They became really egotistical after a friend decided to shoot a video for them because that's when new friends, money, booze and drugs started popping up frequently. The band did very little for a while. They basically just coasted off one track. Although the local scene enjoyed sharing this track around. The video ended up on the local cable access music show. The band knew there had to be more though.
Carnage Pwnage - This was the bands first serious song. Well at least serious in song writing terms. The song basically mocked the local metal-heads and started up controversy but the band really got a kick out of it. The video was quite a success and even has a re-edit. The video was in heavy rotation for a while but the band still didn't even have a demo release. There has also been two fan made covers/tributes of the song; one by band 'Wasted' and the other by the band 'Inked and Scarred'.
Paranoia Junkie - Drugs...lots of drugs. The band started messing around with psychotropic drugs to try to get a new sound but they just ended up tweaking a lot and making another hard rock song. They were super paranoid but they loved it. They're look change a bit to reflect that.
No Rush - Growing tired of the pressure to make a song they just sat around drinking booze and sure enough someone left the recorder on and this is what came out of a really short jam session. The band decided to calm their look down even further but kick up the pace of the music.
Punk Riots EP - Sometime later the band decided to go back to their roots and started getting back into the bands Krusty was a huge fan of. They were going around local small clubs and playing some really raw music. At one of the shows the band got frustrated by cops hovering around and that night the pigs finally crashed the whole show. They found Spectre there and after more drinking they decided to make an EP together. With their new sound came a new attitude and style.
Windy City Takeover - The bands reinvention of themselves, although still in progress.
THE CREW
The Manager - Rick James used to be in the band itself as the lead guitarist, although he was an excellent bass player. He's actually the one that came up with the band name 'The Ghost of Rick James'. Nobody knows his real name but he likes to get drunk, really high and everyone in the band and crew accepts him as Rick James now even though we know he's not the real Rick James. He makes sure the band is getting from location to location, has a proper recording space, gets paid, and has a good time. He has been best friends with Krusty since they both grew up in Chicago and together they started the original band. He got too deep into all the bad stuff, worse than he is now, but after rehab he decided to take on a different role with the band. He has made quite a name for himself and the band now idolizes their managers spirit and attitude because he really makes the best out of any situation and really pushes everyone. He also runs Pwnage Studios, which produces all of 1st Assault's work.
The Mentor - Spectre is a long time friend of 'The Ghost of Rick James' and now '1st Assault'. He's sometimes the bands roadie when not working on his stuff for the bands 'Pay the Price' & "Convicted". 1st Assault consults Spectre all the time and the members and crew highly respect him and his opinions. He's part of the family and helped the overall musicianship of the band.
The Photographer - Trace has taken some of the best shots of the band and has really helped the bands image from just something going on in the local scene to a fairly well known presence. The band continues to work with Trace on new promotional material and constantly coming up with ideas and ways to show them. Trace even helped the band out by getting them on the Punk-o-Magazine; it's run by two jerks by the way.
The Record Label (previous) - Spanky with his label 'Cookies and Biscuits Records' has helped the band in the long run by being there to promote all of 'The Ghost of Rick James' material. He really helped the band get their shit together and get out of their long hiatus and start producing music again. The band got to relive fond memories when they did a short tour with his band 'Spanky Revolution'.
The Record Label (present) - Mr. Schultz is a wealthy entrepreneur that is throwing copious amounts of money at the band. He wants his record label to become incredibly popular because he has a huge rivalry with another wealthy German. He will do anything to double or even triple his investment. The band loves money so they highly respect Mr. Schultz. Anything they have in mind, including more expensive ass music videos, is a phone call away with Mr. Schultz.
Reporter - Randy "...we fucking hate this guy. What a piece of shit. Every time I see him I wanna knock his damn teach out - Krusty". They hate him but Randy still covers whatever they're up to. Nuff' said.
Helper - Sid, without him 1st Assault would have never gotten their first shot. He offered them a space in his garage and helped them get their first fans, cash, useless items and also introduced them to some kick ass venues and people. The band wants to say hi to August especially. Thanks Sid.
The Mentor - Spectre is a long time friend of 'The Ghost of Rick James' and now '1st Assault'. He's sometimes the bands roadie when not working on his stuff for the bands 'Pay the Price' & "Convicted". 1st Assault consults Spectre all the time and the members and crew highly respect him and his opinions. He's part of the family and helped the overall musicianship of the band.
The Photographer - Trace has taken some of the best shots of the band and has really helped the bands image from just something going on in the local scene to a fairly well known presence. The band continues to work with Trace on new promotional material and constantly coming up with ideas and ways to show them. Trace even helped the band out by getting them on the Punk-o-Magazine; it's run by two jerks by the way.
The Record Label (previous) - Spanky with his label 'Cookies and Biscuits Records' has helped the band in the long run by being there to promote all of 'The Ghost of Rick James' material. He really helped the band get their shit together and get out of their long hiatus and start producing music again. The band got to relive fond memories when they did a short tour with his band 'Spanky Revolution'.
The Record Label (present) - Mr. Schultz is a wealthy entrepreneur that is throwing copious amounts of money at the band. He wants his record label to become incredibly popular because he has a huge rivalry with another wealthy German. He will do anything to double or even triple his investment. The band loves money so they highly respect Mr. Schultz. Anything they have in mind, including more expensive ass music videos, is a phone call away with Mr. Schultz.
Reporter - Randy "...we fucking hate this guy. What a piece of shit. Every time I see him I wanna knock his damn teach out - Krusty". They hate him but Randy still covers whatever they're up to. Nuff' said.
Helper - Sid, without him 1st Assault would have never gotten their first shot. He offered them a space in his garage and helped them get their first fans, cash, useless items and also introduced them to some kick ass venues and people. The band wants to say hi to August especially. Thanks Sid.
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