Zack the Rookie
1998-2007
Tony 'MF' Wolfchase - guitar and vocals
Chad O. Knievel - bass and vocals
Benjamin Thomas Shirley - drums
Zack the Rookie was started by myself (bass), Ben Shirley (drums) & Chewy Wells (guitar) in late November 1998 and recorded a crappy 3 or 4 song demo titled 'crust punk' that was available only on cassette (ask your parents). When Chewy quit because God told him to, the band picked up David Chreene to play guitar and and managed to record the ep 'putting the p.u. in punk'.
Next Zack the Rookie managed to pick up Jason Quarles on second guitar when Flushed Out (Natchitoches, LA) called it a day. This is the Zack the Rookie that most people saw perform and honestly, when we really started to find our own sound. It was also a very tumultuous time in the band which made for better music, but less happy members. It didn't help that we were driving and playing at pretty much any place that would let us set up and make noise and barely made enough money to cover gas. These are also some of the best damn memories I have. The four of us managed to record a song for the local Shreveport rock station compilation entitled 'Revolution, Inc.', the ep "how to scream, without making a sound' which had 3 full band songs and 3 acoustic tracks. Also, during this time we became friends with Kevin Spring who would go on to start counterintelligence recordings and decided for some damn reason that he wanted to put a crappy punk rock band on his hardcore/metal label.
The four of us started to record what we thought was going to be a full length for the counterintelligence label, but things came to a head in the recording process and David Chreene was asked to leave the band. Ben, not happy with the decision, left shortly after, but not before he, Jason and I went and salvaged what we could of what had been recorded which we put out as the 3 song ep 'the skeleton needs melting and reshaping'.
Jason and I managed to find a drifter from Texas by the name of Jon Fusco who said he could play drums, so we put him on the couch, bought a drum kit and practiced everyday until we were ready to record our full length for counterintelligence. The result was the album 'lonesome no more' which is still the thing I'm most proud to say that I recorded. We owe Kevin Spring a huge debt for allowing us the time that we got to take on that album and I hope he's as proud of it as we are.
After the album was recorded we managed to pick up Aaron 'Baby Rock' Nash on guitar and kept on playing shows. This is a blur really, but we traded Jon and Ben back a few times and lost Baby Rock somewhere in the middle of all of that. Finally Ben, Jason and myself decided to stay a 3 piece and even managed to record another 3 song ep entitled 'the honky tonk ep'.
We finally called it a day when Ben decided that he was done and Jason and I decided to walk away from the name Zack the Rookie as well. Zack the Rookie played our last show on November 10th, 2007 (which we have a shitty recording of that might make its way on here as well).
Updates: Ben Shirley plays solo acoustic stuff now, so you should look him up on the interwebs. Jason plays the occasional acoustic show as well (sometimes with Ben), as well as playing guitar and singing for Sunday!(x3) along with myself. You can also catch me in the band Death Rides the River, because as it should be obvious by now, we're all too stupid to quit.
Listen
Honkytonk - burn this kiss
Honkytonk - absinthe and empty sin
Honkytonk - rock this honky tonk
How to Scream Without Making a Sound - Bury The Gods
How to Scream Without Making a Sound - Every Rose
How to Scream Without Making a Sound - Kris
How to Scream Without Making a Sound - Falling
How to Scream Without Making a Sound - Tears Rust
How to Scream Without Making a Sound - Stereo
Lonesome No More - Memories ...
Lonesome No More - Death of Spring - The Liar
Lonesome No More - Half Asleep & Changing Lanes
Lonesome No More - Bright Lights Will Kill
Lonesome No More - ... Decay ...
Lonesome No More - Eulogy of Romance
Lonesome No More - Everything You Hate
Lonesome No More - Buried & Breathing
Lonesome No More - ... Like Everything Else
Lonesome No More - Death of Spring II
Lonesome No More - The Untimely Death of Sibyl Vane
Lonesome No More - Fragile
Lonesome No More - Cut the Wires
Lonesome No More - Constellations
Putting the P.U. in Punk - My Heart Will Go On
Putting the P.U. in Punk - Wanted Nothing
Putting the P.U. in Punk - Listen To The Mustn'ts
Putting the P.U. in Punk - Chewy's Bad News
Putting the P.U. in Punk - Dotted Lines
Putting the P.U. in Punk - Be A Punk
Putting the P.U. in Punk - Winter Of Disillusionment
The Skeleton Needs Melting and Reshaping - everything you hate
The Skeleton Needs Melting and Reshaping - beneath this symphony
The Skeleton Needs Melting and Reshaping - out of the ashes
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