Rooney biography
Rooney is an American rock band from Los Angeles, currently self-produced and formerly signed to Geffen Records. The band is now composed of Robert Schwartzman (lead vocals, guitar), Louie Stephens (keyboards, piano), Taylor Locke (lead guitar, backing vocals), Ned Brower (drums, backing vocals), and Brandon Schwartzel (bass guitar). The band is named after Ed Rooney, the principal in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Their music is reminiscent of British Invasion rock and 1980s pop, and has been compared to The Beatles, The Cars, Jellyfish, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Blur. They have toured the nation with acts such as the Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson, Weezer, The Strokes, Tally Hall, The All-American Rejects, and The Academy Is....
History
Early history
Rooney first formed as Ed Rooney back in 1999. The original lineup consisted of Robert Schwartzman, Matthew Winter on bass, Teddy Briggs on drums, and Matthew Star (née Srolestar) and Taylor Locke on guitar. Ned Brower replaced Briggs as drummer and Louie Stephens was added as keyboardist. They released a series of independent EPs called
Deli Meats (2000),
Plug It In (2001), and
Mastedonia (2002).
The band played multiple shows a month around Los Angeles and Anaheim and built up a strong following. Schwartzman moved to New York City to attend the Eugene Lang College at the New School. Instead of writing papers, he spent his dorm room nights writing new Rooney songs. Schwartzman sent his latest material to his bandmates in LA and flew home every month to perform. They recorded another demo CD with producers Keith Forsey and Brian Reeves. It consisted of the songs "Popstars," "If It Were Up To Me," and "Losing All Control." The demo made its way around LA and created buzz for the band at the major labels and management companies. Schwartzman decided to leave school and pursue the band full time. Rooney played a show at the Roxy in early 2002 packed with Rooney fans and A&R representatives. After the show, the president of Geffen Records approached the band. After meeting all interested parties, the band went to Interscope to meet with Jimmy Iovine. Iovine expressed his love for the demo and said he would produce a couple of tracks himself if they signed with them. Based on their roster, Rooney signed the deal with Geffen/Interscope in 2002.
Calling the World
Following their summer tour, the band began their third sessions for a second album. Only three songs from the previous sessions ("Don't Come Around Again," "Paralyzed," and "Tell Me Soon"), were kept for their new album,
Calling the World. On March 6, 2007, the single "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" was released on their official MySpace. The single also was used in commercials of the TV show
Beauty and the Geek. It was also used in an episode of
Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County, in the
Gossip Girl season 1 episode "Wild Brunch". and in the movie
Nancy Drew. The album was released to stores July 17, 2007 and debuted #42 on The Billboard Top 100 Albums chart.
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