The Rugburns - History

History

Starting as classmates at the University of San Diego, the group formed in the mid-1980s and began playing in the San Diego, CA area. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Poltz and Driscoll played as an acoustic duo in various coffeehouses and bars including the Blarney Stone Pub, Innerchange Coffee House, and Java Joe's. Poltz wrote most of the songs, with Driscoll and McMullin contributing several songs along the way. The group released several self-produced cassette tapes and was a local favorite in San Diego.

After augmenting the lineup with bassist Gregory Page and drummer Jeff Aafedt, the group signed a contract with Bizarre/Planet Records in 1993 (a label associated with Herb Cohen, who had earlier managed Tom Waits and Frank Zappa). Poltz and Driscoll remained as the original core of the band. The group released their label debut with Morning Wood, which was produced by Buddy Blue (formerly of The Beat Farmers), in early 1994. With comical, sometimes bizarre lyrics, the band experienced their first taste of national exposure. The music and lyrics were compared to bands such as The Beat Farmers and Ween. The songs "Hitchhiker Joe" and "Me and Eddie Vedder" would go on to be the most recognizable tracks on the album. "Hitchhiker Joe" received a large amount of airplay on San Diego station 91X in early 1994, holding the No. 1 slot on the nightly "Top 10" for several weeks. The video for "Hitchhiker Joe" was filmed at a local San Diego high school, and was directed by Michael Addis, who went on to direct several feature films. Jewel also appeared in the video. "Me and Eddie Vedder" was a raucous meditation on the glorious possibilities of overdosing in a hotel room alongside Eddie Vedder. The experience concludes with 8-track players blaring the Houses of the Holy album as Vedder and Poltz are laid to rest.

In early 1995, the band released an EP called "Mommy I'm Sorry," which included the song "Dick's Automotive," which was a favorite at The Rugburns' shows. The song later influenced the "Weird Al" Yankovic song "Albuquerque."

In 1995, the band signed a deal with Priority Records. and released one more full-length album in late 1995, "Taking the World By Donkey," which again featured a generous helping of acoustic guitars spiked with ridiculous lyrics. Some of the humor of the first record was replaced with darker themes. "The Ballad of Tommy and Marla" tells the sad tale of a couple that becomes hooked on crystal meth and eventually have their entire lives destroyed by their drug abuse.

After a few years of touring the United States, Driscoll left the band and went back to teaching, his first profession. The band achieved a small level of national fame when some of the fans of Jewel Kilcher began to follow the group. Steve Poltz dated Jewel for some time, co-wrote perhaps her biggest hit, "You Were Meant for Me" (and appeared in the video for that song as her love interest) and he was known to occasionally play with her live. On Jewel's Spirit World Tour in 2000, Poltz served as the opening act, playing solo, as well as playing acoustic guitar as part of Jewel's backing band.

Through the late 1990s, the lineup of the Rugburns changed several times, always with Steve Poltz as the lead singer/song writer. Eventually the band faded away in favor of Poltz's solo career; Poltz released "One Left Shoe" on Mercury Records in 1997, and other solo albums. He still tours constantly and has released a number of critically acclaimed solo albums. Bassist John Castro now lives in New York City and performs and records with Pretendo and Morricone Youth.