Unwritten Law

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For other uses, see Unwritten Law (disambiguation).

Unwritten Law
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Background information
Origin	San Diego, California
Genre(s)	Rock Punk rock
Years active	1990–present
Label(s)	Red Eye Records Epic Records Interscope Records Lava Records Middle Finger Records
Website	Unwrittenlaw.com
Members
Scott Russo Steve Morris Pat "PK" Kim Tony Palermo
Former members
John Bell Wade Youman Rob Brewer

Unwriten Law is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California (a suburb of San Diego) and currently recording for Middle Finger Records. They have released six full-length studio albums and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are best known for their singles "Seein' Red," "Rest of My Life," and "Save Me (Wake Up Call)." A "best of" album entitled The Hit List is scheduled for release on January 2, 2007.

[edit] Band History

[edit] Formation

Unwritten Law formed in Poway, California (a suburb of San Diego) in 1990. Original drummer Wade Youman generally takes credit for starting the band, and a number of players came and went before the lineup coalesced to include Scott Russo on vocals, Steve Morris and Rob Brewer on guitars, and John Bell on bass. They released their first cassette demo in 1992, followed by the 7" vinyl single Blurr in 1993. The band quickly established themselves in the prolific San Diego music scene of the early 1990s that also included groups such as blink-182, Buck-O-Nine, Sprung Monkey, Drive Like Jehu, and Rocket From the Crypt.

[edit] Early albums

In 1994 the band recorded their first album, Blue Room, which was released by local label Red Eye Records. It established their early sound of fast-paced punk rock and gave them the opportunity to build their reputation by playing local shows in and around the San Diego area. Songs such as "CPK," "Shallow," and "Suzanne" would become favorites with local fans and would remain in their live set for years to come. The album attracted the attention of Epic Records, who signed the band to a recording contract and re-released Blue Room the following year.

Their second album, Oz Factor, was released in 1996. The songs "Denied" and "Superman" recieved airplay on several southern California rock radio stations and were released as singles. Over the next year the band toured the United States with bands such as blink-182 and Pennywise.

[edit] Self-titled album and tours

By 1997 Unwritten Law had signed to Interscope Records and bassist John Bell had left the band. Studio musician Micah Albao joined them in Seattle for the recording of their self-titled album Unwritten Law which was released in 1998. The singles "Lonesome," "Cailin," and "Teenage Suicide" became minor hits on rock radio stations. Pat "PK" Kim joined as their new permanent bass player and the band embarked on the Vans Warped Tour, which took them across North America, Europe, and Australia. In Australia the band developed an enthusiastic and dedicated following, and they would return there over the next few years and release several singles and live recordings exclusive to the country.

[edit] Mainstream popularity

The band spent a considerable amount of time recording and preparing their next release, 2002's Elva. The album was a stylistic change of pace, deliberately moving away from their established punk rock formula and towards a more accessible hard rock sound. The lead single "Up All Night" became somewhat popular, but it was "Seein' Red" and its accompanying music video which brought the band their greatest success, reaching #1 on US modern rock charts. They toured extensively in support of the album alongside bands such as Sum 41 and The Used.

In 2003 the band was invited by VH1 to film an episode of the live acoustic series Music in High Places. The invitation happened somewhat by accident, as the station was hoping to attract Jimmy Eat World but contacted Unwritten Law's management by mistake. The band recorded a set of acoustic performances in various locales at Yellowstone National Park. They prepared the recordings for release as an album, but Interscope declined to release it. The band ended their contract with Interscope and signed to Lava Records, who released Music in High Places as an album. The performance was also released as a DVD entitled Live in Yellowstone. The song "Rest of My Life" from this performance recieved airplay on modern rock radio stations nationwide.

[edit] Lineup changes

Shorty after the release of Music in High Places founding drummer Wade Youman was ejected from the band due to personal and professional issues. For the recording of their next album Here's to the Mourning drummers Adrian Young of No Doubt and Tony Palermo of Pulley joined the band in the studio. The band got along so well with Palermo that by the time of the album's release in 2005 he had joined as their permanent drummer. Much of the lyrics on the album were co-written by singer Scott Russo's girlfriend Aimee Allen, with whom he formed the side project Scott & Aimee. Allen and Linda Perry contributed to the writing of the album's lead single "Save Me (Wake Up Call)," which reached #5 on US modern rock charts. This was followed by the single "She Says."

In March of 2005 guitarist Rob Brewer was fired from Unwritten Law due to disputes with Russo and other band members. The band chose not to replace him and continued on as a 4-piece. They continued to tour in support of Here's to the Mourning across the United States as well as internationally.

[edit] Recent activity

Unwritten Law spent much of 2006 recording a "best of" album entitled The Hit List, which is scheduled for release on January 2, 2007 on Middle Finger Records. The album features 17 of the band's most popular songs re-recorded by the current lineup, as well as 2 new songs including lead single "Shoulda Known Better." Interscope also released a "best of" compilation entitled 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection which includes songs from the albums Unwritten Law and Elva.

[edit] Band members

**Unwritten Law lineups**
(only official members listed)
(1991 - 1998) Blue Room Oz Factor	Scott Russo - vocals Steve Morris - guitar Rob Brewer - guitar John Bell - bass guitar Wade Youman - drums
(1998 - 2003) Unwritten Law Elva Music in High Places	Scott Russo - vocals Steve Morris - guitar Rob Brewer - guitar Pat "PK" Kim - bass guitar Wade Youman - drums
(2005) Here's to the Mourning	Scott Russo - vocals Steve Morris - guitar Rob Brewer - guitar Pat "PK" Kim - bass guitar Tony Palermo - drums
(2005 - current) The Hit List	Scott Russo - vocals Steve Morris - guitar Pat "PK" Kim - bass guitar Tony Palermo - drums

[edit] Current members

Scott Russo – vocals
Steve Morris – guitar, backing vocals
Pat "PK" Kim – bass, backing vocals
Tony Palermo – drums

[edit] Past members

John Bell - bass (1991 - 1998)
Wade Youman - drums (1990 - 2003)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year	Title	Label	Format	Other information
1994	Blue Room	Red Eye Records	CD/Cassette	First album.
1996	Oz Factor	Epic Records	CD	Last album with bassist John Bell.
1998	Unwritten Law	Interscope Records	CD	First album with bassist Pat Kim.
2002	Elva	Interscope Records	CD
2003	Music in High Places	Lava Records	CD	Last album with drummer Wade Youman.
2005	Here's to the Mourning	Lava Records	CD	First album with drummer Tony Palermo. Last album with guitarist Rob Brewer.
2007	The Hit List	Middle Finger Records	CD	"Best of" album featuring new recordings of 17 previously released songs as well as 2 new tracks.

[edit] EPs & 7" vinyl

Year	Title	Label	Format	Other information
1993	Blurr	Red Eye Records	7" vinyl	First single. Out of print.
1996	Lame	Epic Records	7" vinyl	Promotional release only. Out of print.
1999	Visit to Oz	Interscope Records	EP	Australian tour EP. Out of print.

[edit] Compilation albums

Album Cover	Year	Title	Label	Format	Other information
	2006	20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection	Interscope Records	CD	"Best of" compilation of tracks from Interscope releases Unwritten Law and Elva.

[edit] Singles

Year	Song	Label	Format	Other information
1996	"Denied"	Epic Records	CD	Out of print.
1996	"Superman"	Epic Records	CD	Out of print.
2000	"Lonesome"	Interscope Records	CD	Australia-only release. Also includes live recordings of "Falling Down," "Denied," "CPK," and "Lonesome." Out of print.
2001	"Up All Night"	Interscope Records	CD	Also includes the non-album tracks "Darkside" and "Baby, Baby (demo)."
2002	"Seein' Red"	Interscope Records	CD	Also includes the non-album tracks "Take Me Away" and "Mean Girl (Trickbaby remix)."
2005	"Save Me (Wake Up Call)"	WEA/Atlantic	CD	Contains radio edit and non-album Reggae mix of "Save Me" and non-album remix of "Slow Dance."
2005	"She Says"	WEA International	CD	Also includes non-album remixes of "Get Up" and "F.I.G.H.T."

[edit] Official bootlegs

Album Cover	Year	Title	Label	Format	Other information
	1997	Live in Hollyweird	no label	CD	Live recording from the Palace in Hollywood. Released in a limited edition of 2,000. Out of print.

[edit] Non-album tracks

Year	Title	Label	Song(s)	Other information
1997	Before You Were Punk	Vagrant Records	"Goody Two Shoes”	Originally performed by Adam Ant. Features members of Buck-O-Nine on horns.
1999	Short Music for Short People	Fat Wreck Chords	"Armageddon Singalong"	Compilation of 101 bands playing 30-second songs.
2002	Don't Make Me Pull This Thing Over	Roadrunner Records	"Take Me Away"	Soundtrack album to MTV's Road Rules.
2004	unreleased	no label	"Home in Paradise"	Used as theme song for TV series North Shore.

[edit] Demos

Album Cover	Year	Title	Label	Format	Other information
	1992	Six Song Demo	no label	Cassette	Recorded at Blindfold Studios. Out of print.

[edit] Videography

[edit] Music videos

Year	Title	Album
1998	"Teenage Suicide"	Unwritten Law
1998	"California Sky"	Unwritten Law
1998	"Holiday"	Unwritten Law
1999	"Cailin"	Unwritten Law
2002	"Up All Night"	Elva
2002	"Seein' Red"	Elva
2003	"Rest of My Life"	Music in High Places
2005	"Save Me (Wake Up Call)"	Here's to the Mourning
2005	"She Says"	Here's to the Mourning

[edit] Video releases

Cover	Year	Title	Label	Format	Content	Other information
	2003	Live in Yellowstone		DVD	Complete Music in High Places episode of acoustic recordings in Yellowstone National Park.

[edit] Chart positions

Year	Song	US Hot 100	U.S. Modern Rock	U.S. Main- stream Rock	Album
1999	"Cailin"	-	28	-	Unwritten Law
2002	"Seein' Red"	-	1	-	Elva
2002	"Up All Night"	-	14	-	Elva
2003	"Rest of My Life"	-	16	-	Music in High Places
2005	"Save Me (Wake Up Call)"	-	5	-	Here's to the Mourning
2005	"She Says"	-	32	-	Here's to the Mourning
2006	"Shoulda Known Better"	-	-	-	The Hit List

[edit] Trivia

Unwritten Law is referenced in the blink-182 song "Josie" (on the album Dude Ranch) in the line "My girlfriend likes UL and DHC" (DHC refers to Dance Hall Crashers). The original members of blink-182 and Unwritten Law grew up in Poway, California and frequently played together during their bands' early years. Unwritten Law singer Scott Russo sang backing vocals on the song.
Several of Unwritten Law's songs have been included in films:
- "Cailin" is used in Coyote Ugly.
- "Seein' Red" is used in Grind.
Several of their songs have also been used in video games:
- "Get Up" is preloaded onto Xbox 360 premium pack hard drives and is also used in the trailer for Indigo Prophecy.
- "Celebration Song" is used in Need for Speed: Underground 2 and MX vs. ATV Unleashed.
- "F.I.G.H.T." is used in Burnout Revenge and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.

[edit] External links

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