Blaster the Rocket Man

Infobox musical artist
Name = Blaster the Rocket Man


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Genre = Surf rock
Horror punk
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Years_active = 1994-2002
Label = Boot to Head Records
Jackson Rubio Records
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Current_members = Daniel Petersen
Brett Sempsrott
Ty Sempsrott
Dustin Spock
Past_members = Dave Petersen
Chrissy Rocket
Mikey Rocket
Jason Alander
Oxford Don
Rusty Sempsrott
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Blaster the Rocket Man was a Christian horror punk band from Evansville, Indiana. They formed in the early 1990s as Blaster the Rocketboy and signed with Boot to Head Records in 1994. They released two records before signing with Jackson Rubio Records. Their name changed to Blaster the Rocket Man for their 1999 release "The Monster Who Ate Jesus". Their final release was "The Anatomy of a Monster", a compilation of material from their Boot to Head years plus some bonus material.

Their sound is often compared to that of the Dead Kennedys or Man or Astro-man?, though headman Otto Bot (stagename for Daniel Petersen) denied any direct influence. Their lyrics use horror and sci-fi themes as Christian allegories; "The Monster Who Ate Jesus" includes a number of songs inspired by C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. Many included themes disdaining Secular humanism. Blaster was also well-known for their stage antics, including masks and costumes as well as frequent audience participation. Masks that Otto wore on stage include a werewolf mask worn for the band's werewolf-themed songs (such as "American Werewolf" and "I Like Lycanthropy") as well as a fly mask, which he wore for "Human Fly Trap".

They played a reunion show at Cornerstone 2004, and two more at Cornerstone 2008.

Drummer Dave Petersen (aka Heater Hands) went on to join the band Squad Five-0 soon after Blaster unofficially disbanded in the summer of 2000. After a few reunion shows with various friends of the band (the two most prominent being in Indiana in 2002, which was recorded and released as part of their "Anatomy of a Monster" compilation, and the other mentioned above in mid 2004 at the Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, Illinois), Otto went on to form the Voice of the Mysterons in his current home of Scotland.

Discography

* "Disasteroid" (1995, Boot to Head Records)
* "Succulent Space Food for Teething Vampires" (1997, Boot to Head)
* "The Monster Who Ate Jesus" (1999, Jackson Rubio, Review: [http://www.tollbooth.org/review99/blaster.html The Phantom TollBooth] )
* "The Anatomy of a Monster" (2004, Boot to Head Records)

Members

Current

Last show played in July 2008.

*Otto Bot (Daniel Petersen) - vocals/lyrics
*Brett Sempsrott - drums
*Ty Sempsrott - guitar
*Dustin Spock - guitar
*Jason Allander - bass

Former

*Heater Hands (Dave Petersen) - drums, guitar on most recordings
*Chrissy Rocket - guitar
*Mikey Rocket - bass
*Jason Alander - guitar
*Oxford Don - bass
*John Grey Vogel - bass
*Rusty Sempsrott - guitar

References

External links

* [http://www.tollbooth.org/2000/creviews/blaster0300.html An account of a Blaster concert]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/indie/sellout1/music/cornerstone.html An account of their Cornerstone 2004 reunion show]
* [http://www.hmmagazine.com/exclusive/cornerstone_2004_review200407/index.php?page=all A general review of Cornerstone 2004]
* [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:ECXnSEkv_XEJ:pigseye.kennesaw.edu/~dkamal/theband.htm+Blaster+the+Rocket+Man&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4&client=opera Short history of the band]
* [http://www.boottohead.com/media.html Boot to Head Records] - includes music downloads