Synchronic Entertainment was founded in 1983 by Rob Ross (guitar/vox), along with Marc Treboschi (guitar/vox) as an outlet for their band, Two Minutes Hate (who eventually morphed into The Punch Line). The label's initial releases were the band's Love, Hate and Social Criticism (1983, cassette-only), and Seconds, Time Signatures and Strings (1984) e.p.'s.
With the release of The Punch Line's debut single, "The Wild Flowers" c/w "Faster Than I Like" in January 1988, Synchronic Records was a full-fledged record label. Aside from issuing The Punch Line's single and the 2006 "reunion" album, ...to get to the other side, it is with ambition and hope that Synchronic will release other artists under its' banner.
ROB ROSS: True Confessions
Full Name: Robert Louis Ross
Date of Birth: January 7, 1965
Status: Married, no children, 3 cats
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Zodiac Sign: Capricorn
Instruments: guitars/bass/keyboards/harmonica/autoharp/Irish tin whistle/sitar/banjo/various percussion
Favorite Food: Indian/Mexican/Italian
Favorite Drink: Cappuccino/Bass ale
Non-musical interests: art/books/movies/hockey/baseball/gym/Sahaja Yoga/Macs/cats/cooking/writing/politics
Music: Beatles/That Petrol Emotion/Teardrop Explodes/Who/Jam/Undertones/Buzzcocks/Wire/English Beat/Small Faces/Pink Floyd and countless others--too long a list
Favorite Song: Paperback Writer - Beatles/Wednesday Week - Undertones/Start! - Jam
Favorite Album: Revolver - Beatles/Babble - That Petrol Emotion/Kilimanjaro - Teardrop Explodes
Most Memorable Concert: That Petrol Emotion at The Ritz - November, 1987. The best and most powerful band I've ever seen.
Favorite Films: Quadrophenia/Head/Trainspotting/The Kids Are Alright/Excalibur/Glengarry Glen Ross/The Long Good Friday
Favorite T.V. Shows: The Monkees/The Munsters
Favorite Books: Down And Out In Paris And London - George Orwell/The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Robert Tressell/Autobiography Of A Yogi - Paramahansa Yogananda
Heroes: George Orwell/D. Boon/Krsna
BIOGRAPHY
Rob Ross (born January 7, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York) is a singer/songwriter/musician. He is best known for his work with the late 80s alternative pop band The Punch Line.
Growing up in the New York City suburb of Staten Island, he joined local political-punk band The Common Cause, who immediately became cult favorites Two Minutes Hate (name taken from Orwell's 1984). Although short-lived (1983 - 1985), T.M.H. built a quick reputation for aggressive, exciting and (somewhat) confrontational performances. While he was studying for his degree at Manhattan's Pace University, Rob wrote half of Two Minutes Hate's debut album as well as most of the tracks for two extended-play releases, Love, Hate & Social Criticism (their debut) and Seconds, Time Signatures & Strings, which received much local radio airplay.
Two Minutes Hate dissolved in late 1985, but along with T.M.H. bass guitarist, Marc Treboschi, Rob assembled The Punch Line by May, 1986. Joining this band were Carl Treboschi (older brother of Marc), who came in on bass, while Marc moved over to guitar and drummer Chris Collins (ex-Mod Fun), who had been a friend of Two Minutes Hate and sometime drummer for an offshoot project with Rob Ross and Marc Treboschi. Taking their name from the debut album by The Minutemen, The Punch Line were an altogether different affair from Two Minutes Hate, with melodic, crafted pop songs and rich vocal harmonies. Often looked upon as "The Beatles meet The Buzzcocks", The Punch Line very quickly garnered college radio airplay with the release of their debut 45, "The Wild Flowers" in January, 1988. While recording the first attempted version of their debut album, the band quietly dissolved.
Reconvening in 1991, The Punch Line picked up where they left off, with shows, recording sessions and the promise of success looming ahead. However, tensions again took their toll on the band due to the pressure of not getting to that next level. After more sessions were completed for the album (the tapes were languishing at this point for three years), the band went their separate ways. They did, however, make an appearance on the R.E.M. tribute album Surprise Your Pig, with their version of "Bandwagon".
Rob Ross then went on to briefly join another band, Smile, who released one e.p., then split due to Rob's lack of interest. Citing "a band-by-numbers doesn't work", he turned his back on performing and concentrated on working within the industry, where he had assumed a management position with a major label.
Solo appearances on the Julian Cope/Teardrop Explodes tribute compilation series, Interpreters, brought Rob back to recording on a regular basis (in this instance, playing all the instruments himself).
After a twelve-year gap, The Punch Line reformed (albeit with a slightly changed line-up) in May, 2004. They returned to playing live and completed a re-recorded version of the "lost"/"legendary" ...to get to the other side, which was released via the Synchronic Entertainment imprint, in April, 2006.
In July, 2006, Rob Ross announced that he was putting an end to The Punch Line, saying that he "no longer desired to continue being 18". At the present time, he has begun recording new material and is playing low-key acoustic shows in the Northeast.
EQUIPMENT:
Going back to the days of Two Minutes Hate and then, subsequently, The Punch Line, if memory serves me well:
Rob Ross: (Two Minutes Hate) Standard American Fender Telecaster
(borrowed) Fender SuperReverb amp
(The Punch Line) Fender '72 Telecaster Custom
Rickenbacker 330 WB
Rickenbacker 360B 12-string
Epiphone Casino
(very briefly) Les Paul Junior
Fender Squier Stratocaster
At the tail end of the last Punch Line period, Gibson SG Special with split double-coil humbucking pickups
For amplification: Roland JC-120 amp with a Yamaha reverb processing unit, plus overdrive, delay, flanger, distortion and phaser boxes to widen the sound
Fender Jazz bass
Whenever acoustic guitars were needed, a 12-string Madera (Guild) with a slap-on pick up
Casiotone MT-500 keyboard, which I bought in '86
Marc Treboschi: (Two Minutes Hate) Fender Musicman bass
(The Punch Line, switched to guitar), Customized Telecaster with split coil double humbuckers
Fender SuperReverb amp
(back over to bass before the band split in '92) Rickenbacker 4001 bass
Joel Katz: (Two Minutes Hate) Customized Telecaster with split double humbucking pickups and built-in pre-amp
Vox AC-30 amp
Vinny Kim: (Two Minutes Hate) Rogers drums, Zildjian cymbals
Carl Treboschi: (The Punch Line) Fender Precision bass
Guild 6-string acoustic guitar
Gibson Les Paul Junior (moved to guitar when Marc switched to bass)
Chris Collins: (The Punch Line) Ludwig drums, Zildjian and Sabian cymbals
Bob Werner: (The Punch Line) Rickenbacker 4003
Fernandez Telecaster bass replica
Epiphone Thunderbird
Fender Jazz bass
Marshall amplification
We all contributed various percussion and keyboards; Carl also played mandolin; I played harmonica and autoharp (shades of my hero, John Sebastian!). It was an experimentally rich and adventurous group of musicians and I'm proud to have worked with them.
ROLL CALL:
An endless amount of thanks must be given to certain parties for their never-ending faith, encouragement, kindness and love, so here 'tis:
Elizabeth Ross - for being who she is
Brian Greenlee - for brotherhood
Marc Allan - for being an inspiration (and my hero since we were kids)
Valerie Sanns - for loving sisterhood
Raymond Gorman and Ciaran McLaughlin - for friendship, light, good humor and prodding me in the right direction, both musically and spiritually
Alicia Orsini-Johnson/Jason Wolfe/Roland Chowfatt/Jimmy Lee/Gayle Halligan/Loretta Geary/Jonathan Hill/Stephanie Roberts/Rob Eberhardt/Keith Lyle/Ray "Captain Sensible" Burns/Courtney Blake/Chena Life/Doug Jacobson/Jessica Van Campen/Michael Kooi/Alan Wherry/Sheena Rodriguez/Deprena Baxter/Brady Hunt/Aashi Deacon/Gary Owen/Travis Emmitt
I'm sure there are many I've left out inadvertently, so if I've forgotten you, please don't be shy!
This website was laid out using a Apple iBook G4 with OS 10.4 (Tiger) and an HP Pavilion dv2000 with Windows Vista
