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696163

Wino

Wino

Band formed in Louisville, KY

Wino's Genre:

Heavy Metal, Sludge Metal, American Trad Rock

Biography

Robert Scott Weinrich, better known by his nickname, Wino, is one of the leading figures in the America's underground heavy metal movement. Even though none of the influential bands Wino has fronted -- the Obsessed, Saint Vitus, Spirit Caravan, etc. -- ever achieved mainstream success, they are collectively seen as essential building blocks in the history of heavy metal, particularly in the doom field. As a result, Wino's legend has steadily spread over a three-and-a-half-decade career marked by more challenges than triumphs, making him one of the most referenced and respected icons in the global heavy metal community.

Weinrich was born on September 28, 1961, picked up his first guitar at age eight, and by age 15 had already started his first serious band, War Horse, while attending T.S. Wooton High School in Rockville, Maryland. By his own admission, the guitarist had a difficult time choosing a favorite style amid his multiple influences ranged from the Beatles to Frank Zappa to Black Sabbath to proto-punk "energy" bands (as they were then called) like the Dictators; at least until he witnessed a Judas Priest concert in 1978 and was transfixed by the opening act, Pentagram. An unsigned band from the neighboring state of Virginia, Pentagram and its magnetic frontman, Bobby Liebling, had been following in the footsteps of Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer since the early '70s, and their act convinced Wino to step into line with his own recently renamed fledgling outfit, the Obsessed. But, much like Wino's new heroes, the Obsessed were a band out of time, completely unfashionable and pretty much untouchable in the eyes of bottom-line-wary record companies of the era. So after making no headway for several years, on-stage or in demo form, the only resort left for the vocalist/guitarist and his cohorts Mark Laue (bass) and Dave the Slave (drums) to pursue was to finance their own recordings, which they did with 1983's Sodden Jackal EP, to be sold at gigs. Two years later, the Obsessed also managed to land a song named "Concrete Cancer" on Metal Blade's Metal Massacre, Vol. 6 compilation, but they were obviously going nowhere fast. So when Wino's connections in the D.C. hardcore scene, Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins, recommended he look into the vacant lead vocalist position with L.A.-based doom outfit Saint Vitus, Wino jumped at the chance, and 1986 found him living in Tinsel Town, rehearsing six days a week with Vitus.

However, as the only bona fide heavy metal band signed to seminal independent hardcore label SST, Saint Vitus were hardly living like rock stars. In fact, guitarist Dave Chandler, bassist Mark Adams, drummer Armando Acosta -- and recently departed lead singer Scott Reagers -- had little to show for their half-decade existence save for a record deal, a few albums and name recognition on the fringes of metal and hardcore. Although Wino's contributions were immediately felt on Saint Vitus' next (and generally acknowledged best) album, Born Too Late, America's growing fascination with heavy metal had yet to expand enough beyond glam and thrash to appreciate Vitus' revival of Black Sabbath's doom-laden approach. That said, the tide would steadily turn in that direction throughout the late ‘80s, opening the door for their band to tour Europe. Yet Saint Vitus enjoyed very meager rewards from their next two albums, Mournful Cries (1988) and V (1990). Around this time, Wino also covertly contributed vocals to the demos of an obscure L.A. doom band named Lost Breed, and guitar and bass parts for the Mentors. All of these factors, as well as escalating substance abuse and deteriorating relationships with the members of St. Vitus, combined to drive Wino out of the band. Around the same time, an eponymous release of ancient demos by the Obsessed also motivated him to resurrect his old group with the help of bassist Scott Reeder and drummer Greg Rogers. Two new studio albums by the Obsessed followed on Hellhound Records, with 1992's Lunar Womb solidifying Wino's standing as a doom force to be reckoned with. The Church Within (featuring bassist Guy Pinhas) issued in 1994, was picked up by Columbia Records. But the record did not meet the major-label's unrealistic sales expectations and the Obsessed's latest incarnation soon crumbled. Wino now had something bigger to worry about anyway -- a life-threatening drug habit.

After surviving nearly two decades' worth of heavy boozing and drug abuse, Wino suddenly found himself alone and adrift in Los Angeles as the ‘90s neared their halfway mark. With no band to focus his energies on, he was despondent, destitute, and eventually became homeless. He finally hit rock bottom when an injured foot became so infected it nearly required amputation. But Weinrich proved resilient. He made his way back east, where he proceeded to clean up his act and inevitably started playing music again. He hooked up with former Wretched bassist/vocalist Dave Sherman and ex-Unorthodox drummer Gary Isom to launch new band Shine, which was shortly thereafter renamed Spirit Caravan. Over the course of two inspired albums (1999's Jug Fulla Sun and 2001's Elusive Truth) and one EP (1999's Dreamwheel), Spirit Caravan developed a leaner, more psychedelic, and even more spiritual doom metal template; it was responsible for some of the strongest material of Wino's career (even though old Obsessed material continued to be re-utilized on these releases). Warmly embraced by the bustling stoner rock scene of the period, Spirit Caravan properly exposed Wino's talents to a larger, younger, and more accepting audience than ever before. Not to be outdone, many longtime Wino loyalists also considered Spirit Caravan his crowning achievement, making it all the sadder when the trio decided to go their separate ways in May of 2002, leaving behind 2003's The Last Embrace anthology as a final keepsake.

However, Spirit Caravan's downfall hardly spelled the end of the road for Wino who, if anything, appeared to be busier than ever as he briefly joined Place of Skulls (the band led by former Pentagram guitarist Victor Griffin) for 2003's With Vision LP, performed on Dave Grohl's Probot project (amid countless guest solos played on many other stoner rock bands' albums), then founded yet another original power trio named the Hidden Hand. For this endeavor, Wino partnered with bassist/vocalist Bruce Falkinburg and drummer Dave Hennessy, in what amounted to a conspiracy theory-laced psychedelic doom group (tweaked by sporadic hardcore speed bursts as had been Wino's custom going back to his Obsessed days), whose political concerns were obviously totally at odds with Spirit Caravan's more ethereal subject matter. The Hidden Hand would go on release three studio albums in 2003's Divine Propaganda, 2004's Mother Teacher Destroyer, and 2007's The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote (featuring new drummer Evan Tanner), amid a smattering of EPs and splits. The band duly ran its course as Wino -- by then increasingly stable in his personal life -- started feeling creatively restless. Never one to say no to a guest appearance, or a new collaboration, Wino joined forces with Neurosis vocalist/guitarist Scott Kelly, Om bassist Al Cisneros, and Melvins drummer Dale Crover in a supergroup called Shrinebuilder (their eponymous LP emerged the following year). Then he surprised fans everywhere by releasing his first album under the Wino name with 2009's Punctuated Equilibrium. The biggest surprise came a year later, however, with the release of his debut solo (largely) acoustic effort Adrift on Germany's Exile on Mainstream label. Despite its instrumentation -- his acoustic guitar with some electric highlights -- the album was indeed "heavy." In 2011, while touring in support of Adrift, Wino met German singer/songwriter Conny Ochs on a label tour. Ochs was supporting his aptly titled Raw Love Songs effort. The pair hit it off immediately, shared some stage time during the tour, and wrote and recorded together after. The end result was the collaborative album Heavy Kingdom; it appeared in Europe in January of 2012 and in North America in early spring. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

AOL Radio Stations Wino is Featured on (1)

Wino

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Orange Goblin, Electric Wizard, Weedeater, Saint Vitus, Sleep, High On Fire, Kyuss, Clutch, Black Sabbath, Samothrace and more.

All Stations

Wino's Selected Discography (4)

Adrift Album Cover

Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records201012 Songs

Punctuated Equilibrium Album Cover

Punctuated Equilibrium

2009 Southern Lord Recordings200910 Songs

Adrift Album Cover

Adrift

201112 Songs

Wino Album Cover

Wino

200111 Songs

All Albums

Artists Related to Wino (50)

	Orange Goblin	Heavy metal rockers that compose Orange Goblin are Martyn Millard (bass), Ben Ward (vocals), Joe Hoari (guitar), Pete O'Mally (guitar), and Chris Turner (drums), and together these fine bandmates compose the harsh doom rock sounds similar to the likes of Mammoth Volume, Clawfinger, and Kyuss.
	Electric Wizard	Often referred to as the "heaviest band in the universe," England's Electric Wizard have consistently redefined the preconceived thresholds of a detuned guitar chord with their peerless doom metal achievements -- this despite an often interpersonally troubled, if musically triumphant, career.
	Weedeater	Weedeater was born the mid-'90s, in Wilmington, NC, originally taking shape as a side project of vocalist/bassist "Dixie" Dave Collins, who was otherwise engaged with sludge metal cult favorites Buzzov*en at the time.
	Saint Vitus	One of the leading American doom metal acts of the '80s (along with Trouble and the Obsessed), Saint Vitus was cursed with public indifference throughout their decade-plus career, which both started and ended in frustrating obscurity.
	Sleep	Perhaps the ultimate stoner rock band, Northern California trio Sleep had a career that wafted in and out of focus from within their self-mandated cloud of marijuana smoke.
	High On Fire	Guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike, bass player George Rice, and drummer Des Kensel formed High on Fire in 1999, following the collapse of Pike's previous band, doom metal titans Sleep.
	Kyuss	Hailing from Palm Desert, CA, Kyuss (pronounced "kai-uss") has become something like a heavy metal equivalent to the Velvet Underground.
	Clutch	Clutch combined elements of funk, Led Zeppelin, and metal with vocals inspired by Faith No More. Formed in 1991 in Germantown, MD, the group included Neil Fallon (vocals), Tim Sult (guitar), Dan Maines (bass), and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums).
	Black Sabbath	Black Sabbath have been so influential in the development of heavy metal rock music as to be a defining force in the style.
	Samothrace
	Clouds
	Pulling Teeth	Bringing together former members of such heavy-duties as the Slumlords, the Spark, Desperate Measures, and Never Enough, Pulling Teeth (Alex, Chris, Danny, Dom, and Mike) formed in Baltimore and released their first album Vicious Skin in 2006.
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	Megasus	Looking to record a song for Guitar Hero II, Megasus were formed in 2006 by Harmonix (the creators of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises) employees and local musicians Jason Kendall (Amazing Royal Crowns), Dare Matheson (Made in Mexico), Ryan Lesser (Laurels), and Paul Lyons (Scared Stiffs).
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	Outlaw Order	Formed in the early 2000s, Outlaw Order are probably best known as an offshoot of New Orleans-based sludge metal band Eyehategod.
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	Arson Anthem	Essentially an attempt by former Pantera frontman (and frontman for Superjoint Ritual and Down) Phil Anselmo to revisit the days of ‘pure' hardcore, Arson Anthem (which not only harnessed the hardcore sound, but wrapped it in with a healthy dose of sludge) released their debut EP, the eight track Arson Anthem, in 2008.
	Black Tusk	Emerging onto the metal scene from Savannah, GA in 2005, Black Tusk specialize in a brand of sludgy metal they call "swamp metal.
	Middian	Portland, OR power trio Middian was founded in 2005 by vocalist and guitarist Mike Scheidt, when his previous musical concern, YOB, collapsed after releasing four albums of frequently acclaimed, epic-trance metal.
	Mortuus	Not to be confused with the lead singer of Marduk, nor any number of underground black metal bands by the same name that you may find crawling through European cellars, Sweden's Mortuus are the work of two nameless musicians who originally intended a two-song, self-titled 7" single from 2005 to be their first and final invocation for the Earth's demise.
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	Bloodhorse	Originally formed in late 2004 as a way to keep busy and kill the downtime from their other bands, drummer Alex Garcia-Rivera, bassist/vocalist Matt Woods, and guitarist/vocalist Adam Wentworth formed Bloodhorse and began pushing the limits of stoner metal.
	Morgion	One of America's most underrated entries into the doom/death metal arena, Orange County, CA's Morgion were formed in 1990 by Jeremy Peto (vocals/bass), Dwayne Boardman (guitars/vocals), and Rhett Davis (drums).
	Jeremy Peto
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	Bongzilla	Madison, WI's Bongzilla specialize in uncommonly heavy and doomy sludge-core dedicated to their one and only love: weed.
	Torche	After the breakup of Floor in 2004, Torche vocalist/guitarist Steve Brooks decided to carry on the thundering tradition of his former band, recruiting guitarist Juan Montoya (also formerly of Floor), drummer Rick Smith, and bassist Jonathan Nuñez.
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	Atlas Moth	Fusing blues, doom, and psychedelic rock, the Atlas Moth look to their hometown of Chicago, Illinois for inspiration in their post-metal experiments.
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Top Songs by Wino (50)

Release Me

5:53

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

Shot In the Head

2:42

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Adrift

3:11

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Suzanes Song

3:35

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Water Crane

1:57

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

Whatever

2:21

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

One Eyed Willie

4:41

from: Sounds of the Geographically Challenged

2000 Temporary Residence Ltd.

O.B.E.

2:51

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Silver Lining

4:32

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

I Don't Care

3:26

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Wild Blue Yonder

6:25

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

Hold On Love

3:23

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Eyes of the Flesh

4:12

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

Iron Horse/Born To Lose

4:05

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Green Speed

4:54

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Gods, Frauds, Neo-Cons and Demagogues

3:13

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

Old and Alone

4:36

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Punctuated Equilibrium

2:46

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

Mala Suerte

3:50

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

D-Bear

3:06

from: Adrift

2010 Exile On Mainstream Records

Secret Realm Devotion

4:50

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

The Woman In the Orange Pants

3:26

from: Punctuated Equilibrium [Bonus Tracks]

(P) 2009 Southern Lord Recordings

Inspiration

from: Wino

Desperation

from: Wino

Glass Blower

from: Wino

A Minute Fifty-One

from: Wino

Burn Down the Brick Factory

from: Wino

*****

from: Wino

Attack Utopia

from: Wino

Eon

from: Wino

Fast Freddie

from: Wino

Make-Out Party

from: Wino

Dutch Oven

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Red Wings

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Yam Hand

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Dogs

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Mountain River

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Heaven

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Winner Takes Nothing

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Mensural

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Johnny Deeper

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Guns

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

What the Paper Said

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Downtown

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Truth Cigar

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Spiked Heels and Leather

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Blue Tree

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Best Friend

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Red Eye

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

Edward

from: A Bottle of Pills with a Bullet Chaser

All Songs