Richard Cheese
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Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine | |
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![]() Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine performing live in 2011 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2000–present |
Labels | Coverage Records (current), Surfdog, Oglio |
Members | Richard Cheese (Mark Jonathan Davis) Bobby Ricotta (Noel Melanio) Frank Feta (Brian Fishler) Billy Bleu (Ron Belcher) |
Website | richardcheese |
Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine (or simply Richard Cheese) is a cover band and comedy act, performing popular songs in a lounge/swing style. Lounge singer Richard Cheese is a character created and portrayed by Los Angeles–based actor/comedian/singer Mark Jonathan Davis.
History
Davis developed the Richard Cheese lounge singer idea in the mid-1990s.[citation needed] The band's work was first broadcast in 2000 by KROQ-FM and the Dr. Demento show.[1]
Releases
The band's debut album Lounge Against the Machine was released in 2000 by Oglio Records.[2] Cheese's second and third albums, Tuxicity and I'd Like a Virgin were independently released in 2002 and 2004 by Cheese's own label, Ideatown Entertainment (later renamed to Coverage Records).[citation needed] From 2004 to 2006, Surfdog Records released three Richard Cheese CDs: Aperitif for Destruction, a studio album, Silent Nightclub, a collection of songs tangentially related to the holiday season, and The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese, which included newly re-recorded versions of six covers plus three new covers. Surfdog also re-released the Richard Cheese albums Tuxicity and I'd Like a Virgin on their label.[citation needed]
Beginning in 2007, the band returned to releasing its own albums through its independent Coverage Records label: Dick at Nite, Viva La Vodka: Richard Cheese Live, OK Bartender, A Lounge Supreme, Live at the Royal Wedding and its companion behind-the-scenes album The Royal Baby Album, Back in Black Tie, and a Christmas album, Cocktails with Santa.[citation needed] Cheese released a studio album on CD titled Licensed to Spill in 2017, and a greatest hits digital compilation titled Lord of the Swings: The Best of Richard Cheese, Volume 2 in 2018. In 2019, the band released Richard Cheese's Big Swingin' Organ, an album of instrumental organ versions of nine of their songs. Also, in 2019 it released a one-track parody album titled Richard Cheese: Live on Titan which satirized the ending of the motion picture Avengers: Infinity War.[citation needed] A studio album titled Numbers Of The Beast was released digitally on July 31, 2020, and another studio album titled Big Cheese Energy was released digitally on February 26, 2021.[citation needed]
Since 2000, Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine band has released 28 albums.[citation needed]
Film work
Richard Cheese's cover of Disturbed's "Down with the Sickness" was featured in the 2004 Zack Snyder-directed remake of Dawn of the Dead.[3] In 2016, the band had two songs in the motion picture Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and released a one-track parody album called Live at Wayne Financial Tower in which the band's performance is cut short by Superman's heat vision.[3] Warner Bros. hired the band to perform and appear as animated LEGO mini-figs in the 2017 film The Lego Batman Movie.[3] In May 2021, Snyder's Army of the Dead movie featured Richard Cheese singing the opening song "Viva Las Vegas" in a duet with Allison Crowe.[3]
The character of Richard Cheese appeared in the Kristen Wiig comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, released in February 2021..[3]
Band members
As of 2015 the lineup of the Lounge Against the Machine band was:
- Richard Cheese – vocals
- Bobby Ricotta – piano, keyboards
- Frank Feta – drums, percussion
- Billy Bleu – upright bass, bass
The names are all pseudonyms that refer to types of cheese (ricotta, feta, bleu).[1]
The role of pianist and musical director Bobby Ricotta is currently[when?] played by Noel Melanio. The band's first drummer Buddy Gouda was played by Todd LaValley, and then by Charles Byler. Byler left the band in 2004; he was replaced by Brian Fishler and the drummer's stage name was changed to Frank Feta. The current bass player, Billy Bleu, is portrayed by Ron Belcher.[citation needed]
Discography
All self-released as Coverage Records except where noted.
Studio albums and singles
- Lounge Against the Machine (2000) (Oglio Records)[4]
- Tuxicity (2003) (Surfdog Records)[4] [A]
- Aperitif for Destruction (2005) (Surfdog Records)[4]
- Silent Nightclub (2006) (Surfdog Records)[4]
- I'd Like a Virgin (2006) (Surfdog Records)[4] [B]
- Dick at Nite (2007)[4]
- Viva la Vodka (2009)[4]
- OK Bartender[4] (2010)[5]
- Lavapalooza[4] (2010)[citation needed] (as Richard Cheese presents Johnny Aloha)
- Richard Cheese: Live at the Royal Wedding[4] (2011)[citation needed]
- Cocktails with Santa[4]
- A Lounge Supreme[4] (2011)[citation needed]
- Back in Black Tie[4] (2012)[citation needed]
- The Lounge Awakens[4] (2015)[citation needed]
- Supermassive Black Tux[4] (2015)[citation needed]
- Bakin' at the Boulder [Live at the Boulder Theater][4] (2015)[citation needed]
- Licensed to Spill[4] (2017)[citation needed]
- The Royal Baby Album[4]
- Richard Cheese's Big Swingin' Organ![4] (2019)[citation needed]
- Numbers of the Beast[4] (2020)[6]
- Big Cheese Energy (2021)[7]
- Besame Queso (2022)
- Pussy Party (2022)
- ^ originally released in 2002 by Ideatown/Coverage Records[citation needed]
- ^ originally released in 2004 by Ideatown/Coverage Records[citation needed]
Compilation albums
- The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese (2006) (Surfdog Records)[4]
- Hail to the Cheese: Richard Cheese's All-American Greatest Hits (digital only) (2012)[citation needed]
- Down With the Dickness: Richard Cheese's Dirtiest Greatest Hits (digital only) (2012)[citation needed]
- Lord of the Swings: The Best of Richard Cheese, Vol. 2 (digital only)[4] (2018)[citation needed]
Film soundtracks
- Dawn of the Dead Down with the Sickness (2004, Universal)
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Night and Day, first meeting of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent (2016, Warner Bros.)
- The Lego Batman Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2017, Warner Bros.)
- Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar Soundtrack (2021, Milan/Sony)
- Army of the Dead Soundtrack (2021, Milan/Sony)
Charts
- The Sunny Side of the Moon – No. 9 on Billboard Comedy Album Chart, March 17, 2006[8]
- OK Bartender – No. 15 on Billboard Comedy Album Chart, April 9, 2010[5]
- Numbers of the Beast – No. 6 on Billboard Comedy Album Chart, August 15, 2020[6]
- Big Cheese Energy – No. 10 on Billboard Comedy Album Chart, March 13, 2021[7]
See also
- The Lounge Kittens, an English comedy band who performed rock and heavy metal songs in a lounge music style.
- Black Velvet Flag, an American trio who performed punk rock songs in a lounge music style.
- Frank Bennett, an Australian jazz singer who recorded several big band arrangements of popular songs.
References
- ^ a b Stapleton, Susan (February 3, 2015). "Cheese whiz Richard Cheese slices two sets in Las Vegas". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ Turner, Katherine (March 3, 2016). This is the Sound of Irony: Music, Politics and Popular Culture. Routledge. p. 171. ISBN 9781317010548. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Richard Cheese Film & TV Appearances". Richard Cheese Official Website. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Richard Cheese discography at AllMusic
- ^ a b "Comedy Albums (week of April 10, 2010)". Billboard. 10 April 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ a b "Comedy Albums (week of August 15, 2020)". Billboard. 15 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ a b "Comedy Albums (week of March 13, 2021)". Billboard. 13 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ "Comedy Albums (week of March 18, 2006)". Billboard. 18 March 2006. Archived from the original on 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2021-07-09.