Thompson Roulette

Thompson Roulette formed March 17, 2000. Stevie Tombstone (the Wake; the Tombstones ; Bad Karma Prophets; the Arkansas Stranglers; Texacala Jones & Her T.J. Hookers) suggested that Johnny Roulette (Family Smack Off; Heldorado; Death Valley Strays ; Transgressors ) give Rob Thompson ( Ghost Story ; BLSTRD; Fismits; Greevace & the Little Five Points Rockstar Orchestra) a call about writing some songs together. Neither had played in a band since the early 90's. Johnny & Rob had been friends years earlier and had reconnected to organize a memorial (held at the Red Vinyl Lounge in Little Five Points, Atlanta) for their friend, Ingrid Skanchy. Calls were made a short time later and the two agreed to give songwriting a try. Expectations were not high and there was no intention of actually forming a band.
Johnny brought a book of lyrics/poems to Rob's home and the two set right in on what would become "descenso" by the end of the day. They began recording the album that first day. Their second song was a disaster, but everything after that ended up on the CD or in the live set. Johnny played the early mix of descenso for Will Platt(Ether Dogs; Threshold of Pain; Blood Poets; Tombstone Alley; Tombstones) & Rick Richards (Georgia Satellites; Keith & the Satellites; the Hellhounds; Izzy Stradlin & the Ju Ju Hounds). Rick remarked that it 'sounds like the desert'. Will responded by agreeing to play bass for the as yet untitled band.
Rob brought in fellow tattoo artist & guitarist Frank Anzalone (chromosome; Stevie Tombstone), as well as drummer Gary Stanton (Too Far Gone), in November/December of 2000. The album was nearly complete when Thompson Roulette had their first actual practice on December 4, 2000. Frank left the band by the end of the month to move back to New Jersey. He was a hell of guy and an excellent guitarist, but the fit just wasn't right.
The dawn of a new year saw the final piece of the puzzle fall into place. Johnny & Will recruited Mark Bishop (Methusala; Joe South; Bad Karma Prophets; Death Valley Strays), a long-time mutual friend, to fill the vacancy left behind by Anzalone. Bishop brought the proper twang to blend with Rob's sharp crunch on guitar. He & Johnny brought a couple of new songs from their side project [now called Death Valley Strays] into the mix (Mercy & Out of Reach.
Their first & only CD was released ..thought in early 2001. It was called maybe New Orleans... and featured the songs descenso, blowout, pickin' the bones, maybe New Orleans, just the way it was, no answer & boy in the bubble. The CD was mastered by Jeff Johnson (Jason & the Scorchers; Guilt; Tombstones).
Will & Johnny intoduced a song called Simple Kiss for inclusion at live shows. Rob wrote music to a few of Johnny's stray lyrics (Whiskey Ruin, Chula, & Dissatisfaction Guaranteed. No Answer became No Question due to the complete insignificance of the original lyrics. Covers of Fang's An Invitation & Fear's I Don't Care About You were routinely part of the set at practice, though neither made it to the stage.
The band played their first live show at 9 Lives Saloon in Atlanta on August 11, 2001. That show went better than they expected. Fortunately, the set was captured on video and will hopefully show up here - that is if Johnny ever gets a copy of it and can then figure out how to upload it. The second show- September 21, 2001 (same venue)- was an absolute disaster. The band couldn't hear anything on stage. Factions were openly hostile to each other when they communicated at all. Musical direction had become a point of contention. Rob had reformed his first band, Ghost Story. Johnny had started a side band, Transgressors, back in May of '01. Johnny's side interests caused serious problems. Rob's caused none. No good answer was ever given for the anger towards the forming of the Transgressors.
By October the band was so far down the path to an acrimonious divorce that it would have taken entirely too much energy to reverse the course of what was becoming a new Spinal Tap. Egos, a job at a Budweiser bottling plant, substance abuse, alcohol, an ill-advised Halloween concert w/o Roulette, side projects, backstabbing, cowardice, a marital separation & a new union should have killed the band. These things would have done the job if tragedy hadn't intervened.
Will Platt was found dead on November 29, 2001. That was the end. It would have been the end even if things had been going well. He was a mess, but he was also absolutely irreplaceable. A memorial was held at the Red Vinyl Lounge in Little Five Points. Roulette wrote the poem for the handbill at the memorial, just as he had done for Ingrid's memorial a year & a half earlier. The remaining band members were together in the same room for the last time at Will's memorial.
Thompson Roulette started and ended with a friend's death & a memorial at the Red Vinyl Lounge.