History

It all began on a field trip to Big Meadows in the Blue Ridge Mountains way back in 1987.
It was there that two young lads Thomas Miller and Mark Rathke discovered some odd looking vegetation that became known to them as "figwart". This would be the title for their first album.

The lads interest in music came to be as spontaneous as they were. After deciding they had sufficient equipment to record with (An old Acoustic 150 Bass Amp and tape recorder+SHS10 keyboard and Gorilla amp) they decided to do just that. As they were recording they noticed they didn't have a name, so Thomas started making garbled, incomprehensible noises which Mark accurately identified as baboon noises. So from that point on the name has stuck until later on During their junior year in Broadway High, Thomas and Mark began work on their second album: Truth, Justice And The American Way.

The second album was well on its way to success with the hit song "Ode To The Kingpin" making it's debut in Mrs. Kings art class. Other great tunes such as "Short Stuff Oriental" and "Hematoma" went over well with the massive fan base that was building at the school. Skaters and metal heads were the main attractions to Baboon. The third album, Boglore, bombed. This can probably be attributed to the fact that the band was dating "twins" at the time (very dangerous). It was rushed after recording an ep titled Songs Of The Second Sun.

Both members then went to college to pursue an education. Thom was getting into computers and Mark was getting more into music. So he was in search for a new member and in 1991 he ran into Roger Bond. The two worked diligently and cranked out 15 songs with their first radio hit on 91.7fm WEMC. The album changed direction musically to a heavier vain. It also opened doors to both of them to join a band called Sabaoth.

     In 1993 Thom sold his computer and bought a bass, but he was also soon to move to Colorado. So he and Mark recorded one more Baboon album, Flabby Road, which included tunes such as "Love Is A Cracked Head Gasket", "Softique Coin", and "Cheese With Lint". The album Flabby Road was a testimony to classic Baboon. After Thom moved Roger and Mark recorded Wenniepaste in 1995. This was an album which brought Baboon to the record stores. Town and Campus Records carried this album and it sold like wildfire. But, it was found out that the band had to change its name because there was a "baboon" up in Boston, Mass. No problem, they just called it what it is today: Baboon Rising.

1996 was the mark of the first effort with the new name. They Never Cared was a concept ep with three old songs and two new ones that dealt with x-girlfriends and feminazism. Thom had his own band called MindsEye in Melbourne, Fla., Roger manages a Blimpie in Harrisonburg, and Mark works for I.S.S.I. in Waynesboro.   In 1997 Baboon Rising released Out Of Balance in February and Benevolent Creation in December, the most diverse musically to date. It also sold at local record stores Musicland, Disc Jockey, and Town and Campus in Harrisonburg, VA.

In 1998 In The Eye Of Ripkile was recorded and released in early 1999 at Town and Campus records.  Reports say that on the release date people actually walked by the store and some came inside and bought an album, but not a Baboon Rising album.  The same was true for the next release, with an added note. 

The Politics Of Pungency was the first album to be offered on the Internet through mp3.com as well as at the local stores.  "The Jug Substance Incident" received moderate downloads and rankings,, but it was "Worte Konnen Nicht Ausdrucklich" (written in memory of Bruce J. Rathke) that received the most popular status.  It made it to the top ten in the classical genre, which is probably the least popular genre.

The band decided it was time to make a worst hits album, celebrating ten full length albums.  To commemorate this accomplishment, Mark collaborated with Thom Miller to re-record some Baboon Rising classics.  A coin was minted as well to celebrate this momentous occasion.  Decimation:  The Best of the Worst was released and received special recognition with a tune called "Lethal Liddy".  On May 3, 2000, G. Gordon Liddy played this song on his radio show in a contest in which hundreds participated.  The song, which made it to the top five, was heard by anywhere from 8 - 10 million people, who probably heard it, gagged, and then forgot about it. 

The next album had to be better than all the other before it.  And, it needed to be set apart from the rest in a new era for Baboon Rising.  So, on Nov. 7th (election day 2000) the band released it's self-titled effort; Baboon Rising.  This album received the most downloads from mp3.com, but hardly charted because of the increased number of bands using the service.  But, it has received airplay on both local rock stations in the Harrisonburg area; WBOP, and 98 Rock.  In November 2002 The Element Of Surprise was unleashed with a fury. With the recent success of Baboon Rising, it did not interpret into album sales.  It sold the least of all the albums to date.  Probably because Mark kept giving the album away.

With the release of Megland in 2004 for came a pivotal moment for the band. The single "Bring The Hammer Down", a tribute to the hit television show Sledge Hammer!, contained a metal stylized version of the show's theme, which was used on both seasons of the Sledge Hammer! DVD's. 2004 was also a year that the forums were launched in their present form. The forums have since gained international attention from as far away as France. Isn't that impressive?

2007 was another great year for Baboon Rising in the form of a distribution deal to carry the last four albums including the latest Friendly Agrarian Tower, released in 2005.

2008 will prove to be another exciting year with the release of a new album with guest appearances by top names in the spheres of influences for those involved.