| Vance Bockis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth Name | Vance Peter Bockis |
| Born | 13 May 1961, Washington D.C. |
| Died | 1 September 2012, Fairfax, Virginia |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Genres | Doom Metal, Hard Rock, Punk Rock, Garage Rock, Glam |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, Vocals |
| Years active | 1979 - 2012 |
| Labels | Adult Swim, Rock Saviour, Acetate Records |
| Associated acts | Pentagram, The Obsessed, Overload, 9353, The Factory |
Vance Bockis was a bassist and vocalist based out of the DC area. Active from the late 1970s until his passing in 2012, Bockis' early career would be with doom metal bands such as The Obsessed and Pentagram before performing with hard rock and punk rock bands such as 9353 and The Factory, the latter drawing similarities to the New York Dolls and gaining attention from CBS Records.
Notably the iconic DC punk rock band Scream wrote a song about him entitled "Good Lookin' Corpse"[1] and a documentary was made on his life and career in 2010 entitled Shift.[2]
Biography[]
Bockis was born in Washington D.C. in 1961 and was heavily influenced by the music of Alice Cooper and Thin Lizzy early on in life. Bockis had met Bobby Liebling in 1977 and would replace Martin Swaney in Pentagram in 1979 (Aged sixteen at the time), mainly for a live performance opening for Judas Priest.[3] Pentagram would dissolve not long after and Bockis would perform with Overlord with Joe Hasselvander, Richard Keuht, Norman Lawson and Ricky Tignor. Along with performing covers the band performed occasional originals such as "Hellion", a live rendition recorded in 1979 later released on Road Kill/Lady Killer.[4] Bockis would later join The Obsessed as a lead vocalist from 1980 - 1983, performing several shows and recording a few demos with the band. He would leave the band once The Obsessed would embrace more of a heavy metal sound. In an interview with Cosmic Lava, Bockis would speak about his time with the band:
| “ | "It was a very important period, simply for the fact that The Obsessed was responsible for bringing Punk and Metal together as far as the fans were concerned. There were some gigs that got a bit rowdy, such as the gig we had opening up for the Bad Brains. It was at the 9:30 Club and the club was filled with skinheads, chanting "haircut, haircut, haircut." Before the gig I had a ceramic sculpture I had done of a skinhead in art class and I put it up on a stool on stage. And right before the opening chord of the first song, I came up with a baseball bat and smashed it to pieces. Then I told them they were really original with their bald heads, I couldn't tell any of them apart. And they could fuck off if they wanted. They loved us. I left the band because Wino wanted to go more metal and lean towards that and I was considered just too punk for the band. So we had artistic differences." | ” |
— Vance Bockis, Cosmic Lava[5]
|
Bockis would play bass and vocals in the D.C. based punk rock band 9353[6] for several albums, one of their songs drawing national attention in "Famous Last Words". He would also perform as the lead singer of The Factory, gaining comparisons to The New York Dolls. Between both bands he would perform with the likes of The Ramones, Iggy Pop, Bo Diddley, Wendy O. Williams and many others.[7] Bockis had developed a heroin addiction that left him emaciated and contributed to the Factory potentially losing a big break with CBS Records.[8] The Factory only recorded demos and never a proper studio album.
After years of dealing with heroin abuse, Bockis would marry Linda Leisz Bockis and get through his addiction, meeting at a fundraiser for their mutual support groups, and continued their involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. The Factory would re-form in 2010 alongside a compilation album of all of their recordings with most of the band's original lineup.[9] The band had intended to tour in 2012 but Bockis would pass away on 1 September 2012 due to a blood clot following rotator cuff surgery.[10][11]
Bands[]
- Pentagram - Bass (1979)
- Overlord - Bass (1979)
- The Obsessed - Vocals (1980 - 1983)
- 9353 - Bass, Vocals (1983 - ?)
- The Factory - Vocals (1980s - 1990, 2010 - 2012)
- Link Wray - Bass (Unknown Time Period)
- Freak Train - Vocals (Unknown Time Period)
- Darius - Vocals (Unknown Time Period)
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Sugarbuzz Magazine
- ↑ Blabbermouth
- ↑ Jos Hasselvander's Blog
- ↑ Cosmic Lava
- ↑ Cosmic LavaMarch 2012 - Vance Bockis, accessed 30 November 2020
- ↑ Verbicide
- ↑ Cosmic Lava
- ↑ Loudwire
- ↑ Sugarbuzz Magazine
- ↑ Verbicide Magazine
- ↑ WTOP
| V·T·E The Obsessed | |
|---|---|
| Current Members | Wino • Brian Costantino • Chris Angleberger • Jason Taylor |
| Selected Past Members | Mark Laue • Dave Flood • Vance Bockis • Ed Gulli • Greg Rogers • Scott Reeder • Guy Pinhas • Dave Sherman • Bruce Falkinburg |
| Studio Albums | The Obsessed • Lunar Womb • The Church Within • Sacred • Gilded Sorrow |
| Extended Plays | Sodden Jackal |
| Compilation Albums | Incarnate |
| Live Albums | Live at the Melkweg November 28 1992 • Live Music Hall Köln December 29th 1992 • Live at Big Dipper |
| Associated Bands, Artists, Etc. | Spirit Caravan • Lost Breed • Saint Vitus • Shrinebuilder • The Hidden Hand • Kyuss • Premonition 13 • Goatsnake • Acid King • Bedemon • Pentagram • Unorthodox • Earthride • Rwake • Sierra • Witches of God • Live at the Wax Museum |