Bobgoblin

Power pop band from Dallas, Texas, with a sound influenced by punk, post-punk, new wave, and '70s glam and prog rock, and a lyrical and visual concept in which they are liberation fighters in a dystopian, fascistic future. During the late 1990s/early 2000s they renamed themselves The Adventures Of Jet, releasing two albums under that moniker. Bobgoblin was formed in 1992 in Denton, Texas by University of North Texas students Hop Litzwire (lead vocals, keyboards) and Rob Avsharian (drums). With early members Hech MaHech (bass) and Lech Vogner (guitar), they formulated a fictitious concept in which the band was at the center of a future war between the fascistic, corporate-run State of the Republic and the smaller, sovereign Liberation Front States, which seek to preserve individual freedom. Within this fiction, the band are "leaders of Black Market Party revolution rock", its members part of a patrol group called the Liberation Front States Motor Forces (LFSMF). They adopted stage names, with Litzwire as "Sgt. Hop Manski" and Avsharian as "Lt. Rob Avsharian". The concept was reinforced with matching onstage uniforms and visuals. MaHech and Vogner left in 1994 and guitarist/bassist Tony Jannotta (stage name "Corporal Glascock") joined, and Bobgoblin released their debut album, Jet, on their own independent imprint, Space Age Records. Signing to MCA Records, they released 1997's The Twelve-Point Master Plan; guitarist Jason Weisenberg (stage name "Pvt. J. Weisenburg") joined after the album's recording. Disagreements with MCA led to the termination of their contract, and they re-launched themselves as The Adventures Of Jet (AOJ), abandoning the Bobgoblin concept and signing to My Records for 1999's Part 3: Coping With Insignificance, a record inspired by their negative experiences with MCA. Weisenberg left, with Jannotta resuming the dual role of guitarist and bassist, and AOJ released 2003's Muscle on Suburban Home Records, combining themes of aging with musical inspiration from 1960s car songs. AOJ became dormant, and Bobgoblin played occasional reunion shows over the next few years as the members pursued other paths. Litzwire became a documentary filmmaker and television producer, winning four Emmys, while Avsharian became a touring drummer for The Rocket Summer and the Andy Timmons Band. Bobgoblin reconvened in the late 2000s and have since released several digital singles, the video game-themed EP Sinistar / Robotron Virtual 45 (2014), and the album Love Lost For Blood Lust (2015). Producer and engineer Barry Poynter played guitar on several of these releases.