View source for Robbie Allen (musician)

{{Short description|American bassist and guitarist}}
'''Robbie Allen''', also known as '''Rob Rule''', is an American bassist and guitarist from [[Seal Beach]], [[California]]. He has played with [[Tender Fury]], [[The Vandals]], [[One Hit Wonder (band)|One Hit Wonder]], [[Candlebox]], and as a live member of the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]].

==Career==
Allen grew up in [[Seal Beach]], [[California]]. He began playing in bands in the 1980s as a member of [[Jack Grisham]]'s Cathedral of Tears.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-13-ca-46577-story.html|title=Allen's 'Monkey' Worth the Wait : Thermadore: "Monkey on Rico"; Atlantic/Holiday (*** 1/2)|date=March 13, 1996|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> He also played bass for Grisham in [[Tender Fury]], before forming the band Gypsy Trash with Grisham's sister D.D. Wood.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1991-06-06 |title=Not Out of the Woods Yet : No Strangers to Stress, T.S.O.L. Singer and Wife Foresee New Challenges From Solo Careers |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-06-06-ca-477-story.html |access-date=2023-11-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Following this, he played bass for [[The Vandals]] on their 1989 album ''[[Slippery When Ill]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/vandals-independent_punk_superstuds|title=The Vandals Independent Punk Superstuds &#124; Exclaim!|website=exclaim.ca}}</ref> In 1992, he sang backing vocals on [[Rikk Agnew]]'s solo album ''Turtle''.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/robbie-allen-mn0001654258/credits|title=Robbie Allen &#124; Credits|website=AllMusic}}</ref> He also recorded with [[Rat Scabies]] on a project that was never released, before forming the band [[One Hit Wonder (band)|One Hit Wonder]].<ref name="auto"/>

Allen left [[One Hit Wonder (band)|One Hit Wonder]] in 1993<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-09-01-ca-33619-story.html|title=Guitars Rule; One-Hit Wonder Stays in Power|first1=Mike Boehm Mike Boehm is a former arts|last1=reporter|first2=pop music critic for the Los Angeles|last2=Times|date=September 1, 1994|website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> to record an album "She Gets Too High" for [[Mercury Records]] under the moniker "Rob Rule".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OQgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22robbie+allen%22+chili+peppers+guitar&pg=PA16|title=Billboard|first=|last=|date=April 2, 1994|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> The album was produced by [[Don Gehman]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=8376|title=Rob Rule: &#124; Daily Vault|website=dailyvault.com}}</ref> and as part of its promotion, he opened for [[Dada (band)|Dada]] and [[Candlebox]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/texas-twist-singer-songwriters-have-unique-alternative-style/article_0be71fa7-6f38-585c-a5ab-a0a0b45110a0.html|title=Texas Twist Singer/Songwriters Have Unique Alternative Style |first1=Anthony |last1=Violanti |first2=Carl |last2=Allen |work=The Buffalo News |date=November 25, 1994 |access-date=November 29, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-03-ca-30985-story.html |title=Coming of Age : Reconstituted Gypsy Trash Proves That Some Things Really Do Improve With Time |first1=Mike |last1=Boehm |date=August 3, 1995|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

During this time, Allen made his primary living as a guitar tech for the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]. Occasionally he played with the band as a live guitarist and backup singer, and opened shows for them as a solo act, sometimes with [[Chad Smith]] drumming.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QQgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22robbie+allen%22+chili+peppers+guitar&pg=PA24|title=Billboard|first=|last=|date=April 9, 1994|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1996, Allen recorded the album ''Monkey on Rico'' as part of the band Thermadore, a [[project]] that featured [[Chad Smith]], [[Josh Freese]], and [[Stone Gossard]].<ref name="auto"/> Allen served as Thermadore's lead singer and songwriter.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/md208cs.pdf|magazine=[[Modern Drummer]]|title=Josh Freese interview|pages=73–94|access-date=March 26, 2022}}</ref> He teamed up with Jack Grisham again in 1996, singing backing vocals on [[Joykiller]]'s album ''Static''.<ref name="auto1"/>

Allen joined [[Candlebox]] after their album ''[[Happy Pills]]'' was released, playing guitar for them from 1998 until their split in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/aug/11/road-again/|title=On the road again|date=August 11, 2009|website=Arkansas Online}}</ref> He would continue to work with Candlebox singer [[Kevin Martin (American musician)|Kevin Martin]] as a composer and background vocalist on Martin's 2003 album ''The Possibility of Being''. In 2008, he released his own solo album ''Artificial Horizon''.<ref name="auto1"/>

In 2017, Allen played in an act called "Cowboy and Indian" with Antoine Arvizu and [[Sublime (band)|Sublime]] bassist [[Eric Wilson (bassist)|Eric Wilson]]. The trio opened for [[Mike Watt]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.presstelegram.com/arts-and-entertainment/20140108/the-compound-studio-dream-builder-makes-all-kinds-of-music-in-renovated-signal-hill-cabinet-shop|title=The Compound Studio: 'Dream builder' makes all kinds of music in renovated Signal Hill cabinet shop|website=Presstelegram.com|date=January 8, 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{The Vandals}}
{{Candlebox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Robbie}}

[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American guitarists]]
[[Category:American bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:People from Seal Beach, California]]