Introduction
Rey Osburn (born Reyka Osburn) is an American musician best recognized as a founding member and lead vocalist of the bands Tinfed, Death Valley High, and Ghostride. He has collaborated with Deathline International, Deftones, and Vampire Rodents.
Biography
Osburn formed Elegy with Eric Stenman and Matt McCord in 1990. After McCord left, Tinfed was founded with Steinman and Giovanni Mercado. Tinfed first two albums were 1993's Synaptic Hardware and 1996's Hypersonic Hyperphonic. In 2000, Tinfed struck a deal with major record label Hollywood Records and released Tried + True, which aimed for a more mainstream sound and was influenced by Britpop. After Tinfed dissolved in 2003, Osburn wanted to shift away from radio-friendly music to produce music that was darker in tone. He formed the gothic rock band Death Valley High with former bandmates Matt McCord and Eric Stenman. They have released four records: The Similarities of the Loveless and the Undead (2006), Doom, In Full Bloom (2010), Positive Euth (2013), and most recently CVLT (AS FVK) (2016). He also released Cobra Sunrise with his band Ghostride in 2004.
Tinfed
Tinfed was an American alternative rock group started in Sacramento, California. The final line-up consisted of vocalist and instrumentalist Rey Osburn, guitarist Eric Stenman, drummer Matt McCord, and bassist Rick Verrett. They released three studio albums: Synaptic Hardware (1993), Hypersonic Hyperphonic (1996), and Tried + True (2000).
History
Early years and indie releases (1992–2000)
Tinfed was founded in Sacramento, California by Rey Osburn and Eric Stenman. Stenman and Osburn had previously performed together in the band Elegy, who had only released a 7" titled Dormant / Separated in 1990. Similar to that project, Tinfed's sound was heavily influenced by punk rock, industrial rock, and indie rock. The band released their debut, titled Synaptic Hardware, in 1993 on Primitech Releases. Mercado left the band shortly after the release and the band expanded to include bassist Nick Frederick and drummer/percussionist Matt McCord, the latter of whom had also been a former member of Elegy. Their second album was issued by electro-industrial label Re-Constriction Records on December 3, 1996, and was titled Hypersonic Hyperphonic. Sonic Boom noted that "Tinfed is one of those bands who would fit perfectly on tour with the likes of God Lives Underwater, Stabbing Westward, Filter and Gravity Kills which means they should do rather well with the current crossover audience." In 2000, their song "Immune" was featured in the film Mission: Impossible 2 and appeared on its soundtrack.
Major label years and break-up (2000–2003)
The band signed to the major record label Hollywood Records and replaced Nick Frederick with Rick Verrett. Tinfed released their major-label debut Tried + True on August 22, 2000. Stanton Swihart of Allmusic gave the album a mixed review and criticized the band for sounding too derivative of Britpop groups such as Radiohead and Travis, saying "they ultimately fail to attain the same levels of esoteric complexity as those bands." Swihart concluded his review saying the band's best material may be ahead of them: "While Tinfed is not unequivocally successful or innovative on a sonic level, it is frequently exciting and a terribly promising effort from a band that may eventually cast its own considerable shadow." CMJ reviewed it more positively, calling Tried + True a "forward-thinking rock record with plenty of potential commercial appeal" that "contains pretty guitar pop enhanced only minimally by studio machinery."
On March 4, 2003, the band released Designated Rivals, an album containing remixed and several previously unreleased tracks, on Attinuator Records. In July the members of Tinfed announced they had decided to turn their attention to separate projects, effectively ending the band. Rey Osburn formed the two bands Ghostride and Death Valley High, with Matt McCord also joining Death Valley High along with Osburn. Rick Verrett joined Team Sleep in 2001 and appeared on their self-titled debut in 2005. Eric Stenman continued building his resume as a producer and recording engineer, working with bands such as AWOLNATION, Saves The Day, Will Haven, Senses Fail, and Thrice.
Band members
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
- Synaptic Hardware (Primitech, 1993)
- Hypersonic Hyperphonic (Re-Constriction, 1996)
- Tried + True (Hollywood, 2000)
Remix albums
- Designated Rivals (Attinuator, 2003)
Extended Plays
- And Here Lies Love (Attinuator, 2010)