History is Doomed To Repeat Rusty Spell

1975: Rusty Spell is born 29 January in Jackson, Mississippi and lives in Pearl. His mother reports his drumming in the womb, so it started then.

1986: Rusty joins the Pearl Junior High band playing the drums. He also begins playing drum set at his church this year. Rusty meets future 'nikcuS members Noby Nobriga and Kevin Young.

1989: Rusty enters Pearl High School and the Pearl Pirate Band. He plays snare in the marching band all four years. He also plays drum set in the jazz band and every other percussion instrument in the concert band. Rusty meets Tommy Burton, future collaborator.

1990: Rusty forms, with Noby Nobriga and Kevin Young, their first band 'nikcuS, an adlib rock band, and release a self-titled album.

1991: Rusty forms, with Noby Nobriga, Synthetic Fibers, an instrumental keyboard group. They release several songs. They also form Kool-Aid MC with a Lemonade Spritzer, a rap group, which releases an The Mr. Dude EP.

1992: Rusty becomes drum captain of the Pearl Pirate Band. 'nikcuS releases Adlibbing.

1993: Rusty graduates high school and enters The University of Southern Mississippi, majoring in English. 'nikcuS releases Graduates.

1994: 'nikcuS releases Rockin'. Synthetic Fibers releases The Album.

1995: Rusty releases his first solo album, Mailbox, and forms Love and Letters Music. Rusty, Noby Nobriga, and Tommy Burton form The Naked Donnas, a keyboard/bass/drum loop band which records a song or two and eventually releases it as a single. Rusty and Noby form DNS, a rap band. 'nikcuS releases Plugged.

1996: Rusty forms 100,000 Fireflies, a Stephin Merritt-inspired group, with Lori Berkemeyer singing and release 20th Century Literary Problem. This group is later renamed The Mnemonic Devices. Rusty and Noby Nobriga form Yo! MaHma, a barely-a-band insanity group, and release [We sux). Rusty Spell records Covers By Casio. 'nikcuS releases Surprise.

1997: Rusty receives his BA from the University of Southern Mississippi. Rusty contributes drums to Tommy Burton and Danny McGregor's band Lately David, a rock band not associated with 'nikcuS Productions. He plays drums on their Yom Kippur EP and a few live shows, though they get a permanent drummer eventually. Rusty and church members Eric Cisneros, Tanya Hester, Leigh Anne McMillon, and Tony Odom record a demo tape of gospel music. Rusty Spell releases Experiments and Outtakes. The Mnemonic Devices release I Don't Remember. Synthetic Fibers releases Not The Album. DNS releases We Did It Anyway.

1998: Rusty buys a real keyboard, guitar, and computer with a CD burner and officially opened Love and Letters Studios, which had been open in an unofficial capacity since 1996, and begins transferring existing 'nikcuS Productions tapes to CD. Buttmunch Records, run by Mike Epstein, releases a Stephin Merritt tribute album called Verfrumdungseffekt which Rusty Spell and The Mnemonic Devices contribute to. These songs appear on WUSM radio. Rusty Spell releases Christmas Again. The Mnemonic Devices release Midi Skirt.

1999: Rusty receives his MA from the University of Southern Mississippi. Rusty Spell releases indie rock credibility. The Mnemonic Devices release The 5 Remaining Love Song EP, the first with vocal duties only by Rusty, and All This Wasted Beauty, the first that features The Mnemonic Devicettes, a rotating group of girl vocalists. Rusty meets Liza Marshall, future member of The Immaculate Conceptions and Rusty Spell collaborator.

2000: Rusty is interviewed by Clinton Kirby for WUSM radio. Rusty plays his first live show at the Map Room in Memphis, Tennessee. Rusty releases Alterna-Chick, Rusty Spell Strums The Mnemonic Devices, and This Album Belongs To...

2001: The Mnemonic Devices release Zooming In On Fractals, featuring Liza Marshall on vocals. The album is number one for two weeks on WUSM radio. Rusty Spell releases The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs Vol. 1. The Mnemonic Devices release The Singles Collection (1996-2001), a five year anniversary greatest hits remix album. Rusty Spell performs at The Thirsty Hippo in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with five guest vocalists: his first performance in his own town, following that with another Thirsty Hippo performance as part of a local artist showcase, then at Tal's Emporium. Tommy Burton joins Love and Letters Music and releases his first solo album, t*mmy burt*n.

2002: Rusty Spell performs at Espresso To Go in Chalmette, Louisiana, at Reedmeister's in Memphis, Tennessee, at Mughots in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and at Ichabod's in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Rusty receives his PhD from the University of Southern Mississippi and accepts a position at The University of Texas Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. The Mnemonic Devices release Sparkling Objective Correlatives. The Immaculate Conceptions release their first album. Rusty Spell releases The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs Vol. 2 , The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs Vol. 3, Plagiarism, and Loud Cymbals: 18 Gospel Songs. Love and Letters Music releases its first full-label compilation, a two disc rarities collection called Stick It Somewhere. Rusty Spell and The Mnemonic Devices appear on the Radiant Radish 2002 Christmas compilation, as does DJ Rus who appears for the first time.

2003: Rusty Spell releases I Can Write These Songs, Now My Folks Are Dead. Rusty records his nephews, a new group called Wite Trazsh Bratts, on their first album, Lost Innocence. Rusty records Tommy Burton's second solo album, Viable College Market. The Ka-9's release their 1999 album We Make Potions featuring a 2003 remix version by Rusty Spell. Rusty Spell releases Live Shows Vol. 1 (Dec 2000-Nov 2001): He Said It Would Never Happen. Rusty performs at the South Texas Underground Music Festival in McAllen, TX. Rusty Spell releases the long-awaited Charles Grodin. Tommy Burton releases the cover album So Much for Me. Robert Brenton releases a three volume album called The New Beau Revere Tape, "Hit the Trigger, Jigger." DJ Rus releases his first solo album.

2004: Carrie Hoffman and Rusty Spell form The Strawberry Explosion and release their first singles, "Then He Kissed Me," "Kissy, Kissy," and "Baby, Baby, Boo!" The Mnemonic Devices release Love Chewed Off Its Leg EP. Rusty performs at W.C. Don's.

2005: The Strawberry Explosion releases "Christmas at Wartime" and "Boobalean."  Rusty Spell releases Plagiarism 2, Live Shows 2, and the ten year retrospective, Age 20 to 30.  The Mnemonic Devices release Boys Can Be Pretty Too EP.  Love and Letters Music releases their ten year anniversary collection, Love and Letters 10.

2006: The Strawberry Explosion releases "My Humps" and "That Boy." Rusty performs three times at the WILD Music Festival in McAllen TX. Rusty provides the music for the silent film The General and The Bat using songs (instrumental, original, or otherwise altered) by The Mnemonic Devices, 'nikcuS, Robert Brenton, Rusty Spell, Synthetic Fibers, The Strawberry Explosion, and Wite Trazsh Bratts.

2007: Rusty Spell releases Part of This Was Always Here. Rusty creates a score for the silent film The Golem and releases a soundtrack. Rusty marries Carrie Hoffman, now Carrie Spell.


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