Citizen King

The band formed in 1993 after the breakup of their previous band, Wild Kingdom. Both bands gained considerable local recognition for their live shows. While Citizen King's first LP and EP were only commercial successes around Wisconsin, they were well received by critics. They were discovered by Speech from Arrested Development, who produced several tracks on their debut album Brown Bag. They followed up with the EP Count the Days.

They toured with Fishbone, and executives at Warner Bros. Records signed them after attending their show at the South by Southwest convention. The band's 1999 release Mobile Estates received moderate commercial success. The album's hit song "Better Days (And the Bottom Drops Out)" was played in the pilot episode and the series finale of Malcolm in the Middle.

The band’s first single and biggest hit was "Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out)." It became a Top 40 hit and went gold in the summer of 1999. It was also ranked on other Billboard charts, including peaks of {{Numero|3}} on Modern Rock, {{Numero|33}} on Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, and {{Numero|1}} on Top 40 Recurrents. The band performed as part of Humble & Fred Fest at Fort York in Toronto that year.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000203072814/http://chartattack.com/road/reviews/1999/19990917-humblefred.html "Live Reviews: Humble & Fred Fest August 28, 1999 Historic Fort York, Toronto"]}}. Chart Attack, Howard Druckman, August 28, 1999

A remix of "Better Days (And The Bottom Drops Out)" was used in the 2000 movie Gone in 60 Seconds, and the original version was used in the video game, Street Sk8er 2, along with "Under the Influence". "Salt Bag Spill" was featured on The Animal soundtrack in 2001. The band was managed by Jeff Castelaz, who later founded Dangerbird Records, and continues to manage keyboardist Dave Cooley in his work as a producer and mixer.

Despite the success of the album and the high charting Better Days, plus the constant touring, the band's popularity eventually dropped off, and Citizen King disbanded in 2002.

Cooley continued his career as a producer and has produced records for such artists as Silversun Pickups, Local Natives, Eulogies, Darker My Love and The Polyphonic Spree. Cooley also became a mastering engineer for Stones Throw Records, overseeing most of the albums by J Dilla and the label's founder Peanut Butter Wolf.{{cite web|last1=Boddie|first1=Bo|title=From Crate Digger to Producer to Mastering Engineer: Dave Cooley & Elysian Masters|url=http://www.sonicscoop.com/2012/10/17/from-crate-digger-to-producer-to-mastering-engineer-dave-cooley-elysian-masters/|website=sonicscoop.com|date=17 October 2012|publisher=Sonic Scoop|accessdate=2014-08-16}}

• Mount Sims – lead vocals (1993–2002), bass (1997–2002)
• Kristian Riley – guitar (1993–2002)
• Dave Cooley – keyboards (1993–2002)
• Malcolm Michiles – turntables (1993–2002)
• Gintas Janusonis – drums (1993–1994)
• DJ Brooks – drums (1994–2002)
• Sage Schwarm – bass (1993–1995)
• John Dominguez – bass (1995)
• Cory Coleman – bass (1995–1997)

• Brown Bag LP (1995)
• Mobile Estates (March 9, 1999), peaked on Billboard's Heatseekers chart at {{Numero|27}}{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p169373/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}}|title=Billboard albums|website=AllMusic|accessdate=2009-02-22}}

• Sydney Hih (1997) (collection of demos and b-sides from 1993–1996)
• Count The Days (April 2, 1996)

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20021026143439/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/citizen_king/artist.jhtml VH1 article]
• [http://www.onmilwaukee.com/scoops/articles/bionicburst.html Burst Collective article]

{{Authority control}}

Category:1993 establishments in Wisconsin

Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2002

Category:Musical groups established in 1993

Category:Musical groups from Milwaukee