Zebrahead is an Orange County, CA-based punk-pop-rap band which was formed in 1996. Inspired by acts including Fugazi and The Descendents, the group found themselves uninspired by the local trend towards ska punk and instead began incorporating elements of hip-hop into their sound, eventually recruiting rapper Ali Tabatabaee to join their ranks.

All it takes is a mic and a laptop to start a music revolution. That is what MC Lars, progenitor post-punk laptop rap, has realized in his five plus years in the hip-hop game. Begun as a dorm room hobby, MC Lars (real name Andrew Nielsen) got his start as an undergraduate when he attending Oxford University in 2003 for a semester abroad. Building a name for himself within the Oxford indie rock scene, he signed a deal with local label Truck Records (who released “Radio Pet Fencing”). Lars was then discovered by Nettwerk Management, who helped him find homes for his following two albums (”The Laptop EP” and “The Graduate”).

Hitting the road with anyone and everyone, Lars went on to share the stage with many popular touring acts, including Simple Plan, Bowling for Soup, Gym Class Heroes, Say Anything, Jack’s Mannequin, Fightstar, the Matches, Wheatus and the Aquabats. He has since toured Europe, Australia and Japan and delighted fans everywhere with his constantly evolving live show.

After the radio success of “Hot Topic Is Not Punk Rock” in the US and “Download This Song” in Australia, Lars surprised even himself with selling over 20,000 copies of “the Graduate” worldwide. After coming back from a year of hard-core touring, Lars hit the studio again to record his follow-up record. While pondering its title, Lars thought about his late mentor, Wesley Willis, who despite his mental issues, used a DIY and punk rock approach to spread his energetic funny songs across the world. Before passing away in 2003, Willis told Lars, “Lars Horris! I like your songs, I’ll write a song about you. I’ll probably write it on my next rock ‘n’ roll record, which is called ‘This Gigantic Robot Kills’.” Willis died soon thereafter and Lars decided to create an album unlike any other, decdicating it to Wesley’s memory by naming it after the unfinished album of one of his heroes.

Lars worked with many diverse and eclectic artists for this album. “True Player for Real” sees him teaming up with childhood hero “Weird Al” Yankovic on the accordion and Brendan B. Brown of Wheatus on vocals and guitar, while the title track is a hilarious ska throw-back featuring the MC Bat Commander from the Aquabats that mourns the death of a ska generation to the hands of the bratty kids from the Hills. “Hey There Ophelia” returns to Lars’s literate retelling of classic works, built around a Therapy? interpolation featuring Brett Anderson from the Donnas and Gabe Saporta from Cobra Starship, all of whom work together to retell the classic Shakespearean tale of Hamlet. On “O.G. Original Gamer”, Lars teams up with the “godfather of nerdcore hip-hop” MC Frontalot, telling a surprising tale of a father who pushed his kid into becoming a world class gamer, as the child rebels and would rather mow the lawn and clean his room.

“No Logo” takes an interpolation of Fugazi’s “Waiting Room”, as Lars teams up with Nova Scotia’s most famous rapper, Jesse Dangerously, railing against people who claim to be corporate revolutionaries but by the poster board for protesting at Wall Mart. On “Beating Guitar Hero Doesn’t Make You Jimmy Page”, Lars teams up with Nerf Herder frontman Perry Grip, to comment on the notion that video games like Guitar Hero take kids away from playing in bands and actually learning their instruments. True Guitar Hero Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big joins Lars and Parry on this track, showing what actual musicianship can do. On “It’s Not Easy (Being Green)”, Lars joins forces with Pierre Bouviere of Simple Plan on the “hottest” track about global warming ever recorded. “Santa Claus’s sleigh will need jet skis”, Pierre sings, as Lars raps about consumption in a “greening” industry.

Horris Records teamed up with Jaret Reddick from Bowling for Soup’s new imprint under Oglio to release and distribute the new album. Following its completion, Lars hit the road for a college tour with pop-punkers Cartel and rapper Yung Joc and a six week tour with MC Frontalot in November. In February of 2009, “This Gigantic Robot Kills” hit shelves across the world. A army of post-punk laptop fans rejoiced and meticulously put on clean underwear, after soiling their previous garments with elation. If you think I’m lying, smell your drawers right now homie. They ain’t clean.

Orange were first signed to Hellcat/Epitaph Records by Tim Armstrong of Rancid when they were only 16 years old. Since then have toured the world with the likes of Misfits, The Addicts, UK Subs, Rancid, and Zebrahead to name only a few.

Their music has also been featured on The OC The Hills and Generation Rex.