Redline
Redline is a hard rock band from Northern Illinois, known for loud volume, overblown masculinity, sleazy stagecraft, and an almost pathological commitment to the aesthetics of late-’80s arena rock. The band’s sound mixes melodic hard rock, glam metal, AOR, and what its fans have proudly described as “mustache rock.” Despite frequent financial drama and questionable live professionalism, Redline has maintained a stable lineup and produced a surprisingly extensive catalog. Carl Bird is associated with the band as a rhythm guitarist, although the extent of his actual contribution has often been disputed.
| Redline | |
|---|---|
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| Origin | Greater Chicagoland Area |
| Genres | Hard rock |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Dollar General Records, Orange Van Records |
| Members | Carl Bird, Brian Gordon, Johann Heimberg, Garrett Lynch, Izzy Miller, Mikey Powell, Randy Robinson |
| Status | Active |
Discography
| Cover | Album | Year | Record label | Critique |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mustaches and Rope | 2012 | Unknown | A never-ending voyage of hypermasculine tunes about punching your problems away. Five stars!
— Lenny Trovost, Joliet Patch |
|
The Devil You Know | 2014 | Orange Van Records | Tasteless.
— Some guy in a Mexican restaurant who claimed to have heard it |
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Mustache Rock | 2014 | Orange Van Records | What is this even?
— YouTube reaction video |
|
Series of Faces | 2016 | Dollar General Records | A hard rock tour-de-force, makes you think twice about who is living in your neighborhood.
— Bill Stack, Dollar General Newsletter Music Critic |
|
Street Meat* | 2022 | Dollar General Records | A melding of various creative forces within the band, this is not one to miss. Check out the guitar solo on Bone Zone!
— Bill Stack, Dollar General Newsletter Music Critic |
|
Heavy Petting | 2024 | Dollar General Records | Their sophomore effort on our own Dollar General Records label has sold better than our tainted candy, so there's that.
— Bill Stack, Dollar General Newsletter Music Critic |
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Goin' Shithouse | 2025 | Dollar General Records | Their most ambitious release yet, these guys are committed to the idea that volume, machismo, and playing the same pentatonic scale will yield success.
— Bill Stack, Dollar General Newsletter Music Critic |
|
Shanghai Syndrome | 2026 | Unknown/Self | Rough around the edges and slightly racist—precisely what you have come to expect from Redline.
— "Randy", Joliet Patch Acting Music Critic |
Notes
Street Meat
This material was recorded by an entirely separate set of band members except for Carl Bird. This album was the product of Bird's attempt to put together an entirely different band due to royalty disputes, and the band was supposed to be called Street Meat. However, Carl had a falling out with Street Meat as well, took the recording masters of this album, re-formed Redline, and released this album under that name. The only member of Street Meet the band who holds no hard feelings against Carl is Ramón "Matador" Villaseñor, lead guitarist of Trabajo Bone, who lent his skills to the creation of Street Meat. According to Ramón:
I only played guitar with this silly band as a personal favor, I never expected it to go anywhere. I'm actually surprised that Carl got it printed.