The Rock-afire Explosion
| The Rock-afire Explosion | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Orlando, Florida, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1980–1992, 1997-2000, 2008–present |
| Website | Creative Engineering home page. |
| Members | Billy Bob Brockali Looney Bird Dook Larue Fatz Geronimo Beach Bear Mitzi Mozzarella Rolfe DeWolfe Earl Schmerle Sun Moon Choo-Choo Antioch |
| Past members | Uncle Klunk Statue of Liberty Santa Claus |
| Notable instruments | |
| Organ, Electric guitar, Drumset, Bass guitar | |
| The following voice actors portrayed the characters of the The Rock-Afire Explosion. | |
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| In addition to these main Voice Actors, each character was portrayed by an inside VA for ShowBiz company-made tapes in the late 1980s. The only SPP Voice Actor we know of is Joe Conti, the voice of Rolfe. | |
The Rock-afire Explosion is an animatronic robot band that played in Showbiz Pizza Place from 1980 to 1992, and in various Showbiz Pizza locations between 1990 and 1992 as Showbiz rebranded and the band was steadily replaced by Chuck E. Cheese characters. The show was created and manufactured by inventor Aaron Fechter, creator of Whac-A-Mole, through his company Creative Engineering, Inc. in Orlando, Florida; in addition to overseeing the production of the animatronics, Fechter also provided the voices for several characters.
Following the completion of rebranding, the show was sold to other restaurants and entertainment centers, such as Circus Pizza, Pistol Pete's Pizza, and Billy Bob's Wonderland. The characters in The Rock-afire Explosion were various anthropomorphized animals, including a brown bear, a grey wolf, a silverback gorilla, and other species. They would perform medleys of classic rock, pop, and country music, as well as original compositions and comedic skits.
The show was pioneering in many respects to other animatronics shows of the early 1980s, featuring life-sized characters capable of facial expression; some were even programmed in such a way that they could actually play simple melodies on musical instruments. At the end of the show's tenure, Chuck E. Cheese marketing director Jul Kamen credited Rock-afire with being largely responsible for Showbiz's financial success.
In 2008, original Rock-afire Explosion creator and technical engineer Aaron Fechter, along with Chris Thrash reintroduced the ensemble as a cover band for a variety of pop, rock, and hip-hop groups, including acts ranging from the mid 20th century to the present. Reprogramming the tried and true Rock-afire characters to lay down new beats and vocals, Fechter reached new and younger audiences and also re-connected with the older audience the band had originally entertained in Showbiz Pizza restaurants nationwide.
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