Loaded Deck

Loaded Deck was a Chicagoland rock band that rose to prominence during the early 1990s. They were influenced by a variety of musical forms that were popular at the time, especially glam metal and classic rock.

History
The band saw its genesis in May, 1989 when schoolmates Chris Sernel and Lars Christiansen performed two sets together in a variety show called Titanium. The line-up included Matt Rubino (vocals), Jerry Scafa (guitar), Lars Christiansen (bass), Jeremy Ichen (keyboards), and Chris Sernel (drums).

By the following winter, Sernel (by then having switched to guitar) and Christiansen found themselves in a band called Loaded Deck that never progressed beyond practice sessions. Summer 1990 saw the addition of drummer Paul Castelli to the tandem, and the trio called themselves No Parking and then, Triumvirate.

By this time, Sernel and Christiansen (who had assumed singing duties in addition to playing bass) had developed into a capable songwriting team, collaborating on songs like Come Back, The Serpent, Lost in Time, and Cow Tippin’ Blues. Castelli co-wrote Only One and Lost, But Not Forgotten with Sernel during this interval, and the three together penned Soundwaves, the band’s traditional opening number in the early-going. Without a dedicated singer, however, the band never rose above the occasional house jam or street party.

Triumvirate auditioned a number of candidates, but it wasn't until Christiansen suggested Runnels, a friend of his, that a fit could be made. He brought with him a Haight-Ashbury sensibility and appearance with his penchant for print shirts, sandals, and leather jackets that became the trademark of the band’s live performances.

With the addition of Runnels, the quartet began the debate over a new name. Some suggestions included No Shame, The Jackals, and Dime Store Indians, but when no consensus could be reached, they called themselves Loaded Deck, more out of desperation than affection for the name. At that point, the Deck went from playing neighborhood festivals to prominent Chicago-area clubs like The Gateway Theater and The Thirsty Whale.

In between dates, the band spent their time writing songs such as Summer Daze and Hannibal, a dark, bluesy-metal song that marked a dramatic departure from the band's usual pop- and classic-metal fare.

By the late summer of 1991, Runnels started drifting from the band musically, and in the fall of that year, he called Christiansen to tell him "it just isn't groovin' anymore". The band had already secured the services of Sean Knowles to sing in a limited number of dates that Runnels couldn't attend, so in the short term, the band was stable. However, after months of trying to find a permanent replacement for Runnels, the band went on a brief hiatus, with Sernel and Castelli committing to a rival band named Liarhead featuring guitarist Rob Kleiner.

A few weeks later, Loaded Deck was reconstituted by Sernel, Christiansen, and Castelli, this time with Sernel handling the singing and Kleiner playing guitar. Kleiner's creativity brought a spate of new alternative-sounding songs to the setlist, including Let's Get High, Do You Feel?, and Manual Emission, which he co-wrote with his new bandmates.
While this was perhaps the most successful period in Loaded Deck history, creative differences and personality clashes forced their premature breakup.

Loaded Deck performed its last live performance at The Thirsty Whale in River Grove, Illinois on June 7, 1992. Sernel and Christiansen then concentrated on recording music, with their last collaboration being the Christiansen-penned Time By The Fire in 1997 under the Majesty moniker.

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