This Is The Life!

Travis McKenzie in 2011

Sophia Nguyen (real name Nguyễn Như Trị )

This Is The Life is a band founded in Martinez, California by Steven Neville-Ramsey and Travis McKenzie. They were one of the pivotal bands in Martinez' 1990s music scene, along with Phat Editor and UK Fish, which Travis McKenzie was also a part of. They frequently toured in Eastern Europe, due to their strong bond with several bands over there.

They were known to have a strong bond with bands that Patrick Star was in, along with the Infection, touring with them several times throughout the early years of the band.

## Formation (1991)

Neville-Ramsey and McKenzie formed the band while in their final year of college, after Neville-Ramsey had finished with Wince (later known as The Infection.) They put out a debut EP about a month after their formation. The production was very bare-bones, and both Ramsay and McKenzie played multiple instruments on the EP, and Nguyen joined the band about a month after the release of the EP, after meeting Travis McKenzie in a college classroom. Sophia was behind the entire rhythm section, despite Ramsay playing bass live.

## First Album (1993)

This Is The Life put out their debut album of the same name in 1993, after releasing a handful of 7" and 10" EPs throughout the very early 90s. Ramsay produced the album and put it out on his own record label, L Recordings. The album sold particularly well in local Martinez record shops, despite being exclusively released on vinyl and tape. It got a CD repress in 2014. The album reached a wider audience in 1994, when the band played on MTV's 120 minutes.

The response received critical acclaim and previewed early versions of songs from their second and final album.

## Fix (1995)

Fix was actually in the works before their debut album, with Nguyen doing her drum tracks months before any more progress started. Nguyen didn't intend to use these tracks in a conventional manner, and left different snips of them in the finished product, enhancing the sound. The album is noted for its use of comedic lyrics, breakdowns of all musical structure, and odd time signatures. An example below from the song "Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd"

"And as my arm bled, I got to thinkin'/ "MAN, maybe all this masturbation's unhealthy!"/ Steve, that's not the point of the song. (Said by Nguyen)/ Oh, right.

These lyrics were a huge departure from the often brooding sound of their debut album, and were one of the main reasons why it became as well received as it was.

## Breakup

When questioned about the breakup, Ramsay said "There were never any hard feelings. We just kinda... y'know... stopped playing together as often, and eventually we stopped playing together at all."

William DuVall • Demi Lovato • Kinga Glyk • Tiki Taera • Patrick Star

 (SpongeBob SquarePants-Sandy Cheeks era)
 (William DuVall-Demi Lovato era)
 Cover albums
 Live albums
 Associated acts
 Concert Tours
Shadows Descending Tour • A Number of My Lifes Tour • Traffic Jam Tour • The SpongeBob, Sandy, Patrick and Yolandi Tour • Disparate Realms Tour • Pop Disaster Tour • 2003-04 Tour • 2004 Germany Tour • The Messiah Tour • 2007-08 Tour • Jump Around Tour • 2011-12 Tour • Shiny Stars of Tomorrow Tour