Subliminal Criminal

Subliminal Criminal covers popular alternative, rock, and punk tunes from the early 90's to now. While we play many of our songs identically to the original recordings, we specialize in original arrangements, like our rocked-out version of Mariah Carey's “We Belong Together,” and creative "mash-ups" like our combination of Depeche Mode's “Enjoy the Silence” and U2's “Ultraviolet.” This allows us to showcase not only impeccable musicianship, but also fiery creativity—all with a passionate stage show that keeps the crowd alive.

Subliminal Criminal is the product of a collaboration between two cousins, Jamie Bondar and Tim Abbott. Before moving to Boston, Bondar was an artist in development with Columbia Records, along with his Philadelphia-based band Ruby Zoo. Ruby Zoo released one full-length album, Disenchanted Monk, and a four song EP, Soma Holiday, and played a huge number of shows throughout the east coast between 1999 and 2002, including many appearances at legendary clubs like the 8x10 Club in Baltimore, Grape Street Pub in Philadelphia, and even a televised label showcase at CBGB's in Manhattan. When Ruby Zoo broke up in 2002, Bondar moved to the Boston area to pursue his Ph.D. in English at Tufts University, and after a couple of years he met his cousin Tim Abbott for the first time as an adult. Abbott had studied guitar and music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and after the two discovered their common musical interests, they started jamming together. After a month or two, they added Abbott's long time friend Jonathan Ruppert on Bass and started Subliminal Criminal. Ruppert brought even more gig experience to the band, since he had anchored the rhythm section in several bands, including the cover band Hit Squad, progressive rock band Kraven, and hip hop group Best When Chilled. After playing with two drummers who didn't quite work out, the band added another Berklee educated musician, J.D. Murphy, on Drums. Murphy formerly played drums in Boston-based Second Audio Program, Life:In:Seconds, and The Glamorous Stuntcocks, appearing at venues such as Bill's Bar on Lansdowne St., Pufferbellies on Cape Cod, and the Hard Rock Café in Boston.

Above all, Subliminal Criminal has a professional attitude. We understand that we are providing a service to the venues at which we play, and we strive to do everything we can to "make our customers happy." From promotion to performance, we're professionals. If you want one set, we'll play one set; if you want four, we'll play four. We'll also start--and stop--when you tell us. We customize our shows to suit the venues we play, because we take pride in giving your crowd the best rock show experience possible.

Get in touch with us to experience a truly alternative cover band.