THIS A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM ON AN ALTERNATIVE METAL BAND THAT WAS ALMOST FAMOUS.

It’s a Behind The Music on virtual unknowns….

this is a cast list WITH STORY NOTES (and i took most of the photos you see here unless otherwise noted).

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, THE BAND WURKT RECORDED THEIR ONE AND ONLY FEATURE LENGTH ALBUM — a million dollar record — FOR LEGENDARY PRODUCER DAVID FOSTER’S WARNER BROS. RECORDS LABEL IMPRINT.

their album “better in two weeks” WAS produced IN-STUDIO BY a star producer, josh abraham, who had just worked with korn, staind, and other big bands of the early 2000’s rock scene.

but music industry politics shelved their record. WURKT HAD THE OPTION TO WALK AWAY WITHOUT THEIR ALBUM OR FIGHT TO GET THEIR RECORD BACK FROM THE LABEL.

THEY GOT THE RECORD BACK…BUT RELEASING IT AND PUSHING IT INDEPENDENTLY CRUSHED THE BAND…NOW THE MASTERS FOR THEIR MILLION DOLLAR RECORD SIT IN A RESIDENTIAL NORTHERN CALIFORNIA LAUNDRY ROOM.

enough time has passed that the “nu-metal” genre the record label was trying to buy into has become cool again, trending on TikTok and becoming part of youth style. the bands of the early 2000’s are selling out venues.

AND SOMEHOW, WURKT, a ghost of a band, a regional memory, HAS 30,000 MONTHLY LISTENERS ON SPOTIFY TODAY — THEIR BIGGEST FANBASE EVER.

THIS IS THE FLYER THAT STARTED IT ALL.

JOSH ROBINSON WANTED TO START A BAND. LITTLE DID HE KNOW, WHAT WOULD BECOME WURKT, WAS SET TO BE THE NEXT BAND TO FOLLOW DEFTONES AND PAPA ROACH, BANDS THAT MADE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA A MUSIC SCENE DEFINING THE TIME, AS RECORD LABELS SEARCHED FOR THE NEXT “LAST RESORT” STYLE MEGA-HIT.

Wurkt was fronted by Josh Robinson, a charismatic, boisterous art school dropout that was being recruited to draw comic books for Marvel.

JOSH’S FLYER WAS ANSWERED BY DRUMMER GEOFF ECKERT, A FORMER ATHLETE WITH A WHITE-COLLAR JOB WHO JUST WANTED TO ROCK.

Bassist Guy Gates, a blue-collar construction worker, found Robinson’s flyer at a show. and he grew up with a technical guitarist….

Toby Seeger was the guitarist, a “MAD SCIENTIST” — A BIOCHEMIST ENLISTED TO FORM WURKT.

Wurkt was hungry to grow their fanbase, recording demos outside of Sacramento and impressing at live shows along the west coast.

Lesa Johntson, who operated her husband's northern california recording studio where wurkt was recording, was their “band mom” - an early believer who knew wurkt was destined TO BECOME A BREAKOUT ARTIST.

Wurkt was a bunch of kids just starting their lives, so the band was pushed by funding from josh Robinson’s mom, Christine Leon.

DEFTONES original manager Dave Park heard of wurkt, and agreed to meet with guy gates. Park was leaving music behind for tech, but wanted to see them succeed, and connected wurkt with music industry contacts.

Roadrunner records paid for wurkt to record their next demo. Wurkt was suddenly between two significant offers for their debut album: hit the tour circuit with roadrunner records or take the money from Warner Bros. Records to be the “nu-metal” band on David foster’s imprint, 143 records.

Wurkt took the lucrative Warner Bros. deal. Jay Gordon, frontman for the band orgy of “blue Monday” helped produce Robinson’s vocals on wurkt’s lone studio lp.

Warner Bros. Records would never release wurkt’s record, when a change in ownership shuttered David Foster’s 143 records. San Francisco-based artist nate van dyke drew the cover art for “better in two weeks” — the album wurkt recorded for a major label meant to make them rockstars, that they ended up selling out of their trunks until they disbanded shortly after.

Jeff Jampol, who manages the legacies of the doors, janis Joplin, and John lee hooker, represented Wurkt during this time, but couldn’t save Wurkt from the music industry politics that sank them, and couldn’t pick them up once they were down, fruitlessly trying to claw their back to another record deal.

Who is listening to Wurkt online these days? Whoever it is, they’re generating residuals that guitarist Toby Seeger is not paying Josh Robinson for an old, obscure grudge. Regardless of Wurkt’s internal strife, their little known million dollar record still hold the same kinetic potential it did 25 years ago.

AS the songs wurkt recorded at the turn of the millennium FIND NEW LIFE TODAY, THIS IS A STORY ABOUT HOW MUSIC MEANT TO FIND YOU CAN NEVER BE LATE, AND WILL FIND YOU IN DUE TIME…