R.B. Korbet
Background information
Birth name	Rebecca Korbet
Born	Manhattan, New York City, USA
Genres	Punk rock, hardcore punk, industrial, garage rock, noise rock, art rock, experimental
Instrument(s)	Bass guitar, drums, guitar, percussion, vocals
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Shimmy Disc
Member of	Bush Tetras, The Carvels NYC, Highly Effective People, Silk Cut
Formerly of	Big Stick, Even Worse, King Missile (Dog Fly Religion), Missing Foundation, Pussy Galore, The Wharton Tiers Ensemble

R.B. Korbet (born Rebecca Bronwyn Korbet) is an American musician. She is perhaps most well-known for her contributing drumming and vocals to the first incarnation of art rock band King Missile, and as a current member of Bush Tetras, having joined them on bass guitar in 2020.

After first joining Even Worse as lead vocalist in 1981, Korbet would go on to play guitar or bass and sing in bands such as Chop Shop, Hit by a Truck, Missing Foundation, Pussy Galore, Big Stick, Navigator, Madgodz, Bubba Zanetti, Sloth, Hellvis, the Floyds of Flatbush, The Wharton Tiers Ensemble, Judas Livingston Seagull, Verona Downs, and Um.^[1]

Since 2019, she has played bass and sang with the Carvels NYC. In the duo Silk Cut, with King Missile's John S. Hall, she plays all instruments (except ukulele) and produces their recordings.^[2]

In 2020, Korbet contributed the track "The Power Broker" to Marc Sloan's compilation project Reel to Real Vol. 1.^[3] She also joined Bush Tetras the same year, alongside Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, and appeared on their 2023 album They Live in My Head.^[4] In 2021, Korbet started another project, a trio called Highly Effective People, in which she plays bass and sings, along with guitarist/singer Vern Woodhead and drummer Alex Baker (also of Skull Practitioners).^[5]

Personal life

Korbet was born in Manhattan to two artist parents, but was raised primarily by her grandparents, who moved her to the suburbs of Detroit in 1972.^[6] Her first musical inspirations were Robin Zander of Cheap Trick and Stevie Wonder.^[7] Upon returning to New York in 1980, she became involved with the punk and hardcore scenes and later joined the second lineup of Even Worse, which was documented on the compilation album New York Thrash.

After nearly two decades in New York City, Korbet relocated to Berkeley, California in early 1998, following the death of a close friend and fellow musician. The next year, she was diagnosed as bipolar. After moving to the UK in 2003, she took a complete break from music in 2008 to focus on academic pursuits in the field of politics and history, and has since completed a BA at University of Westminster and a PhD through the Institute of Contemporary British History at King’s College London.^[6]

Selected discography

References