At a time when many people figured that the seemingly endless proliferation of up-and-coming rock bands can't offer anything beyond wild hairstyles and the same old sound, along came a band that masterminded its own hard rock sensibility: Roughhouse. It was 1988 and they already had a rich past - formerly known as Teeze and with a self-titled debut album and thousands of fans on the east coast, they secured a record deal with CBS/Columbia Records, changed their name and debuted on MTV's Headbanger's Ball in late 1988. A tour followed and much press coverage. 

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From their early days as Philadelphia rockers, Roughhouse has, inconspicuously and unabashedly, made a habit of setting stages and audiences on fire night after night, city after city, with live shows that are nothing short of staggering.

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"It's been too long since anyone has experienced the good time rock 'n raunch of... Roughhouse," wrote Sue Hodges in Rox. "Whatever you expected of this band before, they deliver now with more power and intensity, with a twist of the unexpected.

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Thank the powers, some things in life never change. Though they did change their name to Roughhouse in early 1988, the band didn't lose a beat and their concerts were still sold out and fans lined up around the block for their shows. 

ROUGHHOUSE, their self-titled debut album for Columbia from 1988, captured the band's straight-ahead rock 'n roll on eleven tracks of soaring vocals, muscular guitars, and driving backbeats. The band was proud of their debut album, produced by veteran producer Max Norman, of Ozzy Osbourne fame. 

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In their former incarnation as the band known as Teeze, Roughhouse built quite a solid reputation for itself. From the very beginning, their must-be-seen-to-be-experienced live shows set them apart from the competition. Touring the northeast in a converted schoolbus, Teeze honed their riveting live skills and developed their songwriting talents.

The group was originally the vision of guitarist Gregg Malack and singer Luis Rivera (both suburban Philadelphians, like the rest of the band). Amidst personnel modifications, bass player Dave Weakley was brought in. Along with Gregg and Luis, the three have remained at the nucleus of the band, writing songs together and setting a strategy to get their music to a worldwide audience.

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They've reunited a few times since their breakup in 1991 - they played again in 1992, 1993 and 2002. They never truly parted ways and their friendship endured through many music endeavors  they've all pursued. In their current incarnation, all 5 original Roughhouse members got together again in 2017 and have opened for Steel Panther, Kix and Dio's band, along with a bunch of headline shows that proved that they still have the fire. The band performs songs from both the Teeze and Roughhouse albums along with unreleased material and the occasional cover song. 

They secured a record deal with 20th Century Music in 2024 to release their old material, un-released material and re-records, vinyl, a DVD and possibly new material, too! So the immediate future looks exciting and interesting for Roughhouse, as they have some unfinished business with their material throughout the years. They truly enjoy performing for their fan base that still endures.