David Roback

David Roback (born April 4, 1958)^[1] is a guitarist and songwriter best known as a member of the duo Mazzy Star.

Roback grew up in Los Angeles and attended Palisades High School, graduating in 1975. He was a classmate and neighbor of John Hoffs, the brother of Susanna Hoffs, who would eventually become the lead singer of the all-girl band The Bangles. He and his brother Stephen Roback, a bass guitarist, formed a band called the Unconscious, which also included Susanna Hoffs.

Roback was active in the Paisley Underground music scene in L.A. in the early to mid-1980s as the leader of the band Rain Parade which was immensely popular on the L.A. club circuit. Shortly after the release of the band's first album Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, in 1983, Roback left Rain Parade to join Rainy Day, a collaborative effort with a number of L.A. musicians in the Paisley Underground. After releasing their self-titled album, Roback formed Opal (which was initially called Clay Allison), with vocalist/bassist Kendra Smith, formerly of The Dream Syndicate. After one EP and one full-length album Kendra Smith was replaced by Hope Sandoval but this lineup never released an album as Opal. Roback changed the name of the band to Mazzy Star in 1989.^[2]

Roback wrote and produced the songs which actress Maggie Cheung sang in the 2004 film Clean. He also played the role of himself in the film.

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