2000 Trees

Guitarist and singer Matt Skiba, bassist and singer Rob Doran and drummer Glenn Porter came together in the Illinois suburb of McHenry to form the original incarnation of Alkaline Trio in December 1996. They got as far as recording and releasing their debut E.P “Sundials” in 1997 before Doran departed to focus on a career in visual arts. However, the E.P was a hit in the Chicago underground scene, and soon after Doran left, Dan Andriano joined to fill the void. With Andriano on board, the band were able to sign with Asian Man Records, as he was already signed to the label with his band Tuesday.

They released a second E.P in 1998 entitled “For Your Lungs Only” and in the same year came “Godamnit”, their debut album which is considered by many to be their absolute peak. Their second effort, “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire” came in 2000 and was enough of a big deal to secure them a record deal with Vagrant Records, making them label mates with The Get Up Kids, Dashboard Confessional and Saves The Day. On that label they released 2001’s “From Here To Infirmary” which, along with the band’s first genuine hit single “Stupid Kid”, was a major success for the band due to the way it unwittingly rode the waves of the burgeoning mainstream acceptance of Emo rock.

This was despite the fact that Trio had always had an absolutely jet-black sense of humour to their lyrics; this should have put them completely at odds with the blindingly sincere likes of Jimmy Eat World and Saves The Day. Instead, however, it saw their subsequent album, 2003’s “Good Mourning” sell 40’000 copies in its first week, chart at number 20 on the Billboard album charts, and give the band their second hit single in the form of “We Had Enough”. By the mid-2000’s the band had become one of the most acclaimed rock acts of the time, selling out clubs and concert halls the country over and playing to an absolutely devoted following.

Very little has changed ever since then, they’ve settled into the role of punk rock elder statesmen with aplomb, and have released stellar album after stellar album in the years after that. They should be an inspiration for punk bands the world over, and are still in the peak of their powers as I type. Highly recommended.

After meeting at summer camp Daryl Palumbo and Justin Beck played their first show as Glassjaw in 1994. The band was strongly Influenced by their membership in other bands, including Beck’s Jewish straight-edged metalcore band Sons of Abraham, and Palumbo’s straight-edged XbustedX. Whilst playing the local hardcore scene, Glassjaw’s line-up changed frequently. Earlier releases included the EP “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” in 1997, and 2000’s debut album “”Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence”.

The album showed off Glassjaw’s powerful and aggressive guttural vocals - dealing with uncomfortable topics such as Palumbo’s Crohn’s disease - and has often been cited as a milestone in post-hardcore. Its follow-up “Worship and Tribute” released by Warner Bros. Records in 2002 was engineered and mixed by Mike Fraser and was a more mature album, with influences as far reaching as Anthrax and The Cure.

With Palumbo experiencing a relapse with his Crohn’s disease as well as performing with his new group Head Automatica, Glassjaw went on a indeterminable hiatus, in which time band members Todd Weinstock, Dave Allen and Larry Gorman were all fired from the band. A couple of years later in 2005 with Manuel Carrero returning on bass after five years, and Durijah Lang filling in on guitar, Glassjaw played three shows at Farmingdale, New York’s The Downtown.

In 2007 the band played a one-off show at the Carling Academy Brixton, in London, England and a warm-up show at the Camden Barfly a day earlier, proving Glassjaw still has life in them. Following headline shows in Southern California, U.S. and a bunch of headline slots at festivals including Saints & Sinners, the band began releasing snippets of their new material.

After a series of teasing single releases including “(You Think You’re) John F*cking Lennon” and “All Good Junkies Go To Heaven” Glassjaw announced the upmcoming release of an EP and LP. The singles were later revealed to feature on the EP “One Color Green (The Singles)” released on 1/11/11. “One Color Green (The Singles)” has been followed up by the “Coloring Book” EP and Glassjaw continue to tour extensively.

Prior to Cancer Bats’ earliest incarnation, singer Liam Cormier and guitarist Scott Middleton had played in the Toronto-based heavy metal band At the Mercy of Inspiration. Looking to craft a heavier, more elemental sound, with inspiration drawn from Refused, Black Flag, and Led Zeppelin, the pair formed Cancer Bats and invited bassist Andrew McCracken and drummer Joel Bath to the lineup. By January 2005 the quartet had produced a self-released demo, after which Mike Peters replaced Baths on drums. Cancer Bats subsequently began honing their live skills by performing across Southern Ontario alongside the likes of Billy Talent, Every Time I Die, Alexisonfire, Gallows, and Rise Against.

In June 2006 the band released their debut record “Birthing the Giant” featuring guest vocals from Alexisonfire’s George Pettit. Earning a host of positive reviews, the album spawned the singles “100 Grand Canyon”, “French Immersion”, and “Pneumonia Hawk”. Following the release bassist McCracken departed to focus on his design company, who was temporarily replaced by Jason Bailey, before Jay R. Schwarzer took over the reigns in late 2007.

Cancer Bats’ sophomore full-length “Hail Destroyer” arrived in April 2008 receiving a plethora of critical acclaim. With features from Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath, Alexisonfire’s Wade McNeil, and Billy Talent’s Ben Kowalewicz, the record was supported by an extensive tour including dates at Download Festival and Reading and Leeds Festivals. Following a further period intense touring Cancer Bats issued their third studio album “Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones” in April 2010. The group subsequently performed as “Bat Sabbath”, a Black Sabbath tribute band, at the Sonisphere Festival in July.

The full-length “Dead Set on Living” was released in early 2012 marking a more upbeat direction for the band. Led by the single “Old Blood”, the record draws influence from indie rock bands including Fleet Foxes, and was supported by playing five shows in the shape of a pentagram across the UK.