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.
Alkaline Trio mystify with their simultaneously morbid and catchy punk rock. With explosively fast drumbeats, repetitive, heavy bass and lead singer Matt Skiba’s hoarse vocals, the band in many ways epitomise the reincarnated punk movement of the nineties – but with the solemnity and seriousness of Bad Religion, rather than the joviality and humour of NOFX and Less Than Jake.
Dressed almost entirely in black, the three-piece radiated a morose stage presence as they pounded their way through tracks spanning their 15 years worth of studio albums. The sinister "Private Eye," a song that appears to be written from the perspective of a work-obsessed and lonely detective, sent the audience into a frenzy, as they emulated every word, almost guilt-ridden by the song’s simultaneous musical brilliance and downright disturbing subject matter. "Sadie" brought the show to an emotional stillness, whilst pure pop-punk, fast-paced "Armageddon" inspired more raucousness from the audience, as Skiba let his vocals fade away, allowing his audience to fill in the blanks, which they did with gusto. Alkaline Trio inspire a mix of feelings in their fans. They’re a band that covers topics ranging from young, frivolous heartbreak ("Stupid Kid") and deep love lament ("Blue Carolina"), to insanity ("Sadie") and obsession ("Private Eye") – all delivered through catchy, insatiable three-chord riffs, unstoppable drums and simply sing-a-long-able lyrics.
I'm just getting into Superheaven lately and I was blown away by how much energy the band played with. It was soooo loud too but the band was tight. Great stage presence and the songs sounded great like they did on the record!
Pup put on a great performance! They are very talented in the studio but live is a different story! The Guitar distortion sounds amazing live and I would recommend every punk fan to go
Every act tonight was so passionate, but Free Throw had the most crowd participation by far. This was the only time I've ever seen crowd surfing at BoonTunes (a VERY small venue)! Really great night with lots of talented musicians.
What can be said about Glassjaw that hasn’t been said already? One of the most influential hardcore bands for their role in innovating and perfecting the post-hardcore sound that began to hit its stride in the early 2000’s.
The band is spot on live, ripping through their music note for note as effortlessly as anything I’ve seen. Daryl Palumbo, one of two founding members that remain in Glassjaw, is as good a live singer as there is in the post-hardcore world. From his soaring high pitched vocals, to his eccentric dance moves during the band’s extended instrumental sections, Palumbo is an absolute joy to watch on stage.
I most recently saw Glassjaw at Reading in 2011, and I initially had a fear that perhaps the stage, and the moment, might be too big for them to handle but that initial fear was put to rest very quickly as soon as their trademark sound started bursting through those speakers. I don’t know if the other audience members shared my same fear, but if they did, their fears were certainly destroyed as well. In a crowd of tens of thousands, you would be hard pressed to find a single member of that audience that wasn’t in absolute awe of Glassjaw’s combined musicianship and showmanship.
Saw these guys at The Shacklewell Arms. Had been wanting to see them a while after coming across them on Spotify. Such a high tempo punk style that’s reminiscent of The Ramones and The Vaccines, but even better. Every track keeps the same high energy tempo and doesn’t let up. Bad Nerves are gonna be ones to watch.
There was one track that started with them stood still like statues just staring at the back and it seemed to go on for ages and the crowd started to get into it and started to clap and then, BANG another track kicked in. These guys are awesome, go and see them.
2004, the year that one of Canada’s finest exports was born (and no I’m not talking about Bieber!), Cancer Bats. Fronted by vocalist Liam Cromier, this metalcore four piece have often been compared to early Converge, Hatebreed and Refused. As part of the campaign for the 4th album, Dead Set On Living – the band announced a string of shows, but this was no ordinary tour. They would play 6 shows in 5 different venues around London (travelling in path of a pentagram) in 1 day. Utter madness, but a stroke of genius at that. It saw the band using public transport to get to the venues whilst their backline were transported by vehicle. Despite the theoretical logistical chaos, Cancer Bats went above and beyond maintaining the energy levels throughout, giving the fans an admirable display of carnage and showing no signs of tiredness. With their individualistic style on their cover of Beastie Boys classic “Sabotage”, Cancer Bats make it their own whilst still remaining true to the original. Tracks such as “Hail Destroyer”, “Lucifer’s Rocking Chair” and “PMA til I’m DOA” create a storm with Cormier jumping around the stage and head-banging and enthusing the crowd to take part in mosh pits appearing left, right and centre. Playing festivals such as Taste of Chaos, Hellfest and Download, Cancer Bats put 100% into each and every show creating a spectacular energy fuelled performance. If you came to party, Cancer Bats will show you one hell of a time.
I discovered Dinosaur Pile Up as opening of New Model Army in Paris, 2013. As I was late: I only could enjoy 1 song and a half but it was really great! So this time - still an opening session at La Maroquinerie - but I did not miss a single second and it was really great with lots of energy and decibels... I just wished that it would last longer, as they have quite a lot of very nice songs. Next time I see them, I aim to see them as main artist instead of an opening! Amazing band indeed!