Band Profile: Bane
Added on Nov 5, 2004
It all started back in '95. Aaron Dalbec and Damon from Converge had a handful of songs that they'd been working on for a possible side project. It took a while but eventually Aaron D. contacted Aaron Bedard. Some old HC guy who had just done a reunion show with his old band, Backbone. Bedard had spent the last few years drumming in local rock bands and sitting around and was excited at the thought of getting back into the HC scene that he had once loved so much. He wrote a batch of lyrics while Aaron D. set out to complete the line up.
Next came the bane: short, simple, and broke Batman's back... The songs came together before the lineup did, so in Dec of '95 the three of them went into the studio, with Aaron D. pulling all guitar and bass duties and Brian McTearnan behind the board at Salad Days studio. All night, while a foot of snow fell onto the streets of Boston, they recorded their demo.
It was in early '96 when Pete Chilton came aboard. Pete played bass, was a gentle giant, and came complete with a station wagon. The band distributed over 500 copies of their demo before playing their first show. Their first show was in March in Worcester, MA with Kurt from Converge filling in on 2nd guitar, and a great time was had by all. Next came Zach Jordan the dreamy, screamy, and super hyper guitarist from Barrit and Relm. He couldn't be permanent but he'd fill in a while until Bane could figure something else out. In May of '96 the full line-up went back into the studio with Brian again, to record their debut 7" for Aaron D's own Life Records.
They started playing shows, mostly around central MA, and soon built a small, loyal following. For bane it is all about going off, singing along and having fun. Bane's music is for everyone and kids can feel safe while Bane plays.
Soon there was an explosion of new positive HC bands in and around Boston: Ten Yard Fight, In My Eyes, and Fastbreak. More and more kids were coming out to shows, it was an exciting time and Bane got to play some great shows with some amazing bands.
In May '97 they went back into the studio with Brian again to record a 2nd 7" Free To Think, Free To Be, also on Life Records. But Bane was still a side project and would often be put on the shelf while Aaron and Damon left for tour with Converge. In late '97 Damon decided to leave Bane. Ben Chused from Ten Yard Fight agreed to fill in for a while. Ben had been friends with the band since the beginning and ironically had played on guitar on the demo.
With Ben came a new motivation to get on the road and play more shows out of state. They started doing weekends, getting their records around and in March of '98 they played Detroit fest and received their first ever huge out of state response.
In May of '98, the went back into the studio to record their annual spring 7" with Brian, Holding This Moment. But this time they were picked up by Equal Vision Records, and finally had their own CD, compiling all three 7"s. It was time to think about touring. But Ben couldn't tour because he had Ten Yard Fight to concentrate on. So along came Nick Branigan, drummer from Boston's Close Call. He was a long time Bane fan, willing to tour, and learned the songs in a blink.
They were off, on July 23rd 1998, Bane left for it's first U.S. tour with label mates Saves The Day.
It was on this tour that everything changed. Everything clicked. The songs became tighter, more emotional, took a life of their own. The band got to know each other like never before. They made so many new friends, met so many great kids, received amazing reactions so many miles from home. In thr course of those shows they fell in love with the road and found their true voice. They weren't interested in being just another old school sXe band from Boston. Their music was about honesty and passion and ideas that cut deeper than simple slogans.
They returned home with a new attitude, new focus, and began writing songs for a full-length album.
1999 was a crazy year for the boys in Bane. They toured four times playing shows as far north as Edmonton, Canada, and as far south as El Paso, TX. Zach and Pete did an additional two tours with their metal band Barrit, and Aaron went to Europe with Converge.
In May, Bane went into the studio to record their first full-length album. This time around working with the Reverend Steve Austin in Clinton, MA. It All Comes Down To This was a more ambitious, diverse, and some say experimental record. Indeed they were still a HC band but they were not about to play it safe or hide from other forms of expression and inspiration. Only the music and themselves could tell Bane what was right and acceptable. Not the HC scene. They lost some fans but gained a bunch of new ones.
2000 brought the funniest and most fulfilling tour yet. A full US summer tour with So. Cal's Adamantium and Death By Stereo. 20 kids roaming the country, playing their hearts out and having the time of their lives. They played to huge crowds and warm responses including 2000 screaming kids at Hellfest, in Syracuse, NY. The three bands pushed each other, inspired each other, and when it was over they had formed bonds that will last a lifetime.
In early September 2000, Bane returned to the studio, this time with old band member, Kurt Ballou at the wheel, and recorded two new songs for a split with Adamantium for Indecision Records. A week later the band flew to Europe for a 6-week tour where they played 35+ shows in 15 countries. Another goal attained. They had an amazing trip, were able to experience so much, meet so many great kids. Their belief in HC and what they were doing grew stronger.
It's been six years since they recorded their demo. They now have a solid line-up. Nearly 350 shows under their belt and so, so many people to thank for all they have done. They look forward to recording a new record and many more shows because for Bane it will always be about playing live. Seeing the kids' faces, plugging in and finding something in the music that they can not find anywhere else in life. They invite you to be a part of it...
Band Information
Country Of Origin:
Outside Europe
Members:
Aaron Bedard - vocals
Zach Jordan - guitar
Aaron Dalbec - guitar
Pete Chilton - bass
Bob Mahoney - drums
Official Website:
Download MP3:
Contact Information:
pepe@banecentral.com
Label:
Equal Vision Records (www.equalvision.com)
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