Custom Floor

Last updated
Custom Floor
Origin San Diego, California, United States
Genres Indie rock
Years active1991Present
LabelsAnalog Sound Recordings
MembersGarry Davis
Matt Crane
Past members Phil Esbenshade
Chris Squire
Adam Willard
Miki Vuckovich
Tod Swank
Brent Fellows
Website Bandcamp

Custom Floor is an American underground indie rock band that was formed in 1991 in San Diego, California by Garry Davis, Phil Esbenshade. and Miki Vuckovich. Although Garry and Phil were former pro skateboarders, Custom Floor was never a skate rock band, instead displaying a heavy indie rock and post punk influence. They've described their music as "a large dose of guitar, bass and drums-based rock all big banged out into a wide array of minor notes, ringing octaves, heavy distortion, hovering harmonics, cymbal crashes, drum splashes and big-britches bass throb."

Contents

History

Custom Floors first seven-inch record was released by Goldenrod Records in late 1991, and the band started playing frequent live shows throughout Southern California in 1992-'93. The first Custom Floor LP, Clear Day, was released in December 1993 on the Analog Sound Recordings label, and was supported with a full U.S. tour in Summer 1994—the second half of which was spent opening for fellow San Diegans Drive Like Jehu.

After the original Custom Floor line-up fizzled out in late 1992, numerous other San Diego musicians enjoyed brief stints in the band with leader Garry Davis in the mid-to-late '90s, including Tod Swank (bass), Brent Fellows (bass), Adam Willard of Rocket From The Crypt (drums), Michelle Slater (bass), Chris Squire (bass), Rafter Roberts (drums) and Matt Crane (drums). Garry released an experimental Custom Floor seven-inch called The Handsome Young Airforce Lieutenant with Adam Willard in 1995, then teamed up with Matt Crane and Chris Squire to record the band's second full-length CD, From a Body, in 1997.

A hiatus of several years then ensued, after which Garry and Matt recorded the band's third full-length, A Distant Dull, in 2005. Custom Floor still exists today as a studio recording entity only, having played their last live show in 2000. Garry and Matt also occasionally play free improvisation and spontaneous rock music with various side musicians under the offshoot name Carpet Floor, who released four CDs—Majestic, Hovering Pillows, Mass Ejection and Blow Out—on August 2, 2007. In 2014, Custom Floor briefly appeared in the film It's Gonna Blow, a documentary about San Diego's underground music scene of the 1990s. In 2024, Custom Floor released its fourth full-length album, You Haunt Me with guest drummer Brendan K. filling in for Matt Crane.

Discography

Homeless / UPS Driver / In My House 7" (1991)
Clear Day LP (1993)
The Handsome Young Air Force Lieutenant 7" (1995)
From a Body CD (1997)
A Distant Dull CD (2005)
You Haunt Me LP (2024)

Compilations Various Artists—Ask for Disorder CD (1993) "In the Glare of the Sun"
Various Artists—Flushing the Vault 7" (1999) "My Knot and Knee"

Related Research Articles

Crucifix was an American hardcore punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area, active from 1980 to 1984. They were among the most popular acts of the San Francisco punk scene of the early 1980s. Fronted by Cambodian-born singer Sothira Pheng, Crucifix were distinct among American underground bands for their strong D-beat musical characteristics and anarchist lyrical content and graphic design. The band's debut 1983 full-length album Dehumanization on Crass Records‘ offshoot Corpus Christi Records, is considered by many critics and fans to be a cornerstone of political punk music. After their breakup, Crucifix’s members went on to form the bands Loudspeaker and Proudflesh.

The Dils were an American punk rock band formed 1976 and active until 1980, originally from Carlsbad, California, and fronted by the brothers Chip Kinman and Tony Kinman. They appeared as the second act in the "battle of the bands" sequence in Cheech and Chong's film, Up In Smoke, where they can be heard before being seen performing "You're Not Blank".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket from the Crypt</span> American punk rock band

Rocket from the Crypt is an American punk rock band from San Diego, California, originally active from 1990 to 2005, then active during 2011 and again from 2013 to the present.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naked Raygun</span> American punk band

Naked Raygun is an American punk rock band that formed in Chicago in 1980. The band was active from 1980 to 1992, along with reunion shows in 1997, and since 2006.

The Album Leaf is an American musical project founded in San Diego, California, in 1998 by Jimmy LaValle. He is known for his use of electronics, synthesizer, and Rhodes piano. His performances often feature projected visual art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dressy Bessy</span> Indie rock band

Dressy Bessy is an indie rock band from Denver, Colorado led by songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, Tammy Ealom. The band is associated with the Elephant Six Recording Company and shares guitarist John Hill with The Apples in Stereo. Ealom formed the band with drummer Darren Albert and bassist Rob Greene in 1996. Hill joined the band after helping engineer early recordings in 1997. The name was taken from a popular Playskool doll of the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atom Willard</span> American drummer (born 1973)

Adam David "Atom" Willard is an American drummer who has been a member of several notable musical acts. His career began in 1990 when he joined Rocket from the Crypt, with whom he remained until 2000. Subsequently, he joined the Special Goodness, the Offspring, and in 2005 became a founding member of Angels & Airwaves. In 2007 Willard departed from the Offspring to focus on his work with Angels & Airwaves, and in April 2009 he also joined Social Distortion, but left the following March. In June 2011, he joined the band Danko Jones and in October 2011 amicably left Angels & Airwaves. From 2013 to 2020, he was the drummer for Against Me! until their indefinite hiatus. Currently he is playing in the bands Worriers, Plosivs, Lektron, and Alkaline Trio.

<i>Hot Charity</i> 1995 studio album by Rocket from the Crypt

Hot Charity is the third album by the San Diego, California punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 1995 on the fictitious record label Perfect Sound Records. The original release was limited in number and soon went out of print, however it was re-released in CD format in 2002 by singer/guitarist John Reis on his Swami Records label as part of the compilation album Hot Charity/Cut Carefully and Play Loud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hidden Hand (band)</span> American metal band

The Hidden Hand was an American stoner rock and doom metal band from Maryland, formed in 2002 and dissolved in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower</span> American punk/noise band

The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower was an American four-piece noise rock/post-hardcore band from San Diego, California, United States, that formed in 2001. After disbanding in 2006, drummer Brian Hill now plays with The Soft Pack, while singer Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell formed the duo Crocodiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rosebuds</span> American indie rock band

The Rosebuds were an American indie rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina, that recorded and performed from 2001 to 2014. Its current members are Ivan Howard (vocals/guitar/drums/bass/keyboards/programming) and Kelly Crisp (vocals/keyboard/drums/guitar/accordion). Billy Alphin had played drums on the album The Rosebuds Make Out, Wes Phillips played drums on the E.P."Unwind", Lee Waters played drums on the record Birds Make Good Neighbors, and Matt McCaughan played the drums on Night of the Furies, Life Like and Loud Planes Fly Low. Rob Lackey was behind the drum kit during the taping of The Rosebuds Live at the Cats Cradle, a charity only recording sold at cytunes.org to help fight for the prevention of cancer, as well as on the track "Second Birds of Paradise" on "Loud Planes Fly Low."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultans (band)</span> American rock and roll band

The Sultans were an American rock and roll band led by John Reis, formed in 2000 in San Diego, California. Over the course of the band's lifespan they released two full-length albums on Reis' Swami Records label. The band took pride in their "stripped down" rock and roll approach, using a simple guitar/bass/drum structure and recording quickly using pre-used equipment and borrowed instruments in order to maintain a loose, spontaneous feel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Knife</span> Band from San Diego, California

No Knife was a band from San Diego, California. They played an innovative form of rock that combined aspects of post-punk, post-hardcore, indie rock, and many other genres, influenced by a wide variety of acts, including Pitchfork, Pixies, the Cure, Erik Satie, Steel Pulse, Édith Piaf, and aMiniature.

The Static Age are an American post punk band originally from Burlington, Vermont and now based in Chicago, IL. The band's style blends elements of post-punk, alternative, shoegaze, synth pop and indie rock and they have released five albums and a handful of EPs and singles as well as toured extensively across both North America and Europe.

The Black Swans are an American indie rock band. Jerry DeCicca and Noel Sayre form the core of the band. Their debut, Who Will Walk in the Darkness with You? features Milan Karcic, Matt Surgeson, Joe Peppercorn (piano), and Jovan Karcic (drums). The Sex Brain EP features Canaan Faulkner (bass), Chris Forbes, Keith Hanlon, Sarah Jurcyk, and Horace Roscoe. Amy Alwood and Cassie Lewis are also listed as group members. The Black Swans have toured America with such notable indie artists as Okkervil River, Magnolia Electric Company and Early Day Miners. Their 2nd full-length album, Change!, was released on November 6, 2007 by La Société Expéditionnaire on CD and LP. It features the same core band of DeCicca, Sayre, Faulkner, Forbes and Hanlon that appeared on Sex Brain, as well as appearances by Peppercorn on piano and Amy Alwood on backing vocals. It was recorded in Forbes' living room by Hanlon and mixed by Hanlon and DeCicca at Gidget Sound in Columbus, Ohio.

<i>Eucalyptus</i> (Pitchfork album) Album by Pitchfork

Eucalyptus is a studio album by the post-hardcore band Pitchfork. It was released in 1990 through Nemesis Records and re-released in 2003 by Swami Records. The album is the band's only full-length studio album. It was produced by guitarist John Reis and its artwork was created by singer Rick Froberg, who at the time used the stage name Rick Fork.

<i>Hot Charity/Cut Carefully and Play Loud</i> 2002 compilation album by Rocket from the Crypt

Hot Charity/Cut Carefully and Play Loud is an album by American punk rock band Rocket from the Crypt, released in 2002 by Swami Records. It combines two of the band's out-of-print vinyl releases, the 1995 LP Hot Charity and 1999 EP Cut Carefully and Play Loud, into a single release on CD. It includes liner notes by singer/guitarist John Reis detailing the recordings of both releases.

Black Steel is an Australian heavy metal band, whose career highlights include supporting rock legends Deep Purple (2000), Judas Priest, Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society (2006) and appearing at the Metallica-headlined 'Big Day Out' Perth show in 2004. They are listed in Garry Sharpe-Young's 'The A-Z of Power Metal', and have received international acclaim in the genre. Most notably in 'Kerrang!' magazine. with a KKKK rating, and 'Power Play' magazine with a 7/10 rating. Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson also spoke favourably of Black Steel during his BBC radio show 'Bruce's Rock Show', playing the track 'Slaughterhouse' from the band's 2005 album 'Hellhammer'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battalion of Saints</span> American hardcore punk band

Battalion of Saints was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, that was founded in 1980.

<i>Acoustic Dreams</i> 2014 EP by Echosmith

Acoustic Dreams is the second extended play by indie pop band Echosmith released June 10, 2014, on LP, CD, and digital download. It includes acoustic versions of four tracks from Talking Dreams, as well as one exclusive track, "Terminal."