Frodus

Last updated
Frodus
Frodus-sweden.jpg
Frodus performing in Sweden on tour with Refused in 1998
Background information
Origin Washington, D.C., US
Genres Post-hardcore, art rock, math rock
Years active1993–1999, 2009
Labels Fueled by Ramen, Tooth & Nail, Double Deuce NYC, Level Records, Gnome Records, Lovitt Records
Past members Shelby Cinca
Jason Hamacher
Jake Brown
Nathan Burke
Liam Wilson
Russ Mason
Jim Cooper
Kyle Bacon
Ted Magsig
Dana Wachs
Andy Duncan
Howard Pyle
Saadat Awan
Website www.frodus.com

Frodus (a.k.a. Frodus Conglomerate International, Frodus Sound Laboratories, FCI, Frodus Escape Plan, Frodus Deposit Insurance Corporation) was an American post-hardcore band formed in 1993 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist/guitarist Shelby Cinca and drummer Jason Hamacher. The band went through numerous bassists over the course of their career. Their mixture of math rock and hardcore punk plus their lyrical themes, frequently dark and dissonant and seen as esoteric for the time, led them to be described by critics as one of the most influential post-hardcore bands of the 1990s.

Contents

Biography

Existence (1993–1999)

Frodus' first releases were self-distributed cassettes and 7 inches, such as Babe, Tzo-Boy, and Molotov Cocktail Party . Two other releases ( Fireflies and F-Letter ), on now-defunct indie labels, followed. Frodus later signed with Tooth & Nail Records, an independent label out of Seattle, with whom they released Conglomerate International in 1998. Most of Frodus' recognition was due to their final release, And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea , recorded in 1999 and released in 2001 on Fueled by Ramen, considered by band members to be their best recorded work.

The name "Frodus" came from the last episode of TV series The Monkees called "Mijacogeo" (a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper").

Post-breakup (2000–2008)

After Frodus broke up in 1999, it took two years to find a label to release their final album. The first label, MIA Records, shut down due to the owner (also a Texas oil-tycoon) having to settle a long-standing lawsuit. Afterwards, long-time Frodus friend Tony Weinbender (then of Fueled by Ramen Records) offered to release Frodus' final album.

Shelby Cinca briefly joined the band Bluebird as a second guitarist following the breakup of Frodus, but left before recording any material with them. In 2000, Nathan went on to form The Out Circuit and Night Is Invisible (both of which released records on Lujo Records), and Hamacher went on to drum for Combatwoundedveteran. In 2003, the founding members Shelby Cinca and Jason Hamacher along with bassist Joe Lally of Fugazi joined to form The Black Sea. They later changed their name to Decahedron. Lally left shortly after the completion of their debut album and was replaced by Jonathan Ford (Unwed Sailor, Roadside Monument). Continually plagued by bassist fluctuation anomalies, Ford quit in 2004 and was later replaced by Jake Brown (formerly of Moments in Grace and Twothirtyeight). In 2005, they suspended operations after the release of their EP entitled 2005. Shelby Cinca then focused on his Swedish project Frantic Mantis with Håkan Johansson and Per Stålberg of Division of Laura Lee, and completed the third album by The Cassettes (Buddyhead Records, 2006). In 2006, Jason Hamacher started a project with Mike Schliebaum of Darkest Hour called Zealot. Cinca began releasing IDM, made on a Game Boy (Game Boy music) with the Nanoloop software, under his own name.

2006 also saw the relaunch of the Frodus web-presence and consolidation of its MySpace entities. The site was an attempt to archive all known interviews, previous website designs, press clippings, and digital transfers for media content. Shelby Cinca also began remastering out-of-print releases and adding them to the iTunes library and other digital music services through his partnership with Carcrash Records.

Reunion (2009–2010)

2009 saw Frodus reunite as the Frodus Escape Plan/Frodus Conglomerate International/FDIC (Frodus Despotic (or Deposit) Insurance Corporation) with Liam Wilson from The Dillinger Escape Plan on bass, and Jake Brown also on bass for select appearances. [1] The reunion was organized in commemoration of the re-release of the Conglomerate International double-vinyl LP on Gilead Media, and as a statement in response to the bank-bailouts and the uncovering of corporate corruption in the financial sector. [2]

In 2010, Frodus released a new 7″ of material, Soundlab 1, recorded in 2009 with Liam Wilson on bass, as a limited edition 7″ vinyl on Lovitt Records.

A reissue of the band's final album, And We Washed Our Weapons In the Sea, was released on Lovitt Records in 2015. [2]

Members

Timeline
Frodus

Discography

Studio Albums
Live Albums
Singles and EPs
Compilation Appearances

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Lally</span> Musical artist

Joseph Francis Lally is an American bassist, vocalist and record label owner, best known for his work with Fugazi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emery (band)</span> American post-hardcore band

Emery is an American post-hardcore band formed in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in 2001 by Toby Morrell, Devin Shelton, Matt Carter, Josh Head, Joel Green, and Seth Studley. The band relocated to Seattle in order to reach a more music-centered scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tooth & Nail Records</span> American Christian rock record label

Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoath, Hawk Nelson, Emery, The Almost, FM Static, Family Force 5, Anberlin, and MxPx.

Roadside Monument was an American math rock band from Seattle, Washington, who were active from 1994–1998 and then again from 2002–2003.

Dogwood is a punk rock band from Escondido, California founded in 1993. Their music has been compared to that of The Offspring, and they list Bad Religion, NOFX and Lagwagon as musical influences.

Good Clean Fun is a hardcore punk band from Washington, D.C. who took their band name from the Descendents song of the same name. The band gained a particular internet following after they released "The MySpace Song", a spoof ballad about a girl who leaves her boyfriend for a person she met on Myspace.

Jason Hamacher is an American musician. He was the drummer for the band Frodus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Clark (musician)</span> American musician

Ryan Clark is an American musician who also has performed under the stage name Maven. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian metal band Demon Hunter, which he co-founded with his brother, guitarist Don Clark. He was also the frontman for Christian metalcore band Training for Utopia along with being one of the guitarists for Focal Point. He is featured on Zao's The Lesser Lights of Heaven DVD and Mark Salomon's Podcast, Never Was.

The Cassettes are a Washington, D.C., based "Mystic Country"/Steampunk band formed in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoken (band)</span> American Christian rock band

Spoken is an American Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They have released nine studio albums; three via Metro 1 Music, three via Tooth & Nail Records, one via E1 Music, one via Artery Recordings, and one independently.

<i>Ire Works</i> 2007 studio album by the Dillinger Escape Plan

Ire Works is the third studio album by American band the Dillinger Escape Plan. The album was released in the UK on November 5, 2007, in the US on November 13 through Relapse Records, and in Japan on November 28. The album was their last album on Relapse. The album is Gil Sharone's first and last album with the band and their first without founding drummer Chris Pennie. Lead guitarist Ben Weinman plays guitar alone on the record, due to Brian Benoit's injury. The album is described as mathcore, post-hardcore, and metalcore, incorporating a wide variety of influences including electronic music.

Jonathan Kreinik is an American record producer, who has produced numerous records from his Boombox Magnetica Studio(s), as well as in different studio locations around the globe. He has worked with the bands !!!, Trans Am, The Make-Up, and Frodus, among others. On occasion he is a traveling live-sound engineer for such bands as The Rapture, Elefant, Le Tigre, and Rocket From The Crypt.

<i>And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea</i> 2001 studio album by Frodus

And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea is the fifth and final studio album by American post-hardcore band Frodus, which was released posthumously in 2001. The album received very positive feedback from critics and fans alike, and is considered as the band's best effort.

<i>Conglomerate International</i> 1998 studio album by Frodus

Conglomerate International is the fourth studio album by American post-hardcore band Frodus, released in 1998 through Tooth & Nail Records. The album focuses largely on the theme of corporatism.

<i>F-Letter</i> 1996 studio album by Frodus

F-Letter is the third studio album by post-hardcore band Frodus, originally released in 1996 through Double Duece NYC. To fund the recording for the album, Shelby Cinca sold a virtual reality helmet at a Doom tournament held by a now-defunct computer store. The album has been reissued many times on both CD and vinyl formats through a variety of record labels.

<i>Fireflies</i> (Frodus album) 1995 studio album by Frodus

Fireflies is the second studio album by American post-hardcore band Frodus, released in 1995 through Level Records. The album was initially going to be a glow-in-the-dark 7" single until the band decided to instead release a full-length album because it was "just as cheap". The album was initially released on CD format, limited to 1100 copies. The album was reissued digitally in 2006, remastered and with new artwork and an alternative track-listing. The band's bandcamp page also hosts another reissue of the record, also including unique cover-art and track-listing.

<i>Molotov Cocktail Party</i> 1994 studio album by Frodus

Molotov Cocktail Party is the debut studio album by post-hardcore band Frodus, released in 1994 through Gnome Records, initially released exclusively on cassette format, limited to 1,000 blue copies. The album was reissued on digital formats in 2006.

Overcome are an American Christian metalcore band. They come from Phoenix, Arizona. The band started making music in 1993 until their decade-long hiatus from 2000 to 2010, when they commenced making music again. Tooth & Nail Records released the band's first two albums, Blessed Are the Persecuted in 1996 and When Beauty Dies in 1997. Facedown Records has released the other albums from the band signed the band. They released Immortal Until Their Work Is Done in 1999, More Than Death in 2001, The Great Campaign of Sabotage in 2011, and No Reserves. No Retreats. No Regrets. in 2013. They were one of the first "Spirit-Filled Hardcore" bands, along with Unashamed, Focused, Strongarm, and Zao. They were the first band signed to Facedown Records. The band is playing at Facedown Fest 2017.

The Blamed is an American Christian hardcore punk band currently based out of Chicago. During their tenure they have played primarily hardcore punk, pop punk, punk rock, and emo music with some influences from metal as well. They originally are from California having relocated to Illinois after guitarist Bryan Gray moved to Chicago. The band originally formed in 1994 and disbanded in 2003. Members during this era of the band included Bryan Gray, Christopher Wiitala, Trevor Wiitala, Jeff Locke, Jim Chaffin, John Hansen, and Matt Switaj. They have released three albums, with Tooth & Nail Records, 21 in 1994, Frail in 1996, and Give Us Barabbas in 2002. The band released four albums, with Grrr Records, ...Again in 1998, Forever in 1999, Germany in 2000, and Isolated Incident in 2001. The band reformed in the summer of 2016 to play a one-off set at Audio Feed music festival. This has since lead to the band reforming and recording a split EP with the Chicago hardcore band The Satire, a band sharing multiple members with the Blamed. The split EP was released in November 2018 through Indivision Music.

Few Left Standing is a Christian metal band that primarily played Christian hardcore and was signed to Takehold Records. The band's debut album was produced by Living Sacrifice frontman, Bruce Fitzhugh. The band has toured with Underoath, Narcissus, and Tantrum of the Muse. On December 3, 2019, it was announced that the band would be returning to perform at Furnace Fest 2020, alongside a recently reunited Beloved.

References

  1. BrooklynVegan Staff (March 6, 2009). "Frodus is back, playing the Slip + Lovitt = love party @ SXSW". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Cohen, Matt (October 19, 2015). "Lovitt Records to Reissue Frodus' And We Washed Our Weapons In the Sea". Washington Post . Retrieved April 18, 2016.