Grade (band)

Last updated
Grade
Origin Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Years active1994–2002
2010-present
Labels Victory Records = Second Nature Recordings
MembersKyle Bishop
Matt Jones
Shawn Magill
Greg Taylor
Matt Richmond
Past membersChris Danner
Brad Casarin
Silas Barrette
Kent Abbott

Grade is a melodic hardcore band from Burlington, Ontario, often credited as pioneers in blending metallic hardcore with the honesty and melody of emo, [1] and - most notably - the alternating screaming/singing style later popularized by bands like Poison the Well and Hawthorne Heights. [2] Formed in 1994, Grade found inspiration in the hardcore bands Integrity and Chokehold. By 1995, however, they had discovered Indian Summer and Rye Coalition and began developing the sound and style for which they had become known. [3]

Contents

History

Four of the members of Grade previously played in the band Incision, with a different bassist, from 1992 to 1993, releasing two demo tapes. [4] In late 1993, the band briefly broke up but reformed under the name Rebirth. [4] After only two shows, Rebirth recruited bassist Matt Jones (who was then also playing in the band Sun Still Burns) and changed name to Grade in January 1994. [4] [5] Grade released their debut three-song demo tape in February 1994 through Workshop Records. [6]

Though And Such Is Progress would eventually be hailed as a "landmark album," [7] it was not until 1997, when Grade released Separate the Magnets and toured with Hot Water Music, that they began to develop a following. [3] During this time, band members collaborated in several side-projects. Bishop played in Acrid; Jones played in SeventyEightDays; Bishop and Jones played in The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead; and Bishop played in Tomb of the Worm; Taylor and Harris played in Jersey. [8] [9] [10]

In 1999, Grade signed with Victory Records and released Under the Radar, the album for which they had become best known. Under the Radar spawned two singles, the videos for which received some play on MTV2 in 1999 and 2000. In 2000, the band toured Europe and the United Kingdom, meeting up with American melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust for several cross-over shows. [11] [12]

In 2001, Grade released their fourth and final full-length album, Headfirst Straight to Hell , before disbanding approximately one year later. [13] [14] Jones, Magill, Danner and Casarin all went on to play in To the Lions. [15]

Since their break-up, Grade have reunited several times, beginning with a 2006 show in Toronto. [16] In 2010, they wrote and recorded two new songs for a split 7-inch with Bane. [17] In 2013, Grade performed at Pouzza Fest in Montreal. [18] In 2014, they toured the northeastern U.S. with Ensign.

Legacy

When asked by Noisey in 2014 if he ever felt bitter for a lack of recognition, singer Kyle Bishop stated, "There’s a lot of accolades that people give us for supposedly starting something and I think that’s all bullshit, to be honest with you. I think that a billion bands were doing similar things before us and after that deserve just as much credit. And if we do get some credit from certain people, awesome. If we don't, it doesn’t really matter because I really don’t think it’s true anyway." [19]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Split albums

Compilations

See also

Related Research Articles

No Idea Records is an American independent record label based in Gainesville, Florida which focuses on punk rock and its sub-styles and produces both vinyl records and compact discs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">His Hero Is Gone</span> American crust punk band

His Hero Is Gone was an influential American neo-crust band from Memphis, Tennessee. The band formed in 1995 from members of Copout, Man With Gun Lives Here, Union of Uranus and FaceDown. They disbanded in 1999, playing their last show in Memphis. They toured the U.S. extensively several times, as well as Europe and Japan.

Buried Alive is a hardcore punk/metalcore band from Buffalo, New York that existed in the late 1990s and was signed to Victory Records. The band featured the now current singer of Terror, Scott Vogel, who had previously sang in Slugfest and Despair, and played drums in Cinderblock and Fadeaway.

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

Terror is an American hardcore punk band from Los Angeles, formed in 2002. The band has undergone several line-up changes, all overseen by founding members Scott Vogel and Nick Jett (drums). Its current lineup also features guitarists Martin Stewart and Jordan Posner, as well as bassist Chris Linkovich. The band has released eight studio albums – the most recent of which, Pain Into Power, was released in May 2022. The band are noted as one of the most influential modern bands within beatdown hardcore and hardcore punk, with Stereogum describing Terror as "an institution within their genre".

Surprise Attack Records, sometimes called SA Mob is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, although the bands are from Miami, Elkview, Erie, and even Adelaide, Australia. Surprise Attack Records signs Hardcore punk bands. In the early 2000s, the record label had close affiliations with Canadian record labels Goodfellow Records and Redstar Records.

Cursed was a Canadian hardcore punk band formed in 2001 and dissolved in 2008. It featured members from Montreal, Toronto, and Hamilton of various other Canadian DIY bands such as Haymaker, Left for Dead, The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead, Acrid, Ruination, The Black Hand, Countdown to Oblivion, At the Mercy of Inspiration, Shallow North Dakota, Crux of Aux, Quest for Fire and Burning Love.

Robotic Empire is an American independent record label based out of Richmond, Virginia, specializing in hardcore punk, heavy metal, and alternative rock. Some of the most popular bands signed to the label over the years have been pg.99, City of Caterpillar, Crowpath, The Red Chord, Circle Takes the Square, Cursive, Versoma, Daughters, Isis, Kayo Dot, Cave In, Red Sparowes, Torche and Hot Cross. Robotic Empire was known as Robodog Records for their first 14 releases.

Chokehold is a Canadian vegan straight edge hardcore punk band from Hamilton, Ontario. They were active from 1990 to 1996, and came together again for a reunion tour in 2015, and five dates in Japan in September 2016. They released their third album in 2019.

<i>The Fists of Time</i> 1998 debut extended play by As Friends Rust

The Fists of Time is the debut extended play by American melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust. It was originally released by Belgian record label Good Life Recordings on July 13, 1998, on compact disc and 10" vinyl. American record label Doghouse Records reissued the release, under the expanded title The Fists of Time: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Non-Fiction, on compact disc, 12" vinyl and digitally, with new artwork and two additional songs, on June 22, 2000. In promotion of the release, As Friends Rust toured the United States, United Kingdom and Europe several times between June 1998 and September 2000. The bands that accompanied As Friends Rust on these tours include Discount, Dillinger Four, Strike Anywhere, Grade, Ensign, Ignite, Good Clean Fun, Garrison, Glasseater, Mid Carson July, The Agency, Purusam, Fast Times and Keith Welsh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morning Again</span> American metalcore band

Morning Again is an American metalcore band from Florida. They were known for their metallic sound as well as for their straight edge, vegan, anti-religious and anti-government ideals. The band was a "sister band" to Culture, often switching members after one had left the other. Several members went on to play in other bands such as As Friends Rust and Dead Blue Sky. The band was originally from Cooper City, Florida, but moved to Coral Springs in 1998 before breaking up later that year. After playing several reunion shows over the years, the band released a new EP in 2018.

Glasseater was a post-hardcore band from Miami, Florida. The band formed in 1998 as a duo, eventually expanding to a quintet.

xDISCIPLEx A.D. American Christian hardcore band

xDISCIPLEx A.D. was a straight edge Christian hardcore band from Erie, Pennsylvania.

Eulogy Recordings is an American independent record label established in early 1997 by hardcore guitarist John Wylie. The record company was founded in Cooper City, Florida but its headquarters moved around in various parts of Broward County, Florida. Since its buy-out in 2018, it has been based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jesuit was an American hardcore punk band from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Active in the mid and late 1990s, the group released twelve songs but disbanded before recording a full-length album.

The National Acrobat was an American hardcore punk band "whose popularity rose after its brief existence". The band was formed in late 1998 by guitarists Evan Patterson and Robby Scott, bassist Ty Kreft, vocalist Casper Adams, and drummer Phil Stosberg. Influenced by the Washington, D.C. hardcore punk scene and contemporary bands like Deadguy, The National Acrobat "quickly earned a reputation for their engaging, humorous, and often confrontational live performances".

Tribunal Records is a heavy metal and hardcore punk label that started in 1999. The label also has a subsidiary entitled Divebomb Records. Tribunal has hosted bands such as From the Shallows, Scarlet, and Century, while Divebomb hosts bands such as Wulfhook, Zephaniah, and Helion Prime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Vogel</span> American vocalist (born 1973)

Scott Vogel is an American vocalist. He is the lead singer and founding member of hardcore punk band Terror and Buffalo hardcore band Bad Blood, and a former member of Buried Alive and World Be Free.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thoughts of Ionesco</span> 1990s post-hardcore band from Detroit

Thoughts of Ionesco was a Detroit-based post-hardcore band extant 1996–1999 known for detuned guitars, screamed vocals, complex arrangements, improvisational sections inspired by free jazz, and their destructive live performances.

Tension was a Christian straight-edge hardcore punk band that formed in 1993.

Bloodlet are an American metalcore band from Orlando, Florida that formed in 1992. Their style of music features elements of metalcore and sludge metal, which has been noted for influencing the 1990s underground hardcore scene.

References

  1. ↑ Barnard, Laurent (July 16, 2015). "This Is Hardcore: Grade – Under The Radar". Team Rock. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  2. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (September 26, 2014). "Grade returning to NYC & Philly w/ Ensign (and other dates)". BrooklynVegan . Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Ramirez, Carlos (December 18, 2014). "Interview: Kyle Bishop (Grade, Acrid, The Black Maria, The Swarm)". No Echo. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Julien, Alexandre (December 26, 2014). "Incision & Rebirth Official Biography". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  5. ↑ Julien, Alexandre (September 18, 2013). "Face Down & Sun Still Burns Official Biography". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  6. ↑ Julien, Alexandre (March 22, 2011). "Workshop Records Interview". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on May 30, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  7. ↑ Adams, Gregory (January 16, 2014). "Grade's 'Separate the Magnets' Set for Deluxe Vinyl Reissue". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  8. ↑ Julien, Alexandre (October 4, 2013). "Acrid Official Biography". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  9. ↑ Julien, Alexandre (November 17, 2014). "The Swarm aka Knee Deep in the Dead Official Biography". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  10. ↑ Julien, Alexandre (March 5, 2015). "Tomb of the Worm Official Biography". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  11. ↑ Julien, Alexandre (January 10, 2020). "As Friends Rust - A skeletal repository of As Friends Rust's timeline". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Tours". Victory Records . August 16, 2000. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  13. ↑ Bento, Debbie (August 28, 2001). "CD Reviews: Bjork, Slipknot, Grade and many more". Chart Attack . Archived from the original on December 4, 2001. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  14. ↑ TheDude (July 28, 2006). "Grade / the Reason - live in Toronto". Punk News. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  15. ↑ Julien, Alexandre (December 11, 2013). "To the Lions Official Biography". Abridged Pause Blog. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  16. ↑ Aubin, Paul (May 16, 2006). "Grade to reunite in Toronto". Punk News. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  17. ↑ Schreurs, Jason (July 2, 2009). "Reunited Grade to Record Songs for New Seven-Inch Comp". Exclaim! . Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  18. ↑ Wisniewski, Kira (March 7, 2013). "Pouzza Fest announce final batch of bands, post schedule". Punk News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  19. ↑ Bayer, Jonah (November 21, 2014). ""We Are Literally the Worst Band Ever": Canadian Hardcore Superstars Grade Release Two New Songs". Noisey . Archived from the original on November 23, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.