The Dismemberment Plan is an American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band formed in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

on January 1, 1993. Also known as D-Plan or the Plan, the name was derived from an industry phrase used by insurance salesman Ned Ryerson in the 1993 comedy film ''

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day (, , , ; Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a tradition observed regionally in the United States and Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if ...

''. The band members include Eric Axelson (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

), Jason Caddell (

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

), Joe Easley (

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

), and

Travis Morrison Travis Morrison (born December 16, 1972) is an American musician and web developer from Northern Virginia, United States. He is best known as leader of indie-rock band The Dismemberment Plan and as a solo artist. Early life After picking up va ...

(

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

and

). Axelson, Caddell, Morrison and original drummer Steve Cummings formed the band in college, knowing each other from attending northern Virginia high schools (Axelson, Cummings, and Morrison attended

Lake Braddock Secondary School Lake Braddock Secondary School (LBSS) in Burke, Virginia, United States, administered by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), is one of three 7-12 secondary schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County. The other two are Hayfield Seco ...

Burke, Virginia Burke is an unincorporated section of Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, traditionally defined as the area served by the Burke post office (Zip Code 22015). Burke includes two census-designated places: the Burke CDP, population 42,312 in ...

). Cummings left the band after the recording of their debut album '' !'' and was replaced by Easley, cementing the band's lineup. The Dismemberment Plan released four albums before breaking up in 2003, the best known being 1999's critically acclaimed ''

Emergency & I ''Emergency & I'' is the third studio album by American indie rock band the Dismemberment Plan, released in 1999 by DeSoto Records. It was produced by J. Robbins and Chad Clark, and primarily recorded at Water Music Studios in 1998, with additio ...

''. They reunited three times after their initial disbandment for additional tour dates, and to produce their fifth studio album ''

Uncanney Valley ''Uncanney Valley'' is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band The Dismemberment Plan. The album was released on Partisan Records on October 14, 2013, and is the band's first album since their initial break-up following the release o ...

'' in 2013.

Band history

1993–2003: Original years

Aside from a brief interlude in 1998 and 1999 when they were signed by

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

, the band recorded for the Washington, D.C.,

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represente ...

DeSoto Records DeSoto Records is an American record label based in Washington, D.C. History DeSoto was founded in 1989 and is run by husband and wife team Bill Barbot and Kim Coletta (both formerly of the band Jawbox). It was first founded by members of the ba ...

. Their breakthrough album, ''

'', was actually created during their time at Interscope. However, they were dropped from the label shortly after its completion, and thus took it back with them to DeSoto, where it wound up being released. The EP ''The Ice of Boston'' is the only item of theirs Interscope actually released during their tenure there. The band managed to avoid being in debt to the label, effectively being able to record on a major label budget with no consequence. The band referred to their situation in a later interview as "slipping through the cracks". Dismemberment plan 3

Following the massive underground success of ''Emergency & I'', the band received an even higher profile after being invited to open for the European leg of

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

's 2000 tour. A co-headlining tour in 2002 with

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie (commonly abbreviated to DCFC or Death Cab) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The ...

(called the "Death and Dismemberment Tour") also worked well to raise both bands' profiles and cross-pollinate their fanbases, as well as forge creative ties between several members. Later that summer and fall the Dismemberment Plan started to debut songs for their follow-up to 2001's ''

Change Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...

''. In 2002 the band put all the music tracks from their last two albums on their website, encouraging fans to

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

the songs. The result was 2003's ''

A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan ''A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan'' is a 2003 album by Washington D.C. indie band The Dismemberment Plan, issued on DeSoto Records. The album is a compilation of songs from three of the band's previous releases, '' The Dismembermen ...

''. On January 19, 2003, however, the band announced on their website that they had decided to break up after a few tours that year. A final show was planned for July 28, 2003, in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

's famous outdoor show space,

Fort Reno Park Fort Reno Park is an urban park in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Northwest Washington, D.C. It is named after Fort Reno, one of the only locations in the District of Columbia to see combat during the American Civil War. The park was establishe ...

. However come show-time a heavy rain threatened to damage their electronic equipment and drove off all but the most devoted fans, leading the band to add one more final show. On September 1, 2003, they closed out their career with a sold-out show at the renowned 9:30 Club, dubbed the "one last slice" show. By the band's breakup, ''Emergency & I'' and ''Change'' had sold 22,000 copies each in the US.

2003–2010: Post-breakup activity

Morrison took the post-''Change'' songs with him for further work, and released many of them on his first album, ''

Travistan ''Travistan'' is Travis Morrison's solo debut album, released in 2004 by Barsuk Records. Reception ''Travistan'' received mixed reviews. It currently has a 56 out of 100 on the review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "Mixed or average rev ...

'', released in 2004. Eric Axelson started a band called

Maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

with former members of

The Promise Ring The Promise Ring was an American rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that is recognized as part of the second wave of emo. Among various other EPs and singles, the band released four studio albums during their initial run: '' 30° Every ...

. They released three albums: ''

Glass Floor Glass floors are made with transparent glass when it is useful to view something from above or below; whereas translucent glass is used when there is no need to view through. In either case, toughened glass is usually chosen, for its durabili ...

'' in 2004, '' We, the Vehicles'' in 2006, and ''

Heresy and the Hotel Choir ''Heresy and the Hotel Choir'' is an album by indie pop band Maritime (band), Maritime. It is the band's third full-length album and was released on October 16, 2007. Release On September 10, 2007, ''Heresy and the Hotel Choir'' was announced ...

'' in 2007. On March 1, 2007, the band announced they would be playing a one-off reunion show on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at

's venerable

Black Cat A black cat is a Cat, domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific Purebred, breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular or mixed breed. Most black cats have golden iris (anatomy), irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Bl ...

nightclub. The event was a

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

concert benefiting Callum Robbins, son of

J. Robbins James Robbins, better known as J. Robbins, is an American rock musician. Career Robbins began his career as a bassist for Government Issue, and has also led five of his own bands: Jawbox, Rollkicker Laydown, Burning Airlines, Channels (band) ...

, frontman for

labelmate

Jawbox Jawbox is an American post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C., formed in 1989. The band currently consists of J. Robbins (vocals/guitar), Kim Coletta (bass), Zach Barocas (drums), and Brooks Harlan (guitars/vocals). The original lineup consis ...

. Fan reaction to the decision was overwhelmingly positive, and tickets to the concert sold out within minutes of being offered online. In response to the high demand for tickets, a second show was announced for April 27. Travis Morrison has stated that the band probably won't be getting back together, "except to drink beer".

2010–2015: First reunion and ''Uncanney Valley''

On September 13, 2010, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' Click Track reported that the band would reunite for a tour, in support of

Barsuk Records Barsuk Records ( ) is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington which was founded in 1998 by Christopher Possanza and Josh Rosenfeld, the members of the band This Busy Monster, to release their band's material. Its logo is a draw ...

' reissue of 1999's ''Emergency & I''. "We're not planning a new record," bassist Eric Axelson told Click Track. "But we're doing these shows and taking it day to day after that." The 2011 tour kicked off with a performance on ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show was the third installment of the '' Late Night'' franchise. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon,

'', followed by three Washington, D.C. shows (two at the 9:30 Club, one at the

) January 21–23. The band would play 10 more shows in 2011, including high-profile appearances at the

Pitchfork Music Festival Pitchfork Music Festival was an annual music festival in Union Park (Chicago), Union Park in Chicago, Illinois, organized by the online magazine ''Pitchfork (website), Pitchfork.'' Starting in 2011, the festival announced a branch staged in Paris ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and the annual "Roots Picnic" in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In August 2012, wanting to play "a couple of small, sweaty summer shows like we used to do", the Dismemberment Plan played small-venue shows in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and

Fredericksburg, Va Fredericksburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Comm ...

where they debuted eight new songs. As of August 13, 2012, according to Travis Morrison, "We have a bunch more ew songscoming so we're going back to the lab to work on brand new ones and tweak these. No plans for recording as of yet, although certainly those conversations are happening now." Shortly thereafter, the band announced that they would be playing the Virgin FreeFest in October, along with two more accompanying shows. On July 16, 2013, the band shared "Waiting", the lead single from their forthcoming fifth album ''

'', which could initially be heard by calling the promotional phone number 252-64-DPLAN. Two more singles, "Invisible" and "Daddy Was a Real Good Dancer", were released on August 19 and September 11 respectively. On October 15, 2013, the band released their fifth studio album ''Uncanney Valley'' on

Partisan Records Partisan Records is an independent record label with offices in London, Berlin, and Los Angeles, as well as in New York City, where the company was co-founded in 2007 by Tim Putnam and Ian Wheeler. The label, initially run out of Putnam's South B ...

. In November 2013, the band played the final holiday camp edition of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Camber Sands, England. Following a New Year's Eve concert in 2014 at the Brighton Music Hall in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts, the group went on hiatus, and no announcement was made by the band on its status.

Since 2023: Second reunion

On January 31, 2024, without prior announcement, The Dismemberment Plan contributed a cover of the

Circus Lupus Circus Lupus was a post-hardcore band based in the area of Washington, D.C. The band originally formed in Madison, Wisconsin, where one-time Ignition and Soul Side bassist Chris Thomson met guitarist Chris Hamley and drummer Arika Casebolt while ...

song "Unrequited" for ''Yesterday & Today: DC Does Dischord'', a tribute album to

Dischord Records Dischord Records is a Washington, D.C.–based independent record label specializing in punk rock. The label is co-owned by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, who founded Dischord in 1980 to release '' Minor Disturbance'' by their band the Teen Id ...

. The song was reportedly recorded in August 2023. Later that year, the band announced they would play six reunion shows starting in September, their first live performances in almost a decade, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ''Emergency & I'', concluding with performances at the Best Friends Forever festival in Las Vegas, and the United Sounds NYC festival in New York City.

Musical style and influences

The Dismemberment Plan are described as an "

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

-tinged"

band. Their songwriting and sound have been described as " offbeat", drawing influence from R&B and

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

.https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-dismemberment-plan-mn0000152242

Discography

Studio albums *'' "!"'' (1995) *''

The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified ''The Dismemberment Plan Is Terrified'' is the second studio album by American indie rock band The Dismemberment Plan. It was released on March 17, 1997, on DeSoto Records. Musically, the album is "less violent and less extravagant" than its pred ...

'' (1997) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2001) *''

'' (2013) Live album *''Live In Japan 2011'' (2011) EPs *''Can We Be Mature?'' (1994) *''The Ice of Boston'' (1998) *'' Juno & the Dismemberment Plan'' (Split EP) (2000) Compilations and appearances *''Give Me the Cure'' (1996) *''Ooh Do I Love You'' (1996) *''Fort Reno Benefit'' (1997) *''

'' (2003) *''Yesterday & Today: DC Does Dischord'' (2024) Singles *"What Do You Want Me to Say?" / "Since You Died" (1997) *"Waiting" (2013) *"Invisible" (2013) *"Daddy Was a Real Good Dancer" (2013)

References

External links

*
The Dismemberment Plan on Partisan Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dismemberment Plan, The American post-punk revival music groups American post-hardcore musical groups Indie rock musical groups from Washington, D.C. Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 American musical quartets 1993 establishments in Washington, D.C. MapleMusic Recordings artists Partisan Records artists Interscope Records artists