Halifax (band)
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Halifax is a four-piece
pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
band from
Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...
. They formed in 2003 and are currently unsigned. Their 2004 EP ''A Writer's Reference'' has sold over 60,000 copies to date, after making a
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's '' The Real World: Austin''. The band's second full-length album, '' The Inevitability of a Strange World'', was released in May 2006 and charted on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
, and debuted #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers In December 2006, they won
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...
's ''Dew Circuit Breakout'' competition.


History

The band Halifax started in
Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...
. Dan Locascio, Matt Locascio, Justin Chlowitz and
guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...
Chris Brandt would write songs at the Locascios' house. They later recruited
vocalist 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 singi ...
Mike Hunau to form a full-time touring band. The Locascios' father came up with the name for the band while setting up a hockey tournament in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in which Dan Locascio and Justin Chlowitz were to be playing later that year. In February 2002, the band signed to ECA Records. After several months of occasional touring, Halifax recorded their eleven-song debut album within a week in March 2003. The self-produced and self-funded ''Start Back at Start'' was licensed and released in June 2003 by ECA Records. The band's lineup then changed, with guitarist Adam Charles,
bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...
Kevin Donlon and
drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...
Tommy Guindon to replace Dan Locascio, Matt Locascio, and Justin Chlowitz. The new line-up recorded Halifax's second album, the self-produced EP ''A Writer's Reference'', released on January 25, 2004 by No Milk Records. While Halifax's debut was much more reminiscent of the band's
pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
influences—namely "
Taking Back Sunday Taking Back Sunday is an American rock band from Amityville, New York, formed by guitarist Eddie Reyes and bassist Jesse Lacey in late 1999. The band's current members are Adam Lazzara (lead vocals), John Nolan (lead guitar, keyboards, voc ...
" and
The Starting Line The Starting Line is an American pop-punk band formed in Churchville, Pennsylvania, Churchville, Pennsylvania in 1999. They are currently based in Philadelphia. History Early years (1999–2001) In 1999, the band that would become The Startin ...
—their new material showcased a more distinctive style, mainly because of the line-up changes they had undergone. The quintet felt they had become a new band and retired the ''Start Back at Start'' catalog from their live shows. The group toyed with renaming the band, but eventually stuck with their already established moniker. In 2004, Halifax enlisted Heath Miller of Excess dB Entertainment as their manager, marking a pivotal point in the band's career. Miller, a seasoned concert promoter and manager known for his work with emerging acts like My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, brought his industry expertise to Halifax during the release of their EP ''A Writer's Reference''. Under his guidance, the band secured a deal with Drive-Thru Records and expanded their touring schedule, including appearances on the Warped Tour and collaborations with bands such as Spitalfield and Rufio. Miller's strategic direction and industry connections played a significant role in elevating Halifax's presence in the pop-punk scene. After Halifax toured with various Drive-Thru Records bands, they signed to the label in July 2004 after performing at Hellfest at Rexplex in Elizabeth, NJ. Bassist Donlon left the band. While Chlowitz was initially rumored to return, the vacant position on the bass was instead filled by temporary members or Hunau. A permanent replacement was not found until Doug Peyton joined the band in late 2005. Drive-Thru re-released ''A Writer's Reference'', which had only been sporadically available in record stores, to the general public in January 2005, with new artwork and a bonus track. In May and June 2005, they toured with From First to Last, Emanuel and
He Is Legend He Is Legend is an American alternative metal band from Wilmington, North Carolina. It was founded in 2003 by high school friends. The band's current lineup is frontman Schuylar Croom, guitarist Adam Tanbouz, bassist Matty Williams, and drummer ...
. International tours followed, such as the Drive-Thru Invasion Tours in
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and
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. In between, Halifax appeared on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's '' The Real World: Austin'' alongside
hellogoodbye Hellogoodbye (sometimes styled as hellogoodbye) is an American pop rock band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album '' ...
in a series of episodes about the
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music festival. The band was unhappy that they had been depicted in the episodes as a group of mindless drunks, but the exposure certainly helped spread the word about the band; it resulted in over one million plays on PureVolume. Following this, they went on an East Coast tour with Scary Kids Scaring Kids. In December 2005, the group went on a headlining tour with support from Punchline,
I Am the Avalanche I Am the Avalanche is an American punk rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The group's name comes from a lyric written by Vinnie Caruana for a song which was later discarded. The phrase also appears in the poem ''"Oh, Immobility, Death's Vast As ...
and The Fully Down. In February 2006, the group went on Midwest and east coast tour with
Paramore Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...
, My American Heart, and So They Say. In May 2006, Drive-Thru Records released Halifax's third album, which marked the first time the band worked with a
record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
. '' The Inevitability of a Strange World'' was produced partially by Lou Giordano and partially by
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, who had previously worked with such renowned bands as Armor for Sleep, The Goo Goo Dolls,
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, and
Sunny Day Real Estate Sunny Day Real Estate is an American emo band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1992. The band currently consists of founding members Jeremy Enigk (vocals, guitar), Dan Hoerner (guitar) and William Goldsmith (drums), alongside Greg Suran ...
. Thanks to them, the album featured a much rawer sound, giving a slight nod to a variety of heavy metal acts (most notably in the song "Our Revolution", which lyrically and musically pays homage to
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...
's " Kickstart My Heart"). ''The Inevitability of a Strange World'' sold close to 7,000 copies within its first week, debuting at No. 130 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and at No. 1 on the
Top Heatseekers The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...
chart. To promote the release, the band shot a
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for "Our Revolution", toured extensively and appeared on ''
Last Call with Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with '' ...
'' on July 19, 2006 and on '' Fearless Music'' on September 23, 2006. In December 2006, Halifax competed in the finals of
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, through PMN’s MTV Entertainment Group Subdivision. The channel launched initially as an all-music ...
's ''Dew Circuit Breakout'', an annual TV battle of the bands sponsored by
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, against Fallen from the Sky and Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer. Halifax placed first, following in the footsteps of
hellogoodbye Hellogoodbye (sometimes styled as hellogoodbye) is an American pop rock band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album '' ...
, who won the competition the year before. Due to a chronic knee injury, Payton left the band in January 2007. He was replaced by bassist Eric Ivener. In 2007, the band completed tours of the United States and the United Kingdom with
Madina Lake Madina Lake is an American rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 2005. The band released their debut album, '' From Them, Through Us, to You'', through Roadrunner Records on March 27, 2007. Madina Lake won Best International Ne ...
, Envy On The Coast and My American Heart. Their song, Nightmare, was featured in MLB 07: The Show. In March 2008, the band performed at the South by So What?! festival. Mike Hunau left the band in April 2008. In the Summer of 2008 Halifax announced that they would be recording with Dwight Baker in Austin, Texas. The band uploaded many pictures and videos of them in the studio to their MySpace and YouTube channel, as well as a demo song "Perfect Life". On January 8, 2009, the band announced their next album and their departure from Drive-Thru Records. On April 5, Halifax released "Snakeslide" and "My Restless Heart", the first two songs from this forthcoming album, unmastered and unmixed. In July the group released two more songs, "Tonight" and "No Saturation", also unmastered and unmixed. Halifax announced their next single "Breathe" on February 12, 2010. The album, a 6 track EP entitled
Align
', was released on April 6, 2010. The band announced they were signed to Rocket Science Records on March 30, 2010.


Members

*Chris Brandt –
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 ...
,
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 ...
*Adam Charles –
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 ...
*Eric Ivener –
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 ...
*Tommy Guindon –
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 ...


Former members

*Dan Locascio – guitar *Justin Chlowitz – bass *Matt Locascio – drums *Kevin Donlon – bass *Doug Peyton – bass *Mike Hunau – vocals


Discography


Albums

*''Start Back at Start'' (2003) *'' The Inevitability of a Strange World'' (2006)


EPs

*''A Writer's Reference'' (2004, re-released in 2005) *''3 Song Sampler'' (2006) *
The Inevitability of a Strange World B-Sides
(2009)'' *
The Lost Tapes
(2009)'' *
Align
' (2010)


Singles

From ''A Writer's Reference'' EP: *"Sydney" From ''The Inevitability of a Strange World'': *"Our Revolution" *"Nightmare" From ''Align'' EP: *"Breathe"


Rare tracks

*" Straight Up" ( Paula Abdul cover) – released on '' Punk Goes 80's'' (2005) *"Obsession" – released on the
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese version of '' The Inevitability of a Strange World'' (2006) *"Sydney" – released on ''Punk the Clock Vol. 1 (2004)''


References


External links

* at PureVolume {{DEFAULTSORT:Halifax Musical groups from Ventura County, California American post-hardcore musical groups Musical groups established in 2003 Pop punk groups from California Drive-Thru Records artists