Piebald (band)
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Piebald is an American rock band. Piebald started as a
hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
band in
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, out of the same scene that produced
Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) In mathematics, a limit is the value that a function (or sequence) app ...
and
Cave In Cave In is an American rock band that formed in 1995 in Methuen, Massachusetts. The band's lineup solidified with the 1998 release of '' Until Your Heart Stops'' through Hydra Head Records, and their early albums were prominent in the metalco ...
. Originally a key
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post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
band often seen touring with fellow DIY hardcore bands such as
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, Reversal of Man, and Harvest during the mid to late 1990s, they later moved to the
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suburb of Somerville and became a staple of the
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scene.


History

Their first gig, a " Battle of the Bands", is chronicled on their two-CD set ''Barely Legal/All Ages''. From the liner notes: "... from the sound board 1994 battle of the bands, Piebald lost." From then on, they recorded and played shows together semi-seriously. In 1995, Piebald started recording, which amounted to a four-track demo and a two-track
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record. Their driving hardcore sound during these years was highlighted by the technical playing of drummer Jon Sullivan and the deep screams of vocalist/guitarist Travis Shettel.


Post-hardcore

A turning point in Piebald's career came when they recorded seven tracks for a self-release that came to be known as ''Sometimes Friends Fight''. Their musical sound had greatly matured, and Shettel's lyricism and singing was finally brought to the forefront of the band's music. Another two seven-inches later, Piebald was ready for another metamorphosis. Eleven tracks recorded at Salad Days became the first record to showcase Piebald's signature sound and wry jokes. Traditionally the most sought-after Piebald recording (before it was immortalized in its entirety on ''All Ages''), ''When Life Hands You Lemons'' was considered to be Piebald's best music yet. This release furthered the lyrical style that had been growing within the band, and also showcased the first lead vocals by lead guitarist Aaron Stuart, and a piano track by Shettel.


Breakthrough

Following ''If it Weren't for Venetian Blinds, It Would Be Curtains for Us All'', Piebald released '' We Are the Only Friends We Have''. It featured the
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
''Just a Simple Plan'' and ''American Hearts'' which were played on
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and
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. The following album, ''All Ears, All Eyes, All the Time'', the band's first release on
Side One Dummy Records SideOneDummy Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1995 by Bill Armstrong and Joe Sib. The label began as a way for them to release music for their friends' bands. Thereafter SideOneDummy launched the care ...
, featured piano-driven compositions, along with horn arrangements and vocal harmonies.
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s for the songs ''Part of Your Body is Made Out of Rock'' and ''I Haven't Tried It'' were produced. ''Accidental Gentlemen'', their last album of original work, was released in 2007.


Retirement

On August 19, 2007, a bulletin was posted from the band's official
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page as well as in the "News" section of their official website, announcing the dissolution of Piebald.
"Friends, friends, friends…we have not posted anything anywhere in quite some time and our word on the street is that this is our last tour. All the preceding words are true and we have decided to put Piebald to rest. The past fifteen years or so have been nothing short of extremely incredible. We have met lots of people, been to lots of places and experienced a whole lot of life. In 1994 we started making music, screenprinting our own seven inch covers and borrowing our parents cars to get to shows. Since then, we have traveled the globe, released many records, and played thousands of shows; pedaling the righteous name of piebald to all whose paths we crossed. In celebration of the many years of good times and incredible accomplishments, we have decided to dedicate this tour to us; Piebald. Thanks to all who have helped in any and every way…families, friends, girlfriends, vans, bands, fans, promoters, labels, booking agent, lawyer, clubs, engineers, producers, and those who we forgot to mention. Now, this is not a teary eyed time, people. This is a time of new beginnings, positive vibes, and a congratulatory nod to the past. There has been talk of a few shows to give the band an official sendoff, but as of yet, those shows are not booked and unknown. Thanks for all the undying support. We love you."
The band played three final farewell shows in April 2008: April 17 at the
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in New York City and April 18 and 19 at The Middle East nightclub in
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. Their final release is a live DVD / documentary called ''Nobody's Robots: A Farewell to Piebald''. It includes the entire farewell show in
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, a retrospective documentary and an anthology of the band's several music videos. Audio from the show is exclusively available through
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. The DVD was released nationwide July 13, 2010, on Sidehatch Entertainment Group.


Reunion

Piebald reunited for two shows at the Bamboozle music festivals in
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, on March 28, 2010, and in
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, on May 2, 2010. Between these two shows,
Rise Records Rise Records is an American record label currently based in Beaverton, Oregon, mainly focusing on alternative rock, heavy metal, and punk rock music artists. History Rise was founded in 1991 by Craig Ericson in Nevada City, California. He relea ...
released a three-volume set containing out-of-print releases from the band. The set contains material recorded and released by Piebald while signed with Big Wheel Recreation from 1999 to 2002. Each disc also includes various
B-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...
and rarities. On March 22, 2016, Piebald was listed on the lineup for the Wrecking Ball festival on August 12–14 at The Masquerade in
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, a final series of performances celebrating the soon-to-be-vacated legendary venue which prompted several retired bands to play one-off reunions. This was the first hint that Piebald might return for more shows; then, on April 6, 2016, Piebald announced an 11-show 2016 reunion tour, playing the Wrecking Ball along the way. This included east coast dates as well as 5 shows out west with their past tour buddies Limbeck, bringing them through San Francisco,
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, Los Angeles,
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, and Phoenix. Following this well-received string of shows, Piebald has toured at least once a year from 2017 through 2023. On June 7, 2024, the band signed with
Iodine Recordings Iodine Recordings is an independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Iodine Recordings releases punk music, punk, hardcore punk, hardcore, and indie rock music. It was once home to bands such as Brand New (band), Brand N ...
. Other significant reunion shows: * May 28, 2017: Boston Calling 2017 * September 15, 2018:
Riot Fest Riot Fest is an annual three-day punk rock music festival held at Douglass Park in Chicago, Illinois. It is known for booking reunions, guest performances, and full album performances. Riot Fest is one of the largest independently-owned music fe ...
2018 in Chicago * June 4, 2022: Piebald played the main stage at Sticks and Stones Fest, the
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stop on a tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of '' Sticks and Stones'' by
New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Coral Springs, Florida, in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass), Chad Gilbert (guitar, backing vocals), ...
. Their set consisted of mostly songs from their 20-year-old album, '' We Are the Only Friends We Have''.


Other projects

Since Piebald, Travis Shettel has performed in The Was, TS and The Past Haunts, and The Hunting Accident with Aaron Stuart.


Band members

; Current members * Travis Shettel – vocals, guitar (1994–2008; 2016–present) * Aaron Stuart – guitar, vocals (1994–2008; 2016–present) * Andrew Bonner – bass (1994–2008; 2016–present) * Luke Garro – drums (2003–2008; 2016–present) ; Touring members * Jim "Handsome" Carroll – bass (2002–2007) ; Former members * Jon Sullivan – drums (1994–2001) *
Alex Garcia-Rivera Alex Garcia-Rivera is an American rock drummer, drum-tech and recording engineer from Boston, Massachusetts. He has been the drummer for the bands Shelter, Piebald, Good Clean Fun, Bloodhorse, 454 Big Block, Saves The Day, Cold Cave, but i ...
– drums (2001–2003)


Timeline


Discography


Studio Albums


EPs, Singles, and Splits


Other Releases


References

Piebald – Killa Bros and Killa Bees. 2005. Retrieved June 8, 2022. https://www.amazon.com/Piebald-Killa-Bros-Bees/dp/B000BKSJ3O


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piebald Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical groups reestablished in 2016 Alternative rock groups from Massachusetts Emo musical groups from Massachusetts Rise Records artists Defiance Records artists