…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
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...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (often abbreviated as Trail of Dead, or T.o.D., which reads as "death" in
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
) are an American
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band from
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, formed in 1994. The chief members of the band are
Jason Reece Jason Reece (born July 13, 1971) is a member of Austin, Texas rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, pulling double duties as both drummer and part-time frontman. Biography Reece was born in Huntington Beach, CA to Patrick and Ka ...
and
Conrad Keely Conrad Keely (born 15 May 1972) is a musician, artist, and writer known primarily as the lead singer for the American rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Background Born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England of Irish and Thai d ...
(formerly Conrad Sobsamai). The two alternate between drumming, guitar and lead vocals, both on recordings and live shows. The band is known for their wild, energetic concerts. Their eleventh studio album, ''XI: Bleed Here Now'', was released on July 15, 2022.


History


Formation

Keely and Reece have been friends since their youth, and originally in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. They each formed their first bands in
Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...
, where Keely studied at
The Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Olympia, Washington. Founded in 1967, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a p ...
. Keely, a songwriter and bassist named James Olsen and a guitarist (Paul Westmoreland) started a band in the early 1990s. The band was called varied things before settling on "Benedict Gehlen" (named after a monk laid to rest in the St. Martin's Abby in Olympia). That went on in various names and forms until 1993. Soon after, Keely became involved in a group called Nancyville, while Reece went on to play drums with Honeybucket and then queercore band Mukilteo Fairies (the name is a play on words, referencing the ferry boat that travels between Mukilteo and Clinton, Washington). Eventually, Keely and Reece moved to
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. The two started playing as a duo under the moniker "You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead." The band expanded eventually to include guitarist Kevin Allen and bassist Neil Busch. They then officially lengthened their name to ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Keely's girlfriend from Olympia, Deanne Rowley (later Deanne McAdams), briefly played with them as a live back-up guitarist. According to the band's website, their name is taken from an ancient
Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
ritual chant which showed a similarity to an ancient Egyptian chant. They have also stated that this is a joke.


Rise and success (1995–2006)

In 1995, Trail of Dead issued their first release, a song titled "Novena Without Faith" on a cassette-only compilation titled ''Austin Live Houses'', followed by another self-titled four-song cassette on Golden Hour. In January 1998, they released a self-titled full-length on
Trance Syndicate Trance Syndicate was an independent record label founded in 1990 by King Coffey, drummer of Austin, Texas band the Butthole Surfers.Larkin, Colin (1999) "Trance Syndicate Records" in ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock'', Virgin Books, , p. ...
. Trail of Dead soon joined
Merge Records Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. It was founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan. It began as an outlet for music from their band Superchunk and music created by friends, and has expande ...
after the Trance Syndicate label folded. The band released ''Madonna'' on Merge in late 1999 and toured the U.S., opening for labelmates
Superchunk Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Jon Wurster. Formed in 1989, they were one of the ...
to promote it. They signed to
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label 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 with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
and released the ''
Relative Ways ''Relative Ways'' is an EP released by the band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead for Interscope Records. The 4-song EP was released in late 2001, setting the stage for the early 2002 release of their first major label A record l ...
'' EP in 2001. In early 2002, Trail of Dead released ''
Source Tags & Codes ''Source Tags & Codes'' is the third album by American rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and the first distributed by a major record label. It was released on February 26, 2002 to wide critical acclaim. The album is often cit ...
'', which received wide acclaim, including a 10/10 rating from
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
, later saying it is "one of indie rock's truly epic albums". Their following tour was chronicled by ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'', with Andrew Dansby commenting on their group dynamic as a "
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
Voltron, that just might be the most exciting unit working today." A follow-up EP to ''Source Tags & Codes'' was released in April 2003, titled ''
The Secret of Elena's Tomb ''The Secret of Elena's Tomb'' is the EP follow up to '' Source Tags & Codes'' by Austin, TX band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The title is inspired by the story of Carl Tanzler Georg Carl Tänzler (also known as Count Carl v ...
''. The EP contained the electronic track "Intelligence" which featured and was co-written by Tyler Jacobson from A Roman Scandal, Reece's other band. In July 2004, it was announced that Neil Busch had been removed from the band and Danny Wood would be taking his place on bass. Second drummer/percussionist Doni Schroader also joined the band around this time. Trail of Dead released '' Worlds Apart'' on January 25, 2005. Music videos were filmed for singles "And the Rest Will Follow" and "Caterwaul". The band also added live keyboardist
David Longoria David Longoria is a GRAMMY Award nominated American trumpeter, songwriter, singer, and music producer. Singles Longoria's dance/pop song " Deeper Love", a duet with CeCe Peniston, peaked at No. 14 under ''Billboard'' magazine's "Hot Dance ...
to their touring lineup. Now a six-piece, the band toured heavily on the album, with its trademark explosive live performances and a two-drummer attack. Opening for part of this tour was Longoria's band The Black, which featured Longoria on vocals and guitarist Alan Schaefer, with the rest of TOD filling out the group. The band's fifth album, ''
So Divided ''So Divided'' is the fifth studio album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead released in the UK on November 13, 2006 and in the US on November 14. It saw the band continuing to expand its sound, along the lines of its predecessor '' W ...
'', was released on November 14, 2006. Clay Morris replaced Longoria as live keyboardist, and eventually became a full-time member. On April 26, 2005, their song "Will You Smile Again For Me" was featured at the conclusion of The Shield's 7th episode of their 4th season, "Hurt".


Post-Interscope era (2007–present)

In late summer of 2007, Trail of Dead once again toured Europe, this time with drummer Aaron Ford replacing Doni Schroader. Danny Wood was absent from these performances, having quietly left the band. He would eventually be replaced by Jay Leo Phillips. The band provided the soundtrack to the 2007 film '' Hell on Wheels'', a documentary about the formation of
Roller Derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played by two teams of fifteen members. Roller derby is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leagues worldwide, mostly in the United States. Game play consists of a series of short scrimmages (jam ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. After their overseas tour ended on March 15, 2007, Trail of Dead returned to the studio to begin recording their sixth record. In October, they supported the virtual band Dethklok on an
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
college tour. In that same month, the band became independent after leaving
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label 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 with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
due to a lack of support. In early 2008, Trail of Dead went back into the studio without a record contract. Using their own capital, they filmed their recording experiences and released them on
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. On October 21, they released an EP, resembling an "album teaser", titled ''
Festival Thyme ''Festival Thyme'' is an Extended play, EP precursor to the full-length album ''The Century of Self'' by the American art rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. It was released through Richter Scale Records imprint (trade name), i ...
'' on Richter Scale Records. On February 17, 2009, a 13-track album, ''
The Century of Self ''The Century of Self'' is the sixth studio album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Production and release This is the first full-length release from Trail of Dead after their Interscope contract. It is also a departure from thei ...
'' was released. In September 2010, Keely posted news of an upcoming album 2011 release, produced by
Chris "Frenchie" Smith Chris "Frenchie" Smith (born in Durant, Oklahoma) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. Biography Smith first began as a guitar player in the Austin, Texas noise-pop band Sixteen Deluxe in 1994. The band signed with Warner ...
, with an accompanying comic book. Smith is also set to re-mix their debut eponymous album. On November 10, 2010, the band announced that their seventh album, ''
Tao of the Dead ''Tao of the Dead'' (pronounced ) is the seventh studio album by Texas rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The first single, "Summer of All Dead Souls", was posted on Spin.com on November 11, 2010, and later on SoundCloud. The ...
'', would be released in North America on February 8, 2011. It was also revealed that the band had stripped down to a core four-piece, and that Jay Phillips, Clay Morris and longtime guitarist Kevin Allen had been removed from the lineup. Circumstances of these departures are currently unknown. Aaron Ford recorded all of the drums for ''Tao of the Dead'', but then left the band. The band performed live on
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon. About pag ...
on February 7, 2011, debuting bassist Autry Fulbright II (from Reece side project Midnight Masses) and drummer/guitarist Jamie Miller, of the band
theSTART theStart (stylized as theSTART) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Their current lineup includes Aimee Echo, Jamie Miller, Erick Sanger and Chelsea Davis. History Aimee Echo and Jamie Miller formed the band in 1998, origi ...
. On February 17, 2011, it was announced that Reece would guest host Toby Ryan's radio show on Austin's KROX-FM (101X). In 2012, the band recorded material for a new album in
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
, Germany again with producer Frenchie Smith and engineer Mirko Hofmann. On August 22, the band announced their eighth studio album, '' Lost Songs'', and released a song entitled "Up To Infinity", which was dedicated to Pussy Riot.Trail of Dead Announce New Album
Pitchfork August 22
Cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...
was revealed on September 6, 2012. On September 25, they released "Catatonic" through
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
. In May 2013, the band announced a forthcoming EP ''Tao of the Dead Part III'' via Twitter. Using PledgeMusic, they were taking pre-orders for special editions of the EP. In February 2014, the band announced a limited U.S. tour focused on playing music from ''Source Tags and Codes'' and plans to record their next album, a sequel to ''Tao of the Dead'', in the spring and summer of 2014. In April 2014, they released the album ''Live at Rockpalast 2009''. In August 2014, the band announced their ninth album, ''IX'', using an online
jigsaw puzzle A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of often irregularly shaped interlocking and mosaiced pieces, each of which typically has a portion of a picture. When assembled, the puzzle pieces produce a complete picture. In th ...
. Pitchfork suggested "the arrival at a crossroads" for the band with the album. After a subsequent tour the band, Keely moved to
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
and released his debut solo album, ''
Original Machines ''Original Machines'' is the debut solo album by Conrad Keely, primary singer and songwriter of Austin, Texas-based rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. ''Original Machines'' was released worldwide on January 22, 2016, on Super ...
'', in 2016. In November 2017, the band announced a European tour to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the release of their debut album, ''Madonna'', performing the album in full. On November 14, 2019, the band released "Don't Look Down," the first single from their tenth album, '' X: The Godless Void and Other Stories''. The second single, "Into the Godless Void", was released on December 6, 2019. It was announced in March 2022, that a double album, ''XI: Bleed Here Now'' would be released in summer with
quadraphonic Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for th ...
mixing.


Musical style and influences

The band cites their influences to include
Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...
,
Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...
,
Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered the ...
,
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the Bauhaus (), was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., 200 ...
, Echo and the Bunnymen,
KARP Karp may refer to: Places * Karp, Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-east Poland * Karp, Lublin Voivodeship, in east Poland People * Karp (surname) * Karp Khachvankyan (1923–1998), Armenian actor and director Other uses * KARP-FM, a radio st ...
, Unwound,
Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
,
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Rush Rush(es) may refer to: Places United States * Rush, Colorado * Rush, Kentucky * Rush, New York * Rush City, Minnesota * Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois * Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream * Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
,
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
,
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
, Public Enemy,
Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...
,
Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
and
Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 â€“ 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...
.


Personnel

;Current *
Conrad Keely Conrad Keely (born 15 May 1972) is a musician, artist, and writer known primarily as the lead singer for the American rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Background Born in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England of Irish and Thai d ...
– vocals, guitar (1994–present), piano, keyboards (2010–2020); drums (1994–2005, 2010–2011); bass (1994–1995) *
Jason Reece Jason Reece (born July 13, 1971) is a member of Austin, Texas rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, pulling double duties as both drummer and part-time frontman. Biography Reece was born in Huntington Beach, CA to Patrick and Ka ...
– drums, vocals, guitar (1994–present); bass (1994–1995) * Alec Padron – bass (2019–present) * Ben Redman – guitar, drums (2020–present) * AJ Vincent – keyboards (2020–present) * John Dowey – guitar (2022–present) ;Former *Kevin Allen – guitar (1995–2010) *Neil Busch – bass, vocals (1995–2005) *Danny Wood – bass (2005–2007) * Jay Leo Phillips – bass (2007–2010) *Autry Fulbright II – bass, vocals (2010–2019) *Doni Schroader – percussion, drums (2005–2007) *Aaron Ford – percussion, drums (2007–2010) * Jamie Miller – drums, guitar (2011–2020) *David Longoria – keyboards (2005–2006) *Clay Morris – keyboards (2006–2010)


Timeline


Discography

* '' ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead'' (1998) * ''
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
'' (1999) * ''
Source Tags & Codes ''Source Tags & Codes'' is the third album by American rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and the first distributed by a major record label. It was released on February 26, 2002 to wide critical acclaim. The album is often cit ...
'' (2002) * '' Worlds Apart'' (2005) * ''
So Divided ''So Divided'' is the fifth studio album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead released in the UK on November 13, 2006 and in the US on November 14. It saw the band continuing to expand its sound, along the lines of its predecessor '' W ...
'' (2006) * ''
The Century of Self ''The Century of Self'' is the sixth studio album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Production and release This is the first full-length release from Trail of Dead after their Interscope contract. It is also a departure from thei ...
'' (2009) * ''
Tao of the Dead ''Tao of the Dead'' (pronounced ) is the seventh studio album by Texas rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The first single, "Summer of All Dead Souls", was posted on Spin.com on November 11, 2010, and later on SoundCloud. The ...
'' (2011) * '' Lost Songs'' (2012) * '' IX'' (2014) * '' X: The Godless Void and Other Stories'' (2020) * ''XI: Bleed Here Now'' (2022)


References


External links

* *
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
's Live Music Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Musical groups from Austin, Texas Musical groups established in 1994 American art rock groups American post-hardcore musical groups American mathcore musical groups Trance Syndicate artists 1994 establishments in Texas Inside Out Music artists Dine Alone Records artists Interscope Records artists Merge Records artists Superball Music artists Domino Recording Company artists