Bane was an American
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...
band that began in 1995 as a side project between Aaron Dalbec (then of
Converge
Converge may refer to:
* Converge (band), American hardcore punk band
* Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body
* Limit (mathematics)
* Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines
*CONVERGE CFD s ...
) and Damon Bellorado. Dalbec approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone parted ways to focus on other projects. Dalbec then approached Aaron Bedard (who had previously sung for the
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
hardcore band Backbone) about singing for Bane. They went into the studio in December 1995 with a few friends and released a five-song demo. The next year saw the release of their first EP, and many shows throughout central Massachusetts. In early 1997, Bane released ''Free to Think, Free to Be'' EP, and in 1998 the band released the ''
Holding This Moment'' 7" and CD collection, and embarked upon their first US tour. Like many other hardcore bands, Bane are known for their promotion of tolerance and unity within the scene.
In 2014, Bane released their final album,
''Don't Wait Up'', with the band stating that they still plan to tour. They played their last show on June 18, 2016, at the
Worcester Palladium.
History
The band was founded in 1994 under the name Gateway. It was supposed to be intended only as a side project to Aaron Dalbec’s actual band Converge. In 1995 singer Aaron Bedard was asked to take over frontman duties. They quickly recorded a first demo, which contained five songs. Pete Chilton was added as bassist while Zach Jordan joined the band as second guitarist. Damon Bellorado, also a member of Converge, took over drumming duties.
In May 1996, Bane released the EP ''Forked Tongue'' and in 1997, ''Free to Think, Free to Be'' followed. Both EPs appeared on Life Records. It was around this time that drummer Bellorado left the band in order to concentrate fully on Converge. Bellorado was briefly replaced by Ten Yard Fight drummer Ben Chused, before he was replaced in mid-1998 by the 19-year-old Nick Branigan (Close Call). A tour followed the release of Holding This Moment, which was actually a compilation of previously released EPs. In addition, the band held a US tour starting with Saves the Day.
The album
''It All Comes Down to This'' was recorded in June 1999 in Austin Enterprises in Clinton, Massachusetts. The album was released on Equal Vision Records. In 2000, a tour followed by North America with Death by Stereo and Adamantium, as well as performances in Europe. In early September 2000, the band went into the studio again, where Converge Member Kurt Ballou worked as a producer to record two songs for a split release with Adamantium, which appeared on Indecision Records. Their second album Give Blood, which was released in 2001 was recorded and produced by
Brian McTernan
Brian McTernan is an American musician and record producer from Baltimore, Maryland. McTernan was the lead vocalist in the hardcore punk band Battery, the guitarist in Ashes, and is the singer in Be Well. In 2009, he was named one of "the 50 m ...
in Beltsville, Maryland. The release was followed with a tour of the USA along with Agnostic. In 2003, drummer Branigan left the band and was replaced by Bob Mahoney. Bane followed with another tour of the USA, as well as a two-week tour of Japan in April 2004.
In 2005 the band then went into the Salad Days Studios to record their next album titled The Note with producer McTernan, which appeared on Equal Vision Records. In March 2005, the band held a US tour with Comeback Kid and With Honour. In 2014, Bane released their final album,
''Don't Wait Up'', with the band stating that they still plan to tour. They played their last show on June 18, 2016, at the
Worcester Palladium. Bane reunited for a special appearance at a benefit show on July 2, 2021, in tribute to former band member Brendan "Stu" Maguire, who died due to pancreatic cancer on June 27, 2021.
Straight edge
In an early album Bane claimed
straight edge
Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, thi ...
, however it was never their main lyrical focus. The current original members are straight edge; Bob Mahoney and Stu are not. They still perform early songs with straight edge references, such as "Count Me Out" which includes the lyric "Just like this X on the back of my hand, I'm not going nowhere". However the lyrics to the song "Wasted On The Young", on Bane's album ''
The Note'' can be interpreted as criticism of people who ignorantly claim straight edge too early in their life.
Members
Final line-up
* Aaron Bedard – vocals
(1995–2016; 2021); guitar
(1994–1995)
* Aaron Dalbec – guitar
(1994–2016; 2021)
* Zach Jordan – guitar
(1995–2016; 2021)
* James Siboni – bass
(2015–2016; 2021)
* Bob Mahoney – drums
(2003–2016; 2021)
Former
* Pete Chilton – bass
(1994–2006; 2012–2015)
* Brendan "Stu" Maguire – bass
(2006–2012; died 2021)
* Damon Bellardo – drums
(1995–1997)
* Ben Chused – drums
(1997–1998)
* Nick Branigan – drums
(1998–2003)
* Matthew Firestone – vocals
(Gateway)
* Joe "Lumpy" Lawrence – vocals
(Gateway)
* Christopher Cardone – bass
(Gateway)
* Tim Cabana – bass
(Gateway)
* Brian Hull – drums
(Gateway)
Guest musicians
* Kurt Ballou – guitar
* Chris Linkovich – bass
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
It All Comes Down to This'' (1999,
Equal Vision
Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand.
The label originally existed solely to ...
)
* ''
Give Blood'' (2001, Equal Vision)
* ''
The Note'' (2005, Equal Vision)
* ''
Don't Wait Up'' (2014, Equal Vision)
Compilation albums
* ''
Holding This Moment'' (1998, Equal Vision)
* ''
Tokyo 7:58am'' (2009, Alliance)
Extended plays
* ''Bane/Adamantium Split 7"'' (2001,
Indecision)
* ''Ten Years Plus E.P.'' (2006, Equal Vision)
* ''
Boston 6:58pm'' (2009, Triple-B)
* ''
Los Angeles 3:58pm'' (2009, 6131)
Compilation contributions
* ''They Came From Massachusetts'' (1996, Big Wheel Recreation) - Both Guns Blazing
* ''All Systems Go!'' (2000, Opened Handed Records/UnderEstimated Records) - Just How Much (Chain of Strength cover)
* ''Atticus: Dragging the Lake II (2003) - Some Came Running
* ''Our Impact Will Be Felt: A Tribute To Sick of It All'' (2007, Abacus Recordings) - We Stand Alone
* ''At Both Ends'' (2009, At Both Ends Hardcore Magazine)
- 1. Non-Negotiated 2. Struck Down By Me (re-recording)
* ''America's Hardcore Volume 2'' (2012, Triple-B Records) - Satan's Son
Footnotes
References
External links
Bane's official MySpace pageEqual Vision RecordsInterview with Aaron BedardAnother interview with Aaron BedardInterview with Aaron about growing old in hardcoreInterview with Aaron about their 2009 Europe TourInterview with the band from 2015, including discussion of unreleased songs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bane
Hardcore punk groups from Massachusetts
Musical groups from Worcester, Massachusetts
Straight edge groups
Musical groups established in 1995
1995 establishments in Massachusetts
Musical groups disestablished in 2016
2016 disestablishments in Massachusetts
Equal Vision Records artists
Musical quintets
End Hits Records artists