{{Infobox musical artist
, name = Custom Floor
, image =
, caption =
, image_size =
, origin =
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, genre =
Indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
, years_active = 1991–Present
, label = Analog Sound Recordings
, associated_acts = Carpet Floor
, website Bandcamp , current_members = Garry Davis Matt Crane
, past_members =
Phil Esbenshade
Phil Esbenshade, also known as Phil E., was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a well known professional skateboarder from the second skateboard heyday of the late 1980s. Five pro model skateboard decks bearing his name and 'E' initial were ...
Chris Squire
Adam Willard
Adam David "Atom" Willard (born August 15, 1973) is an American drummer who has been a member of several notable musical acts. Willard's drumming career began in 1990 when he joined Rocket from the Crypt, with whom he remained until 2000. Subseq ...
Miki Vuckovich Tod Swank Brent Fellows
Custom Floor is an underground
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band that was formed in 1991 in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, California by Garry Davis,
Phil Esbenshade
Phil Esbenshade, also known as Phil E., was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a well known professional skateboarder from the second skateboard heyday of the late 1980s. Five pro model skateboard decks bearing his name and 'E' initial were ...
. and Miki Vuckovich. Although Garry and Phil were former pro skateboarders, Custom Floor was never a
skate rock
Skate punk (also known as skatecore and skate rock) is a skater subculture and punk rock subgenre that developed in the 1980s. Originally a form of hardcore punk that had been closely associated with skate culture, skate punk evolved into a mo ...
band, instead displaying a heavy
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 ...
influence. They've described their music as "a large dose of
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, bass and drums-based rock all big banged out into a wide array of minor notes, ringing octaves, heavy distortion, hovering harmonics, cymbal crashes, drum splashes and big-britches bass throb."
History
Custom Floor released their first seven-inch record on
Goldenrod Records Goldenrod Records was a record label formed by Tod Swank in 1991 in San Diego, California to release the first 7" record by Custom Floor, a band consisting of skateboarders Garry Davis, Phil Esbenshade, and Miki Vuckovich. After the release of the ...
in late 1991, and started playing frequent live shows throughout Southern
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
in 1992-'93. The first Custom Floor LP, ''Clear Day'', was released in December 1993 on their own Analog Sound Recordings label, and was supported with a ful U.S. tour in Summer 1994—the second half of which was spent opening for fellow San Diegans
Drive Like Jehu
Drive Like Jehu was an American post-hardcore band from San Diego active from 1990 to 1995. It was formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg and lead guitarist John Reis, ex-members of Pitchfork, along with bassist Mike Kennedy and ...
.
After the original Custom Floor line-up fizzled out in late 1992, numerous other San Diego musicians enjoyed brief stints in the band with leader Garry Davis in the mid-to-late '90s, including
Tod Swank
Tod Swank is an American former professional skateboarder, company owner (Tum Yeto distribution and Foundation skateboards), photographer, and musician. His mid-1980s skateboard 'zine
A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a ...
(bass), Brent Fellows (bass),
Adam Willard
Adam David "Atom" Willard (born August 15, 1973) is an American drummer who has been a member of several notable musical acts. Willard's drumming career began in 1990 when he joined Rocket from the Crypt, with whom he remained until 2000. Subseq ...
Rafter Roberts
Rafter is the performing name of the American musician and producer Rafter Roberts. He also owns his own studio, Singing Serpent, in San Diego, California, United States.
In 2005 he formed the project ''Bunky'' together with Emily Joyce. The nam ...
(drums) and Matt Crane (drums). Garry released an
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
Custom Floor seven-inch called ''The Handsome Young Airforce Lieutenant'' with Adam Willard in 1995, then teamed up with Matt Crane and Chris Squire to record the band's second full-length CD, ''From a Body'', in 1997.
A hiatus of several years then ensued, after which Garry and Matt recorded the band's third full-length, ''A Distant Dull'', in 2005. Custom Floor still exists today as a studio recording entity only, having played their last live show in 2000. Garry and Matt also occasionally play
free improvisation
Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in its ...
and spontaneous rock music with various side musicians under the offshoot name Carpet Floor, who released four CDs—Majestic, Hovering Pillows, Mass Ejection and Blow Out—on August 2, 2007. In 2014, Custom Floor briefly appeared in the film ''It's Gonna Blow'', a documentary about San Diego's underground music scene of the 1990s.
Discography
Homeless / UPS Driver / In My House 7" (1991)
Clear Day LP (1993)
The Handsome Young Air Force Lieutenant 7" (1995)
From a Body CD (1997)
A Distant Dull CD (2005)
Compilations
Various Artists—Ask for Disorder CD (1993) "In the Glare of the Sun"
Various Artists—Flushing the Vault 7" (1999) "My Knot and Knee"