Frodus (a.k.a. Frodus Conglomerate International, Frodus Sound Laboratories, FCI, Frodus Escape Plan, Frodus Deposit Insurance Corporation) was an American
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. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...
band formed in 1993 in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
by vocalist/guitarist
Shelby Cinca
The Cassettes (also known as ''The Cassettes Musical Explorers Society'') are a Washington, D.C., based "Mystic Country"/Steampunk band formed in 1999.
History
The Cassettes were originally formed as an outgrowth of front-man Shelby Cinca’s fou ...
and drummer
Jason Hamacher
Jason Hamacher is an American musician. He was the drummer for the bands Frodus,
Aside from music, Hamacher is an accomplished photographer and documentarian and runs Lost Origin Productions LLC. He is currently working in Syria with the ancie ...
. The band went through numerous bassists over the course of their career. Their mixture of
math rock
Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...
and
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 ...
plus their lyrical themes, frequently dark and dissonant and seen as esoteric for the time, led them to be described by critics as one of the most influential post-hardcore bands of the 1990s.
Biography
Existence (1993-1999)
Frodus' first releases were self-distributed cassettes and 7 inches, such as ''Babe'', ''Tzo-Boy'', and ''
Molotov Cocktail Party''. Two other releases (''
Fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
'' and ''
F-Letter
''F-Letter'' is the third studio album by post-hardcore band Frodus, originally released in 1996 through Double Duece NYC. To fund the recording for the album, Shelby Cinca sold a virtual reality helmet at a Doom tournament held by a now-defunct ...
''), on now defunct indie labels, followed. Frodus later signed with
Tooth & Nail Records
Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoat ...
, an independent label out of
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, with whom they released ''
Conglomerate International
''Conglomerate International'' is the fourth studio album by American post-hardcore band Frodus, released in 1998 through Tooth & Nail Records. The album focuses largely on the theme of corporatism.
Track listing
Personnel
Performers
*Nathan ...
'' in 1998. Most of Frodus' recognition was due to their final release, ''
And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea
''And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea'' is the fifth and final studio album by American post-hardcore band Frodus, which was released posthumously in 2001. The album received very positive feedback from critics and fans alike, and is considered a ...
'', recorded in 1999 and released in 2001 on
Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the lab ...
, considered by band members to be their best recorded work.
The name Frodus came from the last episode of TV series ''
The Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...
'' called "Mijacogeo" (a.k.a. "The Frodis Caper").
Post-breakup (2000-2008)
After Frodus broke up in 1999, it took two years to find a label to release their final album. The first label, MIA Records, shut down due to the owner (also a Texas oil-tycoon) having to settle a long-standing lawsuit. Afterwards, long-time Frodus friend Tony Weinbender (then of Fueled by Ramen Records) offered to release Frodus' final album.
Shelby Cinca briefly joined the band Bluebird as a second guitarist following the breakup of Frodus, but left before recording any material with them. In 2000, Nathan went on to form
The Out Circuit
The Out_Circuit is an indie rock/post-hardcore band/project by former Frodus co-frontman Nathan Burke currently signed to Lujo Records. The Out Circuit was originally based in Washington, DC but now resides in Seattle, Washington.
History
In ...
and Night Is Invisible (both of which released records on
Lujo Records
Lujo Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 2001 by Erik Aucoin in Louisiana.Combatwoundedveteran
Combatwoundedveteran (also written as Combat Wounded Veteran) was a grindcore/ screamo band split between Ithaca, New York and Tampa, Florida. In their 7 years of existence they managed to put out several splits, including one with heavily influen ...
. In 2003, the founding members Shelby Cinca and Jason Hamacher along with bassist
Joe Lally
Joseph Francis Lally (born December 3, 1963) is an American bassist, vocalist and record label owner, best known for his work with Fugazi.
Biography
Lally was born in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Fugazi
Joe Lally formed Fugazi with Ian MacKaye in ...
of
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 ...
joined to form The Black Sea. They later changed their name to Decahedron. Lally left shortly after the completion of their debut album and was replaced by Jonathan Ford (
Unwed Sailor
Unwed Sailor is an American, mostly instrumental band, formed in 1998 by Johnathon Ford, with recordings that range from instrumental rock to ambient drones. The band's touring and recording lineups have largely been in rotation over the years, ...
,
Roadside Monument
Roadside Monument was an American math rock band from Seattle, Washington, who were active from 1994–1998 and then again from 2002–2003.
History
Before Roadside Monument began, singer Doug Lorig was involved in other bands. During junior hi ...
). Continually plagued by bassist fluctuation anomalies, Ford quit in 2004 and was later replaced by
Jake Brown (formerly of
Moments in Grace
Moments in Grace (formerly known as Postcard Audio) was an alternative rock/post-hardcore band from St. Augustine, Florida, active from December 2001 to March 2005. In its final days, the band relocated to Burbank, California and its line-up in ...
and
Twothirtyeight
Twothirtyeight was an American indie rock band from Pensacola, Florida. They were active from 1995 to 2003, though they have reunited for performances in the years since their disbandment.
Formed in 1995, Twothirtyeight released three independen ...
). In 2005, they suspended operations after the release of their EP entitled ''2005''. Shelby Cinca then focused on his Swedish project Frantic Mantis with Håkan Johansson and Per Stålberg of
Division of Laura Lee
Division of Laura Lee is a band of Swedish musicians/skateboarders originally from Vänersborg, Sweden heavily influenced by post-punk bands, britpop and the DC music scene (Dischord Records). The name comes from Laura Lee, a soul singer, and t ...
, and completed the third album by
The Cassettes
The Cassettes (also known as ''The Cassettes Musical Explorers Society'') are a Washington, D.C., based "Mystic Country"/Steampunk band formed in 1999.
History
The Cassettes were originally formed as an outgrowth of front-man Shelby Cinca’s fou ...
(
Buddyhead Records
''Buddyhead'' is a music website and independent record label created by Travis Keller in the summer of 1998, located in Hollywood, California. Buddyhead engaged in criticism of popular culture and the music industry. It's legendary gossip column ...
, 2006). In 2006, Jason Hamacher started a project with Mike Schliebaum of
Darkest Hour called Zealot. Cinca began releasing
IDM, made on a Game Boy (
Game Boy music
Chiptune, also known as chip music or 8-bit music, is a style of synthesized electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video game consoles.
The t ...
) with the Nanoloop software, under his own name.
2006 also saw the relaunch of the Frodus web-presence and consolidation of its MySpace entities. The site is an ongoing project of archiving all known interviews, previous website designs, press clippings, and digital transfers for media content. Shelby Cinca also began remastering out-of-print releases and adding them to the iTunes library and other digital music services through his partnership with Carcrash Records.
Reunion (2009-2010)
2009 saw Frodus reunite as the Frodus Escape Plan/Frodus Conglomerate International/FDIC (Frodus Despotic (or Deposit) Insurance Corporation) with
Liam Wilson
Liam Wilson (born December 22, 1979) is an American musician. He has been the bass player for The Dillinger Escape Plan since 2000 and is a former bass player of Starkweather. Currently, he is a part of Azusa, a project formed with members of Ex ...
from
The Dillinger Escape Plan
The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time sign ...
on bass, and Jake Brown also on bass for select appearances.
The reunion was organized in commemoration of the re-release of the ''Conglomerate International'' double-vinyl LP on Gilead Media, and as a statement in response to the bank-bailouts and the uncovering of corporate corruption in the financial sector.
In 2010, Frodus released a new 7″ of material, ''Soundlab 1'', recorded in 2009 with
Liam Wilson
Liam Wilson (born December 22, 1979) is an American musician. He has been the bass player for The Dillinger Escape Plan since 2000 and is a former bass player of Starkweather. Currently, he is a part of Azusa, a project formed with members of Ex ...
on bass, as a limited edition 7″ vinyl on Lovitt Records.
A reissue of the band's final album, ''And We Washed Our Weapons In the Sea'' was released on Lovitt Records in 2015.
[
]
Members
;Last lineup
* Shelby Cinca
The Cassettes (also known as ''The Cassettes Musical Explorers Society'') are a Washington, D.C., based "Mystic Country"/Steampunk band formed in 1999.
History
The Cassettes were originally formed as an outgrowth of front-man Shelby Cinca’s fou ...
– guitar, vocals, electronics, percussion (1993–1998, 2008–2010)
* Jason Hamacher
Jason Hamacher is an American musician. He was the drummer for the bands Frodus,
Aside from music, Hamacher is an accomplished photographer and documentarian and runs Lost Origin Productions LLC. He is currently working in Syria with the ancie ...
– drums, percussion, backing vocals (1993–1998, 2008–2010)
* Liam Wilson
Liam Wilson (born December 22, 1979) is an American musician. He has been the bass player for The Dillinger Escape Plan since 2000 and is a former bass player of Starkweather. Currently, he is a part of Azusa, a project formed with members of Ex ...
– bass (2008–2010)
* Jake Brown – bass, vocals (2008–2010)
;Former members
* Jim Cooper – bass, vocals (1993–1995)
* Kyle Bacon – bass (1993–1994)
* Ted Magsig – bass (1994; four shows)
* Dana Wachs – bass, vocals (1994; four shows)
* Andy Duncan – bass, vocals (1995)
* Howard Pyle – bass, vocals (1995–1997)
* Mason – bass, vocals (1997)
* Nathan Burke
Nathan Burke (born 6 February 1970) is a former Australian rules footballer and current coach of the team in the AFL Women's competition (AFLW).
A tough rover he is considered the most courageous footballers to play for the St Kilda Footb ...
– bass, keyboards, vocals (1997–1999)
* Saadat Awan – bass (2008; one show)
;Timeline
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id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_albums
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bar:Shelby from:10/03/2008 till:10/03/2008 color:Vocals
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bar:Shelby from:03/01/2009 till:end color:Vocals
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bar:Jason from:03/01/2009 till:end color:Drums
Discography
;Studio Albums
* '' Molotov Cocktail Party'' (1994, Gnome / 2006, Carcrash Records iTunes)
* ''Fireflies
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
'' (1995, Level / 2006 Carcrash Records iTunes)
* ''F-Letter
''F-Letter'' is the third studio album by post-hardcore band Frodus, originally released in 1996 through Double Duece NYC. To fund the recording for the album, Shelby Cinca sold a virtual reality helmet at a Doom tournament held by a now-defunct ...
'' (1996, Double Deuce / 2003, Magic Bullet Records
Magic Bullet Records was an American independent record label specialising in punk rock, heavy metal and experimental music.
History
Magic Bullet records was founded in 1996 by Brent Eyestone, in order to release an album by Boysetsfire, enti ...
)
* ''Conglomerate International
''Conglomerate International'' is the fourth studio album by American post-hardcore band Frodus, released in 1998 through Tooth & Nail Records. The album focuses largely on the theme of corporatism.
Track listing
Personnel
Performers
*Nathan ...
'' (1998, Tooth and Nail / 2009 Lovitt Records)
* ''And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea
''And We Washed Our Weapons in the Sea'' is the fifth and final studio album by American post-hardcore band Frodus, which was released posthumously in 2001. The album received very positive feedback from critics and fans alike, and is considered a ...
'' (2001, Fueled by Ramen
Fueled by Ramen LLC is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by 300 Elektra Entertainment. The label, founded in Gainesville, Florida in 1996, is now based in New York City.
History
John Janick conceived of the lab ...
)
;Live Albums
* ''22-D10'' (live at WMUC
WMUC-FM (90.5 MHz FM) is the student-run non-commercial radio station licensed to the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, broadcasting at 30 watts. It is a freeform radio station staffed entirely by UMD students and voluntee ...
Radio + Formula 7″ Sessions) (1997, No Looking Back)
* ''Radio-Activity'' (live radio recordings at WMUC, WHFS, KXLU) (2002, Magic Bullet Records
Magic Bullet Records was an American independent record label specialising in punk rock, heavy metal and experimental music.
History
Magic Bullet records was founded in 1996 by Brent Eyestone, in order to release an album by Boysetsfire, enti ...
)
* ''Live at Black Cat 1999'' iTunes-only (2005, Lovitt Records)
* ''Left for Dead in Halmstad!'' (live in Sweden, April 14, 1998) iTunes-only (2006, Carcrash Records)
;Singles and EPs
* ''Babe'' (1993, Gnome)
* ''Tzo Boy'' (1993, Gnome)
* ''Treasure Chest'' (1994, Gnome / Level)
* ''Formula'' (1996, Lovitt / Shute)
* Split with Trans-Megetti (1996, Art Monk Construction)
* ''Explosions'' (1997, Day After Records)
* Split with Roadside Monument (1997, Tooth and Nail)
* Muddle Magazine Promo Flexi (1997, Tooth and Nail / Muddle)
* Split with Atomic Fireball (1999, Lovitt / Japan: Flatree Records)
* "Suspicion Breeds Confidence (Jason Vocals)" b/w "G. Gordon Liddy Show Call" (2006, Carcrash Records iTunes Only)
* ''Soundlab 1'' (2010, Lovitt Records)
;Compilation Appearances
* ''Squirrel'' (1995, Level) – "22-d10"
* ''The Art of Rocketry'' (1995, Supernova) – "Malcontent" (alt. mix)
* ''It Goes Without Saying'' (1999, Sign Language) – "Dec. 21, 2012"
* ''Give Me the Cure'' (1995, Radiopaque) – " Killing an Arab"
* ''The Lovitt Empire'' (1996, Lovitt) – "Cha-Chi" (English version)
* ''The Tie That Binds'' (1996, Nevermore) – "Factory 6" (Formula 7″ Sessions Take)
* ''Tooth and Nail 4th Anniversary Box Set'' (1997, Tooth and Nail) – "Lights On for Safety"
* ''Songs from the Penalty Box 2'' (1998, Tooth and Nail) – "Conditioned"
* ''Songs from the Penalty Box 3'' (1999, Tooth and Nail) – "There Will Be No More Scum" (demo)
* ''Can't Stop This Train'' (1999, Team Player) – "Extinguished"
* ''Absolut...'' (1999, B-Core) – "There Will Be No More Scum" (demo)
* ''Torch Benefit'' (2001, Under Radar) – "Suspicion Breeds Confidence (Jason Vocal Take)"
References
External links
Frodus.com
Official website
Interview with Shelby from 2011 about post-Frodus life
Interview with Jason from 2011 about post-Frodus life
with Shelby Cinca at Aural States (May 2009)
Video of impromptu Frodus appearance
at a Division of Laura Lee show at the Swedish embassy.
{{Authority control
American post-hardcore musical groups
Tooth & Nail Records artists
Musical groups from Washington, D.C.
Musical groups reestablished in 2009