Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of

Chuck Ragan Charles Allen Ragan (born October 30, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the guitarist and vocalist of the band Hot Water Music. Ragan has also released a variety of solo material, including a series of 7-inches on ...

and

Chris Wollard Chris Wollard (born 1975) is an American singer and musician. He is best known as the vocalist and guitarist of the post-hardcore band Hot Water Music, which he co-founded with co-vocalist and co-guitarist Chuck Ragan, drummer George Rebelo and ...

on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason Black, and drummer George Rebelo. Since 2017, the band has also included guitarist-vocalist Chris Cresswell. The band initially broke up in August 1998, but reformed by October 1998. A second breakup came in 2006 but the band has been active since 2008.

Background

Early history (1994–1998)

Ragan, Black, and Rebelo initially met while living in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

."Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music on finally being able to record at the Blasting Room"
Westwood, February 1, 2013. Black and Rebelo had played together in jazz bands in school. Ragan and Rebelo met while working at eateries on the same street, with the corner becoming a frequent gathering place for Sarasota musicians. As Wollard was based in

Bradenton Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries A settlement established by Maroons or escaped sl ...

at the time, he met the other three at a storage facility which was frequently used as a rehearsal space for both Sarasota and Bradenton bands. Frustrated by the lack of musical opportunities in their respective hometowns, Black, who had been attending University of Florida for a year, recommended that the other three join him in Gainesville, a city known for its historic and contemporary music scene. Upon moving to Gainesville and variously filling in as performers in each others' bands Fossil and Thread, the four joined together as Hot Water Music in October 1994. The band's name was taken from the collection of short stories by

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...

of the same name. The band played its first show at the

Ringling School of Art Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD) is a private art and design school in Sarasota, Florida. It was founded by Ludd M. Spivey as an art school in 1931 as a remote branch of Southern College but separated by 1933. History The origins of ...

in Sarasota, Florida in the fall of 1994. After rapidly releasing a series of singles splits, and EPs, the band released their first two LPs in 1997, '' Fuel for the Hate Game'' and '' Forever and Counting'', the latter of which was released under the temporary moniker The Hot Water Music Band due legal concerns on the part of the band's label

Doghouse Records Doghouse Records is an American record label currently based in New York City.Alan O'Connor, ''Punk Record Labels and the Struggle for Autonomy''. Lexington Books, 2008, p. 41Google Books/ref> The company was founded by Dirk Hemsath in late 1987 ...

regarding an unrelated record titled ''Hot Water Music'' by Elektra Records band Hot Water that same year. After two years of rigorous touring had exhausted the band's members and strained their relationships, they announced that they would be breaking up following a farewell show at the Hardback Cafe in Gainesville on August 28, 1998. Their intention to disband was evidently short-lived, as, during the show, Ragan announced to the audience, "I'm sure a lot of people here came a long way tonight because they heard this was our last show. I don't know what to tell you guys...we're trying to keep it going." The performance from this show was recorded and released as the live album ''Live at the Hardback''.

First reunion (1998–2006)

Hot Water Music at Stone Pony Summer Stage Asbury Park NJ LHCollins 06222013

On October 26, 1998, Hot Water Music announced their reformation, playing their comeback show on December 5, 1998 at the Hardback Cafe. In promotion of the band's upcoming album '' No Division'' on Some Records, scheduled for release in September 1999, Hot Water Music toured the United States with Discount, Elliott and

Leatherface Leatherface is a fictional character in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. He first appears in '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' as a disfigured, cannibalistic and mentally unstable mass murdere ...

, from May to June 1999. A tour of Europe and the United Kingdom was then booked, originally intended to be shared with fellow Gainesville hardcore band

As Friends Rust As Friends Rust is an American melodic hardcore band based in Gainesville, Florida. The original line-up, which included vocalist Damien Moyal, guitarist Henry Olmino, bass guitarist Jeronimo Gomez and drummer Matthew Crum, formed in Davie, ...

, but due to disagreements over top-billing, the two bands ended up booking separate tours. The incident also caused the cancellation of a split 7" vinyl the two bands had planned to release through

Good Life Recordings Good Life Recordings is a Belgian independent record label which was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe, who had been the lead vocalist of Nations on Fire. The label specializes in hardcore punk bands. It has released albums by the majority of the ...

in promotion of the tour. As Friends Rust ultimately headlined its own tour with

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

and Ignite, while Hot Water Music invited Discount back to open for them on their European dates. The band next signed to Epitaph Records, releasing three more albums, 2001's '' A Flight and a Crash'', their commercial breakthrough '' Caution'' in 2002, and their final record '' The New What Next'', before disbanding in 2005. In promotion of ''The New What Next'', Hot Water Music embarked on a six-week North American tour supported by Florida post-hardcore band

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 ...

, which spanned from October 13 to November 21, 2004 The package tour also included

Alexisonfire Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike.Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit ( ...

from October 13 to November 13; Don't Look Down from October 13–23;

Planes Mistaken for Stars Planes Mistaken for Stars is an American rock band formed in Peoria, Illinois in 1997. Working with several different labels, they released three studio albums and four EPs before breaking up in 2008. While rooted in the post-hardcore and emo ...

from October 23 to November 21; and Silverstein from November 15–21.

Engine Down Engine Down was an American rock band from Richmond, Virginia, active from 1996 to 2005. They were a part of the Washington, D.C. area post-hardcore movement, along with bands like The Dismemberment Plan, Q and Not U, and Faraquet. The lineu ...

was initially to be on the tour but was replaced by Silverstein. The trip took the bands through the United States' West Coast, South and East Coast, followed by two dates in Canada, and finished in the American Midwest. It also included a stop to play The Fest 3 festival in Gainesville, Florida on October 31, 2004. In late 2005, Hot Water Music announced through the No Idea Records website that they would be going on a hiatus following Chuck Ragan's departure, citing "family" reasons. While this was initially intended as a temporary hiatus, the band announced in 2006 that the break would be permanent. The three remaining members then started a new project,

The Draft Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

, whose first album, '' In a Million Pieces'', was released on September 12, 2006. Chuck Ragan continued with a primarily-acoustic solo project, releasing his debut record '' Feast or Famine'' in 2007.

Second reunion (2008–present)

Less than two years after announcing their hiatus, the band announced that they would be reuniting for a handful of shows in 2008 to commemorate the release their B-sides compilation record '' Till The Wheels Fall Off''. The band continued to be semi-active, sporadically performing and touring over the next few years. In 2011, the band announced that, after releasing a 7" single to support their European tour with

Make Do and Mend Make Do and Mend was an American post-hardcore band from West Hartford, Connecticut, that formed in 2006, who relocated to Boston, Massachusetts. They released 2 EPs on Panic Records, a split with Touché Amoré and three full-length albums. Whil ...

, they would be releasing a new LP of original material through Rise Records. Hot Water Music released the album, ''

Exister ''Exister'' is the seventh full-length album by Hot Water Music, which was released by Rise Records on May 15, 2012. ''Exister'' is Hot Water Music's first original full-length album in eight years, since 2004's '' The New What Next''. Track lis ...

'', in 2012. After the release of their 2017 record ''Light It Up'', Wollard announced that he was taking a break from the band to focus on his health. The band continued to play previously booked shows with

The Flatliners The Flatliners are a Canadian punk rock band from Richmond Hill, Ontario. Since their formation in 2002, the band has been a growing influence in the Toronto punk/ska movement, with consistently well-received albums and live shows. History ...

' Chris Cresswell and

Chris DeMakes Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxop ...

of Less Than Jake filling in for Wollard at several dates. Cresswell also filled in for Wollard for the band's 25th anniversary tour in 2019. While Wollard is not currently performing live with the band, he is still involved in their studio endeavors, playing and singing on their 2019 ''Shake Up The Shadows'' EP, with Cresswell joining the recording on backing vocals. In 2021, the band signed with

Equal Vision Records 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 solel ...

for their ninth LP ''Feel The Void'', the band's first album featuring Cresswell as a permanent member, with Cresswell performing lead vocals on the track "Turn the Dial."

Other projects

Prior to founding Hot Water Music, the band's members played in several other groups, including Yellow Section (Ragan), Burial (Rebelo), Kelly Green (Black and Rebelo), Thread (Black and Wollard), and Fossil (Ragan and Rebelo). Between 1996 and 1998 Wollard and Rebelo, along with Jack Bailey and Heather Ann Parker, formed The Blacktop Cadence and released their album ''Chemistry for Changing Times'' in 1997. From 1998 through 1999, Ragan and Wollard joined Samantha Jones for the acoustic side-project

Rumbleseat Rumbleseat was the Acoustic music, acoustic-Folk music, folk side project of Hot Water Music frontmen Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard, and Samantha Jones. Formed in 1998, Rumbleseat released four Gramophone record#Common formats, 7" records before ...

, which released four 7" singles and contributed several songs to compilations, later releasing an eponymous compilation in 2005 after their breakup. Following Hot Water Music's 2005 hiatus announcement, Chuck Ragan began a solo career, releasing several records, as well as various collaborative efforts with other artists, including a collaborative live acoustic project called The Revival Tour, featuring several punk rock, bluegrass, and alt-country performers with Ragan's goal to "sharing music together" and "bringing it to people in an extremely honest and grassroots fashion." During this hiatus, Black, Rebelo, and Wollard formed

, which released an LP and two EPs before disbanding, returning for a reunion tour in 2013. Wollard's first solo effort, ''Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves'' was released in 2009. Jason Black joined

Senses Fail Senses Fail is an American rock band formed in Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 2001. Founded by vocalist James "Buddy" Nielsen, drummer Dan Trapp, guitarists Garrett Zablocki and Dave Miller, and bassist James Gill (replaced by Mike Glita shortly af ...

in 2008, playing on their record '' The Fire'' before departing in 2012. Rebelo joined Against Me! in 2009, playing on their 2010 LP White Crosses, leaving the band that same year. Rebelo has been a member of

The Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-h ...

since 2013, playing on their 2016 record ''

Simplicity Simplicity is the state or quality of being simple. Something easy to understand or explain seems simple, in contrast to something complicated. Alternatively, as Herbert A. Simon suggests, something is simple or complex depending on the way we ...

''.

Members

Current lineup *

– guitars, vocals (1994–1998, 1998–2006, 2008–present) *

– guitars, vocals (1994–1998, 1998–2006, 2008–present) * Jason Black – bass (1994–1998, 1998–2006, 2008–present) * George Rebelo – drums (1994–1998, 1998–2006, 2008–present) * Chris Cresswell – guitars, vocals (2017–present)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Fuel for the Hate Game'' (

Toybox Records Toybox Records was a record label from Gainesville, Florida and Chicago, Illinois that existed from 1992 to 1997. It was started by Sean Bonner when he lived in Bradenton, Florida, shortly before moving to Gainesville. The label closed when he liv ...

No Idea Records No Idea Records is an American independent record label based in Gainesville, Florida which focuses on punk rock and its sub-styles and produces both vinyl records and compact discs. The label also organizes The Fest, an independently operated ...

1997) *'' Forever and Counting'' (

1997, Rise Records 2012/2013) *'' No Division'' (Some Records 1999,

2007) *'' A Flight and a Crash'' ( Epitaph Records,

2001) *'' Caution'' ( Epitaph Records,

2002) *'' The New What Next'' ( Epitaph Records,

2004) *''

'' ( Rise Records 2012) *''Light It Up'' ( Rise Records 2017) *''Feel the Void'' (

2022)

Compilations

*''Finding the Rhythms'' (

1995) *''Never Ender'' (

2001) *'' Till the Wheels Fall Off'' (

2008) *''Keep It Together'' ( Rise Records 2017)

Live albums

*''Live at the Hardback'' (

(1999) *''Live in Chicago'' (

2013)

EPs and splits

*''Push for Coin'' (Self-released on tape 1995, CD released on Happy Days Records 1995) *''Eating the Filler'' 7" (

, Kung Fu Zombie 1995) *''Split with Swivel Stick'' 7" (Tuesday Morning Records 1995) *''Split with Tomorrow'' 11" (

1997) *''You Can Take the Boy Out of Bradenton'' (Schematics Records 1996) *''Alachua'' 7" - Allied Recordings (Self-released 1997,

re-issue (1999) *''Split with Clairmel'' 8.5" / CD (

1998) *''F State Revisited'' 7" (Split with Screaming Fat Rat) ( Snuffy Smile (1998) *''Split with Six Going On Seven'' 7" (Some Records 1998) *''Split with Rydell'' 7" (Scene Police / Ignition 1998) *''403 Chaos Comp: Florida Fucking Hardcore'' (Comp) (1998) *''Moments Pass'' 7" (

1999) *''Where We Belong'' 7" (

1999) *''Moonpies for Misfits'' CD (

1999) *'' BYO Split Series, Vol. 1'' LP/CD (Split with

) (

Better Youth Organization Better Youth Organization Records (BYO) is a Los Angeles, California based independent punk rock record label created by Shawn and Mark Stern, two of the three brothers of the California punk rock band Youth Brigade (the third being Adam Stern w ...

1999) *'' Split with Alkaline Trio'' CD/Picture Disc (

Jade Tree Records Jade Tree International, Inc. is an independent record label formed by Darren Walters and Tim Owen in 1990 in Wilmington, Delaware. History Origin (1987–1990) In 1987, Tim Owen and Darren Walters were introduced during a punk show in Washingt ...

2002) *''Colors, Words, And Dreams'' 7" (Split with

The Casket Lottery The Casket Lottery is an American indie rock band from Kansas City, Missouri signed to Second Nature Recordings and Big Scary Monsters. History 1997 The band started in 1997 after Nathan Ellis spent time on the road with Coalesce. He and Sta ...

) (

Second Nature Recordings Second Nature Recordings is an independent record label based in Kansas City, Missouri. It specializes in indie rock and co-releases vinyl pressings for other labels. The label has released material by Coalesce, The Blood Brothers, Waxwing, These ...

2002) *''Split with Muff Potter'' 7" (Green Hell Label 2003) *''Live in Chicago No. 1'' 7" (

2010) Blue vinyl. Limited to 1000. Released for Record Store Day 2010 *''Live in Chicago No. 2'' 7" (

2010) Red vinyl. Limited to 1000. *''Live in Chicago No. 3'' 7" (

2010) Yellow vinyl. Limited to 1000. *''Live in Chicago No. 4'' 7" (

2010) Green vinyl. Limited to 1000. *''Split with

'' 7" (

Chunksaah Records Chunksaah Records is an Asbury Park, New Jersey, formerly New Brunswick, New Jersey-based independent record label founded in 1993 by The Bouncing Souls. The label started as a means for the band to release their own recordings, but ended up ...

2011) *''Live in Chicago No. 5'' 7" (

2011) Purple vinyl. Limited to 1000. *''Live in Chicago No. 6'' 6" (

2011) White vinyl. Limited to 1000. *''The Fire, The Steel, The Tread''/''Adds Up to Nothing'' 7" (2011) *''Drag My Body'' 7" (Uncle M 2012) Picture Disc. Limited to 400 hand-numbered copies. *''Shake Up The Shadows'' ( Epitaph Records 2019)

Music videos

* "Paper Thin" (2001) * "Remedy" (2002) * "State of Grace" (2012) * "Drag My Body" (2013) * "Never Going Back" (2017) * "Vultures" (2017) * "Killing Time" (2022) * "Collect Your Things and Run" (2022) * "Keepers of the Faith" error cover(2022) * "Habitual" (2022) * “Turn the Dial” (2022)

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 1994 establishments in Florida 1998 disestablishments in Florida 1998 establishments in Florida 2006 disestablishments in Florida 2008 establishments in Florida American post-hardcore musical groups Defiance Records artists Doghouse Records artists Emo musical groups from Florida Epitaph Records artists Equal Vision Records artists Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 Musical groups from Gainesville, Florida Musical groups reestablished in 1998 Musical groups reestablished in 2008 Rise Records artists Punk rock groups from Florida