Stretch Arm Strong (Also known as Stretch Armstrong) is a

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 from Columbia,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and the flagship band for

We Put Out Records We Put Out Records is a record company that started as a vehicle for The Syndicate to release music from friends' bands that were without a record label. The Syndicate began as a radio promotion company but soon branched out into street marketing ...

. They were primarily active from 1992 to 2005. Several of the band members are outspoken

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, but they prefer not to be classified as a Christian band in some cases. Vocalist Chris McLane appears on Zao's ''The Lesser Lights of Heaven'' DVD. In 2020, the band was announced to perform at Furnace Fest 2020.

History

Stretch Arm Strong formed in 1992, formed by vocalist James Miller, bassist Matt McCarty, guitarists David Sease and Scott Dempsey, and drummer John Barry. Miller departed quickly thereafter, with McCarty taking over vocals as well as bass. The four would record some material, with Chris McLane taking over bass duties. McCarty would leave the band, with McLane taking over vocals and Donnie Raines joining the band on bass. The band would release their debut album, ''Compassion Fills the Void'', with Shawn Williams of Prevail on bass. After their first release on

Uprising Records Uprising Records is a record label founded in 1994 by Sean Muttaqi. It has released records by Fall Out Boy, 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Cipher, Red Knife Lottery, Underminded, Amir Sulaiman, iCON the Mic King, The Crest and more. The label releas ...

, ''Compassion Fills the Void'', the band would sign with

Solid State Records Solid State Records is a Christian metalcore record label, an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore punk and heavy metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, ...

, consisting of the lineup of McLane, Sease, Dempsey, Barry, and Jeremy Jeffers on bass. In 1999, the band recorded their sophomore album, ''Rituals of Life'', which saw their debut on Solid State Records. With the album out, the band released a music video for their song "Second Chances". In 2001, the band began writing and recording their third album, which would be titled ''A Revolution Transmission''. In 2003, the band released ''Engage'', which would be their third and final album with Solid State and their fourth studio album, which was well received. Stretch Arm Strong signed to

, a label on East West (an imprint of the

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

), having fulfilled their deal with Solid State. Their most recent album, ''Free at Last'', was recorded in April and May 2005 with James Paul Wisner and released late that same year. A video for the song "The Sound of Names Dropping" was released that year. In 2005, the band shared the stage with the famed

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

musician George Clinton. They have mostly been inactive since 2005, reuniting in 2009 for a few benefit shows with

Evergreen Terrace Evergreen Terrace is a five-piece American metalcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1999, they are named after the street inhabited by the Simpsons. The band's sixth and latest studio album ''Dead Horses'' was released on December ...

and

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gu ...

and for a one-off show at Within These Walls in 2011. The band is set to reunite for

Furnace Fest Furnace Fest is an American music festival held over three days at the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, National Historical Landmark in Birmingham, Alabama. It ran annually each August from 2000–2003, and has since resumed each Sept ...

in 2021. In early 2022, Stretch Arm Strong announced that they had partnered with

Iodine Recordings Iodine Recordings is an independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Iodine Recordings releases punk, hardcore, and indie rock music. It was once home to bands such as Brand New, Orange Island, Smoke or Fire (Jericho ...

to re-issue "Rituals of Life" and other titles from their catalog. The band also alluded to writing new music.

Members

Current members * Chris McLane – vocals (1995–2011, 2020–present), bass (1994–1995) * David Sease – guitar (1992–2011, 2020–present) * John Barry – drums (1992–2011, 2020–present) * Scott Dempsey – guitar (1992–2004, 2011, 2020–present) * Jeremy Jeffers – bass (1997–2006, 2011, 2020–present), guitar (2004–2006) Former members * Matt McCarty – bass (1992–1994), vocals (1992–1995) * James Miller – vocals (1992) * Donnie Raines – bass (1995–1996) * Shawn Williams – bass (1996–1997) * Juan Carlos "JC" Lopez – guitar (2004–2006) * Glen Calder – guitar (2006–2010) * Chris Andrews – bass (2006–2010) Touring members * Jonathan Rej – bass (2000) * Sean McGuckin – bass (2006) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * ''Compassion Fills the Void'' (1998,

) * ''Rituals of Life'' (1999,

) * ''A Revolution Transmission'' (2001,

) * ''Engage'' (2003,

) * ''Free at Last'' (2005,

) Studio EPs * ''Not Without Resistance'' (1995, Insurgent Sounds Records) * ''It Burns Clean EP'' (2000,

Reflections Records Reflections Records is a Dutch record label based in Arnhem and focused primarily on hardcore punk music. It started in 1994 as a fanzine that in 1998 added a 7-inch compilation to one issue that proved successful and sparked a shift to becoming ...

) Splits * ''Bedlam Hour / Stretch Arm Strong Split'' (1993, Insurgent Sounds Records/Koogle Records) * ''Forget the Differences'' (1996, Insurgent Sounds Records) * ''I Stand Alone'' (2000, I Stand Alone Records; split with xDISCIPLEx A.D.)

References

External links

Official myspace
*

Allmusic entry AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

* {{Authority control Christian rock groups from South Carolina Melodic hardcore groups Hardcore punk groups from South Carolina Christian hardcore musical groups Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 2020 Musical groups reestablished in 2011 Musical groups disestablished in 2005 Solid State Records artists