Split Habit was a

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band founded in Lemont,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

in 1997.

Overview

The original line-up consisted of Travis Brown (lead vocals/bass), Johnny Smoke (guitar, cool-sounding name, backing vocals) and Chris Michaels (drums). The band recorded a four-song demo and began playing small all ages and 21 and up venues around Illinois. Split Habit released an EP, ''Broken Strings, Broken Sticks and Broken Hearts'' which was shortly thereafter incorporated into the band's first full-length CD ''Rockstar 101''. The CD helped Split Habit land a booking contract with J. Francis Associates. The band began touring the midwest and received strong review for their unique approach to pop, but the booking relationship expired after three months. The band's popularity in Illinois and neighboring states continued to grow as Split Habit shared the stage with Stroke 9,

Sum 41 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...

and Showoff. The band release another four-song EP entitled ''E to the P'' and became a headlining act at the premier all ages venue in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

"Metro". Unable to land a recording contract, Split Habit, continued to tour the midwest releasing ''Biting My Lip'', a five-song EP that garnered a great deal of attention locally and airplay on Q101. During their promotion they played the first of five consecutive years on

Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

. ''Biting My Lip'' was the

swan song The swan song ( grc, κύκνειον ᾆσμα; la, carmen cygni) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful so ...

for guitarist Johnny Smoke. Heavily reliant on the harmonies produced between Brown and Smoke, the remaining members exhaustively searched for a replacement. Frankie Cacciato joined the band in late 2002. In early 2003, Split Habit headed to legendary

Smart Studios Smart Studios was a recording studio located in Madison, Wisconsin. It was set up in 1983 by Butch Vig and Steve Marker to produce local bands. The studio produced bands such as Killdozer, The Smashing Pumpkins, L7, Tad, and Nirvana. After in ...

with producer Sean O'Keefe (

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

Motion City Soundtrack Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1997. The band's line-up consists of vocalist and guitarist Justin Courtney Pierre, lead guitarist Joshua Cain, keyboardist Jesse Johnson, bassist Matthew ...

) to record ''Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is'', their second full-length album. The album landed them a record contract with small Chicago label Double Zero Records. While the album benefited from Double Zero's promotion and radio push, the inability of the label to secure an agent for the band eventually led to the band's release from the label. In 2004, Split Habit won the Ernie Ball Warped Tour Battle of the bands and headed to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for a sold out showcase at LA's key club. The band had had recent successes licensing their music and were featured on ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'', ''

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

'', ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' and many other programs. In July 2006, Split Habit played their last show at Chicago's

at the First Midwest Amphitheater in Tinley Park. It was a sweet ending to almost ten years of touring and recording. In 2011, the band briefly reunited to record "Dancefloor"; however, the song remains unreleased.

Members

Former

* Travis Brown- Bass and VOX * Frankie Cacciato III - guitar and backing vocals * Chris Michaels - drums * Johnny Smoke - guitars and backing vocals

Discography

* ''Broken Strings, Broken Sticks and Broken Hearts'' - EP - 1997 (?) * ''Rockstar 101'' - LP - 1998 (?) * ''E to the P'' - EP - 1999 (?) * ''Biting My Lip'' - EP - 2001 (?) * ''Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is'' - LP - 2003 * ''Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is'' - LP, Japan - 2004 (?) * ''Limited Edition EP'' - EP - 2005 (?) {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1997 Pop punk groups from Illinois