Unbroken was an American
metalcore band from
San Diego County, California. They were influential in the Southern California hardcore scene during the mid-to-late 1990s. The band chose the name Unbroken because they wanted to emphasize their dedication to the straight edge philosophy of drug abstinence. However, most of the members have since given up this belief.
In 2008, ''
Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' named Unbroken a band of significant interest in its cover story "23 Bands Who Shaped Punk", citing them as an influence on later groups such as
The Hope Conspiracy,
Throwdown,
Suicide File,
Planes Mistaken for Stars,
Modern Life Is War
Modern Life Is War is an American hardcore punk band formed in Marshalltown, Iowa in 2002. During Modern Life Is War's six-year original run, the band released three full-length albums and one self-titled 7" EP. Despite a growing profile on the u ...
, and
Bleeding Through.
[Neal Taflinger, "Unbroken", in "23 Bands Who Shaped Punk". '']Alternative Press
Alternative press may refer to:
Individual publications
* ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine
Alternative journalism
* Alternative media
** Alternative media (U.S. political left)
** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' No. 240 (June 2008), p. 122.
Biography
The band's members were also in the groups Struggle,
Swing Kids, Kill Holiday, Julia,
Some Girls
''Some Girls'' is the 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...
, Smooth Man Automatic, Johnny Angel, Stabbed By Words, and
Over My Dead Body before, during, and after Unbroken's existence.
Guitarist Eric Allen committed suicide three years after the breakup of the band. The band reformed soon after his death for one show as a benefit to Allen's family.
Rob Moran until recently played in the hardcore group
Some Girls
''Some Girls'' is the 14th UK and 16th US album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 9 June 1978 by Rolling Stones Records. It was recorded in sessions held between October 1977 and February 1978 at Pathé Marconi Studios in ...
and now resides back in San Diego. He has more recently started a band with
John Pettibone (former member of Undertow, Nineironspitfire and
Himsa
Himsa was an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1998, their band name is from the Sanskrit word himsa, which means "harm" or "violence".
The group released four full-length studio albums, two EPs and one DVD before ...
), Ryan Murphy (former member of Undertow,
Ten Yard Fight
Ten Yard Fight was an American straight edge, football-themed band formed in 1995 in Boston. Along with In My Eyes and Floorpunch, they spearheaded the youth crew revival in 1997. Ten Yard Fight's "official" last show was in Boston on Octobe ...
, Ensign) and Aram Arslanian (guitarist of
Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
, The First Step and vocalist for Betrayed). The band, The Vows, is a straight-edge band that is musically influenced by the old-school hardcore band Judge. The Vows released a CD on
Indecision Records in 2006. Rob Moran is in a new band called
Narrows
A narrows or narrow (used interchangeably but usually in the plural form), is a restricted land or water passage. Most commonly a narrows is a strait, though it can also be a water gap.
A narrows may form where a stream passes through a tilted ...
with
Dave Verellen
Dave Verellen is an American singer. He grew up in Tacoma, Washington, and was the vocalist for the influential mathcore band Botch. He has since gone on to play drums for the folk-country band Roy with his brother Ben Verellen (of Harkonen). ...
of
Botch and Ryan Frederiksen of
These Arms Are Snakes
These Arms Are Snakes was an American post-hardcore band that formed in 2002 and featured former members of Botch and Kill Sadie. Before disbanding in 2009, they released three studio albums: ''Oxeneers or the Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go ...
. They have released a S/T 7", an album called New Distances, as well a split 7" with Seattle band Heiress. All releases are on
Deathwish Inc
Deathwish, Inc. is an American independent record label conceived by Jacob Bannon of Converge and Tre McCarthy in 2000. Their first release was '' Deeper the Wound'', a split album between Converge and Japanese band Hellchild on April 23, 2001. ...
. He is also working on other musical projects with friends in San Diego. One of which is a goth band with Gabe Serbian from
The Locust
The Locust was an American hardcore punk band from San Diego, California, known for their mix of grindcore aggression and new wave experimentation.
The band has been noted for their use of insect costumes when performing live.
History
Prio ...
.
Dave Claibourne sings for the band Stabbed By Words (who had an album released on Hawthorne Street Records), and is a drum & bass DJ with Dedication Crew in St. Louis, Missouri. He is trying to get Round 2 back together for a European reunion tour in 2011.
Steven Andrew Miller moved away from San Diego and now resides in Orange County. He now plays in Crushed On You who are set to release an EP later in 2008 on an unnamed label.
Todd Beattie now lives in Los Angeles, and is married to acclaimed furniture designer Tanya Aguiniga.
Reunion
Despite talk that these would be their only reunion shows, as of 2010, Unbroken are also scheduled to play the annual FYF Fest (formerly F Yeah Fest and Fuck Yeah Fest) in Los Angeles on September 4, and at ULU in London on October 16.
Unbroken played a reunion show in New York City at
Santos Party House
Santos Party House was a New York City nightclub located at 96 Lafayette Street between Walker and White Streets in the TriBeCa neighborhood of downtown Manhattan. Originally named the "Lafayette Street Jungle Gym", Santos Party House was recogni ...
on April 10, 2011, with
Indecision, Jesuit,
Damnation A.D., Unrestrained and Psychic Limb.
In September 2011, they toured Argentina, Chile, and other Latin American countries.
Unbroken also scheduled to play Mexico for the first time in 2012 as well as a small tour of Europe.
Unbroken decided to play shows in various regions around the world after their shows in the States sold out, and left fans from outside the US without a chance to see them. Through their reunion shows, the band has raised over $30,000 for various charities and causes all over the world.
Unbroken played on November 2, 2014, at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Los Angeles for the 20 year mark of ''Life.Love.Regret.''
Members
*Rob Moran – bass
(1991–1995, 1998, 2010–2012, 2014)
*Todd Beattie – drums, percussion
(1991–1995, 1998, 2010–2012, 2014)
*Steven Andrew Miller – guitar
(1991–1995, 1998, 2010–2012, 2014)
*Dave Claibourn – lead vocals
(1991–1995, 1998, 2010–2012, 2014)
*Eric Allen – guitar
(1991–1995; died 1998)
; Former members
* Brian Hill – lead vocals
(1991)
Discography
Albums
*''Ritual'' (1993) New Age Records
*''Life. Love. Regret.'' (1994) New Age Records
**Both recordings were re-released on one CD, ''
Death of True Spirit'' (see compilations)
Compilations
*''
It's Getting Tougher to Say the Right Things'' (collection of all singles and EPs) (2000)
Indecision Records
*''
Death of True Spirit'' (2003)
Indecision Records
*''It's for Life'' Consequence Records
EPs and singles
*You Won't Be Back 7" (1992)
*Unbroken/Groundwork split ("Final Expression"/"Set Up") 7" (1993)
*Unbroken/Abhinanda split ("Love Will Tear Us Apart") 7" (1994)
*And/Fall on Proverb 7" (1994,
31G)
*Circa '77 ("Absentee Debate"/"Crushed on You") 7" (1995, New Age Records)
*Unbroken/Ati's Warriors split (contains both bands' demos) (2002, bootleg)
Other appearances
* Lacking Mindset Compilation ("Blanket") (1993)
* It's for Life Compilation ("Unheard") (1992)
References
External links
Official websiteUnbroken on MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unbroken
Hardcore punk groups from California
Straight edge groups
Musical groups from San Diego