The Appleseed Cast

Originally coming together as December's Tragic Drive in Southern California, the band spent a year playing live and rehearsing together before deciding that the East Coast would be more receptive to their brand of eloquent, emotional indie rock. As a group, they signed to New York City's Deep Elm Records before relocating to North Carolina, where they recorded and released their debut album “The End Of The Ring Wars”. The record was hugely acclaimed by most who heard it, although it was derided as derivative of other bands by some. Either way, it wasn't enough to keep drummer Louie Ruiz in the fold, who left the band shortly before singer/guitarist Christopher Crisci, bassist Jason Wickersheim and guitarist Aaron Pillar relocated full-time to Lawrence, Kansas.

After picking up a new drummer in the form of Josh “Cobra” Baruth, the band's next four albums were a damning response to everyone who had written them off as Braid or Sunny Day Real Estate copyists earlier in their career. “Mare Vitalis”, “Low Level Owl” volumes one and two, and then “Two Conversations” were diverse, complex albums informed by electronica and post-rock as much as they were informed by Mineral, but the band continued to have line-up issues the whole time. In 2004 the band went on a year-long hiatus, returning to release their sixth album “Peregrine” in March 2006. Ever since then, the band has continued to be lead by their sole constant member Crisci, releasing albums that are just as acclaimed as the ones that came before it, and playing live shows that just get better with age. For that, The Appleseed Cast are a band that come highly recommended.