Further Seems Forever
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| Further Seems Forever | |
|---|---|
 Further Seems Forever in 2005, playing a reunion show with original singer Chris Carrabba.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Pompano Beach, Florida, United States |
| Genre(s) | Rock, indie rock, Christian rock, emo |
| Years active | 1998–2006 |
| Label(s) | Takehold, Tooth & Nail, 567 |
| Associated acts | Strongarm, Vacant Andys, Dashboard Confessional, Affinity, Sense Field, Fields Forever, ActionReaction |
| Website | myspace.com/fsf |
| Members | |
| Jon Bunch Josh Colbert Derick Cordoba Steve Kleisath Chad Neptune |
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| Former members | |
| Chris Carrabba Nick Dominguez Jason Gleason |
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Further Seems Forever was an American rock band formed in 1998 in Pompano Beach, Florida and disbanded in 2006. Over the course of their career the band experienced several lineup changes, resulting in a different lead vocalist performing on each of their three studio albums. Original singer Chris Carrabba recorded with the band for their first album The Moon is Down in 2001 before leaving to start Dashboard Confessional. He was replaced by Jason Gleason, formerly of Affinity, who performed on the 2003 album How to Start a Fire. Gleason left the band in 2004 due to interpersonal tensions and was replaced by former Sense Field vocalist Jon Bunch for the band's final studio album Hide Nothing. None of the three vocalists can be said to have recorded more than one full album with the band, as posthumous compilation albums included contributions from multiple singers.
The band's music is often classfied as indie rock and is frequently associated with the emo genre. They have also been classified as a Christian rock act due to the individual band members' religious beliefs, frequent themes of Christianity in their lyrics, their association with the predominantly Christian Tooth & Nail Records label, and their performances at Christian-themed festivals such as Cornerstone.[1] Despite these associations, the group often claimed not to be an explicitly Christian band, but rather a rock band with Christian members.[2]
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[edit] Band history
[edit] Formation and singer #1: Chris Carrabba
The band formed in 1998 in Pompano Beach, Florida after the breakup of the Christian hardcore band Strongarm. Strongarm guitarists Josh Colbert and Nick Dominguez, bassist Chad Neptune, and drummer Steve Kleisath recruited Vacant Andys vocalist Chris Carrabba to form Further Seems Forever. The first song the new band released was "Vengeance Factor" on the Deep Elm Records compilation An Ocean of Doubt: The Emo Diaries, Chapter Four, which contributed to the band's association with the emo genre. Their first release was a split EP with fellow Floridians Recess Theory entitled From the 27th State, released by Takehold Records, and soon the band had signed a recording contract with Seattle-Based Christian label Tooth and Nail Records. By 2000, however, Carrabba had begun working on his own project Dashboard Confessional and recorded the album The Swiss Army Romance, essentially a solo release which he considered too personal for Further Seems Forever. At this time the band struggled with interpersonal squabbles and difficulties touring, as Dominguez had a young family and was reluctant to tour outside the state. This forced the group to search for several fill-in guitarists to replace him on tour.[1] After returning from a solo tour in August 2000 Carrabba announced that he was leaving the group in order to focus on Dashboard Confessional full-time:
"I knew the only chance I had to make it in the music scene was go out there and do all the legwork to push yourself and make yourself known...I was willing to do that and they weren't. They were playing music around their jobs, not as their jobs. It was like, if we're gonna be a band, let's be a band. This isn't going to happen by itself."[1]
Despite this decision, Carrabba joined the band the following month to record their debut album The Moon is Down, released in 2001 by Tooth & Nail. Relations between him and the other band members remained amicable, and Further Seems Forever would later open for Dashboard Confessional on several occasions.[1] In 2005 the band played a reunion show with Carrabba, performing The Moon is Down in its entirety.
[edit] Singer #2: Jason Gleason
After Carrabba's departure the band recruited Jason Gleason of Affinity as their new vocalist. With Gleason they recorded cover versions of "Say it Ain't So" and "Bye Bye Bye" for the compilations Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer and Punk Goes Pop. Dominguez then left the group to pursue a record label venture, Pop Up Records. He continues to run the label with Derick Cordoba, who replaced him in Further Seems Forever. This lineup recorded the band's second album How to Start a Fire, released in 2003, and supported it with a national touring schedule. In early 2004, however, as work on a third album was beginning, the group had a falling out with Gleason which resulted in his departure. In a 2006 interview he blamed the split on "completely irrational behavior on a daily basis. Mistrust. Fights. Anger. Jealousy. A very unhealthy relationship."[3] Gleason went on to form ActionReaction in 2005 with his wife Crissie "Bella" Verhagen and bassist Salvatore Ciaravino, both formerly of Element 101. The group released their debut album Three is the Magic Number in 2006.
[edit] Singer #3: Jon Bunch and breakup
To replace Gleason the band recruited vocalist Jon Bunch of the recently disbanded Sense Field. With Bunch they released the 2004 album Hide Nothing and continued to tour nationally, performing with groups such as Sparta, Copeland, and The Starting Line.[4]
In 2005 the band played a reunion show with Carrabba at which they performed The Moon is Down in its entirety. That November they announced a hiatus, which was followed by an announcement in January 2006 that their upcoming tour of the United States and Canada with Bunch would be their final performances, as the members' families and other commitments had eclipsed their interests in the band. As Neptune stated:
"As I sit here reflecting back on my time with FSF, saying to myself 'what happens when your dreams have come true already?' Well my answer is 'it probably wasn't my dream all along.' Sure maybe it was part of my calling but the truth is that making a family has been the goal ever since I can remember. My family is what I live for now and I am very glad to do so."[5]
Tooth & Nail released a "best of" retrospective album that April entitled Hope This Finds You Well, and the band's final performance occurred on June 17, 2006 at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia. This performance was recorded and released as a live album and DVD released by 567 Records in April 2007, entitled The Final Curtain.
Following the band's breakup Bunch and Cordoba formed Fields Forever, a duo project performing acoustic renditions of Further Seems Forever and Sense Field songs which toured across Europe. Other members went on to other projects, with Kleisath joined a group called En Masse in early 2006, and Cordoba joining Kicked Out Heel Drag in early 2007.
[edit] Band members
| (1998 - 2001) From the 27th State The Moon is Down |
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| (2002 - 2004) How to Start a Fire |
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| (2004 - 2007) Hide Nothing The Final Curtain |
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- Chris Carrabba - vocals (1998-2001)
- Josh Colbert - guitar (1998-2006)
- Nick Dominguez - guitar (1998-2001)
- Chad Neptune - bass (1998-2006)
- Steve Kleisath - drums (1998-2006)
- Jason Gleason - vocals (2002-2004)
- Derick Cordoba - guitar (2002-2006)
- Jon Bunch - vocals (2004-2006)
[edit] Notable fill-ins
Due to certain band members' occasional inability to tour, the band relied on several fill-ins including:
- Ian Sirianni - guitar
- Jack Hutson - guitar
- Gene Francis - vocals
- Brandon Swanson - guitar
- Scott Nunn - guitar
- Ian Fowles - guitar
- Thomas Rankine - bass
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
| Year | Title | Label | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Moon is Down | Tooth & Nail | First album. Only album with original vocalist Chris Carrabba. Released on Vinyl by Dead Droid Records. |
| 2003 | How to Start a Fire | Only album with second vocalist Jason Gleason. | |
| 2004 | Hide Nothing | Final studio album. Only studio album with third vocalist Jon Bunch. Released on Vinyl by Pop Up Records. |
[edit] Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Label | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Hope This Finds You Well | Tooth & Nail Records | Posthumous "best of" compilation. Also includes rare and unreleased tracks. |
| 2007 | The Final Curtain | 567 | Live album recorded at final performance. Also includes rare and unreleased tracks and concert DVD. |
[edit] EPs & 7" vinyl
| Year | Title | Label | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | From the 27th State | Takehold | First release. Split EP with Recess Theory. |
| 2000 | Fall 2000 Tour Sampler | Tooth & Nail | 2-song single released in support of Fall 2000 tour. |
| 2002 | Further Seems Forever / Twothirtyeight split 7" | Split with Twothirtyeight. First release with vocalist Jason Gleason. |
[edit] Non-album tracks
| Year | Album/Source | Label | Song(s) | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | An Ocean of Doubt: The Emo Diaries, Chapter Four | Deep Elm | "Vengeance Factor" | First song released by original lineup, with vocalist Chris Carrabba. |
| 2002 | Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer | Dead Droid | "Say it Ain't So" | Originally performed by Weezer. First recording with vocalist Jason Gleason. A previously recorded version with Carrabba on vocals appears on Hope This Finds You Well. |
| 2002 | Punk Goes Pop | Fearless | "Bye Bye Bye" | Originally performed by *NSYNC. Recorded with vocalist Jason Gleason. |
[edit] Videography
[edit] Music videos
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Snowbirds and Townies" | The Moon is Down |
| 2003 | "The Sound" | How to Start a Fire |
| 2004 | "Light Up Ahead" | Hide Nothing |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Greenwald, Andy (2003). Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 198. ISBN 031230863.
- ^ Usinger, Mike (September 2004), “Further Finds a Front Man”, The Georgia Straight, <http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=4833>
- ^ ActionReaction. Punktastic.com (October 12, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ MacNeil, Jason; Corey Apar (2006). Further Seems Forever biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ Chad Neptune. 'The Final Curtain' [CD/DVD liner notes]. 567 Records.
