Most Precious Blood (band)
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Most Precious Blood formed in New York City out of the ashes of an older hardcore punk band named Indecision. They blend the song structures of hardcore with heavy metal, and the band cites Aphex Twin and The Obsessed as influences, among others. They are signed to Trustkill Records.
The band and its members advocate vegetarianism and veganism, and they are all animal rights supporters. However, they deny being preachy in any way, saying "I'm not going around trying to change people because people are going to change when they want to... if I said something that you found truth in, or that you found made sense, cool - I'm glad I was a catalyst to help you come to your own conclusions". [1]
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[edit] History of the band
Originally, the band featured former Indecision guitarists Justin Brannan and Rachel Rosen, as well as on-again off-again Indecision vocalist, Tom Sheehan. On their debut full-length for Trustkill Records, Nothing In Vain (2001), Brannan played guitar, Rosen played bass, and Sheehan did vocals.
Nothing In Vain was recorded in a 9' x 15' one room studio in an abandoned building near Sailors Snug Harbor, Staten Island. The building was once an old age home for sick and dying wayward sailors and is famously rumored to be haunted. There were odd noises that ended up on the master tapes that the band never recalled hearing during the recording.[citation needed] The album was engineered/produced by long-time Indecision producer Ron Thal who would later go on to play guitar for Guns N' Roses.
Original Indecision drummer Pat Flynn played drums on Nothing In Vain but left the group immediately following the completion of the record. Flynn walked out of the studio once he finished his drums tracks.
The band then recruited Sean McCann. He would stay with the group for several years and would play on 2003's Our Lady of Annihilation. McCann then left the band in the middle of the night before the band was set to fly to Arizona for a gig. When the band woke up and McCann was nowhere to be found; only a Dear John letter was left behind underneath the wiper blade of the band's van parked outside.[citation needed] The band still boarded the plane and flew down to Arizona without a drummer. The band hooked up with the drummer from Where Eagles Dare, a hardcore punk outfit from Arizona, and used their drummer for the show, teaching him the songs the night before the gig.
In 2003, after Sheehan departed the band to return to school, the band teamed up with former One King Down vocalist Rob Fusco, added Atlanta's Matt Miller on bass and moved Rosen to second guitar for their second album Our Lady of Annihilation. Surprise hits "The Great Red Shift" and "Your Picture Hung Itself" launched the bands profile. The Album also features a guest appearance from Sick Of It All's Lou Koller. The cover of this record, dreamt up by Brannan but visualized by Justin Borucki, was considered by some to be highly controversial.[2]
MPB was the first American Hardcore band to tour South Africa.[citation needed] They've also been to 50+ countries, including most of Europe, as well as Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and all over the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Rachel Rosen and Justin Brannan appeared in minor roles in Threat, an independent film produced in the NYHC scene.
The band is currently on their 13th drummer, Colin Kercz. Kercz has been with the group for several years.
[edit] Recent News
MPB has been laying low as of late. The band has denied rumors of a break-up claiming they've just been taking time off to relax and write a new album, after a 2+ year non-stop global touring schedule. Also stating they were unable to play shows for a few months since drummer Colin Kercz was detained in Australia for reasons unknown and only recently allowed back into the U.S.
The band has been quoted as saying they were interested in "bowing out of the mass appeal madness"[3] that has struck the hardcore scene and wants nothing to do with the "glossy culture" anymore. The band is currently in the studio writing for their fourth album, tentatively titled Do Not Resuscitate.[4]
From Lambgoat.com 4/21/08
Most Precious Blood is currently in the studio recording their fourth album, "Do Not Resuscitate." Tracking is taking place at The Wild Arctic in Long Island City, NY with engineer Dean Baltulonis (Sick Of It All), who also recorded the band's previous two albums.
Guitarist Justin Brannan says of the new material, "While all our spineless contemporaries reach for the stars we've returned to our roots. The new songs are short, fast, hard and mean. We wrote an album to remind us of the stuff we grew up on; the music that got us into hardcore when we were teenagers. We harnessed that raw energy and power; the unbridled passion of those days at CBGB's and basements and VFW Halls across the country, sleeping on concrete floors and shoplifting for fun; back when it felt like you were really part of something different. We've checked the rock n' roll ambitions and delusional fantasies at the door and wrote a hardcore record like only we knew how."
[edit] Lineup
- Justin Brannan — guitar
- Rachel Rosen — guitar, vocals
- Rob Fusco — vocals
- Matt Miller — bass guitar
- Colin Kercz — drums
[edit] Former members
- Tom Sheehan (vocals)2000-2003
- Sean McCann (drums) 2001-2004
[edit] References
in-depth interview with Justin in St.Louis
[edit] Discography
- Nothing In Vain (2001, Trustkill Records)
- Our Lady of Annihilation (2003, Trustkill Records)
- Merciless (2005, Trustkill Records)
Cover art for all three albums was done by Justin Borucki
[edit] External links
- The band's official site
- The band's official biography
- Most Precious Blood on Trustkill
- Interview with Justin Brannan, a month before their tour of South Africa
- Most Precious Blood on PureVolume
- Most Precious Blood on MySpace
- Most Precious Blood Interview UKEvents.net
- interview with Justin about veganism on tour in Satya Magazine*