Snapcase

Snapcase is a hardcore punk band from Buffalo, New York. Their records were released on the Chicago record label, Victory Records. During the course of the band's initial run of fourteen years, they released six studio albums before disbanding in 2005.

After a two-year hiatus, Snapcase reunited for a brief period in 2007, performing three concerts in November. Another reunion is ongoing, and the band are currently supporting Sick of It All as of 2011.

On June 12, 2012, Snapcase announced that they have booked a September 14 show at the Outer Harbor in Buffalo, NY with Dropkick Murphys. ^[1]

Background

Formation

The band was originally conceived in 1989 in a basement in West Seneca, NY and was named Solid State. In 1989, the lineup was guitarist Scott Dressler, then 15 years of age, 17-year-old drummer Mike Kimaid, Daryl Taberski, age 18 on bass, and Tiger Balduf, the eldest at 19 on vocals. Prior to recording their first demo as Solid State on January 30, 1990, Quest for Reality, Tiger Balduf left the band to get married, and Mike Kimaid left to join the Lockport, NY based band The Watchmen. Drafted to take their places were Chris Galas on vocals and Peter Dawidzik on drums. Soon after recording, Peter Dawidzik left the band to go to school. On May 22, 1990, Solid State recorded their second demo, Accept Your Fate, with their friend Mike Lampe, who had assisted with the previous demo, as well. At the time of recording, the band was composed of Chris Galas on vocals, Scott Dressler playing guitar, Jason Kourkounis on drums, and Daryl Taberski on bass.

During the spring of 1991, Solid State went through a big lineup shift; Kourkounis left the band to pursue other musical interests, and Kimaid rejoined the band along with The Watchmen guitarist Joe Smith, making the band a five-piece. After these changes to their lineup, the band decided to change their name to Snapcase. Between the years of 1991 and 1992, Snapcase recorded two demos with Dennis Fura, Break The Silence and King of the Mountain. In 1992 the band was signed to Chicago hardcore label Victory Records and recorded their first 7 inch, Comatose, with Mike Sac and Robby Takac that year.

There was a line-up change following the release date of the single; Taberski moved over to vocals, replacing Chris Galas, Bob Whiteside from Buffalo, NY band Support took over on bass, and Jon Salemi, who played drums in Support, joined to replace Joe Smith, who left for school. In 1993, Kimaid left the band after partially recording the band's first album and was replaced by former Buffalo, NY based Slugfest drummer, Timothy Redmond, who performed on the rest of the tracks. Snapcase's first full-length recording, Lookinglasself, was released in 1993 and was recorded with Don Fury and Fred Betschen.

In early 1995, the band released the Steps EP, which they recorded with Fred Betschen. This was the last recording to feature Scott Dressler, who left the band in the fall of 1995 to go to graduate school. He was replaced by Frank Vicario of Buffalo, NY band Fadeaway. In the summer of 1996, The California Takeover was released which featured live recordings from Snapcase, Earth Crisis, and Strife.

Progression Through Unlearning and Designs for Automotion

April 1997 saw the release of Progression Through Unlearning, which they recorded with Steve Evetts, an album which is considered to be revolutionary by many fans of hardcore. The band set out on a summer tour, and featured performances on the Vans Warped Tour. In the fall of 1997, the band took some time off so that members could pursue education. In 1998, the band resumed touring, and was the opening band on the fall tour of the Deftones and Quicksand. They also went into the studio with Brian McTernan in the fall of 1998 to record a cover of the Bad Brains "I", released on Century Media's Never Give In tribute record, and a split EP with Boysetsfire that was released in the summer of 1999. These were the last recordings with bassist Bob Whiteside. He was replaced by Dustin Perry, formerly of the Minneapolis, MN band Threadbare. They headlined Hellfest that summer in Syracuse, NY.

Designs for Automotion, the band's third full-length album, was recorded in the summer of 1999 with Steve Evetts was released in January 2000. They spent most of 2000 on tour, performing on the Deconstruction tour in Europe with NOFX and playing the main stage of the Vans Warped Tour in the summer. Ben Lythberg began playing drums for the band during the fall, winter and spring while Redmond finished his master's degree.

End Transmission and Bright Flashes

In 2002, the band focused their creative energy on crafting their new album, End Transmission, with Brian McTernan at Salad Days Studios. The result became their fourth full-length album, which was released in September 2002. Redmond officially left the band soon after the release of the album and was permanently replaced by Lythberg. Snapcase toured that fall with Boysetsfire and Atreyu. Their final international tour was in early 2003. They opened for Bad Religion and Finch in the spring of 2003. Bright Flashes was released in November 2003. Featuring songs that were recorded for the conceptual End Transmission album, it also included covers of songs by Helmet, Devo, and Jane's Addiction, and 3 remixes of songs from End Transmission.

Final concert and subsequent activities

The band announced in the fall of 2004 that they would be disbanding, and would play their final show in January 2005 in Buffalo, NY. The final show featured appearances by nearly every member who had ever played in the band. Redmond, Dressler, and Whiteside joined Salemi and Taberski for a performance of the song "Lookinglasself", and original vocalist Chris Galas joined them for the song "Comatose".

Most of the band members of Snapcase found jobs after disbanding. Timothy Redmond taught AP Government, Global History, The Turbulent Sixties, and Human Rights and Genocide at Williamsville East High School and Scott Dressler was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Villanova University. After Snapcase dissolved, Vicario, Perry and Lythberg briefly participated in the band Attractive with Josh English from the band Sixgoingonseven. Vicario was working on new projects, but he primarily focused on his job in the technology industry.

Reunion shows

Snapcase reunited briefly in late 2007 on November 20 at Mohawk Place in their hometown of Buffalo, N.Y. and on November 24 and 25 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The reunion shows were performed for the benefit of Callum Robbins and the release of the Anti-Matter Anthology book release.

In early 2010, Snapcase confirmed to play a series of shows in Europe including a performance at the 2010 Groezrock Festival in Belgium and also confirmed a reunion show with Sick of It All in Buffalo, N.Y., for May 8, 2010.^[2] Guitarist Frank Vicario later stated that the band had no intention of doing an extended reunion beyond the European and Buffalo, N.Y., shows.^[3]

Snapcase was later forced to cancel their previously announced European reunion shows due to the eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull and its resulting ash plume engulfing much of Europe's airspace.^[4] The band remarked on their Twitter account that it could be at least three weeks before they'd be able to book different flights. The band still performed in their hometown of Buffalo, NY on May 8. European dates have since been rescheduled for July 2010.^[5] Snapcase performed at Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 in Austin, Texas and played day four of Riot Fest 2010 in Chicago, Illinois at the Congress Theater.

Sick of It All announced that Snapcase would be supporting them at their 25th Anniversary show at New York City's Webster Hall on March 26, 2011.^[6]

On June 12, 2012, Snapcase announced that they have booked a September 14 show at the Outer Harbor in Buffalo, NY with Dropkick Murphys.^[1]

On July 23, 2015, Snapcase played the tenth annual This Is Hardcore Festival at Union Transfer in Philadelphia, PA.

Discography

Studio albums

• Lookinglasself (1994)
• Progression Through Unlearning (1997)
• Designs for Automotion (2000)
• End Transmission (2002)
• Bright Flashes (2003)

EPs and singles

• Comatose 7" (1992)
• Steps EP (1995)
• Snapcase VS. boysetsfire Split EP (1999)

Demos

• Quest For Reality (1990)
• Accept Your Fate (1990)
• Break The Silence (1991)
• King of the Mountain (1992)

Compilations

• Only The Strong MCMXCII (1993) "Fields of Illusion"
• Anti-Matter (1995) "Vent"
• Reason For Living (1996) "Caboose"
• The California Takeover (1996)
• Violent World - A Tribute To The Misfits (1997) "She"
• Never Give In - A Tribute To Bad Brains (1998) "I"
• No Borders (1999) "Box Seat"
• To the Bone (1999) "Typecast Modulator"
• Xtreme Rock: Music That Changed Our Lives ([1999]) "Caboose"
• Incompatible Vol. 3 (2000) "Ambition Now"
• For Those Who Stand (2001) "Break The Static"

References

External links

• Official website
• Interview with Frank Vicario