36 Crazyfists

36 Crazyfists are a four-piece metal band originating from Kenai, Alaska. They are now based in Portland, Oregon. The band's name comes from a Jackie Chan movie, The 36 Crazy Fists. They have released five albums, In the Skin, Bitterness the Star, A Snow Capped Romance, Rest Inside the Flames, and their fifth The Tide And Its Takers was released on May 27, 2008.

History

Early years

Formed in December 1994, 36 Crazyfists originate from Kenai, Alaska. The band's original line-up consisted of vocalist Brock Lindow, guitarist Ryan Brownell, bassist JD Stuart and drummer Thomas Noonan. The band independently released two EPs and one LP before being signed. The group started out performing in local clubs and bars on the Kenai Peninsula and later settled in Anchorage to gain more publicity. Their first EP Boss Buckle was released in 1995, followed by Suffer Tree in 1997 and finally their LP In the Skin which was also released in 1997. A demo disc was also recorded in 1999. Three out of four songs on this demo would later feature on their 2002 major label debut.

In order to break into the industry, the band moved from Alaska to Portland, Oregon after the death of their original bassist in a car accident. From here, they opened for such acts System of a Down, Primus, Blink-182 and NOFX. They eventually befriended metal band Skinlab, who landed their demo into the hands of A&R reps at Roadrunner Records.

Roadrunner Records years (2000 - 2007)

Signed by Roadrunner Records in 2000, the band recorded their major debut album Bitterness the Star which was released on , 2002. In support of its release, the band toured with such heavy weight acts as Candiria, God Forbid, Chimaira, Diecast, and Hotwire. After touring the United States, they headed off to Europe to begin the European Road Rage Tour with Killswitch Engage and Five Pointe O.

The band re-emerged two years later, on , 2004 with their second album A Snow Capped Romance which was produced by James Paul Wisner (who also produced albums for bands like Dashboard Confessional and As Friends Rust). They toured intensely behind the record (playing shows with acts like Killswitch Engage and Poison the Well) through December, taking two months off before beginning the work on their next album.

36 Crazyfists entered the studio with producer Sal Villanueva (who had worked with Thursday and Taking Back Sunday) in October 2005 to commence recording their third album Rest Inside the Flames which was released across Europe on , 2006. Ultimately, Roadrunner decided not to release the album in North America. A deal with DRT Entertainment was later struck, and the album received a belated release on , 2006.

The album was a success in the U.K., with Rest Inside the Flames debuting at #71 on the UK album charts, and reaching #2 in the BBC's Rock Album charts. However, the album only sold 1,858 copies in the US during its first week of release.

The band started an extensive U.K. tour, supported by Twelve Tribes and Your Rigamortus on , 2007, where they played at 26 venues across the country.

Ferret Music years (2007 - present)

Vocalist Brock Lindow announced that a new record would be released in March 2008 on Ferret Music entitled The Tide And Its Takers. This date has been pushed back, and was released on , 2008.

This was released on Ultimate-Guitar.com on :

"Alaska based rockers 36 Crazyfists are currently in the studio working on their Ferret Music debut, which they have titled The Tide And Its Takers."

The band had guitarist and backing vocalist, Steve Holt, producing the album. They had Andy Sneap (Machine Head, Testament, Exit Ten) again work on the mixing of the album.

Lead singer Brock Lindow had this to say,

"We could not be happier to be on Ferret Music, we are all big fans of the bands on the roster as well as the people who run the label. Our new record is now finished being written and we will start recording right after Thanksgiving. We will be out on tour in January starting with the UK and Europe first, looking forward to hitting the road and seeing all of our friends again."

36 Crazyfists always return to Alaska to play at the annual Summer Meltdown Festival in Anchorage, Alaska. With one exception being the 2008 Summer Meltdown, in which they could not attend due to their tour with the First Annual Rockstar Mayhem Festival.

36 Crazyfists filmed their January 9, 2009, show in Anchorage, Alaska, which will be featured on their upcoming DVD entitled Underneath A Northern Sky. The DVD will be the band's first ever, with an October 27th,2009 release date planned. The band will then team up with Chiodos for two shows in Japan and then hit up the Australian festival circuit, which will take them to the end of February. Throughout March, the band will tour Europe with labelmates, Poison The Well.

The final night of their European tour was recorded by Chasing Safety at The Electric Ballroom in Camden Town London, at the end of the night, Brock Lindow announced on stage that they would be recording their new album at the end of 2009 with a planned spring 2010 release & a hinted follow up Europe tour.

Members

Brock Lindow ? vocals (1994 ? present)
Steve Holt ? guitar (1996 ? present)
Thomas Noonan ? drums (1994 ? present)
Brett Makowski (Buzzard) - bass guitar (2008 - present)
Former
Mick Whitney - bass guitar (1996 - 2008)
JD Stuart ? bass (died in a car accident in July, 1996)
Ryan Brownell ? guitar (1994 ? 1996)

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Original Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/36 Crazyfists