Without fail, I find myself discovering acts after they have already disbanded. Whether they have just broken up, or years have passed since their last gig, I am left with only my headphones and a hope that one day they may decide to play a reunion show within my vicinity. I have had this unfortunate experience with the following acts, and will be keeping my fingers crossed that they one day reemerge.
Shooting at Unarmed Men: Supposedly formed as a joke out of the ashes of UK-act mclusky, Shooting at Unarmed Men is deliciously abrasive, and overwhelmingly catchy. Falling somewhere between 90s post-hardcore/emo and the anarchistic elements of 70s punk, Shooting at Unarmed Men unfortunately disbanded in January of 2009 with little announcement. Check out “A Horse By Day is a Horse By Night” off of 2006’s Yes! Tinnitus!.
Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains: Led by the self-professed Pat The Bunny, Johnny Hobo is DIY folk-punk no longer in session because, “[I] don’t identify with what [the songs] express at this point in [my] life.” Pat The Bunny’s current act, Wingnut Dishwashers Union, is similarly minded in terms of music, but lyrically will never again touch a song like, “Whiskey Is My Kind of Lullabye,” with its chimes of “…and I’ll drink myself to death or at least I’ll drink myself to sleep, chain smoke my way through the gaps in between my aspirations and my apathy.”
City of Caterpillar: Active from 2000-2003, City of Caterpillar was a dynamic act, expanding upon the mid-90s emo of bands like Sleepytime Trio. Highly influential on the current instrumentally based post-hardcore movement, City of Caterpillar’s strength is in the momentum behind the progression of each track, often fueled by the powerful percussive elements. Start with “Ghosts of Shadows Passing” as an example.
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