Bane

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Bane, a hardcore punk band, began as a side project between Aaron Dalbec (then of Converge) and Damon Bellardo. Aaron approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone departed ways to focus on other projects. Dalbec then approached Aaron Bedard (who had previously sung for the Worcester, Massachusetts hardcore band Backbone) about singing for Bane. They went into the studio in December 1995 with a few friends and released a 5 song demo. The next year saw the release of their first EP, and many shows throughout central Massachusetts. The home crowd reactions at local venues The Space, The Espresso Bar and The Palladium were positive. Spring of 1997 saw the release of the Free To Think, Free To Be EP, where 1998 saw the release of the Holding This Moment 7" and CD collection, plus their first US Tour. Like many other hardcore bands Bane are known for their promotion of tolerance and unity within the scene.

Straight edge

In earlier albums Bane claimed straight edge, however it was never their main lyrical focus. The current original members are straight edge; Bob Mahoney and Stu are not. They still perform early songs with straight edge references, such as "Count Me Out" which includes the lyric "Just like this X on the back of my hand, I'm not going nowhere". However the lyrics to the song "Wasted On The Young", on Bane's latest album The Note can be interpreted as criticism of people who ignorantly claim straight edge too early in their life.

Current members

• Aaron Bedard - vocals
• Aaron Dalbec - guitar
• Zach Jordan - guitar
• Brendan "Stu" Maguire - bass
• Bob Mahoney - drums
• Kristin Rondeau - backing vocals

Former members

• Pete Chilton - bass (First EP to The Note)
• Nick Branigan - drums (It All Comes Down To This LP, Bane/Adamantium Split 7", Give Blood LP)
• Ben Chused - drums (Holding This Moment 7")
• Damon Bellardo - drums (Demo, XXX 7", Free To Think 7")
• Kurt Ballou - guitar (first few shows, Converge)
• Matthew Firestone - vocals (Gateway)
• Christopher Cardone - bass (Gateway)
• Joe "Lumpy" Lawrence -vocals (Gateway)

Discography

• Holding This Moment (1998) - Equal Vision Records
• It All Comes Down to This (1999) - Equal Vision Records
• All Systems Go! Comp (2000) - Underestimated Records
• Bane/Adamantium Split 7" (2001) - Indecision Records
• Give Blood (2001) - Equal Vision Records
• The Note (2005) - Equal Vision Records
• Ten Years Plus E.P. (2006) - Equal Vision Records
• Dublin 11:58pm 7" (2009) - Hurry Up! Records
• Boston 6:58pm 7" (2009) - Triple-B Records
• Rome 12:58am 7" (2009) - Hurry Up! Records
• Los Angeles 3:58pm 7" (2009) - 6131 Records
• Perth 7:58am CD/EP (2009) - Resist Records
• Tokyo 7:58am CD/EP (2009) - Alliance Trax
• Curitiba 7:58pm CD/EP (2009) - Hurry Up! Records
• At Both Ends Final Issue 7" Comp (2009)^[1]
• Holding This Moment LP (2010) - Hurry Up! Records

Covers

Bane has covered the following songs for various compilations

• "Just How Much?" - Chain of Strength on All Systems Go! cover comp. LP (Underestimated 2000)
• "The Truth About Lars" - Lifetime
• "Eye for an Eye" - Eye for an Eye on Indecision Records Split Series
• "We Stand Alone" - Sick Of It All on Our Impact Will Be Felt
• "Enjoy" - Björk on Ten Years Plus E.P.

Allusions

• The song "Fuck What You Heard" begins with a sound clip from Apocalypse Now
• The song "What Makes Us Strong" begins with a sound clip from Aliens
• The song "Both Guns Blazing" begins with a sound clip from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• The song "End with an Ellipsis" makes reference to the death of a fan midway through a Bane set at a show in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

External links

• Bane's official MySpace page
• Equal Vision Records
• Interview with Aaron Bedard
• Another interview with Aaron Bedard
• Interview with Aaron about growing old in hardcore
• Interview with Aaron about their 2009 Europe Tour

References and footnotes