Hot Rod Circuit was a rock band from New Haven, Connecticut established in 1997.
Biography
The band was originally known as Antidote under which they released the album Mr. Glenbowski, which won the group the award of Best Unsigned Band of 1998 by Musician Magazine. The band subsequently moved to Connecticut and released If I Knew Now What I Knew Then under their present moniker.[1]
Hot Rod Circuit's first record, "If I Knew Now What I Knew Then" was released on September 21, 1999. The Band was composed of Andy Jackson on Vocals and Rhythm Guitar, Casey Prestwood on Lead Guitar, Greg Mitchell on Bass and Vocals, and Wes Cross on drums. The disc featured songs such as "Weak Warm", "Remover", and "Irish Car Bomb", which still to this day remain fan favorites. The band had done several shows that year in the New England area, along with tours that had the band "Jazz June". The band's drummer, Wes Cross left the band by before their next release.
The next album released by HRC hit record stores in September 2000; it was named "If It’s Cool With You, It’s Cool With Me" and remains one of their more popular records. The record included songs such as "The Power of the Vitamins", "This is Not the Time or Place", and "Flight 89". The record also featured the bands first taste of radio airplay when their single "Radio Song" came in at number two on the college radio charts. In addition drummer Michael Poorman became Wes Cross's replacement.In support of the release, Hot Rod Circuit did national tours with bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Reggie and the Full Effect, as well as an acoustic tour with The New Amsterdams.
During 2001, Hot Rod Circuit was receiving several offers from different record labels such as Drive-Thru and MCA, that were eager for the band to sign.[citation needed] By the fall of 2001, they had signed with Vagrant Records. The band's third record, "Sorry About Tomorrow" was released on March 12, 2002. In addition to that, Triple Crown Records released a B-Sides record entitled "Been There, Smoked That". The record featured material that was written while under the name "Antidote", and a few songs that were recorded live during their acoustic tour with The New Amsterdams. After three years of being in the band, drummer Mike Poorman left due to personal issues.
In August 2004, Hot Rod released "Reality's Coming Through," their second for Vagrant Records. This record proved to get less of a positive reaction as "Sorry About Tomorrow."[citation needed] "Reality's Coming Through" had a darker feel to it, much of the music coming from Andy Jackson's real life issues such as a divorce he was going through at the time.[citation needed]
In March 2005, Jay Russell left the band due to the death of his father.[citation needed] Russell went on to pursue his own band and get involved in his family business.[clarification needed] HRC had finished a tour with Piebald, Hit the Lights, and I am the Avalanche in November 2005, which many[who?] thought was their last.[citation needed] The band had stated they would be releasing a new record in 2006, but the band's relationship with Vagrant Records had become strained, due to the poor reception with their last record.[citation needed]
Hot Rod Circuit signed with Immortal Records and recorded their new full length titled The Underground Is a Dying Breed." The album was released on March 20, 2007.
In fall of 2007, Andy Jackson's side project, "Death in the Park," announced that Immortal Records had gone out of business.[citation needed]
On October 8, 2007. HRC announced on MySpace, that they would be breaking up after playing for 10 years.[citation needed] They played a farewell tour which ended on December 12, 2007 at Toad's Place in New Haven, CT.
In February 2008, Hot Rod Circuit posted a bulletin on Myspace stating that they were working on a B-Sides Record that would feature unreleased material from previous records, and would also include a live DVD of their last show.
Post break-up
Soon after the split of Hot Rod Circuit, Andy Jackson started a new band with the help of Joe Ballaro named Death in the Park. The group has released an EP and done several tours, with a full length scheduled for release in 2009. After playing a few tours Ballaro left the group to focus on The Queen Killing Kings, a group recently signed to Wind-up Records. Dan Duggins has joined Ballaro in The Queen Killing Kings on drums[2]. Casey now plays pedal steel and lead guitar in Drag The River an alt. country band from Colorado, and fronts Casey James Prestwood and the Burning Angels.
Current group members
- Andy Jackson (vocals, rhythm guitar)
- Casey Prestwood (guitar, pedal steel)
- Joe Ballaro (bass, vocals)
- Dan Duggins (drums)[3]
Discography
Albums
- If I Knew Now What I Knew Then - 1999
- If It's Cool With You It's Cool With Me - 2000
- Sorry About Tomorrow - 2002
- Reality's Coming Through - 2004
- The Underground Is A Dying Breed - 2007
EPs & singles
- Hot Rod Circuit - 1999
- Split w/ The Anniversary - 2001
- Split w/ thisyearsmodel - 2001
- Pharmacist - 2003
- The Underground Is A Dying Breed (iTunes Acoustic EP) - 2007
Compilations & soundtracks
- Revelation-A-Pop-A-Lypse - 1999
- I Love Metal - 1999
- Y2K Proof - 2000
- Welcome To Triple Crown - 2000
- The Best Comp In The World - 2000
- Another Year On The Streets Volume 2 - 2001
- Been There, Smoked That - 2003
- Atticus ...Dragging The Lake II - 2003
- Beer: The Movie - 2003
- Outlaw Volleyball: Music From The Game - 2003
- Another Year On The Streets Vol. 3 - 2004
- A Santa Cause 2: Its A Punk Rock Christmas - 2006
- Yo! Indie Rock Raps (Warped Tour Edition) - 2007
- Punk Goes Crunk - 2008
Notes and references
- ^ Diana Potts of Allmusic
- ^ http://www.newhavenadvocate.com/article.cfm?aid=11795
- ^ "Band Details: Hot Rod Circuit". Immortal Bands. http://immortalrecords.com/artist/25-hot-rod-circuit. Retrieved 2006-03-23.
External links
