Strike Anywhere

Strike Anywhere
Background information
Origin	Richmond, Virginia, United States
Genre(s)	Punk Rock Melodic Hardcore Post hardcore
Years active	1999–present
Label(s)	Jade Tree Fat Wreck Chords
Website	Official Site
Members
Thomas Barnett Matt Smith Garth Petrie Eric Kane Mark Miller
Former members
Matt Sherwood

Strike Anywhere is a melodic hardcore band from Richmond, Virginia They can be compared to some work by Thrice and Rise Against. They formed in 1999 after the demise of Thomas Barnett's previous band, Inquisition, taking their name from the Inquisition song "Strike Anywhere". Their music is characterized by fast tempos, catchy melodies, and emotionally-charged vocals delivered via shouting and singing. The band has received an increased amount of attention after their music appeared in 3 Tony Hawk video games: Tony Hawk's Underground 1 in 2003 ("Refusal"), Tony Hawk's American Wasteland in 2005 ("Question the Answer"), and Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam ("The Promise"). After being featured in the documentary Wake Up Screaming about the 2005 Vans Warped Tour. Strike Anywhere recently released their latest album Dead FM, produced by Brian McTernan. On the 17 March, 2007, the band played their last show with guitarist Matt Sherwood in Auckland, New Zealand. Mark Miller has since replaced Sherwood.

Political Stance

Strike Anywhere is a political band, with lyrics touching on such issues as police brutality, anti-capitalism, women's rights, animal rights, and globalization. They have also contributed tracks to political benefit albums, such as a live version of "Sunset on 32nd" for 1157 Wheeler Avenue: A Memorial for Amadou Diallo and "To the World" for the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 album. According to the liner notes for their album Change is a Sound, they support "the vegetarian lifestyle, the living wage movement and the fight against corporate globalization" ^[1]. With its 2006 release Dead FM, the band moved away from political slogans to address "more sociological ideas about why these (events) happen." ^[2].

Their logo is the Antifascist Circle, a circle with three downward-right pointing arrows, which is "an international symbol for resistance, equality, and the solidarity of all peoples against oppression"^[1], and was originally designed for the Iron front.

Strike Anywhere generally allow audience members to record their live performances for personal, non-commercial use, and has gone so far as to authorize the Internet Archive to create a section where fans can upload and share their recordings.^[3]

Members

Current

• Thomas Barnett - Vocals
• Matt Smith - Guitar/Vocals
• Garth Petrie - Bass
• Eric Kane - Drums
• Mark Miller - Guitar/Vocals

Former

• Matt Sherwood - Guitar/Vocals (1999-2007)

Releases

EPs

• Chorus of One (Red Leader Records (CD)/No Idea Records (LP), 2000)
• Bread or Revolution (Fat Wreck Chords, 2001)
• Underground Europe: The 1999 Demos (Scene Police, 2001)

Studio Albums

• Change is a Sound (Jade Tree, 2001)
• Exit English (Jade Tree, 2003)
• Dead FM (Fat Wreck Chords, 2006) [1]

Compilation Albums

• To Live in Discontent (Jade Tree, 2005), a rarities compilation which includes Bread or Revolution and Chorus of One content
• Live At Camden Underworld (2001) (2001) Live video with As Friends Rust.

Compilation Appearances

• Underground Europe 2001 Genoa Benefit EP (Scene Police, 2001)
• 1157 Wheeler Avenue: A Memorial for Amadou Diallo (Failed Experiment, 2002)
• Broken Lamps and Hardcore Memories (Suburban Home Records, 2002)
• Punk Goes Acoustic (Fearless Records, 2003)
• Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1 (Fat Wreck Chords, 2004)

Related bands

• Count Me Out - Garth Petrie
• The Exploder - Eric Kane, Matt Smith
• Inquisition - Thomas Barnett
• Liars Academy - Matt Smith

They are also known to be on friendly relations with similar bands in the scene, such as Rise Against, The Loved Ones and AFI. This is referenced by tours and liner thank-you-notes.

References

External links

• Official Site
• Official MySpace Site
• Strike Anywhere interview
• Interview with Thomas & Dave from The Loved Ones
• Interview with Thomas Barnett
• Strike Anywhere at bandtoband.com

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