Drowningman

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Drowningman was a hardcore metal band formed in 1997 by Simon Brody and Denny Donovan. A fluctuating line up and disputes within the band saw them split in 2002, but the band reformed briefly between 2004 and 2005.

Drowingman was formed in Burlington, Vermont^[1] and played its first show in a basement at Hungerford Terrace in 1997. Their debut 7" single Weighted and Weighed Down was released in 1997, on Boston-based Hydra Head Records,^[1] and was followed by the LP Busy Signal at the Suicide Hotline in 1998 on the same label.^[1]

By early 1999 the band was being courted by Revelation Records and was also talking to friends at Equal Vision Records. The band returned to the studio soon after the addition of Joe Villemaire, Matt Roy and Zach Martin. Hydra Head had become concerned with the revolving door policy and when the How They Light Cigarettes In Prison EP was presented to them, the reaction was underwhelming. Revelation Records expressed enthusiasm for the record and went on to release it in early 2000, initially shipping more copies than any previous Revelation EP.

Simon Brody described the emerging band on the Revelation Records website in the following fashion:

Burlington, Vermont might not be known as a hot spot for hardcore. Socialist mayors, monsters in nearby Lake Champlain, Phish, and filthy hippies maybe - but definitely not hardcore. Be that as it may, over the last several years, the aggressive music world has been waking up to Vermont's dirty little secret and most recent addition to the Revelation Records family, Drowningman. Not particularly proud of their backwoods heritage, Drowningman has been content in the common misconception that they were from Boston created by their handful of releases on Hydra Head Records. With each successive release, from 1997's debut 7" Weighted and Weighed Down, to 1998's Busy Signal At The Suicide Hotline LP, and 1999's incendiary split 7" with New Jersey's Dillinger Escape Plan, the band has expanded the parameters of their caustic blend of spastic metal/hardcore blasts and emotional, melodic interludes, and in turn put themselves, and maybe someday their home state, on the hardcore map.

— Simon Brody^[2]

A first full US tour with The Dillinger Escape Plan was embarked on to support the release. Soon after returning, production of the Rock And Roll Killing Machine record began in Washington, D.C. at the Salad Days Studio. A great deal of technical difficulty was encountered; Simon Brody had claimed in interviews the stressed work environment caused the tempo of many of the songs to rush and that record lost some of the previous efforts melodic counterpoint. Still it was well received earning a 10/10 in respected extreme music magazine, [Terrorizer (magazine] and found the way into many publications top ten lists for 2001.

Aside from making regular appearances at Hellfest, Krazy Fest, Monster Fest and The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, Drowningman began touring extensively in support of this latest record. They toured with hardcore and metal bands as varied as Earth Crisis, Glassjaw, Shadows Fall, Darkest Hour and Twelve Tribes. However, projected gigs for early 2001 were curtailed when the group lost its drummer. By May 2001 road action was resumed with regular partners Darkest Hour on the "Bro-Down 2001" tour.

Poison the Well bassist Andrew Abramowitz along with guitarist Frank Smecker joined the band during November 2001 and recorded an EP for Equal Vision Records which was released in 2002 entitled Drowningman Still Loves You. To be sure the band had not gone soft the spine of the CD release read "even if no one else ever will."^[1]

Several tours followed, first with Thursday and Waterdown, later with Atreyu and Vaux. By September the group announced they were to hook up with Converge and Playing Enemy for East Coast and Midwest gigs, but backed out to prioritise songwriting.

Embroiled in contract disputes with Revelation Records the band went into God City Studios in early 2002 and recorded a series of improvised tracks for a final Revelation release tentatively and sarcastically entitled Best Record Ever. The instrumental tracks briefly circulated minus a 20 minute "meditation on a single riff" (a homage to the emerging and burgeoning stoner rock trend) and according to band members was never actually intended to be released.

Shortly after a particularly rowdy final performance at Krazy Fest in Louisville, vocalist Simon Brody broke the band up and moved to California. He swiftly announcing the formation of a brand new group entitled The Scheme. This project notably included another erstwhile Drowningman member, drummer Todd Tomlinson plus ex-Lifetime guitarist Pete Martin and Ian Miller of bay-area hardcore notables Redemption 87. Another Drowningman veteran, guitarist Denny Donovan, subsequently enrolled and after a brief period Donovan and Simon Brody re-formed Drowningman for a short period.

After more contractual difficulties with Revelation Records who moved to slow The Scheme from negotiating with Ferret Records and Arena Rock, Drowningman played a final show at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco with Thrice and a similarly disbanding band, Taken. Demos of The Scheme widely circulated but no official release ever came to pass, although Boston's Deathwish Records announced a release to be recorded with Alex Newport (producer of early At the Drive-In releases). Simon Brody recently posted the demos on his blog "SimonStillLovesYou".

Denny Donovan and Simon Brody revived Drowningman briefly, beginning with a 2005 trek with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Misery Signals, Every Time I Die and Zao.

Drowningman announced a Summer 2005 nationwide US trek partnered with The Number Twelve Looks Like You and The Minor Times to promote the album Don't Push Us When We're Hot.^[3] A promotional video for the track White People Are Stupid was directed by Joseph Patisall. Simon Brody had lost all interest in the band and MTV airing the video with the abbreviated title WPAS was the beginning of the actual end.

In early October 2005 Drowningman re-inducted former members guitarist Frank Smecker and drummer Dave Joyal, both having prior involvement during the Still Loves You EP. The band broke up permanently after recording a version of Black Flag's Loose Nut for the Reignition Records re-issue of the tribute album Black On Black.

Simon Brody now lives in the Kansas City area and attributes much of the band's difficulty to the excesses of band life which he spoke candidly about on former a former tour-mates band advice website ^[4]

Simon Brody now claims that last record was incredibly ill-advised and should not have been a Drowningman record. In a 10th anniversary retrospective spotlighting the bands first Hydra Head release, the frontman spoke freely about his retirement from "the rock and roll lifestyle" and legal studies.^[5]

A review of the band's retrospective release on Reignition by long-time friend of the band, Kevin Stewart-Panko summed up the final round the best:

Drowningman was nearly as renowned for vocalist Simon Brody’s legendary antics and larger-than-life personality as his distinctive voice, the band’s use of angular and off-the-mark “metal-emo” melodies, and the craziest guitar duels hardcore has ever spawned. This collection, ironically released just as the band have reunited for a second stab at fame, fortune and free alcohol.

— Kevin Stewart-Panko^[6]

• 1997: Weighted and Weighed Down (7" single)
• 1998: Busy Signal at the Suicide Hotline
• 2000: How They Light Cigarettes In Prison (EP)
• 2000: Rock and Roll Killing Machine
• 2002: Drowningman Still Loves You (EP)
• 2004: Learn to Let It Go: The Demos
• 2005: Don't Push Us When We're Hot

• Simon Brody's blog, including postings of The Scheme's unreleased tracks
• MTV videos of Drowningman tracks