Bane was an American hardcore punk band that began in 1995 as a side project between Aaron Dalbec and Damon Bellorado. Dalbec approached Matt Firestone to sing and they played under the moniker of Gateway for a few shows, before Firestone parted ways to focus on other projects. Dalbec then approached Aaron Bedard about singing for Bane. They went into the studio in December 1995 with a few friends and released a five-song demo. The next year saw the release of their first EP, and many shows throughout central Massachusetts. In early 1997, Bane released Free to Think, Free to Be EP, and in 1998 the band released the Holding This Moment 7" and CD collection, and embarked upon their first US tour. Like many other hardcore bands, Bane are known for their promotion of tolerance and unity within the scene. In 2014, Bane released their final album, Don't Wait Up, with the band stating that they still plan to tour. They played their last show on June 18, 2016 at the Worcester Palladium.
History
The band was founded in 1994 under the name Gateway. It was supposed to be intended only as a side project to Aaron Dalbec’s actual band Converge. In 1995 singer Aaron Bedard was asked to take over frontman duties. They quickly recorded a first demo, which contained five songs. Pete Chilton was added as bassist while Zach Jordan joined the band as second guitarist. Damon Bellorado, also a member of Converge, took over drumming duties. In May 1996, Bane released the EP ‘Forked Tongue’ and in 1997, ‘Free to Think, Free to Be joined., Both EPs appeared on Life Records. It was around this time that drummer Bellorado left the band in order to concentrate fully on Converge. Bellorado was briefly replaced by Ten Yard Fight drummer Ben Chused, before he was replaced in mid-1998 by the 19-year-old Nick Branigan. A tour followed the release of Holding This Moment, which was actually a compilation of previously released EPs. In addition, the band held a US tour starting with Saves the Day. The album It All Comes Down to This was recorded in June 1999 in Austin Enterprises in Clinton, Massachusetts. The album was released on Equal Vision Records. In 2000, a tour followed by North America with Death by Stereo and Adamantium, as well as performances in Europe. In early September 2000, the band went into the studio again, where Converge Member Kurt Ballou worked as a producer to record two songs for a split release with Adamantium, which appeared on Indecision Records. Their second albumGive Blood, which was released in 2001 was, in recorded and produced by Brian McTernan in Beltsville, Maryland. The release was followed with a tour of the USA along with Agnostic. In 2003, drummer Branigan left the band and was replaced by Bob Mahoney. Bane \ followed with another tour of the USA, as well as a two-week tour of Japan in April 2004. In 2005 the band then went into the Salad Days Studios to record their next album titled The Note with producer McTernan, which appeared on Equal Vision Records. In March 2005, the band held a US tour with Comeback Kid and With Honour. In 2014, Bane released their final album, Don't Wait Up, with the band stating that they still plan to tour. They played their last show on June 18, 2016 at the Worcester Palladium.
Straight edge
In an early album 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 album The Note can be interpreted as criticism of people who ignorantly claim straight edge too early in their life.
