Counterfit (band)
Encyclopedia
Counterfit was an American
rock
band from San Diego, California
, formed in September 1999 and disbanded in November 2004. They released two EP
s and one album on San Diego label Alphabet Records and San Francisco-based Negative Progression Records. Over the band's lifespan they toured the United States
extensively. Their music is best described as fitting into the indie rock
, post-hardcore
, and emo
genres.
, but soon relocated to San Diego, California
to pursue a career in music. The band's lineup at this time consisted of Justin Rodriguez on bass guitar
and lead vocals, Adam Allen and James Dennis on guitar
s, and Allen's brother Marc Allen on drums
. The band's first EP
, On the Downside, was released in 2000 on local label Alphabet Records. Shortly after its release Dennis left the band to attend college, and Daniel Reed was brought in to fill the vacant guitar position.
. Their first full-length album, Super Amusement Machine for Your Exciting Heart, followed in 2002, along with a second stint on that year's Warped Tour. On these tours Counterfit played alongside such bands as Tsunami Bomb
, Saves the Day
, Hot Rod Circuit
, New Found Glory
, Superdrag
, The Mars Volta
, Recover
, and Finch.
with the band Noise Ratchet
, who were also playing their final show. Reed went on to play in First Wave Hello and Sayvinyl, while the Allen brothers launched their own project the Helen Earth Band. Marc Allen also joined Finch, drumming for them until the group's indefinite hiatus in 2006. In the winter of 2006 Rodriguez began recording and performing under the name Silverbird
. A posthumous DVD
/CD package of Counterfit material was released in 2007 entitled Managing the Details of an Undertaking
. The DVD includes a documentary of their final tour, the entire farewell performance, and additional content. The CD portion includes rare and unreleased songs including demos and live recordings.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, formed in September 1999 and disbanded in November 2004. They released two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s and one album on San Diego label Alphabet Records and San Francisco-based Negative Progression Records. Over the band's lifespan they toured the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
extensively. Their music is best described as fitting into the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
, post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
, and emo
Emo (music)
Emo is a style of rock music characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. It originated in the mid-1980s hardcore punk movement of Washington, D.C., where it was known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace...
genres.
Formation
Counterfit formed in September 1999 in Fairfield County, ConnecticutFairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
, but soon relocated to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
to pursue a career in music. The band's lineup at this time consisted of Justin Rodriguez on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and lead vocals, Adam Allen and James Dennis on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, and Allen's brother Marc Allen on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. The band's first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, On the Downside, was released in 2000 on local label Alphabet Records. Shortly after its release Dennis left the band to attend college, and Daniel Reed was brought in to fill the vacant guitar position.
Album and tours
Their second EP, From Finish to Starting Line, was released the following year on Negative Progression Records. That summer the band played on the 2001 Warped TourWarped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
. Their first full-length album, Super Amusement Machine for Your Exciting Heart, followed in 2002, along with a second stint on that year's Warped Tour. On these tours Counterfit played alongside such bands as Tsunami Bomb
Tsunami Bomb
Tsunami Bomb was a punk rock band from Petaluma, California that was active between 1998 and October 2005 and released 2 studio albums and 4 EPs. They were founded by Dominic David who left in 2003...
, Saves the Day
Saves the Day
Saves the Day is an American rock band from Princeton, New Jersey, formed in 1994. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Conley, guitarist Arun Bali, bassist Rodrigo Palma, and drummer Claudio Rivera....
, Hot Rod Circuit
Hot Rod Circuit
Hot Rod Circuit is an American emo band from New Haven, Connecticut established in 1997.-Early years:The band was originally known as Antidote under which they released the album Mr. Glenboski, which won the group the award of Best Unsigned Band of 1998 by Musician Magazine...
, New Found Glory
New Found Glory
New Found Glory is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida. Formed in the summer of 1997, founding members were lead vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Joe Marino...
, Superdrag
Superdrag
Superdrag is an alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee. The band had a hit with its 1996 single "Sucked Out" off their album Regretfully Yours, for which a video clip was broadcast regularly on MTV...
, The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
, Recover
Recover (band)
-History:Recover comprised Dan Keyes , Robert Mann , Ross Tweedy , and Santiago "Jimmy" Vela . The four first started playing together while in high school, but didn't officially form Recover until 2000. The band recorded a four-song demo in the spring of 2000...
, and Finch.
Disbanding
In November 2004 the group decided to disband, and played their last show on December 11, 2004 at Ground Zero in El CajonEl Cajon, California
-History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...
with the band Noise Ratchet
Noise Ratchet
Noise Ratchet were an alternative Rock band originating from California.Noise Ratchet began as a pop punk/ska band in February 1997 in San Diego, California. In 1998, they released their first independent album, Never Going Back, at Youth Wave 1998 while opening for P.O.D. The Supertones, Stavesacre...
, who were also playing their final show. Reed went on to play in First Wave Hello and Sayvinyl, while the Allen brothers launched their own project the Helen Earth Band. Marc Allen also joined Finch, drumming for them until the group's indefinite hiatus in 2006. In the winter of 2006 Rodriguez began recording and performing under the name Silverbird
Silverbird
Silverbird may refer to:*Silverbird , a passerine bird native to eastern Africa*Silverbird , a 1973 album by Leo Sayer*Silverbird, a 1970 album and single by Mark Lindsay*Silverbird or , a rocket-powered aircraft design...
. A posthumous DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
/CD package of Counterfit material was released in 2007 entitled Managing the Details of an Undertaking
Managing the Details of an Undertaking
Managing the Details of an Undertaking is a compilation CD and DVD package by the San Diego, California rock band Counterfit, released in 2007 by One Bad Landing Records. It was a posthumous release, as the group had disbanded in 2004. The CD portion of the release compiles rare, unreleased, and...
. The DVD includes a documentary of their final tour, the entire farewell performance, and additional content. The CD portion includes rare and unreleased songs including demos and live recordings.
Band members
- Adam Allen - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1999–2004) - Marc Allen - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals (1999–2004) - James Dennis - guitar, backing vocals (1999–2000)
- Justin Rodriguez - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lead vocals (1999–2004) - Daniel Reed - guitar, backing vocals (2000–2004)
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Super Amusement Machine for Your Exciting Heart | Negative Progression Records | CD/LP Gramophone record A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove... |
Only album. LP version released in 2003 with different track order. |
EPs
| Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | On the Downside | Alphabet Records | EP Extended play An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact... |
First EP, consisting of 5 demo songs. |
| 2001 | From Finish to Starting Line | Negative Progression Records | EP | |
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Label | Format | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Managing the Details of an Undertaking Managing the Details of an Undertaking Managing the Details of an Undertaking is a compilation CD and DVD package by the San Diego, California rock band Counterfit, released in 2007 by One Bad Landing Records. It was a posthumous release, as the group had disbanded in 2004. The CD portion of the release compiles rare, unreleased, and... |
One Bad Landing Records | CD/DVD DVD A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions.... |
Posthumous compilation of rare and unreleased material. DVD includes documentary of the band's final tour, their entire final performance, the "Better Late Than Never" music video, and additional live footage. |
Non-album tracks
| Year | Album/Source | Label | Song(s) | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Playing 4 Square 2 | Negative Progression Records | "This Dance" | Demo version, differs from album version. |
| 2003 | Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault: Jawbreaker Tribute Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault: Jawbreaker Tribute Bad Scene, Everyone's Fault is a tribute album to the band Jawbreaker, released in 2003 by Dying Wish Records. It includes bands of the post-hardcore, punk rock, pop punk, and emo genres covering Jawbreaker songs... |
Dying Wish Records | "Million" (originally performed by Jawbreaker Jawbreaker (band) Jawbreaker was an American punk rock band active from 1986 to 1996 and considered one of the most influential acts of the early-1990s emo movement... ) |
Tribute CD to the 1990s San Francisco band Jawbreaker. |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Album | Other information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Better Late Than Never" | Super Amusement Machine for Your Exciting Heart | Directed by Anne Montalvo. |