As Friends Rust performing at Cheers in Coconut Grove, Florida in 1996 (top) and at Molotow Musik Club in Hamburg, Germany in 2019 (bottom).
As Friends Rust is an American
melodic hardcore band based in
Gainesville, Florida. Formed in September 1996, the group originally consisted of lead vocalist
Damien Moyal, guitarist Henry Olmino, bass guitarist
Jeronimo Gomez, and drummer Matthew Crum.[1] The band currently consists of Moyal (a consistent member except for a brief period in 2002), alongside drummer
Timothy Kirkpatrick (who first joined in 1997), guitarists
Joseph Simmons and James Glayat (both of whom first joined in 1998), and bassist Andrew Seward (since 2022).
History
The original line-up of Moyal, Olmino, Gomez and Crum recorded a demo in November 1996, but failing to secure a record deal, parted ways in February 1997.[2][3] In June 1997, Moyal reformed the band with new members, including guitarists
Stephen Looker and Gordon Tarpley, drummer
Jason Dooley, and bass guitarist
Jason Black, while securing a deal with Belgian record label
Good Life Recordings.[4][5][6] By September 1997, Black had not taken up involvement and
Timothy Kirkpatrick came in to replace Dooley.[3][5] In March 1998,
Joseph Simmons replaced Looker, and
Kaleb Stewart joined as bass guitarist and backing vocalist.[3][5] This line-up recorded material for the band's debut extended play, The Fists of Time (combined with 1996 recordings).[7][8] Tarpley was then replaced by Peter Bartsocas in time for the EP's American promotional concert tour in June–July 1998, but the latter was replaced by James Glayat in October 1998, shortly before the band's first European tour.[3][5] The line-up remained intact until August 2000, during which time the band released As Friends Rust / Discount,
As Friends Rust, and
Eleven Songs.[9][10][11]
Inner tensions caused major line-up changes, culminating with Glayat, Kirkpatrick and, eventually, Stewart quitting in September 2000.[12][13][14] Bartsocas, who happened to be visiting Europe while the band was on tour, filled in for Glayat during August–September 2000, while Stewart filled in as lead vocalist while Moyal was sick.[5][14] After returning home, Moyal and Simmons reconstructed the band by recruiting guitarist and backing vocalist
Christopher "Floyd" Beckham, bass guitarist
Guillermo Amador, and drummer
Alexander Vernon, with whom As Friends Rust recorded the single Morningleaver / This Is Me Hating You.[12][15][16] In March 2001, Vernon was replaced by
Zachary Swain, and in April 2001
Thomas Rankine replaced Amador.[17][18] The new line-up recorded As Friends Rust's debut full-length album, Won, for
Doghouse Records /
Defiance Records and the extended play, A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of Our Times, for
Equal Vision Records, promoting the releases with extensive American, European and British tours (during which the live home video Camden Underworld, London – 16 November 2001 was filmed).[19][20] By February 2002, tensions had again surfaced, which resulted with Moyal quitting the band at the peak of its popularity.[21][22] In order to fulfill touring obligations, Beckham switched to lead vocals and Tarpley returned as guitarist, until lead vocalist Adam D'Zurilla was welcomed as Moyal's replacement in late March 2002.[5][18] With D'Zurilla, As Friends Rust toured the United States, Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom several times, before Beckham quit the band in July 2002.[23][24][25] After a final European tour as a four-piece, the remaining members of As Friends Rust announced that the band was changing name to Salem in September 2002.[26]
As Friends Rust reunited in March 2008, with Moyal, Kirkpatrick, Simmons, Stewart, and Glayat reprising their 1998–2000 line-up,[27][28] and the band embarked on a European and British tour in August 2008.[29][30] For its Japanese tour in June 2014, supporting the compilation album Greatest Hits?, drummer Joshua Williams filled in for Kirkpatrick.[31][32] Stewart was kicked out of the band in June 2019;[33] he later passed away in March 2021.[34][35][36] The band has since operated as a four-piece without a permanent bass guitarist. Chad Darby was called upon during the recording of the extended play Up from the Muck in 2020.[37][38][39] For the band's performance at
Furnace Fest in September 2022,
Richard Thurston filled in for Kirkpatrick, while
Michael Lipscomb performed bass guitar.[40][41][42] In late 2022, bass guitarist
Andrew Seward was recruited to record the band's second full-length album, Any Joy, and tour in promotion of the release throughout 2023.[43][44] As Simmons was unable to tour Europe and the United Kingdom in September and October 2023, guitarist and backing vocalist Ryan Mahon was recruited to fill the spot.[45]
^Bayer, Jonah (January 2002). "As Friends Rust Interview".
Law of Inertia 11. New York City, New York: Law of Inertia Magazine (published August 23, 2002). pp. 41–45 – via
Internet Archive.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (
link)
^Brunè, Jessika (February 2002).
"As Friends Rust Interview". Delusions of Adequacy. Archived from
the original on February 27, 2002. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^"News". As Friends Rust. 2002. Archived from
the original on June 5, 2002. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
^Torben (September 15, 2008).
"As Friends Rust Interview". AllSchools Network.
Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.