Bayside

by Corey Apar Long Island-based Bayside formed in the winter of 2000 and quickly started developing a local following with their melodic brand of moody, guitar-driven emo. They soon hit the road, sharing stages across the United States with bands like the Alkaline Trio, Taking Back Sunday, and Further Seems Forever along the way. Their first release, the EP Long Stories Short, came out on local indie Dying Wish Records in August 2001. Touring continued and the following year Bayside found itself with a slot on Asbury, NJ's Skate and Surf Fest, Birmingham's Furnace Fest, and dates on two weeks of Warped Tour. As with many young bands, various lineup changes occurred throughout the years, and spring 2003 found original members Anthony Raneri (vocals/guitar) and Andrew Elderbaum (bass) being completed by Jim Mitchell (drums) and Jack O'Shea (guitar). That same summer, they released a split EP with Name Taken, before signing with Chicago powerhouse Victory Records. Sirens and Condolences, their brooding debut full-length produced by J. Robbins (Jawbox), was issued in January 2004. Along with a relentless show schedule, the guys utilized community-oriented Web sites like Friendster and Myspace to promote their music and build up a loyal underground following. Also during this time, bassist Nick Ghanbarian (ex-the Movielife, Silent Majority) and N.Y.C. veteran drummer John "Beatz" Holohan joined Bayside's ranks, replacing Elderbaum and Mitchell, respectively. Going into their next album, Bayside was feeling stronger and more cohesive than ever before, and wanted to depart from the group of producers that many of their peers had thus been using. Consequently, their August 2005 self-titled effort materialized with Shep Goodman and Ken Gioia at the controls; they had previously worked on albums by Mandy Moore and Lee Ann Womack. With their album done, an energized Bayside hit the road with Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, and Aiden on the Never Sleep Again tour. But on the morning of October 31, their van hit a patch of ice and flipped over on the way to a show in Salt Lake City. Holohan was tragically killed in the accident and Ghanbarian severely injured. Grieving the loss, Bayside dropped off subsequent shows before Raneri and O'Shea decided to honor their friends by pressing on as a duo and performing acoustically. Taking place at Chicago's House of Blues, their set at the tour's last stop was recorded and released in February 2006. The live DVD and accompanying ten-song Acoustic EP included the new song "Winter," a tribute to Holohan. After a brief headlining tour, Bayside next spent the beginning of 2006 as the main support for the Smoking Popes' reunion tour. With Ghanbarian recovered and new drummer Chris Guglielmo on board, the band looked forward to their next album. Recording again with producers Goodman and Gioia, the aptly titled The Walking Wounded was issued in early February 2007; it found the guys not explicitly focusing on their earlier tragedy, but instead on survival and moving forward.