One of those is former Trunk Federation frontman Jim Andreas. Though Trunk Fed never officially announced a breakup, the group dissolved not long after the release of 2000's Lay the Hip.
"We were playing so infrequently it wasn't like we were really a band anymore," says Andreas. "Then pretty much everyone moved and I decided to settle down."
Since the band fizzled last year, Andreas tied the knot, bought a house and started a family (the singer and his wife are expecting their first child in September). Meanwhile, bassist Bob Smith moved to New York to pursue an acting career, while guitarist Jason Sanford relocated to Utah to open a restaurant in the skiing community of Park City.
Last fall, Andreas and longtime Trunk Fed drummer Chris Kennedy decided to form a new outfit. Hooking up with bassist Tim Brink (late of 100 Iced Animals) and Employee of the Moth guitarist Jesse Maxwell, the group began woodshedding throughout the latter part of 2000 and into the new year.
The group, dubbed Down With Buildings, offers a brand of music not entirely dissimilar to the tuneful psychedelia of Trunk Fed. Andreas says the new band's sound will draw on many of the same pop influences as his former group -- Beatles, Bowie, Pixies etc. -- but will be less ornate sonically.
"If you have the same person singing, it's going to sound the same to a certain degree. I think the main difference is that we've simplified things musically. In Trunk Federation, Bob [Smith] had a degree in music theory, so a lot of the more complex stuff was coming from him -- whereas I don't have that kind of background. This band is a little more minimalist in that way."
Andreas adds that he's penned 15 new songs with DWB and plans to head to the Old Pueblo to record several cuts with noted Tucson producer Jim Waters (who also helmed Lay the Hip).
Trunk Fed -- which recorded its first two albums for Alias Records and a final effort for North Carolina-based Plastique -- still has enough of a national reputation that Andreas has already generated interest among a number of industry contacts.
"Over the years touring with Trunk Federation, we met a lot of people," he says. "A few of them have expressed an interest, so we're going to record some songs with Jim, send it out and see what happens -- we're not going to push it too hard, though."
While Andreas' attitude toward securing a record deal is casual, the timing for the group's live debut was the result of a far more calculated decision.
"We really wanted be a part of this show," he says, "We thought it'd be fitting since Trunk Federation played a lot of shows with Les Payne as well as Reuben's Accomplice. And even though the Slowdown is a new band, we also played a lot of gigs with [singer Yolanda Bejarano's previous groups] like Slugger and Chula, so this seemed like the right time to do it. It's kind of a nostalgic thing in a way to have all these bands together again."
Despite the high-profile debut, don't expect Down With Buildings to become a live fixture anytime soon.
"I don't think we're going to be doing a lot of shows. This [group] is such a no-pressure thing, I'm really enjoying it. I think we're just going to take it nice and easy."
Also performing as part of the June 2 extravaganza is Lance Lammers' revamped and renamed Seven Storey Mountain. Performing under the shortened Seven Storey moniker, this is the band's "official" debut; the group quietly played its first gig this past weekend at the Emerald Lounge with Flagstaff's the On Seduction.
Seven Storey's current lineup includes Lammers, former Five Speed drummer Chad Kinney and bassist Dave Norwood. Most recently, Norwood was a member of Circle of Willis, but his relationship with Lammers dates back a good decade when the two were part of a high school punk band called the Disturbed Businessmen.
Lammers' new Seven Storey first surfaced as part of Modified's Not One Light Red compilation, released in February. The song included on the comp, "Second Rome," was just one of several dozen that Lammers had written and recorded in his bedroom since the demise of SSM early last year (A side note: An old Seven Story Mountain track was featured in a recent episode of VH1's insufferable reality rock series, Bands on the Run; the song is far and away the best thing to emerge from the musical hackfest so far.)
Now, a collection of other songs from those "bedroom sessions" is set to be released under the Seven Storey moniker on the Deep Elm imprint. The full-length disc, titled Dividing by Zero, is tentatively slated to hit stores in August. Lammers then plans to hit the road with his new combo for a string of live dates.
"We definitely plan to tour," says Lammers. "We'll probably do a little Southwestern run in the late summer and then try and head out in the fall and play back East."
Although Lammers says the group has no plans for a local release party, the band will be upping its local profile with several gigs in June. Among those are a June 11 indoors set at Nita's following Built to Spill's scheduled outdoor performance, and a June 30 headliner at Tempe's Lucky Dragon Restaurant.
Impossible, You Say?: When the Impossible Ones released their 13-song Anthology after breaking up in 1999, it was a fine if (typically) ill-timed statement from one of the most overlooked and underappreciated local punk combos in recent memory.
"Looking back on it, I can't believe we were a band for more than four years," says bassist John Impossible. "It was amazing that we even made it to as many gigs as we did. We only had one car back in those days between us."
"We still only have one car," jokes guitarist/singer Neil Impossible.
The pair, along with drummer Rob Impossible, are reminiscing about the "good old days" of the late '90s on the front porch of Neil's east Tempe home.
The three have gathered together to rehearse for the first gig with the original trio in more than two years -- and the release of a new single.
After the group's initial split in '99, Rob took up the drum kit for hard-core merchants the Mob 40's -- who are in the process of signing a deal to release their long-delayed debut -- while John and Neil re-formed, expanding the Impossible Ones to a quartet, including local punk notables Jeffro Lane and Pisano Berrardo.
Though the four-piece Impossibles found considerable success during their brief run, the group imploded onstage in mid-2000, holding the bag on an EP's worth of recordings.
After this second breakup, John sold his bass gear and began working the other side of the stage as a bouncer at Boston's, while Neil joined up with local trash rockers the Sonic Thrills.
Though the upcoming reunion was decided on as something of a lark, time hasn't diminished the chemistry among the band members or taken the shine of the group's exuberant, hook-filled three-chord catalogue.
"Even though we haven't played in two years, it's like we've only stopped for a month," marvels John. "But even though things feel the same, it's different in a way 'cause there's no pressure with this. Now we're doing this just for fun."
"Also," adds Neil, "we had these recordings that we wanted to get out."
As the spectacled front man notes, the reunion gig will also coincide with the release of a new seven-inch single ("Take What We Want" b/w "So Long"). The tracks, recorded at the Saltmine studio last year, document the band's expanded second phase with a stirring one-two punch of Brit-punk-fueled anthemics and fuzz-topped garage pop.
"We always seem to put our records out when we're not together," says Neil, chuckling. "Probably not the smartest idea."
With each member well-ensconced in a new band or lifestyle, the group's performing schedule will likely be limited to the occasional gig. But the time passed has allowed the band the opportunity to look back with a new perspective.
"We went through some wild times. We ruined every relationship we had because of the band," recalls John. "At the time, we thought, 'Dude, we can make it.' We were listening to the Stiff Little Fingers thinking, 'Hey, they made it. Why can't we?' But all that kind of pressure is gone now."
"We know this isn't marketable," admits Neil. "It's just a fun punk rock band."
Not surprisingly, word of the band's mini-reunion has sparked eager anticipation among the local spikes 'n' sneer set, as the Impossible Ones always managed the unusual feat of appealing to a wide spectrum of punk and trash rock fans.
"We were accepted by the weirdest crowd of people ever. From rockabilly fans to Oi! fans," says John. "It'll be nice to see everyone and have them spit beer on us again."
The Impossible Ones are scheduled to perform on Friday, June 1, at Boston's in Tempe, with the Zodiac Killers, Thee Oh-Nos, the Wongs, and the Rebel Set. Showtime is 8 p.m.
