Distilla Nation

Formed in 1998 by Singer Brody Dalle and then bassist Kim Chi, the Distillers emerged up from under the dirty streets of Los Angeles a short while after Brody washed up on US shores from Melbourne, Austrailia. Tagging alongside was Casper ("Gyspsy Rose Lee" anyone?) on guitar and Matt on drums. In April of the year 2000 they signed with Epitaph records and put out their self-titled underground debut."The Distillers" is a punch in your jugular and a force to be reckoned with in itself. The lyrics are thoughtful and true and filled with politically focused inquaries like millions of other punk bands...but theres something else. In that same year Sing Sing Death House was released, but in 2002 after gaining a larger audience from the historical freedom-fighting song "Seneca Falls," it was re-released. Soon after Ryan Sinn and Andy "Outbreak" Granelli joined the band as Kim and Matt left to play in Exene Cervenka of X's side project Original Sinners. Casper left the band sometime in the summer of the year 2002. For their follow-up to Sing Sing and third album Tony Bradley, the distillers long time roadie, stepped in to fill a gap that was apparent in the sound at their live shows. In 2003 Coral Fang was released on Sire Records (their major-label debut and first CD off anything other than Epitaph/Hellcat) and brought them media attention they hadn't quite grasped before. The new album had what most people call a more "matured" sound which i guess could be true. The lyrical style changed and the sound is not as BANG BOOM BANG as the other releases but the music still has punk sensibility and heavy riffs. Overall The Distillers are an amazing band, and it's all good.