Autumn Leaf Dance were a band from Upstate New York. Like most college bands, they were short-lived, active from 1993 to 1994. They never toured, and according to their bio wrote only twelve songs, eight of which were recorded for their only release, Learn What Is Taught. The dates on the album confirm it was recorded in 1994, but the metadata from the files of the band's archive website say the record was released in 1995, so I'm choosing to accept that as fact. A couple notable projects came out from ex-members of the band, The Douglas Fir and Sky Flying By.
Musically, Autumn Leaf Dance were closer to first wave emo than the second wave that was cresting at that time; think a slightly more melodic version of Still Life or Portraits of Past's less emocore-based tracks, or maybe a less melodic version of Junction. The songs are moody and distorted but rarely aggressive or catchy, though there are some sporadic exceptions. Some of that comes down to the female vocalist, who never deploys any hardcore vocals, but don't mistake this band for something like early Rainer Maria—they just don't have that kind of pop instinct in their makeup. This is slow emo, but emo nonetheless.
Berkeley were a band from Donegal, Ireland, active from 1999 until what appears to be 2008. The exact timeline is a mystery, especially their beginning. The band's own biography, preserved in archives of their website, says they were formed in 2001. But I have scans of the band's first release and it clearly says '2000' on the back cover, and the news posts on the website go back to 1999. It's possible the band was trying to downplay their early work by claiming a later formation date, since, as I'll discuss below, their first EP is not representative of what would become their sound. The website would remain up until 2011, but the last news post was made in November of 2007, so I'm betting they called it quits sometime in 2008. I can't be 100% sure of any of this, however, so don't take it as gospel.
The band's initial release, the ironically titled the best of, is a self-recorded EP that is basically a demo, showcasing a band just beginning to find their sound. It has little resemblance to the rest of their discography, being more alternative\indie rock than anything else, and is, frankly, not very good. But that's okay, because it was their first attempt and their next, 2002's New Star, is excellent, recorded in Chicago with Steve Albini. The band found their footing with a blend of post-hardcore and emo pop, and would carry that sound forward to their next releases.
Their first full-length, also recorded under Albini's stewardship, was 2002's hopes, prayers and bubblegum. The next release was in 2003, a single called Follow Through, featuring the same recording of the title track as the album in slightly shortened form, as well as two additional unique tracks; I assume it was put out to promote the previous year's LP, and the new songs sound like they may have been extra tracks cut from hopes, prayers and bubblegum.
After that, there is long gap in their discography between 2003 and 2006. Based on info from the website, it seems like they had some earlier version of it that I currently haven't been able to find; it was relaunched in 2005, with news of the upcoming second LP. If they released anything during that time, I can't find evidence of it. The second album was intended to be released early in 2006 but was delayed for unspecified reasons. Instead, the band would contribute to a split single with Giveamanakick. When eventually released, the second LP, in moments, is largely consistent with their previous releases despite the time passed, and features slightly more influence from post-punk.
Portions of Berkeley's discography are made available courtesy of How Nothing Feels.
Into Ashes were a band from Tallahassee, active from 2001 to 2002 and probably a bit before that, as their website redesign in 2001 seems to hint at some other, unarchived version of it existing prior to that year. They released one EP on Copter Crash Records, a label which was no stranger to emo, hosting releases from The Goodboy Suit and The Saddest Landscape. While their only release came after the turn of the millennium, their sound is a very late-90s mix of midwest emo and emo pop, with the addition of some strong influences from post-hardcore. They remind me a lot of Camber, which is to say they were also great (in a secondary layer to that comparison, they toured with Brandston). I can't find any evidence they had another release besides the if you need a reason EP in 2001.
The fifth track is titled 'hum' on the back tray insert but called 'Balcony' in the liner notes. I believe the back insert is correct as the song is named 'hum' on their website.
Small Town Hero were a band from Connecticut, formed either in 1998 or sometime before that. Their website was first archived in 1999 but there is a video of them playing a show in 1998. By 2002 they had lost their lead singer and called it quits after that, though I can't say exactly when. Musically, they were a combination of pop punk, emocore, and melodic hardcore, with most of the emphasis being on the first two.
Their first official release was the and so it goes… EP in 1999, though considering their existence prior to that year it's possible there was a demo before the EP. The track listing on the artwork is comprised of four songs but there are actually six on the CD—I sourced the names for the last two songs by matching the lyrics from an archive of the band's 'songs' page. In 2000, the band released a split with A Voice of Reason on Triple Crown Records, Things to Do in Connecticut When You're Dead. This was their last release, but they did post two additional songs to their website that were intended to be on a forthcoming full LP release. Sadly, that album never came to be and the songs are not recoverable.
Beta Minus Mechanic were a band from Syracuse, NY, active from the mid to late 90s and possibly for a little bit after that, though it's unlikely they were together long past the turn of the millennium. Most of their work was released on Crisis Records, which was a strange subsidiary of the legendary Revelation Records. Crisis was—at least initially—focused on female-fronted bands, according to Discogs. Why Revelation couldn't just host these female-fronted bands is a mystery to me. One of the band members was in Earth Crisis, giving them a connection to the straight edge scene.
Musically, Beta Minus Mechanic were a 90s emo pop band with a great deal of influence from post-hardcore, alternative, and even a little bit of midwest emo; I've seen comparisons to Ashes and Copper, which I only partially agree with, as Beta Minus Mechanic was more pop-oriented and takes a great deal more from the alternative scene than either of those bands.
I believe the band's first release was the split 7" with likeminded band Holden, followed by the '69 Camaro EP in the same year. I don't have a precise date for either and it feels like the logical progression, but it's possible the EP came before the split. In 1997 the band put out their only LP, Disassembly Required. Three years later in 2000, the band had a very interesting contribution to the Syracuse Hardcore 98.99 compilation: two songs taken from the EP and the LP but rerecorded as spare, piano-and-vocals versions, a somewhat odd inclusion for what is purportedly a hardcore comp. Considering the gap between this compilation and the album, I don't know if the tracks were a posthumous contribution or if the band was still active up to that year.
