...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead in Vancouver, March 2009.
Background information
Origin	Austin, Texas, United States
Genres	Post-hardcore, alternative rock, indie rock, progressive rock, math rock, art rock, noise rock (early)
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Dine Alone, Superball Music, Justice, Interscope, Merge, Trance Syndicate, Richter Scale/Universal
Associated acts	Mukilteo Fairies, A Roman Scandal, Forget Cassettes, TheSTART, Midnight Masses
Website	trailofdead.com
Members	Conrad Keely Jason Reece Autry Fulbright II Jamie Miller
Past members	Neil Busch Kevin Allen David Longoria Clay Morris Deanne Rowley Doni Schroader Danny Wood Jay Leo Phillips Aaron Ford Paul Westmoreland Brandon Wilson

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (often abbreviated as Trail of Dead) are an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas. The chief members of the band are Jason Reece and Conrad Keely (formerly Conrad Sobsamai). The two switch between drumming, guitar and lead vocals, both on recordings and live shows. The band is known for their wild, energetic concerts. Their ninth studio album, IX, was released in November 2014.

Keely and Reece have been friends since their youth; they met originally in Hawaii. They each formed their first band in 1993, soon after moving to Olympia, Washington, where Keely studied at The Evergreen State College. Keely started a band called Benedict Gehlen that lasted only a year. Nancyville was Keely's next project, though it also was short-lived. Reece played drums with Honeybucket and then queercore band Mukilteo Fairies (the name is a play on words, referencing the ferry boat that travels between Mukilteo and Clinton, Washington) while living in Olympia. The two moved to Austin, Texas and started playing as a duo under the moniker You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The band expanded to include guitarist Kevin Allen and bassist Neil Busch. They then officially lengthened their name to ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Conrad's girlfriend from Olympia, Deanne Rowley (later Deanne McAdams), briefly played with them as a live back-up guitarist.

According to the band's website, their name is taken from an ancient Mayan ritual chant, which shows a striking similarity to an ancient Egyptian chant. This explanation, however, is said to be merely an ongoing joke.

By 1995, they had issued their first release (one song on cassette-only compilation called Austin Live Houses), followed by another self-titled four-song cassette on Golden Hour, and in January 1998 a self-titled full-length on Trance Syndicate.