Big Drill Car | |
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Big Drill Car in 2009. Left to right: Arnold, Marcroft, Daly, and Thomson
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Background information | |
Origin | Costa Mesa, California, United States |
Genres | Punk rock, pop punk, melodic hardcore |
Years active | 1987 | –1995 , 2008–2009, 2016
Labels | Varient, Cruz, Cargo/Headhunter |
Associated acts | All Systems Go! |
Website | bigdrillcar |
Past members | Frank Daly Mark Arnold Bob Thomson Danny Marcroft Darrin Morris Keith Fallis |
Big Drill Car was a punk rock group from Huntington Beach, California, who were active from the late 1980s to mid-1990s and briefly again in the mid-2000s (decade). The group never gained any mainstream audience, but were an influence on their contemporaries – most notably ALL, Chemical People and Dag Nasty – alongside whom they are considered the early pioneers of the sound that would later be called melodic hardcore.
Big Drill Car released an EP, Small Block, in 1988 before being signed to Cruz Records (owned by former Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn) and releasing two studio albums. The band eventually parted ways with that label and signed to Headhunter Records, who released No Worse for the Wear, the band's last album to date.
Big Drill Car broke up in 1995, but reunited for a one-off series of shows in 2008 and 2009, with the classic original lineup.
Big Drill Car was formed in 1987 while Frank Daly and Mark Arnold (musician) were still in the seminal OC punk band M.I.A.. Frank and Mark had written some songs that were not M.I.A.-style songs so they got together with some friends (Bob and Danny) and started playing around. Their first shows were a mix of covers (like the Descendents' "I'm Not A Loser" and Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk to Fuck") and these new originals songs. After M.I.A. broke up, Big Drill Car entered the studio in 1988 to record the EP Small Block. They were a hard working hard touring band who were rough on their tour vans.
While touring with M.I.A., Frank and Mark met and played with The Descendents. After M.I.A. broke up and the Descendents became ALL the bands started playing locally and touring together. After "signing" with Greg Ginn's newly formed Cruz Records, Stephen Egerton (guitar ALL/Descendents) and Bill Stevenson (drums ALL/Descendents/Black Flag) started up working with Big Drill Car in the studio to record their debut album, Album/Tape/CD Type Thing, which was released in 1989.