Ceremony - Biography
Ceremony is a hardcore punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area featuring Ross Farrar (vocals), Anthony Anzaldo (guitar), Justin Davis (bass), Andy Nelson (rhythm guitar), and Jake Casarotti (drums). The band grew up together in Rohnert Park, CA, releasing their first EP, Ruined, on Malfunction Records in 2005. Violence Violence, the band's critically acclaimed debut album, followed in 2006 and found the band exploding onto the hardcore scene with their fast, aggressive sound and raw, energetic live shows.
In 2007, Ceremony signed to hardcore imprint Bridge 9 and released the Scared People EP, followed by their second full-length studio album 2008's Still, Nothing Moves You. After embarking on a worldwide tour with artists such as AFI, Blacklisted and Converge, they released their third full-length album, Rohnert Park, in 2010. Ceremony's first three albums on the Malfunction and Bridge 9 labels are widely hailed by critics and fans alike as the most compelling, unusual, and progressive hardcore of the last five years.
In 2011, Ceremony recorded their final Bridge 9 EP, Ceremony 6 Cover Songs, featuring covers of the Pixies, Eddie and the Subtitles, Vile and Wire. In February 2012, the band signed with Matador Records and released their fourth studio album, Zoo. Working with prolific producer John Goodmanson on Zoo, the band refined their harder/faster, jagged style with more textured, melodic, post-punk sound, but still continued to pursue themes of exurban alienation and confinement.
