History Project 86

1 history

1.1 1996–1999: formation , self-titled debut
1.2 2000–2003: drawing black lines , truthless heroes
1.3 2003–2006: songs burn bridges , ...and rest follow
1.4 2007–2008: rival factions, kane mutiny ep, , time of year ep
1.5 2009–2012: picket fence cartel , xv live
1.6 2012–2013: wait siren
1.7 2014–2016: knives future
1.8 2017-present: sheep among wolves

history
1996–1999: formation , self-titled debut

according official project 86 documentary xv, project 86 formed in mid 1996 vocalist andrew schwab in orange county, california. guitarist randy torres, sophomore in high school, first member recruited. original lineup included schwab, torres, ethan luck (demon hunter, relient k), , bassist matt hernandez (unashamed, dingees). drummer alex albert added when hernandez left band after few rehearsals, luck moved bass drums. luck left band join dingees in summer 1997, after high school senior steven dail joined in late 1997.

schwab comments in 2004 interview regarding number 86 in band name: generation before used phrase describe when reject or remove something...project 86 whole idea of being rejected, or separate, or not going along current. group did not travel initially; decided hone sound , live performances before embarking on tours. in 1997, project 86 voted 1 of top independent acts of year hm magazine readers. @ tomfest same year, performance big hit , tooth & nail records, became interested , subsequently signed them.

bryan carlstrom produced self-titled debut. had engineered albums multi-platinum outfits offspring , alice in chains producing labelmates stavesacre . schwab drew upon personal struggles experiencing @ time write meaningful lyrics. sonny sandoval, lead singer of nu metal group p.o.d., appeared guest performer. album released in june 1998 , received. sold on 50,000 copies date , gained mainstream exposure on mtv shows road rules , real world. project 86 observed allmusic daring album @ time genre . success of debut made project 86 top seller bec/tooth , nail. band embarked on pioneering tour called warriors come out , play tour in may 1999 friends p.o.d. , blindside middle slot, drew crowds of 600-1000 across nation.

2000–2003: drawing black lines , truthless heroes

group worked on sophomore record producer garth gggarth richardson. in vancouver, bc. schwab wrote lyrics wider variety of issues, rather focusing on personal expression sophomore release: new album deals lot less me, , more world around us; issues in people, society, culture . sound heavier , more progressive, more hints of melody well. album finished garnered interest several major labels, , atlantic records licensed album co-release tooth , nail/bec in march 2000. drawing black lines peaked @ no. 37 on heatseekers, , received critics. time, listeners in band had begun amass sizable fanbase. despite heavy reliance on tour dates , word of mouth inform people of release, album experienced commercial success when sold 120,000 copies. band added cory edelmann, of no innocent victim, after album finished. project 86 traveled nationwide p.o.d., hed pe, , linkin park on kings of game tour in october 2000. played string of shows queensrÿche.

in 2002, project 86 teamed slayer producer matt hyde record next album. record envisioned critique of post-9/11 america , music industry. formatted concept album, told story of character attempting find fulfillment in modern culture. songs written , assembled ebb , flow in mind, said schwab, approached album writing chapters in book. group spent on 14 months recording demos atlantic, invested $1,000,000 in project when said , done. because of pressure produce radio singles, sound of album quite different previous releases, schwab s cryptic lyrics, represented frustrations of being stifled creatively , feeling powerless in process.

truthless heroes released in september 2002 , peaked @ no. 146 on billboard 200. first , single, hollow again , peaked @ no. 35 on mainstream rock tracks. atlantic refused release second single because claimed lyrics conflicted iraq war effort. while lauded critics pounding criticism of media , entertainment industry, album proved controversial, particularly promotional website. group performed taproot on self-titled tour in fall 2002. in addition, played shows thirty seconds mars, trapt, blindside, trust company, sevendust, , finger eleven.

2003–2006: songs burn bridges , ...and rest follow

andrew schwab in 2006

in mid-2003 band parted ways atlantic , management team. departure atlantic, in particular, big disappointment band. of hype our future successes turned out – hype, said schwab in interview, did not go platinum [...] record fell short of expectations , did not come close impact of our previous effort. project 86 started independent label called team black recordings . work began on new album after hyde convinced produce again. fourth album, songs burn bridges by, made available exclusively on website in fall 2003.

the following year, project 86 re-signed previous label, tooth , nail. songs burn bridges re-released in june 2004. new version included 3 new tracks produced aaron sprinkle , mixed j.r. mcneely, several new mixes, , featured new artwork. release peaked @ no. 36 on heatseekers, , met positive reviews critics. according schwab, album return bands heavier roots, , means express frustrations band went through during truthless heroes. group performed @ purple door, christian music festival, later year. when project 86 played set, moshers threw mud everywhere , covered stage , musical equipment. thousands of dollars worth of musical equipment damaged.

in spring 2005, project 86 reunited drawing black lines producer garth richardson record fifth album, ...and rest follow. after spending several days recording demos, band flew vancouver, british columbia, record @ farm studios compound. band filmed entire production , later released dvd documentary entitled subject change: making of ...and rest follow. album marked spiritual change group felt humbled past experiences. record growing , becoming man , taking responsibility past mistakes, said schwab, [we are] refocusing our goals when started, reaching kids , inspiring them live lives hope , purpose.

to promote album, project 86 released new song on purevolume every monday until release date. ...and rest follow released in september 2005 , debuted @ no. 131 on billboard 200. critics positive release. band began fall release tour , traveled spoken, number 1 gun, fold, , mourning september. in january 2006, live performance of single dead man broadcast on attack of show!.

2007–2008: rival factions, kane mutiny ep, , time of year ep

vocalist andrew schwab performing @ cornerstone festival 2007.

in march 2007, project 86 announced alex albert had parted band on friendly terms pursue other interests. instead of searching full-time replacement, band recruited jason gerken, formerly of shiner, play drums on record. production of sixth album, entitled rival factions, followed suit deftones engineer ulrich wild. album proved large departure edgier material sporting distinct 1980s sound influenced goth rock.

in end, 40 songs amassed new record, ten used. according schwab, album s title chosen represent tension exists in [...] flesh , spirit. representative of new musical direction, attempt polarize other heavy rock acts. last record, documentary filmed detailed recording process, entitled want have: rival factions dvd.

rival factions released in june 2007 , peaked @ no. 124 on billboard 200, band s highest debut date. record sold 6,000 copies in first week , received critics, made favorable comparisons duran duran, billy idol, , killers. band proceeded tour labelmates mxpx, showbread, , sullivan on summer tooth & nail tour. performance took place @ annual christmas rock night event in ennepetal, germany december.

several tracks recorded , mixed not included on rival factions. these songs compiled previous remixes form ep. cover of lucretia, reflection sisters of mercy included. kane mutiny ep released exclusively on itunes in november 2007. shortly after release, band uploaded cover of time of year brenda lee on itunes. our version little bit more nightmare before christmas [sic], declared schwab. single received , led project 86 build entire ep around christmas concept. time of year ep released in november 2008. unlike previous ep, time of year made available in digital , physical formats. jason martin of indie rock outfit starflyer 59 helped record both albums.

2009–2012: picket fence cartel , xv live

in 2009, band returned studio martin , ulrich wild record seventh album, picket fence cartel. time spent leisurely crafting album; previous endeavors had been limited deadlines. time around, said, look, let s not put out record, said schwab, let s make sure record place re happy it. band focused on heavy metal sound. however, did not entirely jettison 1980s influences synthesizers percolated several songs. schwab s lyrics focused on belief power , corruption run hand-in-hand when comes human souls. world teaching fame sought after; recognition equal success, fortune and, ultimately, peace, said, search , attainment of fame , wealth destroy in end.

the record released in july 2009 , peaked @ no. 137 on billboard 200. critics praised title barrage of heavy rock , spiritually minded lyrics. later summer, project 86 traveled nationwide on scream prayer tour metalcore outfits chariot, haste day, , gwen stacy. coming mid-october, project 86 started picket fence cartel tour children 18:3, showbread, wedding, , yearling, , added second part in spring 2010 flatfoot 56 , wavorly. band released first live album, entitled xv live, in december 2010 commemorate 15th anniversary. album s songs spanned every studio album exception of first.

randy torres, had been gradually becoming less involved in band on previous several albums, decided officially leave band in late 2008 work tooth , nail records, , later, microsoft. steven dail followed suit approximately 1 year later, citing need stop touring , home family.

2012–2013: wait siren

project 86 launched kickstarter campaign in december 2011 in effort make fans record label after fulfilling recent contract tooth , nail records. eighth studio album titled wait siren recorded in january , february 2012.

featuring star guest appearances by: bruce fitzhugh (living sacrifice), rocky gray (living sacrifice), brian head welch (korn, love , death), andrew welch (disciple), blake martin (a plea purging) , wedding. new album produced steve wilson , andrew schwab , engineered/mixed steve blackmon.

described andrew schwab s opus record promises fresh take on p86 sound. schwab said, on record able take reins of creative process in direction passionate about. able write songs pushed me grow artist. insanely fun have many of friends involved in process , @ point in game about. looking forward people hearing album. concert goers noting new energy of songs , new band members scott davis on drums, dustinn lowry on guitar , mikee norman williams on bass seems p86 has benefited basics reinvention.

wait siren recorded , produced independently through fan support via band s 2011-2012 kickstarter campaign. on may 24, 2012, project 86 released 4 preview tracks tracks fall, goliath fall , sots , off grid , , take hill .

the album officially released on august 20, 2012.

2014–2016: knives future

in late 2013, project 86 announced work on ninth album released independently. said acoustic ep plus andrew schwab release solo album produced independently. started indiegogo funding campaign on feb 11 , closed on april 12, 2014 (11:59 pm pt). got us$89,816 raised of goal of $50,000.

schwab announced pre-production new album began on june 6 followed month-long recording session in steelman studios in van nuys, ca. matt mcclellan , band collaborated on production , steve evetts mixed album. dan mumford scheduled artwork. band has spent middle of year in los angeles recording 18 new tracks including acoustic ep. career spanning 20 years , selling on half million records andrew schwab feels album special landmark p86. says, have loved pushing envelope of evolution on every project 86 release , record no exception. inspiration behind record different , s been incredible write , record such talented group of guys. . joining schwab in studio darren king (the overseer) on guitar, cody driggers (the wedding) on bass, , ryan wood (7 horns 7 eyes) on drums.

project 86 indicated name of new record knives future , release on november 11, 2014. spirit of shiloh , first song album, debuted on soundcloud.

in 2016, band started celebration 20th anniversary. announced release new record , when supporting pledgemusic campaign, send ep pledgers, titled influence ep, consists of cover songs of bands influenced them. on september 13, 2016, band announced 20th anniversary tour support death therapy.

2017-present: sheep among wolves

from october 2016 october 2017, while band writing , recording new music, released 8 new songs total pledgers pre-ordered new album on pledgemusic. on october 9, 2017, announced new album titled sheep among wolves oficially released on december 5, 2017 in celebration of 20th anniversary band.