Originally a not-so-great not-so-Christian four-piece band on
Tooth and Nail Records started by
Doug Lorig, after one album
(Beside This Brief Hexagonal), he booted everyone out of the band and cut down to a three piece with master of
bass Johnathon Ford and true king of drums
Matt Johnson. They were to be tagged as "
emo", but that's one horrible descriptor and I
refuse to use it.
There was a split EP with Puller and two compilation appearances.
This lineup went into the studio with Bob Weston to record Eight Hours Away From Being A Man. A powerful record, combining the best parts of indie rock a la Jawbox with noise and dynamics straight out of the heart. The record goes from a bizarre screamo song about abortion titled Sperm Ridden Burden to intropective moments like Iowa Backroads, quoting Dostoevsky's White Nights. It also contains a great almost-instrumental song called Crop Circles, which has less to do with pressed corn and more to do with questions of why people believe anything -- using found sound of some lady telling a freaky story of how God healed her and harmonic screams asking "Where are all my friends?"
Then there was a split EP with Frodus with one new song with more of that math-rock feel.
Roadside's swan song was titled I Am The Day Of Current Taste, recorded by J. Robbins. Relying less on lyrics and more on melody and the intangible bond between the three players, this is perhaps the greatest never-heard-of album.
Then they were gone. Johnathon played with Pedro the Lion briefly, and then formed Unwed Sailor which is entirely intrumental. Matt plays with Blenderhead and has a new band called Supine to Sit. Doug is doing Padre and Raft of Dead Monkeys.