Karate

by Johnny LoftusKarate began in Boston. Geoff Farina (vocals, guitar), Eamonn Witt (bass), and Gavin Mcarthy (drums) formed the post-rock combo in 1993, and within a year had issued the "Death Kit" 7". "The Schwinn" followed a year later; bassist Jeff Goddard also joined up at this point, with Witt moving to second guitar. The band's eponymous full-length also appeared from Southern, and Karate toured aggressively, appearing both domestically and in Europe. In 1997, Witt departed, while Farina, Mcarthy, and Goddard released In Place of Real Insight. The Bed Is in the Ocean followed quickly after. By this point, the group had refined its sound, removing the choppy, indie/emo elements in favor of a more disciplined approach that emphasized its jazz influence. Unsolved dropped in 2000, followed by the Cancel/Sing EP a year later. The latter featured two extended pieces that were the strongest example yet of Karate's measure, yet very humanistic post-rock. Southern issued Some Boots in 2002, and after another round of live dates began work on a new, eight-song release. [Concurrent to Farina's work with Karate was the Secret Stars, his music and community-building project with artist Jodi Buonanno.]