Ceremony (punk band)

Ceremony
Ceremony at Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway, 2012
Background information
Origin	Rohnert Park, California, U.S.
Genres	Punk rock post-punk hardcore punk powerviolence
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Relapse Records, Matador, Bridge 9, Deathwish Inc., Malfunction
Members	Ross Farrar Anthony Anzaldo Andy Nelson Jake Casarotti Jasmine Watson
Past members	Ryan Mattos Justin Davis
Website	ceremonyhc.com

Ceremony is an American punk rock band from Rohnert Park, California. The band's current line-up features Ross Farrar (vocals), Anthony Anzaldo (guitar), Jasmine Watson (bass), Andy Nelson (guitar), and Jake Casarotti (drums). Ryan Mattos (guitar) left before the group's Matador Records signing in 2011, being replaced by Nelson.^[1] The band have released six studio albums to date, and have changed their sound considerably across their discography – ranging from elements of powerviolence, grindcore, hardcore punk, punk rock, garage rock, post-punk, indie rock and new wave. Pitchfork once wrote that "Ceremony are hell-bent on not making the same record twice",^[2] while Stereogum described the band as "a very good punk band executing old punk tricks to massive effectiveness".^[3]

History

Ceremony formed in Rohnert Park, California, and recorded their first demo in December 2004.^[4] The band was originally named Violent World, before later changing to Ceremony.^[5] The name was chosen for the song of the same name by New Order.^[2]

In 2005, the band released the EP Ruined on Malfunction Records. This release was followed by their critically acclaimed first full-length album, Violence Violence, which included a re-recorded version of the Ruined EP.^{[citation needed]}

2008 saw the release of Still Nothing Moves You, the band's first release on Bridge 9 Records, described by Keith Carman in Exclaim! magazine as "hardcore's equivalent of Hiroshima", which placed on Billboard's Top Internet and Top Heatseekers charts in August 2008.^[6][7]

After touring with bands including Blacklisted, Converge,^[8] and AFI,^[9] they released their third full-length album, Rohnert Park, in 2010.^[5][10]

In 2011, the band confirmed they had signed with Matador Records, and their final Bridge 9 release would be a covers-only EP, featuring the band's take on songs by Urban Waste, Pixies, Crisis, Eddie and the Subtitles, Vile and Wire.^[11][12]

In March 2012, the band released the album Zoo on Matador Records, which was a departure from the harder style even more so than the Rohnert Park album was, with the new record focusing on a more proto-punk sound in the style of Wire's Pink Flag album.^[13][14]

On May 19, 2015, they released their second album on Matador, titled The L-Shaped Man.^[15] The record saw them move even further into the post-punk realm, with many comparing the album's sound to that of Joy Division. Three singles were released from the album: "Your Life in France" and the double-A side "The Separation"/"The Understanding".

Their sixth album, In the Spirit World Now, was released through Relapse Records on August 23, 2019. The album sported three singles: "Turn Away the Bad Thing", the title track, and "Presaging the End".

Musical style

The band's main influences include The Ventures, Joy Division, T.S.O.L., Christian Death, and The Beach Boys.^[16] The band have also expressed their love of bands and artists such as Oasis, Violent Femmes, Prince, Ramones and The Cure. They are known for the consistent evolution of their sound, gradually leaving behind the powerviolence and hardcore punk style exhibited on Ruined and Violence Violence with subsequent releases, exploring elements of 80s-inspired hardcore punk (Still Nothing Moves You), post-hardcore (Rohnert Park), garage rock (Zoo), post-punk (The L-Shaped Man) and new wave (In the Spirit World Now). The band's early sound has been compared to that of Infest, Crossed Out, and No Comment, described as a "non-stop bludgeoning of sonic fury" and "fast, brutal hardcore".^[12][16]

Members

Current

• Ross Farrar – lead vocals (2005–present)
• Anthony Anzaldo – guitar, keytar, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals (2005–present)
• Jake Casarotti – drums (2005–present)
• Andy Nelson – guitar, backing vocals (2011–present)
• Jasmine Watson – bass, backing vocals (2022–2023, 2024–present)

Former

• Ryan Mattos – guitar, backing vocals (2005–2011)
• Justin Davis – bass (2005–2022, 2023)

Discography

Studio albums

• Violence Violence (Deathwish Inc./Malfunction Records, 2006)
• Still Nothing Moves You (Bridge 9 Records, 2008)
• Rohnert Park (Bridge 9 Records, 2010)
• Zoo (Matador Records, 2012)
• The L-Shaped Man (Matador Records, 2015)
• In the Spirit World Now (Relapse Records, 2019)

EPs

• Ruined (Malfunction Records, 2005)
• Scared People (Bridge 9 Records, 2007)
• Ceremony 6 Cover Songs (Bridge 9 Records, 2011)

Singles

• "He-God-Has Favored Our Undertakings" (Bridge 9 Records, 2008)
• "Sick" (Bridge 9 Records, 2010)^[17]
• "Hysteria" (Matador Records, 2012)
• "Adult" (Matador Records, 2012)
• "The Understanding" (Matador Records, 2015)
• "The Separation" (Matador Records, 2015)
• "Your Life in France" (Matador Records, 2015)
• "Turn Away the Bad Thing" (Relapse Records, 2019)
• "Vanity Spawned by Fear" b/w "California Poppy" (Relapse Records, 2022)

Compilation contributions

• "Tourette's" (originally by Nirvana; tribute album In Utero, in Tribute, in Entirety) (2014, Robotic Empire)

Music videos

• World Blue (2012)
• Adult (2012)
• The Separation + the Understanding (2015)
• Your Life in France (2015)
• Turn Away the Bad Thing (2019)
• Vanity Spawned By Fear (2022)

See also

• List of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area
• List of hardcore punk bands
• List of post-punk bands
• Music of California

References

1. "Ceremony Are So Hardcore That They're Completely Leaving The Genre Behind". Fader. April 8, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
2. Yoo, Noah. "Ceremony: In the Spirit World Now Album Review". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
3. Breihan, Tom (March 6, 2012). "Album Of The Week: Ceremony 'Zoo'". Stereogum. Stereogum Media. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
4. Anthony Anzaldo, Collin Young, Bo Lueders (September 10, 2023). HardLore: A Day with Anthony Anzaldo (Interview). Event occurs at 29m30s. Retrieved July 13, 2024. I say [we formed] in 2005, because that's when we played our first show but we recorded our demo in December 2004.
5. "Ceremony – Bridge Nine Records". Bridge9.com. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
6. Carman, Keith (September 22, 2008). "Ceremony Still Nothing Moves You". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
7. "Charts", Billboard. August 23, 2008, pp. 40–41. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
8. "Converge, Ceremony, Coliseum: Tour Dates Released". SMNnews.com. January 23, 2009. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
9. "Ceremony To Enter Studio / Tourdates With A.F.I. | Tours | News | Scene Point Blank | Music webzine | Reviews, features & news". Scene Point Blank. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
10. Hughes, Josiah (May 12, 2010). "Ceremony Explore Rohnert Park on New Bridge 9 Full-Length". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
11. Munro, Tyler (August 9, 2011). "Ceremony Covers". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
12. Adams, Gregory (June 30, 2011). "Ceremony Prep Covers EP, Announce Matador Signing". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
13. "Ceremony". Matadorrecords.com. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
14. Lillis, Peter (February 10, 2012). "Hardcore Hysterics: Ceremony Unites With Fans To Destroy, Inspire – Frontier Psychiatrist". Frontpsych.com. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
15. Timothy Monger (May 19, 2015). "The L-Shaped Man – Ceremony | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
16. Greg Prato (August 5, 2008). "Still, Nothing Moves You – Ceremony | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
17. "Ceremony "Rohnert Park: SICK EP" #B9R130 Release Date: 05/04/2010 – BRIDGE NINE RECORDS". Bridge9.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Ceremony at AllMusic