Bats & Mice are an indie band formed in Richmond, VA. Members hail from bands such as Milemarker, Rah Bras, and Men's Recovery Project. The band play an undetermined genre of music, which is built on the foundations of hardcore and angular punk, yet it is more focused on pop song structures and melody than said genres. Their music shares qualities of that made by the subtle Death Cab for Cutie, as well as more harder melodic bands such as Cursive.
The band was originally formed by three members of Sleepytime Trio. After recording their self-titled debut EP, one of the original members, Jonathon Fuller, left to pursue other projects, including, Engine Down and Denali. Bandmates David Nesmith and Ben Davis then recruited Four Hundred Years' Daron Hollowell and Ash Bruce. Bats & Mice's first full-length, Believe It Mammals, was re
leased on Lovitt Records in 2002. The album includes haunting vocals from three of the four members over crisp percussion and intense guitar work with deliveries that range from dreamy to towering. Hollowell and Bruce then left to pursue their band Delegate, and Luke Herbst came in on drums. The EP A Person Carrying a Handmade Paper Bag Is Considered as a Royal Person was released in 2004. Herbst departed Bats & Mice to join Totimoshi that same year, and the lineup came full circle with Jonathan Fuller returning on drums.
======================Lovitt Records======================
Bats & Mice is a band that has quietly crept through the music world with an increasing presence. Three members of Sleepytime Trio originally formed the band: Jonathan Fuller, David NeSmith, and Ben Davis. They began writing songs together in a new style that pursued melody with an exploration into dark and winding territory. However, the music still maintained the energy and drive of their previous efforts. This line-up produced Bats & Mice's first work, a self-titled CDep released on Lovitt Records in fall 2000 to critical acclaim and mass popularity with college radio and fans alike.
With Bats & Mice members all involved in other bands, such as Milemarker and Rah Bras, the band moved along at a slower pace. Jonathan concentrated his efforts on his bands Denali and Engine Down, leaving little time for a third band. Bats & Mice bid him well and welcomed two members from another groundbreaking outfit who were also venturing into similar musical forms.
Longtime friends Daron Hollowell and Ash Bruce from Four Hundred Years climbed aboard and piloted the band to new directions, including live shows and a full-length album entitled Believe It Mammals, which was released on Lovitt in the spring of 2002. The band played shows in Florida, Chicago, Boston, and most everywhere in between with such rock favorites as Fugazi, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, 90 Day Men, Denali, Rah Bras, and Gregor Samsa.
Bats & Mice's intricate blend of not-so-saccharine pop and straightforward rock captured audiences as they played their first shows in December 2001. They continued to write new material and tour extensively in 2002.
This perfect farm league band then spawned another group, as Daron and Ash pursued a new project in Delegate. Writing and touring with two projects grew to involve them full time so Bats & Mice wished more friends the best as they moved on.
Jay Murphy helped out for a while on the drumkit, followed by Luke Herbst. Ratcheting up the Bats & Mice’s intensity, Luke lent a heavy, aggressive approach to the band and appeared on the group’s second EP, A Person Carrying a Handmade Paper Bag is Considered as a Royal Person. Luke left the band in 2004 for Oakland, CA, to join Totimoshi, but things have come full circle, as Jonathan Fuller has rejoined the group and cemented the original line-up.
The future of Bats & Mice looks bright with a steady approach to song writing and plans to tour in Spring 2006. They are working on new material for their next record, and a reinvigorated enthusiasm has infected the band, boding well for the group and listeners alike.
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