Anodyne
formed during the summer of 1997 in Boston,
MA. The early music was defined by long, noisy
improvisational jams punctuated by intense metal/hardcore
songs. The output from this line-up was captured
on the long out-of-print s/t 7-in and some obscure
compilations, most of this material has been
compiled on The First Four Years Discography
Volume I, BBR-001. Immediately the band
hit the road and began touring first across
the Northeast, Midwest and Canada and then across
the US and Europe.
At the conclusion of the
Quiet Wars tour, the band relocated to New York
City. During this transitional period, Anodyne
was drummer-less and recruited the aid of Dave
Witte (Burnt by the Sun, Discordance
Axis, Human Remains,
The Skies Denied, Melt
Banana) who briefly filled
in. His stint as Anodyne's
drummer was captured on the Red was Her
Favorite Color 7-in released by Happy
Couples Never Last.
Joel Stallings joined the
band, solidifying the Anodyne
line-up as Mike Hill (guitar/vocals), Joshua
Scott (bass) and Joel Stallings (drums). This
line-up was to record the Berkowitz
7-in for Alone Records, the
Keelhaul/Anodyne
split for Chainsaw Safety Records,
The Outer Dark LP for Escape
Artist Records, the Defcon
4/Anodyne split for
Ammonia Records and the Salo
EP released as a 10-in EP by Insolito Records
and as a CDEP by Init Records. Anodyne also
contributed "Life of Pain" for the Initial Records Black Flag
Tribute Black on Black.
