As Cities Burn

In the summer of 2002, the Christian hardcore outfit As Cities Burn came together in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Its original roster featured frontman T.J. Bonnette alongside his guitarist brother Cody, lead guitarist Colin Kimble, bassist Pascal Barone, and drummer Bryan Dixon. The band built an ardent following through the force of its live performances, and before the year closed it issued a self-released, five-track EP bearing the group’s name that moved more than 1,000 units. A follow-up EP arrived in mid-2003 and outsold the first, prompting the members to abandon their day jobs and devote themselves to music. Dixon soon departed to join Oceans Firing; Aaron Lunsford stepped in on drums, and the revised lineup logged roughly 250 U.S. concerts throughout 2004. That expanding grassroots support drew the notice of Solid State, an imprint of Tooth and Nail, which released the band’s debut full-length, Son, I Loved You at Your Darkest, in June 2005. A year later, in June 2006, As Cities Burn announced on its website that it would disband, citing T.J. Bonnette’s approaching marriage and wish to step away from touring. The group nevertheless fulfilled its Warped Tour obligations before closing out its career with a final performance at New Orleans’ House of Blues on August 19, 2006.