Brazil

Around the year 2000, Brazil formed in Muncie, Indiana, with an initial roster consisting of brothers Nic and Jonathon Newby plus Aaron Smith, Benjamin Hunt, Eric Johnson, and Scott Freeman. The six-piece group cut multiple demos while accepting any available live opportunities. Their sustained effort eventually yielded a contract with Fearless, which released the Dasein EP in autumn 2002. The record fused ambitious post-hardcore freak-outs, experimental noise passages, and progressive piano movements; although it failed to generate major attention, it did establish the band on the touring circuit. By summer 2003 James Sefchek had assumed drumming duties in place of Freeman, prompting the members to enter the studio for their first full-length. Titled A Hostage and the Meaning of Life, the album appeared on Fearless in May 2004. Its release was backed by a short run of dates supporting Coheed & Cambria, while additional appearances on that summer’s Warped Tour were also scheduled. Brazil resurfaced in October 2006 with The Philosophy of Velocity, their debut outing for Immortal.