Classic Case

In early 2002, former bandmates Jared Draughon (vocals/guitar) and Mitchell Marlow (guitar) convened for an impromptu jam in Chapel Hill, NC. The session prompted them to revive their partnership, giving rise to Classic Case. Marlow, residing in Brooklyn at the time, convinced Draughon to move to New York after attempts to assemble a stable lineup in North Carolina stalled. Once there, the pair collaborated with drummer Stephan Linde (Sons of Abraham, Glassjaw) and bassist Eric Mendelson. Roughly a year of rehearsals led to the self-release of the EP It's Been Business Doing Pleasure with You in 2004. Durijah Lang (ex-Glassjaw, the Stryder) took over drums that year, and thanks to prior affiliations plus an Incubus-inspired rock style, the group shared bills with acts ranging from Puddle of Mudd and Orgy to Taking Back Sunday, He Is Legend, and the Used. In 2005, former Beloved member Josh Moore joined on vocals and guitar just before the band spent three months tracking its debut in a Manhattan studio. After returning to North Carolina, the polished Dress to Depress—evoking a harder-rocking Mae—appeared in October 2005 on Help/Fiddler Records, which folded soon afterward. Summer 2006 brought a contract with California punk indie Fearless Records, and recording of the next album began that September under Helmet’s Page Hamilton. Losing at Life wrapped by December and surfaced in early 2007.