Digger

Digger, a pop-punk threesome hailing from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, featured Chris Benner on vocals and guitar, Matt Gregorac on bass, and Mike “Maniac” Fisher on drums. A 1996 live broadcast on WMUH-NJ caught the ear of California’s Hopeless Records, resulting in a contract that yielded the band’s first album, Powerbait, the next year. After several tours, the group resurfaced in 1998 with The Promise of an Uncertain Future, while Monte Carlo surfaced in early 2000. Trainwreck, an EP, reached stores in May 2001, and Digger issued the full-length Keystone late the following year. Early in 2003 the band scrapped a planned nationwide tour supporting the record when bassist Ben Stephens and guitarist Garrett Hoskins quit to chase other projects, prompting Benner and then-drummer Mike Kelly to hunt for replacements. April 2003 brought the Tattoo Broken Hearts EP—containing several live cuts—on Italy’s Wynona Records, after which Digger welcomed Warren Cooke on bass and Tim Wright on guitar. Further touring ensued, and although a few new songs leaked online, the trio formally declared its breakup in summer 2004.