Biography
Expanding Man devoted more than a decade to the East Coast alternative rock circuit, beginning with cover material during high school, progressing to independent recordings, and ultimately landing a major-label contract. Their inaugural album for that label also proved to be their final one, though the outcome had nothing to do with any shortfall in musicianship—the quartet’s tuneful post-grunge melodic style stood out for its quality. Songs crafted expressly for radio rotation nonetheless drew scant notice, even after the band secured high-profile opening slots alongside Stone Temple Pilots and earned favorable notices for the Sony release Head to the Ground. Strong reviews and skillful writing counted for nothing once sales remained weak, so the 1996 debut simply faded and the group vanished from view.
Vocalist Aaron Lippert, guitarist Dave Wanamaker, bassist Peter Armata, and drummer Chris Hancock formed the band in 1987 and first performed covers while still students. After relocating from Long Island to Boston, the lineup added second guitarist Bill Guerra in 1992. The quartet issued its initial recording, Free TVs, on the local Composer's Recordings Inc. imprint in November 1994; the album enjoyed strong regional success, the single “Screws” earned substantial airplay, and Expanding Man collected two Boston Music Award nominations. Columbia signed the band soon afterward and released Head to the Ground, whose sole promotional single, “Download (I Will),” attracted positive notices yet little else. Tours alongside Stone Temple Pilots and I Mother Earth followed, but without radio or MTV support sales stayed too low to sustain further promotion.
Like the similarly overlooked act Failure, Expanding Man concentrated on its dynamic material rather than cultivating an image, an approach that may have hastened the group’s abrupt exit. Apart from Aaron Lippert’s occasional solo appearances around Boston, none of the members have appeared in any subsequent notable projects. The collective clearly possessed abundant talent, yet the members learned that outstanding work alone rarely secures the elusive rewards that typically go to the most politically adept and media-savvy rock musicians.
Vocalist Aaron Lippert, guitarist Dave Wanamaker, bassist Peter Armata, and drummer Chris Hancock formed the band in 1987 and first performed covers while still students. After relocating from Long Island to Boston, the lineup added second guitarist Bill Guerra in 1992. The quartet issued its initial recording, Free TVs, on the local Composer's Recordings Inc. imprint in November 1994; the album enjoyed strong regional success, the single “Screws” earned substantial airplay, and Expanding Man collected two Boston Music Award nominations. Columbia signed the band soon afterward and released Head to the Ground, whose sole promotional single, “Download (I Will),” attracted positive notices yet little else. Tours alongside Stone Temple Pilots and I Mother Earth followed, but without radio or MTV support sales stayed too low to sustain further promotion.
Like the similarly overlooked act Failure, Expanding Man concentrated on its dynamic material rather than cultivating an image, an approach that may have hastened the group’s abrupt exit. Apart from Aaron Lippert’s occasional solo appearances around Boston, none of the members have appeared in any subsequent notable projects. The collective clearly possessed abundant talent, yet the members learned that outstanding work alone rarely secures the elusive rewards that typically go to the most politically adept and media-savvy rock musicians.
Albums