Smoke Or Fire

Smoke or Fire blends emo-inflected post-hardcore with occasional detours into roots-oriented sounds reminiscent of Wilco or Marah. The group came together in Boston during 1998 after western Massachusetts natives Joe McMahan on lead vocals and guitar and Jeremy Cochran on guitar encountered New Hampshire natives Ken Gurley on bass and Nick Maggiore on drums while all four attended Boston University. Performing at first under the name Jericho, they issued their debut album When the Battery Dies in 2000. Following graduation they departed the cramped and costly confines of Boston for the more relaxed setting of Richmond, Virginia, where they began work on a follow-up release. When an inactive Australian Christian rock band also called Jericho objected to the shared name, the quartet adopted Jericho RVA for the 2003 EP Worker's Union. Their promotional materials describe friction with a group of conservative Christians over that choice, though the name's overall weakness may simply have prompted further change. Adopting the moniker Smoke or Fire, they joined the Fat Wreck Chords roster and delivered Above the City in 2005 under the supervision of label head Fat Mike. Following extensive road work in support of that album, Maggiore departed for family-related reasons and was succeeded by David Atchison, formerly of From Ashes Rise, shortly before recording began on the next full-length. Produced by Chicago indie-rock veteran Matt Allison, the resulting album This Sinking Ship reached stores in February 2007.