Biography
Based in Los Angeles, the alternative rock outfit Medication fuses forceful, heavy textures with an unbroken melodic thread, its lineup drawing on veterans from Soulfly, Machine Head, dayinthelife, Skrew, Life of Agony, and Ugly Kid Joe. Intensity and aggression never eclipse the group’s commitment to melody, and Medication avoids bombast pursued merely for its own sake; instead, the songs emphasize intricate, hard-driving constructions. All five members had previously participated in alternative rock or alternative metal projects before the band coalesced in L.A. during the late ’90s. Vocalist Whitfield Crane arrived from Life of Agony and Ugly Kid Joe, guitarist B-Blunt from dayinthelife, and bassist Kyle Sanders from Piece Dog and Skrew. Guitarist Logan Mader and drummer Roy “Rata” Mayorga both came through Soulfly, with Mader also having served in Machine Head and Mayorga having played in Thorn prior to joining Soulfly in 1996.
The project originated when Crane and Mader first connected as friends at Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzfest in 1998, the same year both Life of Agony and Soulfly appeared on the bill. After Crane’s departure from Life of Agony in early 1999, he and Mader began assembling a new band. Later that year they enlisted B-Blunt and Mayorga, and under the temporary name the Pale Demons the quartet performed its debut show at the Gig on Hollywood’s Melrose Avenue. A permanent bassist remained missing until the addition of Sanders, who joined on the recommendation of drummer Dan Richardson, a mutual contact from Crane’s Life of Agony days and Richardson’s earlier stint in Pro-Pain. At the time Sanders resided in Atlanta; once Medication confirmed his suitability, he relocated to Los Angeles. Following steady appearances on the L.A. and Hollywood club circuit throughout 2000, the band embarked on a national tour in 2001. In early 2002 it signed with Spain’s Locomotive Music, which was establishing an L.A. office and selected Medication as its first American act. Previously the label had focused on European artists including Spain’s Tierra Santa, the Netherlands’ Elegy, and Finland’s Lost in Tears. Locomotive issued Medication’s self-titled debut EP in the United States in early April 2002.
The project originated when Crane and Mader first connected as friends at Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzfest in 1998, the same year both Life of Agony and Soulfly appeared on the bill. After Crane’s departure from Life of Agony in early 1999, he and Mader began assembling a new band. Later that year they enlisted B-Blunt and Mayorga, and under the temporary name the Pale Demons the quartet performed its debut show at the Gig on Hollywood’s Melrose Avenue. A permanent bassist remained missing until the addition of Sanders, who joined on the recommendation of drummer Dan Richardson, a mutual contact from Crane’s Life of Agony days and Richardson’s earlier stint in Pro-Pain. At the time Sanders resided in Atlanta; once Medication confirmed his suitability, he relocated to Los Angeles. Following steady appearances on the L.A. and Hollywood club circuit throughout 2000, the band embarked on a national tour in 2001. In early 2002 it signed with Spain’s Locomotive Music, which was establishing an L.A. office and selected Medication as its first American act. Previously the label had focused on European artists including Spain’s Tierra Santa, the Netherlands’ Elegy, and Finland’s Lost in Tears. Locomotive issued Medication’s self-titled debut EP in the United States in early April 2002.
Albums