Classic Case

Former bandmates Jared Draughon (vocals/guitar) and Mitchell Marlow (guitar) hooked up for a casual jam session in their hometown of Chapel Hill, NC, in early 2002. They quickly decided the time was right to start a band up together again, thus birthing Classic Case. Marlow, who was then living in Brooklyn, ultimately persuaded Draughon to relocate to New York when getting a permanent crew together in North Carolina proved to be difficult. There the duo began jamming with drummer Stephan Linde (Sons of Abraham, Glassjaw) and bassist Eric Mendelson. Classic Case practiced for about a year, finally recording and self-releasing the EP It's Been Business Doing Pleasure with You in 2004. That same year, Durijah Lang (ex-Glassjaw, the Stryder) replaced Linde on drums, and the band, due to its past connections and Incubus-inspired rock sound, was able to play shows with a range of acts, from Puddle of Mudd and Orgy to Taking Back Sunday, He Is Legend, and the Used. Former Beloved member Josh Moore was added into the fray in 2005 on vocals and guitar, shortly before Classic Case entered a Manhattan studio for three months to record their debut album. The band relocated back to North Carolina, as the polished Dress to Depress, which sounded something like a harder-rocking Mae, was issued in October 2005 via Help/Fiddler Records (Fiddler dissolved shortly after its release). Classic Case inked a deal with California punk indie Fearless Records in the summer of 2006 and began recording their follow-up that September with Helmet's Page Hamilton in the production seat. Losing at Life was completed by the year's end and released in early 2007.