The Disenchanted formed in the fall of 1995 because, frankly, there was little else to do at SUNY Albany. Kurt and Les met the year before - thanks to a canary yellow devil's lock and a Sausage t-shirt, respectively - and began playing simple punk songs under a variety of silly names. Ben was introduced by a friend in the spring of 94 and when it turned out he too would be at Albany in the fall, Kurt and Les quickly drafted his diabetic shred skills into the
band.
The problems of finding a decent drummer began to wear down the trio – now christened the Disenchanted - when that fall, Les met a guy who knew a guy that knew REA. Sure, he looked like a big ole hippie, what with the
shaggy hair and beard and all, but goddamn could that boy play the drums!
REA proved to be the missing piece and by January 1996, we were ready for our debut at the Huntington YMCA in Huntington, Long Island with Furious George, Striped Basstards, Time Alone and Funbox Band.
From there, we stormed back to the Capital District, landing a headlining gig at the now-defunct Bogie's by just our sixth show. Requests for our demo began pouring in from all corners of the country – how in the hell did it get to
New Mexico or Puerto Rico? - and a split 7-inch with the 22's was followed soon by “The Other White Trash†on Angry, Young and Poor records.
In January of 1998 we recorded “How Can We Lose When We're So Sincere?†in a basement in Albany. It was released on Motherbox Records and that summer, we aimed south in an old, beater of a van (affectionately named Jean Claude Damn Van) for the Summer Better Than Others tour.
Summer of 1999 found us cruising halfway across the country on the It's Not The Heat It's The Futility tour. Tension tore at the band as different lives
pulled us in different directions, but we channeled it into a stack of new songs
and a stop at the Creep House at the tour's end led to plans for a new record to be recorded that winter.
In January of 2000, we played what would be our final show, a marathon gig opening for Murphy's Law – at their request - at Valentine's in Albany. With
weather problems holding back the headliners, we pulled out all the stops, debuting new songs, playing old favorites and a shit ton of covers until Murphy's Law finally arrived.
Later that month, we gathered at the Creep House to record “Even Atheists and Communists Pray (In Their Blasphemy),†recording the album over a
series of weekends. But by the end of recording and mixing, the same
tensions within the band that kept it going boiled over and we went our separate ways, dooming “Atheists and Communists†to a shelf somewhere
in the basement of the Creep House.
REA and Ben went on to form Celebrity Roast before going on to Kung Fury and The Isles, respectively. Kurt continues to hold down the fort in Albany playing with To Hell and Back while Les emigrated to Seattle and played in the short-lived SamsonKnight Feathergun.
The Disenchanted lives on, however, and we'll be using this page to post pictures, videos, unreleased tracks and memories, so check back often!
We want to thank all those who supported us through the years, came to the shows, let us sleep on their floors and helped keep DIY punk alive. And perhaps if there is enough of an outcry ... a reunion?
Anything is possible, right?
