Quicksand emerged from the ashes of the failed Moondog project and grew into one of the most underrated bands of the 1990s. From their first show in the condemned tenement, ABC No Rio in New York City, to their break-up on October 12, 1995 after a show at the Hollywood Grand in Los Angeles, Quicksand created some of the most progressive music of the decade. Since their break-up a small, but dedicated fan base has kept the hope alive that the rest of the world will someday catch on.
Like many musicians that came of age in New York's hardcore scene, the band members themselves suffered through humble beginnings. Each of them cut his teeth in other local bands- Walter Schreifels with Youth of Today and the Gorilla Biscuits, guitarist Tom Capone with Bold, drummer Alan Cage with Beyond, and bassist Sergio Vega with Absolution.
Quicksand's first release on the hardcore label Revelation came just six weeks after the band formed, preceding Nirvana's Nevermind and hinting at the driving guitar sound that would come to dominate the first half of the 90s. While comparisons to Helmet and Fugazi come easy because of each band's hardcore roots, those comparisons do little justice in describing Quicksand's sound.
That first release and constant touring of North America and Europe with bands like Helmet, Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine, and White Zombie, as well as their own club dates, caught the attention of Polydor. In 1993 Quicksand released Slip, their full-length, major-label debut. Even though the video for "Dine Alone" made into regular rotation on the heavy metal segments of MTV, the record never achieved the sales Polydor was looking for.
In 1995 came the Island Records release Manic Compression, a more complex record, musically and lyrically, when compared with the easily likable rhythms on Slip. The record helped put Quicksand on the first Vans Warped Tour, but did not build upon Quicksand¹s fan base.
The stress of constant touring took its toll on the band and in October 1995 they decided to call it quits. I guess you could call it "quitting while you are ahead."
After the break-up of the band, each member chose to pursue new musical endeavors. Walter started World's Fastest Car and did some production work for CIV, Alan teamed up with Vans Warped Tour friends Seaweed, Tom joined Handsome and Sergio started his solo project, Fully.
Each plodded along in those bands until the summer of 1997, when rumours began to circulate that Quicksand was considering a reunion. The rumours persisted and with that came talk of their first show in early September 1997 on Revelation Night at Brownies, during the CMJ Music Conference. That show fell through because the band felt that it had been hyped too much and they did not feel ready to play live.
On February 6 1998, in Osaka, Japan, Quicksand played their first show in two and half years. That was part of a mini-tour through Japan and Hawaii. The shows in Japan went well, but their Hawaii show fell through because of a problem with the venue.
The next few months were spent rehearsing and writing new songs. In August of 1998 they started recording a new record in Connecticut with Steven Haigler. The sound was still very Quicksand, but the whole band is taking a more active role in the writing of the songs. While song-writing credits had been given to Quicksand on the previous records, most people felt that Walter did most of the writing. The break from one another allowed them time to work within other musicians and bring what they learned back to the band.
Quicksand¹s first show in North America in three years took place on September 26, 1998 in Boulder, Colorado, as part of a snowboard movie premiere. The show went well and Quicksand was asked to join the Deftones on their North American tour.
On November 3, 1998 Quicksand started their first tour since the disastrous tour of '95. Touring with the Deftones and Snapcase went well and everyone in the band was happy to be back on stage. After the tour, the band went back to the studio and continued to work on a new album.
Unfortunately, the old animosities that pulled the band apart in 1995, raised their head again and the band decided to end it for good.
All this info was mirrored straight from http://quicksand.net, which was originally designed and maintained by Chris Rowe.
