Ever had to listen to an empty rucksack-sporting, embittered, self proclaimed messiah moaning about the state of music, and decided to act instead of talk?
Since their conception in 2001, the band's history has been long and, at times depressing. In August 2004, the entire (by this time horribly stagnant) band (minus Chris) quit, leaving a huge task in finding new members, but at the same time, the opportunity to revitalise the band and take it in a direction which Chris had always wanted, but had never been able to achieve, with any previous line-ups. Immediately recruited were Matt Spartan, at the time playing in the Spartans and fresh from a three year stint in Welsh punk outfit Four Letter Word. Joining him on axe duties was Jamer Hendrix, of the Surfin' Turnips, with Jamer's turnip bandmate Matt Pants filling the drum stool duties. The band re-worked the entire set, scrapping the 'art punk' for which the band was well known and replacing it with a unique brand of 80s hardcore and modern day political punk, akin to Negative Approach meeting The Unseen in a vile brawl.
In April of 2004, the band agreed to release a split 7" through Crypt of Blood Records with New Jersey punk legends Electric Frankenstein. No sooner had they partied in celebration than Crypt of Blood ran out of money and dropped the release before even going to press. Not prepared to let this bring the band down, they entered Dockside Studios in Bristol the same month, and in the space of two five hour sessions, the entire 'Exception Becomes the Rule' album was recorded and mastered. November of that year saw the album released on Chris' own label, Cider City Records, and independently distributed worldwide. At the same time, Denver based Antidote Records offered to pick up the Valdez/Electric Frankenstein split 7" shaped mess and release it imminently.
What should have been a high point in the band's already coloured existance was then rocked by Matt Pants' inability to tour due to work commitments. His tour replacement was Chris Haynes, formerly of Bristol skacore heroes Idle Tuesday. With a semi-solid line up in place, the band were able to hit the road again. However, after a UK mini-tour with German punks Fifty50, it was clear Jamer would not be able to take to the road for any long period of time. In June of 2006, Chris Coulthard, aka Cooter (of Kito and Kill For Christ) who Chris had recently met at a gig in Leeds, was drafted in to fill Jamer's temporary gap for the band's upcoming European tour. Five gigs later, his bond with the band was cemented and he joined full time.
Chris, Matt and Cooter were shortly joined by Bob Maguire, who jumped in to save the day when Chris Haynes announced he couldn't join the band on their upcoming tour with San Francisco's The Lonely Kings. What should have been a temporary arrangement worked far better than anyone in the band could have imagined, both musically and in terms of band members sharing common visions and goals; and so the tour line-up became permanent.
Which is where the band stands now. It hasn't been an easy ride-over the band's five year span, the stories of addiction, prison and members going AWOL mid-tour read like a Greek tragedy. But, in true Valdez style, the band have always soldiered on...now, personal and musical hurdles jumped and tours being thrown at the band left, right and centre, the band are ready to take whatever the future holds for them and shred it to bits.
In an age where punk is dominated by combover sporting, apathetic pop tosh, Valdez are a breath of fresh air and a big 'FUCK YOU!' to the boundaries of the scene.
'Street Warriors' Live in Sacramento (with a stage invasion from the Lonely Kings)
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