Stretch Arm Strong

Stretch Arm Strong (Also known as Stretch Armstrong) is a hardcore punk band from Columbia, South Carolina, and the flagship band for We Put Out Records. They were primarily active from 1992 to 2005. They are often mistaken as a Christian band for having been on Solid State Records, but as lead singer Chris McLane has stated in interviews, “we're not a Christian band, we never were a Christian band and we never professed to be a Christian band.” <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Vocalist Chris McLane appears on Zao's The Lesser Lights of Heaven DVD. In 2020, the band was announced to perform at Furnace Fest 2020.

History

Stretch Arm Strong formed in 1992,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> formed by vocalist James Miller, bassist Matt McCarty, guitarists David Sease and Scott Dempsey, and drummer John Barry.<ref name="AM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Miller departed quickly thereafter, with McCarty taking over vocals as well as bass. The four would record some material, with Chris McLane taking over bass duties.<ref name="AM"/> McCarty would leave the band, with McLane taking over vocals and Donnie Raines joining the band on bass.<ref name="AM"/> The band would release their debut album, Compassion Fills the Void, with Shawn Williams of Prevail on bass.<ref name="AM"/> After their first release on Uprising Records, Compassion Fills the Void, the band would sign with Solid State Records, consisting of the lineup of McLane, Sease, Dempsey, Barry, and Jeremy Jeffers on bass.<ref name="AM"/>

In 1999, the band recorded their sophomore album, Rituals of Life, which saw their debut on Solid State Records.<ref name="AM"/><ref name="Discogs">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With the album out, the band released a music video for their song "Second Chances". In 2001, the band began writing and recording their third album,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which would be titled A Revolution Transmission.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2003, the band released Engage, which would be their third and final album with Solid State and their fourth studio album, which was well received.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Stretch Arm Strong signed to We Put Out Records, a label on East West (an imprint of the Warner Music Group), having fulfilled their deal with Solid State. Their most recent album, Free at Last, was recorded in April and May 2005 with James Paul Wisner and released late that same year. A video for the song "The Sound of Names Dropping" was released that year.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2005, the band shared the stage with the famed funk musician George Clinton.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

They have mostly been inactive since 2005, reuniting in 2009 for a few benefit shows with Evergreen Terrace and Bane<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and for a one-off show at Within These Walls in 2011. The band is set to reunite for Furnace Fest in 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In early 2022, Stretch Arm Strong announced that they had partnered with Iodine Recordings to re-issue "Rituals of Life" and other titles from their catalog. The band also alluded to writing new music.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Members

Current members

• Chris McLane – vocals (1995–2011, 2020–present), bass (1994–1995)
• David Sease – guitar (1992–2011, 2020–present)
• John Barry – drums (1992–2011, 2020–present)
• Scott Dempsey – guitar (1992–2004, 2011, 2020–present)
• Jeremy Jeffers – bass (1997–2006, 2011, 2020–present), guitar (2004–2006)

Former members

• Matt McCarty – bass (1992–1994), vocals (1992–1995)
• James Miller – vocals (1992)
• Donnie Raines – bass (1995–1996)
• Shawn Williams – bass (1996–1997)
• Juan Carlos "JC" Lopez – guitar (2004–2006)
• Glen Calder – guitar (2006–2010)
• Chris Andrews – bass (2006–2010)

Touring members

• Jonathan Rej – bass (2000)
• Sean McGuckin – bass (2006)

Timeline <timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:60 top:0 right:15 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1992 till:{{#time:m/d/Y}} TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1992 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1992

Colors =

id:vocals   value:red             legend:Vocals
id:guitars value:green         legend:Guitars
id:bass     value:blue          legend:Bass
id:drums    value:orange          legend:Drums
id:studio   value:black           legend:Studio_album
id:EP    value:gray(0.45) legend:Other_releases
id:bar value:gray(0.95)

LineData =

layer:back
at:01/01/1993 color:EP
at:01/01/1995 color:EP
at:01/01/1996 color:EP
at:06/01/1997 color:studio
at:04/20/1999 color:studio
at:01/01/2000 color:EP
at:06/01/2000 color:EP
at:06/21/2001 color:studio
at:08/19/2003 color:studio
at:09/13/2005 color:studio
at:05/10/2024 color:EP

BarData =

bar:James  text:"James Miller"
bar:David  text:"David Sease"
bar:Scott  text:"Scott Dempsey"
bar:JC     text:"JC Lopez"
bar:Glen   text:"Glen Calder"
bar:Matt   text:"Matt McCarty"
bar:Chris  text:"Chris McLane"
bar:Donnie text:"Donnie Raines"
bar:Shawn  text:"Shawn Williams"
bar:Jeremy text:"Jeremy Jeffers"
bar:Chris2 text:"Chris Andrews"
bar:John   text:"John Barry"

PlotData=

width:11
bar:James from:start till:06/01/1992    color:vocals
bar:Matt  from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/1994 color:bass
bar:Matt  from:06/01/1992 till:01/01/1994 color:vocals width:3
bar:Matt  from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1995 color:vocals
bar:Chris from:01/01/1994 till:01/01/1995 color:bass
bar:Chris from:01/01/1995 till:09/24/2011 color:vocals
bar:Chris from:02/04/2020 till:end        color:vocals
bar:David from:start      till:09/24/2011 color:guitars
bar:David from:02/04/2020 till:end        color:guitars
bar:Scott from:start      till:03/28/2004 color:guitars
bar:Scott from:01/01/2011 till:09/24/2011 color:guitars
bar:Scott from:02/04/2020 till:end        color:guitars
bar:JC    from:04/01/2004 till:01/01/2006 color:guitars
bar:Glen  from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2011 color:guitars
bar:Donnie from:01/01/1995 till:01/01/1996 color:bass
bar:Shawn from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/1997 color:bass
bar:Jeremy from:01/01/1997 till:01/01/2006 color:bass
bar:Jeremy from:01/01/2004 till:01/01/2006 color:guitars width:3
bar:Jeremy from:01/01/2011 till:09/24/2011 color:bass
bar:Jeremy from:02/04/2020 till:end        color:bass
bar:Chris2 from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2011 color:bass
bar:John   from:start      till:09/24/2011 color:drums
bar:John   from:02/04/2020 till:end         color:drums

</timeline>

Discography

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Studio albums

• Compassion Fills the Void (1998, Uprising Records)
• Rituals of Life (1999, Solid State Records)
• A Revolution Transmission (2001, Solid State Records)
• Engage (2003, Solid State Records)
• Free at Last (2005, We Put Out Records)

Template:Col-2 Studio EPs

• Not Without Resistance (1995, Insurgent Sounds Records)
• It Burns Clean EP (2000, Reflections Records)
• The Revealing (2024, Iodine Recordings)

Splits

• Bedlam Hour / Stretch Arm Strong Split (1993, Insurgent Sounds Records/Koogle Records)
• Forget the Differences (1996, Insurgent Sounds Records)
• I Stand Alone (2000, I Stand Alone Records; split with xDISCIPLEx A.D.)

External links

• Official myspace
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