About Mean Season

From 1992 thru 1996 the Orange County Hardcore band Mean Season was a driving force in the Hardcore scene. With their unique blend of Heavy Metal, Hardcore & Punk The Season cut a path straight to the heart of the darkest soul. In 1992 Mean Season stirred up a lot of noise with their debut 7inch "Bleed to Me" released on New Age Records. The release, backed up by Mean Season's high octane and relentless live shows helped breathe new life into the Southern California Hardcore scene which was in desperate need of something this dangerous. The success of "Bleed to Me" put the band on the road and they brought their new style across the United States with a winter '92 head lining tour. In 1993 Mean Season set out with brother New Age band, Unbroken for six weeks on a co-head lining U.S. tour. This legendary tour not only sparked a brotherhood between the two brightest shining bands California Hardcore had to offer, but also left a trail of sweat & blood on the U.S. asphalt that can still be seen by touring Hardcore bands today. After M.S. had conquered the United States the band set it's sites on Europe, and in early 1994 Europe came looking for The Season. Seven weeks with O.C. Hardcore pioneers No For An Answer was just what Mean Season needed to introduce their style to Europe's thriving hardcore scene. The "Bleed to Me" 7inch helped set the new standard for Hardcore music and quickly became New Age's best selling release, and the buzz was only beginning.... Hot off their first European tour, Mean Season rolled right into the studio to record their full length LP "Grace". It had been two and a half years since the band recorded "Bleed to Me" and the boys were more than ready to lay down their new brand of dark emotional aggression. M.S. set out to create a sound for "Grace" that would not only compare to the 7inch but also set Mean Season apart from the imitators and the followers. Songs like "Suffer" & "Abattoir (Feast Upon)" started falling into place and building a darker more personal vibe than any of the songs Mean Season had written before. Vocalist /Screamer Aaron Kelly had a vision for the vocal style of Grace to be more mysterious and haunting as opposed to up front and one dimensional. Laying out most of the vocal tracks in a dim lit room to match the heavy somber feel Guitarists Brian Manry, Travis Guichard & Bassist Colin Buis had put down before him. Everybody involved knew the new tunes had a power and heart that far surpassed the Season's debut 7inch, but was everyone else ready for the new approach Mean Season had taken in their song writing? The band did not have to wait until "Grace" was released to find out the answer to that question. 3 months before the New Age Records release date for Grace a copy of the finished LP was leaked out and spread through out the United States like wildfire. It may possibly be the most bootlegged Hardcore record ever! Before the band knew it the kids were singing perfectly along with the new unreleased Grace songs, though M.S. was flattered by the response New Age was understandably not pleased. Grace came out in late 1994 and put Mean Season right back on the road with another seven weeks in Europe. Co-head lining with New York Hardcore legends Leeway, Mean Season seemed to be unstoppable. The end of 1995 brought many changes for Mean Season. With 2 new songs recorded, 1 for the Indecision Records Compilation " Guilty by Association", '95 also brought the birth of Aaron's first child Julian. The Season had been planning another American tour hooking up with Earth Crisis & one of Mean Season's all time favorite bands Integrity. With Aaron's growing family responsibilities Mean Season found it harder and harder to make a tour schedule work and the flame in the band went out. Mean Season's last show was a sold out standing room only night at the Showcase theatre in Corona, California. Unbroken went on right before Mean Season making the night as perfect as it could be...Unbroken played their last show 2 nights later. In 1996 mean Season made 3 special appearances and proved that the Mean Season legacy was still living on. After the temporary death of New Age Records in 1998 all of Mean season's work was unavailable and becoming rare & fading.... http://www.myspace.com/meanseason