Signal to Noise

by Corey AparPost-hardcore quartet Signal to Noise got together in 2003 under the influence of bands like Hot Water Music, Quicksand, Texas Is the Reason, and Alkaline Trio, the band's gravelly vocals and anthemic hooks especially reminiscent of that first Gainesville act. Hailing from Boulder, CO, the crew self-released two demos and an EP -- as well as scored local opening spots for bands like Planes Mistaken for Stars, Minus the Bear, and the Bronx -- before their EP found its way into the hands of New Jersey-based Eyeball Records head Alex Saavedra. Saavedra was impressed with what he heard, flew out to the Centennial State to see for himself, and wound up signing the band in February 2006. Signal to Noise followed up their new record deal with a festival appearance in Austin at South by Southwest the next month. In the spring of 2006, founding singer and guitarist Tim Cleary amicably parted ways with the group, and James Tanner (former frontman of Colorado Springs punks Harrison Bergeron) signed on alongside drummer Jesse Dixon, guitarist Nolan Aldridge, and vocalist/bassist Tristan Shaffer to complete the Signal to Noise lineup. The digital-only EP Stop When the Rain Starts appeared via iTunes that fall, serving as a taster for when the guys finally issued their debut full-length, Kodiak, in early summer 2007. Following the record's completion, and just a few months before its release, Dixon made his exit and was replaced behind the drum kit by Andrew Vastola.