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The Icarus Line
Biography
As a modern echo of the rock & roll terror that was inspired by Black Flag and the Stooges, the Icarus Line offered a screaming wake-up call to the West Coast underground in the late '90s. Coming together following the demise of a handful of aggro-punk projects in their Los Angeles homes, singer Joe Cardamone, bassist Lance Arnao, and guitarists Alvin DeGuzman and Aaron North went through several different drummers before finding Jeff Watson a year after their formation. Never performing without their signature uniforms (black shirts and pants with thin, red ties), the band's self-given nickname, Red and Black Attack, was a reference to their stunning live performances, which more often than not ended in bursts of chaotic destruction.

In the musical vein of the Murder City Devils or At the Drive-In, the Icarus Line were first brought to a national audience by being added on a tour of goth underground legends Ink & Dagger before anyone in the band was 20 years old. Building a fan base through constant tours of the West Coast and the release of a handful of singles with L.A.'s street punk label Hellcat and L.A. upstart Buddyhead, the combination of the band's manic live show with their dubious reputation gave them a deafening national buzz.