Bleed For Me’s convoluted history began back in the summer of 1997. Bassist Joe
Vilella and singer Jay Galvin were playing a
show with their former band “Fledgling Death” in Rochester, NY. Alcohol, anger, and energy led to one of the most vile, violent displays the town had ever seen. Yngwie Malmsteen was in attendance and left in disgust, quoted as saying it was “the worst display of musicianship he had ever seen". The show ended with the power shut off, the band being chased out of the club by bouncers, and Jay being jumped in the parking lot by angry skinheads who didn’t like being mocked by a skinny little fucker with a microphone. This little melee ended with the other two Fledgling members quitting out of fear for their lives. Joe and Jay (who sped out of the parking lot with Jay’s legs still hanging out the car window) then decided that they needed to do this every night. And thus, BFM was born.
Joe brought in the mighty Chris Gajewski on drums, and they spent the next six months trying out lame guitar players. Finally in the spring of 1998 the band found punk rock Paul
Greiner (formerly of Shitfaced) and played their first show on July 13, 1998 at Kendzies in Lockport, NY with Parade of the Lifeless and Drunken Orgy of Destruction. Six songs and 10 minutes later, it was official. This line up lasted for about a year and released their first demo “The Diabolical Science of Torture Through Sound”.
Paul left to go to college (which he promptly flunked out of) and was replaced by Joe's long time friend Guy “the Kraken” Falsetti whose killer riffage was counter balanced by his odd, sloth-like inability to move on stage making him literally the anchor to BFM’s otherwise chaotic live act. As this lineup soldiered on, the decision was made to add another guitar player, but was changed to add a second bass player instead. Enter Bill Page (Lockjaw, Bitterness). Bill's
total lack of technical skills were overlooked in favor of his great stage presence and overall enthusiasm. This lineup managed to put out the “You’re Already Dead” 7” and record the unreleased “Metal Years” demo in late 1999. Unfortunately the heavy pot smoke and violent crowd-mocking shows, including the infamous Olean incident, proved too much for Bill and he gracefully bowed out in 2000. His replacement came in form of Rob Dalamonte, a great fretless bass player who was previously trapped in the world of rap-metal and was looking to escape. Although this was the tightest lineup yet, the band was heading into tough times.
Lack of support locally and the inability to crack into other cities was wearing on the bands morale. The wheels feel off when a stressed out Chris quit in early 2001. The remaining members tried out other drummers, but no one else felt right. Chris and BFM got together once again in 2001 at Dungeon Studios in Corfu, NY and recorded “Don’t Be A Faggot”. This session included two new songs, two old songs re-recorded, and a killer rendition of “Get Out” by Faith No More. This recording engineered by Fred Betchen and Dan Bess was the most brutal recording the band had to date. However the vibe in the studio was not enough to put the wheels back in motion and the band fell dormant for the rest of the year. This recording was shelved and still has never been released.
A night of drinking and reminiscing between Jay and Chris led to a chance meeting with Aaron Rataczak who had just been released from screamo-haircore heroes Everytime I Die. Drunken plans were made to revive the band and after many harassing phone calls, Aaron finally started coming to practice, replacing Guy on guitar and kicking things into high gear in the song writing department. At this point married life and migrant farm work took Rob out of the lineup and a decision was made to remain a four piece. In 2003 the band headed into the studio to record their first official full length “Composition”.
Local jazz drummer Greg Gizzi (them Jazzbeards, David Kane Quartet) was brought in to collaborate on samples and percussion, giving new depths to BFM’s expanding sound. (Greg occasionally plays with the band live). “Composition” was shopped around and put out by SinKlub Entertainment, a small label from Toledo, Ohio. A CD release show was booked, but one week before it was scheduled the label informed the band that it would not have the discs ready for the already heavily advertised show. Hasty plans were made to put out a short run CDR of demo songs. The disc was named “SinKlub Can Suck It” a playful jab at the label and a tribute to an old Judge bootleg, a band that heavily influenced BFM. Shortly after, SinKlub released “Composition”.
Bleed
for me was ready to
start booking shows to
so out and support
"Compostition"
and did everything in
their power to play as
much as
possible. The
band found it rather
difficult to get into
the loop since they
were all socially
retarded and no longer
in touch with what was
going on in the
scene. At this
point most bands would
have conformed to what
was cool at the time,
but instead Bleed for
Me stood their
ground. They
played out wherever,
whenever they could
usually with bands
that completely
clashed with their
style.
In
late 2005 the band got
what they thought was
finally a break.
A booking agent that
totally believed in
the band and was
already established.
He was going to
finally get them on
the road and set them
up with some solid
shows. This news
came with some recourse however,
since Joe had recently
had a baby he quit in
fear of a "hectic
tour
schedule".
The band found a
replacement in the form of Jason
Adamczyk, a local boy
who had played with
the now disbanded
"Cropdogs"
and currently also
plays with the blues outfit "The
Limits".
Finally the band went
to their new booking
agent and said,
"We are ready,
all systems
go....". To
this the agent replied, "Due to
this being such a
tough year getting
shows I have decided
to stop booking shows
all
together."
In
May of 2006 BFM still
pressing on hit
the studio and
recorded 14 new songs.
Currently they are
sitting on this
masterpiece just waiting
for the the right time
to release it to the
masses. Those
who have had the
chance to listen to
the disc are blown
away claiming that
this new still
untitled effort is
just down right awesome. The
band is
currently shopping
around for a new label
and booking agent.
Proving
that the more you beat
a dumb dog the more he
wants to be your friend, BFM is
hitting the road,
nothing is certain,
nothing is planned,
the future is wide
open...........
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