Jawbreaker (band)

Jawbreaker
Jawbreaker performing at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, April 2022. Left to right: Bauermeister, Schwarzenbach, and Pfahler.
Jawbreaker performing at Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, April 2022. Left to right: Bauermeister, Schwarzenbach, and Pfahler.
Background information
Also known asRise (1986–1988)
OriginEast Bay, California, U.S.[1]
Genres
Years active
  • 1986–1990
  • 1991–1996
  • 2017–present
Labels
  • Blackball Records
  • Shredder
  • Tupelo
  • Communion
  • DGC
SpinoffsJets to Brazil
Members
Websitejawbreakerband.com

Jawbreaker is an American punk rock band that was active from 1986 to 1996, and again since 2017.[2] The band is considered to be extremely influential to the 1990s emo and punk genre with their "poetic take on hardcore."[3][4] Their influence on the punk scene has led some critics to label Jawbreaker as the best punk rock band of the 1990s.[5][6]

Lead vocalist and guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach, bassist Chris Bauermeister, and drummer Adam Pfahler formed the band while students at New York University, later relocating to Los Angeles where they released their debut album Unfun (1990) through independent record label Shredder Records. Relocating again to San Francisco the next year, they released 1992's Bivouac through the Tupelo Recording Company and The Communion Label.

Schwarzenbach's charismatic, frustrated, and personal lyrics helped establish him as a cult idol, even as he underwent surgery to remove painful, voice-threatening polyps from his throat. Jawbreaker toured with Nirvana in 1993 and released 24 Hour Revenge Therapy in 1994, attracting the attention of major labels. They signed a $1 million contract with DGC Records and released 1995's Dear You, but its more polished production and smooth vocals caused significant backlash from the band's core audience.[7][8] Internal tensions led to Jawbreaker's dissolution in 1996 and Schwarzenbach had repeatedly stated that a reunion would never happen.[9] However, the band announced a reunion in April 2017,[2] and they are currently in the process of making the follow-up to Dear You.[10]

Following the breakup, the members of Jawbreaker were active in other projects including Jets to Brazil and Whysall Lane. Pfahler continued to issue previously-recorded Jawbreaker material through his Blackball Records label, and public interest in the band continued due in part to nationally charting pop-punk and emo acts openly indebted to Jawbreaker's sound. In 2004, Pfahler licensed the out-of-print Dear You from DGC's parent company Geffen Records and re-released it to positive reviews. Remastered versions of the rest of the band's catalog have since been released.

  1. ^ Inoue, Todd (March 22, 2022). "San Francisco punk veterans Jawbreaker rewrite their story". Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Wicks, Amanda (April 19, 2017). "Jawbreaker Reunite After 21 Years for Riot Fest 2017". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Monger, James. "Jawbreaker - Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  4. ^ Cohen, Ian; Anthony, David; Corcoran, Nina; Garland, Emma; Nelson, Brad (February 13, 2020). "100 Best Emo Songs of All Time". Vulture. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  5. ^ Pettigrew, Jason (10 June 2013). "Perfect Legacy: 7 bands we hope belong to history". Alternative Press. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  6. ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent (November 2, 1999). "Review: Live 4/30/96". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kelley, 81 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Greenwald, 25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Kelley, p. 82.
  10. ^ Jenke, Tyler (March 29, 2018). "Legendary punk band Jawbreaker to work on first new music in 23 years". Tone Deaf. Retrieved May 20, 2020.