The National Acrobat
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| Record Labels: | Arise, Initial, Hex, | ||
| Started By: | Evan Patterson, Casper | ||
| Based In: | Louisville | ||
| Largest show: | ? people | ||
| Last show: | ? | ||
| Reunion show: | N/A | ||
| Number of Members: | 7 | ||
One of many bands that never seemed to get their due during their existence, THE NATIONAL ACROBAT established a legacy that finds the band reaching nearer to legendary status as each year passes. Its members have gone on to form the backbone of Louisville, Kentucky’s current indie music scene in Black Cross (Equal Vision Records & Initial Records), Christiansen (Revelation Records), Breather Resist (Jade Tree), and Initial’s newest signing – Lords. Along with their friends and contemporaries in CAVE IN, ISIS, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, BURN IT DOWN, HARKONEN, ANODYNE, BURNT BY THE SUN, KEELHAUL and others, they were part of a brief but important explosion of bands formed with roots in the ideas and urgency of hardcore, yet forging beyond that genre’s restraints to include elements of many other musical styles. Briefly dubbed “noisecore�? by indie press, the ad hoc anti-movement disappeared as quickly as it began. Some bands broke up, others skyrocketed in popularity, some still toil in obscurity. THE NATIONAL ACROBAT broke up. TNA, the title originally planned for their never completed full length, compiles every single song ever recorded by THE NATIONAL ACROBAT. All three CD EP’s, the 7�?, as well as various compilation tracks, selected live tracks, and an unreleased SEX PISTOLS cover song are included here. Formed in 1998 by guitarist / songwriter Evan Patterson (now of Black Cross and Breather Resist) and also including Ryan Patterson (Black Cross), Robby Scott (Christiansen), and Stephen George (Lords), THE NATIONAL ACROBAT set forth on a mission to burn every musical bridge they crossed. Their four releases saw the band progressing leaps and bounds each time – from the dark lumbering snotty hardcore of their first self released, self titled CD, to the spastic, concise pummeling of The National Acrobat, For All Practical Purposes, Is Dead (Arise), on to the raging, raw brutality of It’s Nothing Personal (Hex), and finally the precise dissonance and punk rock swagger of Can’t Stop Casper Adams (Status). Vocalist Casper Adams fronted the band, his bratty stage antics coupled with the meticulously constructed musical mayhem earned the Acrobat a reputation as a formidable and always entertaining live act. Casper’s onstage antics provided the perfect amount of levity for the barrage of sonic fury let loose by the rest of the band. While THE NATIONAL ACROBAT took their cues from sources like THE NATION OF ULYSSES, BORN AGAINST, DEADGUY, DRIVE LIKE JEHU, and JESUS LIZARD, they were often compared to then-contemporary bands such as REFUSED, INK & DAGGER, and BOTCH" - Initial Records press release
Members:
- Evan Patterson - guitar
- "Casper Adams" aka Kevin Sachs - vocals
- Phil Stosberg - drums
- Ryan Patterson - guitar
- Stephen George - bass
- Ty Kreft- bass
- Robby Scott - guitar
Releases:
- s/t CD (ISVI)
- It’s Nothing Personal Cd (Hex)
- The National Acrobat, For All Practical Purposes, Is Dead CD (Arise)
- Can’t Stop Casper Adams CD (Status)
- The Complete Recordings CD (Initial Records)
Compilations:
Shirts/Merch:
- lots