...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Artistfacts

  • 1994-
    Jason ReeceVocals, guitar, drums
    Conrad KeelyVocals, guitar, drums
    Neil BuschBass, guitar1995-2005
    Kevin AllenGuitar1995-2010
    Autry Fulbright II Bass2010-2019
    Jamie MillerDrums2011-2020
  • Influenced by such artists as Sonic Youth, Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Bruce Springsteen.
  • Based in Austin, Texas. It's where they were formed and where they continue to have their fun.
  • They want to move from the underground to the mainstream. Says Keely: "Man, if we don't do it, and no one does it, kids will continue to listen to vacuous nonsense."
  • The band members all met as members of the same church in Plano, Texas when they were really young. They started by singing together, then gradually progressed to using instruments.
  • Other instruments they have used include the harp, ukulele, accordion, violin, viola, sax, sitar, harpsichord, and trumpet.
  • They were originally called Richter Scale Madness.
  • Reece moved to Austin in 1993. The rest of the band was persuaded by their church pastor to spend their college money and follow him to Austin. They did.
  • Keely is also an essay-writer on the side, having such titles as "In Defense of the Living: REM and the Teutonic Cult of Death Imagery," and "'From Counter-Culture to Hegemony': Can the Underground Withstand Mainstream Collision with Modern Violence?"
  • Origin of the band's name remains largely a mystery, but it oddly resembles a Mayan religious ceremony summoning the corn gods saying, "We will act as your sword, oh Great Itzamna and you will know us by the trail of dead." It is also similar to an inscription in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, "You will find the Eye of Horus standing thus against you and you will know it by a Trail of the Dead." Weird.
  • They have a tradition of performing with cheap instruments so that they can break them at the end of every performance. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    heather - minneapolis, MN

Comments: 2

  • Gena from Los Angeles, CaYou gotta get it stratight. Neil is no longer in the band. There is a new bassist - Danny Wood - and a new drummer - Doni Schroeder. They have all been on tour since 2004. Now you know. They all rock.
  • Heather from Minneapolis, Mnall the stuff about the boys meeting in the church youth group is a lie. when trail of dead are interviewed, they always tell a new lie about the formation of their band. conrad and jason met in hawaii where they grew up. they then moved to washington state, and finally to austin, TX where they formed the band. the band was never called "richter scale madness", this was a name of a song on their first album.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.