Hot Water Music

Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1993. The group consists of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitar, bassist Jason Black, and drummer George Rebelo.

Hot Water Music
Background information
OriginGainesville, Florida, United States
Genres
Years active1993–1996, 1997–2006, 2008–present
LabelsRise, Epitaph, No Idea, Doghouse
Associated actsThe Draft, Against Me!, Senses Fail, The Bouncing Souls, Alkaline Trio, Leatherface, The Casket Lottery, Rumbleseat, The Flatliners
MembersChuck Ragan
Chris Wollard
Jason Black
George Rebelo

Early history
Hot Water Music live at Rock am Ring 2019
Ragan and Black on The Stone Pony's Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ, June 22, 2013.

Ragan, Black, and Rebelo initially met while living in Sarasota.[4] Black and Rebelo had played together in jazz bands in school. Ragan and Rebelo met while working at eateries on the same street, with the corner becoming a frequent gathering place for Sarasota musicians. As Wollard was based in Bradenton at the time, he met the other three at a storage facility which was frequently used as a rehearsal space for both Sarasota and Bradenton bands. Frustrated by the lack of musical opportunities in their respective hometowns, Black, who had been attending Florida State University for a year, recommended that the other three join him in Gainesville, a city known for its historic and contemporary music scene. Upon moving to Gainesville and variously filling in as performers in each others' bands Fossil and Thread, the four joined together as Hot Water Music. The band's name was taken from the collection of short stories by Charles Bukowski of the same name.

After rapidly releasing a series of singles splits, and EPs, the band released their first two LPs in 1997, Fuel for the Hate Game and Forever and Counting, the latter of which was released under the temporary moniker The Hot Water Music Band due legal concerns on the part of the band's label Doghouse Records regarding an unrelated record titled Hot Water Music by Elektra Records band Hot Water that same year.[5] After two years of rigorous touring had exhausted the band's members and strained their relationships, they announced that they would be breaking up following a farewell show at the Hardback Cafe in Gainesville. Their intention to disband was evidently short-lived, as, during the show, Ragan announced to the audience, "I'm sure a lot of people here came a long way tonight because they heard this was our last show. I don't know what to tell you guys...we're trying to keep it going."[6] The performance from this show was recorded and released as the live album Live at the Hardback.

After releasing No Division on No Idea Records in 1999, Hot Water Music signed to Epitaph Records, releasing four more albums, including fan-favorite No Division in 1999, 2001's A Flight and a Crash, their commercial breakthrough Caution in 2002, and their final record The New What Next, before disbanding in 2005.[7]

Hiatus

In late 2005, Hot Water Music announced through the No Idea Records website that they would be going on a hiatus following Chuck Ragan's departure, citing "family" reasons.[8] While this was initially intended as a temporary hiatus, the band announced in 2006 that the break would be permanent.[9] The three remaining members then started a new project, The Draft, whose first album, In a Million Pieces, was released on September 12, 2006. Chuck Ragan continued with a primarily-acoustic solo project, releasing his debut record Feast or Famine in 2007.

Reunion
Wollard on The Stone Pony's Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ, June 22, 2013.

Less than two years after announcing their hiatus, the band announced that they would be reuniting for a handful of shows in 2008 to commemorate the release their B-sides compilation record Till The Wheels Fall Off.[10] The band continued to be semi-active, sporadically performing and touring over the next few years.

In 2011, the band announced that, after releasing a 7" single to support their European tour with Make Do and Mend, they would be releasing a new LP of original material through Rise Records.[11] Hot Water Music released the album, Exister, in 2012.

After the release of their 2017 record Light It Up, Wollard announced that he was taking a break from the band to focus on his health.[12] The band continued to play previously booked shows with The Flatliners' Chris Cresswell and Chris DeMakes of Less Than Jake filling in for Wollard at several dates. Cresswell also filled in for Wollard for the band's 25th anniversary tour in 2019. While Wollard is not currently performing live with the band, he is still involved in their studio endeavors, playing and singing on their 2019 Shake Up The Shadows EP, with Cresswell joining the recording on backing vocals.[13]

Other Projects

Prior to founding Hot Water Music, the band's members played in several other groups, including Yellow Section (Ragan), Burial (Rebelo), Kelly Green (Black and Rebelo), Thread (Black and Wollard), and Fossil (Ragan and Rebelo).[14] From 1998 through 1999, Ragan and Wollard joined Samantha Jones for the acoustic side-project Rumbleseat, which released four 7" singles and contributed several songs to compilations, later releasing an eponymous compilation in 2005 after their breakup.

Following Hot Water Music's 2005 hiatus announcement, Chuck Ragan began a solo career, releasing several records, as well as various collaborative efforts with other artists, including a collaborative live acoustic project called The Revival Tour, featuring several punk rock, bluegrass, and alt-country performers with Ragan's goal to "sharing music together" and "bringing it to people in an extremely honest and grassroots fashion."[15] During this hiatus, Black, Rebelo, and Wollard formed The Draft, which released an LP and two EPs before disbanding as Hot Water Music Reunited. The Draft reunited for a reunion tour in 2013. Wollard's first solo effort, Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves was released in 2009. Jason Black joined Senses Fail in 2008, playing on their record The Fire before departing in 2012. Rebelo joined Against Me! in 2009, playing on their 2010 LP White Crosses, leaving the band that same year. Rebelo has been a member of The Bouncing Souls since 2013, playing on their 2016 record Simplicity.

Discography
Studio albums
Compilations
Live albums
EPs and splits
  • Push for Coin (Originally released on tape) (1995) / CD released on Happy Days Records (1995)
  • Eating the Filler 7" - Toybox Records / Kung Fu Zombie (1995)
  • Split with Swivel Stick 7" - Tuesday Morning Records (1995)
  • Split with Tomorrow 11" - No Idea Records (1997)
  • You Can Take the Boy Out of Bradenton 7"/CD - Schematics Records (1996)
  • Alachua 7" - Allied Recordings (1997) / No Idea Records re-issue (1999)
  • Split with Clairmel 8.5" / CD - No Idea Records (1998)
  • F State Revisited 7" (Split with Screaming Fat Rat) - Snuffy Smile (1998)
  • Split with Six Going On Seven 7" - Some Records (1998)
  • Split with Rydell 7" - Scene Police / Ignition (1998)
  • 403 Chaos Comp: Florida Fucking Hardcore (Comp) (1998)
  • Moments Pass 7" - No Idea Records (1999)
  • Where We Belong 7" - No Idea Records (1999)
  • Moonpies for Misfits CD - No Idea Records (1999) Compiles Moments Pass 7" and Where We Belong 7"
  • BYO Split Series, Vol. 1 LP/CD (Split with Leatherface) - Better Youth Organization (1999)
  • Split with Alkaline Trio CD/Picture Disc - Jade Tree Records CD / No Idea Records Picture Disc (2002)
  • Colors, Words, And Dreams 7" (Split with The Casket Lottery) - Second Nature Recordings (2002)
  • Split with Muff Potter 7" - Green Hell Label (2003)
  • Live in Chicago No. 1 7" - No Idea Records (2010) Blue vinyl. Limited to 1000. Released for Record Store Day 2010
  • Live in Chicago No. 2 7" - No Idea Records (2010) Red vinyl. Limited to 1000.
  • Live in Chicago No. 3 7" - No Idea Records (2010) Yellow vinyl. Limited to 1000.
  • Live in Chicago No. 4 7" - No Idea Records (2010) Green vinyl. Limited to 1000.
  • Split with The Bouncing Souls 7" - Chunksaah Records (2011)
  • Live in Chicago No. 5 7" - No Idea Records (2011) Purple vinyl. Limited to 1000.
  • Live in Chicago No. 6 6" - No Idea Records (2011) White vinyl. Limited to 1000.
  • The Fire, The Steel, The Tread/Adds Up to Nothing 7" (2011)
  • Drag My Body 7" - Uncle M (2012) Picture Disc. Limited to 400 hand-numbered copies.
  • Shake Up The Shadows - Epitaph Records (2019)

Music videos
  • Paper Thin (2001)
  • Remedy (2002)
  • State of Grace (2012)
  • Drag My Body (2013)
  • Never Going Back (2017)
  • Vultures (2017)

References
  1. "Hot Water Music". Punknews. July 25, 2005. Retrieved 2015-09-23.
  2. "Hot Water Music - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  3. "'Caution': Hot Water Music Heats Up". Billboard. July 25, 2002.
  4. "Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music on finally being able to record at the Blasting Room" Westwood, February 1, 2013.
  5. Grubbs, Eric (2008). Post. iUniverse. p. 208. ISBN 0595518354.
  6. "Hot Water Music Bookended 1997 with Two Seminal Albums" Noisey (Music by Vice), October 27, 2017.
  7. Sing Out Loud Festival, March 15, 2019
  8. "Hot Water Music on “extended break” / new band forms" Punknews.org, 2005.
  9. "Hot Water Music (1994-2006)" Punknews.org, May 13, 2006.
  10. "Hot Water Music Reunite For Mini Tour" Epitaph Records, November 7, 2007.
  11. "Hot Water Music Sign With Rise Records, Announce New Releases" Noisecreep, July 1, 2011.
  13. "About Shake Up The Shadows by Hot Water Music" Epitaph Records, May 24, 2019.
  14. "Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music on finally being able to record at the Blasting Room" Westwood, February 1, 2013.
  15. "About The Tour". Therevivaltour.com. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-18. Retrieved 2012-02-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "Light It Up by Hot Water Music". Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  18. "Hot Water Music detail 'Live in Chicago' double album". Punknews.org. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
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