Inch (band)

Inch was formed in 1992 by Michael "Stimy" Steinman, Jeff Reese, Dave Hepler and Michael Paprocki.[2] Steinman sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar, Hepler was on drums, Reese on bass, and Paprocki backup vocals and lead guitar. Steinman was the former lead singer of Sub Society, a band that achieved notoriety by being featured in several H-Street skateboarding videos and with the single "A Whole Lot Less." Hepler formerly played drums for Helicopter, a nominally significant contributor to the early '90s San Diego sound.

Prior to recording the band's debut album, Stresser, for the Atlantic Records imprint Seed Records, Reese was replaced on bass by Christopher "Pippin" Spanninga. In July of 1993, Inch toured the Southwest opening for Frank Black. The album was released in 1994. Paprocki was fired from the band not long after. The stripped-down three-piece, with Stimy taking over lead guitar, spent the summer touring the United States as part of a "Pre-Palooza" night-before Lollapalooza package that included Failure and fellow San Diego band, rust.

Seed went out of business before the release of the band's second album DOT Class "C" in 1995, so that album enjoyed a short release on Atlantic Records before they were dropped and the album was deleted from the Atlantic catalog. During a short 1995 tour in support of the album, bass player Spanninga abruptly quit the band after a show at Moe's in Seattle. The band completed the remaining tour dates with Steinman performing solo acoustic. On their return home the band hired bass player Kristian Dunn, who later formed El Ten Eleven. DOT Class "C" was re-released by Cargo/Headhunter Records on CD and on Goldenrod Records and Trademark Records on LP in 1997, limited to a run of 750, with hand-silkscreened art by Drive Like Jehu singer and artist Rick Froberg. The song "For Duty and Humanity" from the album was featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 comedy film Flirting With Disaster and was included in the Foundation Skateboards video Duty Now for the Future.

In 1997, Inch took home "Best Alternative Rock" honors at the San Diego Music Awards[3] and spent the summer playing the second stage of the traveling Lollapalooza tour.[4][5]

The band's third and final album, This Will Fall on Dead Ears, was released by Headhunter in 1998.

Inch would go on hiatus in 1999 and the remaining band members would go their separate ways. Steinman would go on to form Congress of the Cow, which would later be named Best New Artist at the 2002 San Diego Music Awards.[6] He would also later join Colorado-based band Harvey Knuckles.

Inch vocalist Michael Steinman was found dead in his Reno, Nevada home on December 30, 2010. He was 38 years old and had died of heart disease.[6]

Inch reunited for a memorial show on February 16, 2011 at The Casbah in San Diego, with Paprocki returning on guitar, Spanninga and Dunn trading bass duties, and Steinman's school friend Matt Page on vocals. A reunion of Sub Society opened.

Steinman's guitar is mounted on the wall of San Diego bar, Livewire, where he used to bartend.[6]