The Appleseed Cast

    The Appleseed Cast

    Lawrence, Kansas22 reviews across 7 releases

    emoindie rockpost-hardcorepost-rock
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    The Appleseed Cast formed in Southern California in 1997 as December's Tragic Drive, then moved to Lawrence, Kansas, and adopted its lasting name in 1998. The early music joined emo's quiet-loud dynamics to chiming guitars with forceful rhythm changes and passionate vocals, while piano or saxophone occasionally broke through the distortion. The End of the Ring Wars treated heartbreak as an extended arc rather than a set of disconnected songs. The 2000 Mare Vitalis shifted toward layered guitar interplay, slower passages, and greater atmosphere. The turning point was the two-part Low Level Owl project in 2001, a 26-song work recorded as one continuous piece, using electronic loops to connect piano-led instrumentals with long crescendos. The band retained its emotional post-hardcore core, but its records increasingly resembled film music more than conventional emo.

    In 1999, drummer Louie Ruiz left as the group relocated to Lawrence, where Josh Baruth took over behind the kit; bassist Jason Wickersheim departed in January 2000, replaced by Marcus Young. The Appleseed Cast completed its Deep Elm commitment with Lost Songs in 2002, then changed labels for Two Conversations in 2003. That album kept the layered guitars and keyboards but used a punchier mix so the vocals sat clearly above the instruments, and it contained no instrumental tracks. Chris Crisci also began the folk-oriented side project Old Canes in 2002. After Sagarmatha in 2009, Young left to concentrate on school, Nate Whitman replaced him, and later changes brought guitarist Taylor Holenbeck and drummer Nathan Wilder into the group. The band issued Illumination Ritual in 2013 and The Fleeting Light of Impermanence in 2019, then continued touring in 2022 and 2023.

    7 releases reviewed