Today’s featured myspace artists are a five-piece pop punk/emo-influenced rock band from Thousand Oaks, California, named Halifax.

Halifax started as simple leisure activity of singer Mike Hunau and guitarist Chris Brandt, who would write songs out of boredom in Brandt’s parents’ house. They later added Justin Chlowitz on bass and siblings Dan and Matt Locascio on guitar and drums to form a full-time touring band. Their band name originated from the Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the Locascio brothers had attended a hockey tournament. After several months of occasional touring, Halifax recorded their eleven-song debut album, titled, Start Back at Start, within a week in the winter of 2003. The self-produced and self-funded album was licensed and released by ECA Records.

However, it soon became obvious that Hunau and Brandt were not getting along with the rest of the band members. Being the creative core of Halifax, the two decided to take a chance on a new batch of members. The band added guitarist Adam Charles, bassist Kevin Donlon and drummer/Drive-Thru Records intern Tommy Guindon and the new line-up pooled their cash to record their second album. The result was a self-produced EP, titled A Writer’s Reference, released on January 2004 through No Milk Records. While Halifax’s debut was much more reminiscent of the band’s emo/pop punk influences, their new material showcased a more unique style, mainly because of the line-up changes they had.

Right after that the EP was released, bassist Donlon quit after only a year in the band and the bass player position was filled by Doug Peyton. In between, Halifax appeared on MTV’s The Real World: Austin, alongside Hellogoodbye in a series of episodes about the South by Southwest music festival.

In May 2006, Drive-Thru Records released Halifax’s third album, which marked the first time the band worked with a record producer. ‘The Inevitability of a Strange World’ was produced partially by Lou Giordano and partially by Machine, who had previously worked with such renowned bands as Armor for Sleep, The Goo Goo Dolls, Lamb of God, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Thanks to them, the album featured a much rawer sound, giving a slight nod to a variety of heavy metal acts (most notably in the song “Our Revolution” , which lyrically and musically pays homage to Mötley Crüe’s “Kickstart My Heart” :

The Inevitability of a Strange World sold close to 7,000 copies within its first week, debuting at number 130 on the Billboard 200 and at number 1 on the Top Heatseekers chart. To promote the release, the band shot a music video for “Our Revolution“,

toured extensively and appeared on TV shows such as Last Call with Carson Daly and Fearless Music. Check out their myspace page to explore the band’s music throughout the years, plus watch the making of the great video for “Our Revolution”.