Small Brown Bike

Trained in Marshall, Michigan, Small Brown Bike appeared in the late 1990s in the wake of the American Midwest’s indie-punk scene, with a sound that crosses emo, post-hardcore and melodic punk rock. The band stands out for the intertwining of two rough voices, carried by a tense yet readable writing, between hardcore intensity, abrasive melodies and often nervous tempos. After starting on small formats from 1997, Small Brown Bike released the albums Our Own Wars (1999), Dead Reckoning (2001) and The River Bed (2003), which define the contours of a direct, dark and frontal style, nourished by the American DIY scene. The band then shared bill with several underground punk and post-hardcore outfits, and also released splits with Cursive (2001) and The Casket Lottery (2002). Split up in 2004 after a final show in Chicago, Small Brown Bike reformed later and resumed writing, before releasing Fell & Found (2011) and Recollected (2013). The band's history also includes other projects led by its members, notably Able Baker Fox and LaSalle, while the disappearance of guitarist Travis Dopp in 2023 marked an important page of its journey.