Strung Out

The band formed in 1989 in Simi Valley, California. The original lineup consisted of vocalist Jason Cruz, guitarists Rob Ramos and Jake Kiley, bassist Jim Cherry and drummer Adam Austin. After releasing a self-titled 7" record, they became one of the first bands to be signed to Fat Wreck Chords, the record label owned and operated by Fat Mike of the band NOFX. Austin left the band in 1992 and was replaced by Jordan Burns, formerly of fellow Simi Valley natives Ten Foot Pole. Their first album, Another Day in Paradise, was released in May 1994. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues followed in 1996. In 1998 they released The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat, a compilation album of their pre-Fat Wreck Chords material.

Bassist Jim Cherry was fired from the band in 1999 and went on to play in Pulley and Zero Down, but died of heart failure in 2002 at the age of 30. Initially Jim was replaced by Craig Riker (Deadsy) who played on the track Klawsterfobia (Short Music for Short People). He was replaced by Chris Aiken, whose musical background had a strong impact on the 2000 eight-song EP, The Element of Sonic Defiance.

In 2002, the band released their fourth full-length album An American Paradox, their first release to appear in the Billboard 200. The initial production run contained a bonus song entitled "Don't Look Back". A video was filmed for the song "Cemetery" and was included on several punk rock video compilations. In 2003 they recorded and released a live album as part of the Fat Wreck Chords Live in a Dive series. Exile in Oblivion, was released on November 2, 2004, with a video filmed for the song "Analog." Strung Out released their sixth full-length album, Blackhawks Over Los Angeles on June 12, 2007.

In March 2009, Strung Out released a collection of rarities & B-sides entitled Prototypes and Painkillers. The album is the second such compilation from the band who previously compiled similar material on The Skinny Years: Before We Got Fat in 1998.[10]

On September 29, 2009, Strung Out released their 7th studio album titled Agents of the Underground. This has a less political tone to it than their previous one, and it also combines more of the old fast sound with heavy metal influences.

On July 19, 2011, they released the compilation album Top Contenders: The Best of Strung Out. In contains remastered versions of 23 songs, and 3 new songs; "City Lights", "Saturday Night", and "Here We Are".[11]

On August 2, 2012, drummer Jordan Burns revealed to Punknews.org that Strung Out planned to release a new album. Transmission.Alpha.Delta was announced as the title of the album, initially scheduled to be released in the summer of 2014.[12] The album was delayed and released on March 24, 2015.[13]

On April 18, 2018, the band released an eight-song EP called Black Out the Sky,[14][15] which was inspired by Alice in Chains' 1994 acoustic EP Jar of Flies.[16]

As of February 19, 2018, the band announced on their Facebook page that Jordan Burns is no longer the drummer.[17] Soon after it was revealed that RJ Shankle of the band Runaway Kids was selected to be the new drummer of Strung Out.

On January 7, 2019 both Strung Out and Jason Cruz posted to their respective social media accounts that the band was in the studio recording a new album. Cruz later confirmed that the album was not an acoustic recording like Black Out The Sky but rather a full punk rock album.[18] In another series of posts by Jason Cruz revealed Agents of the Underground producer Cameron Webb would be returning to produce the upcoming album.

On May 15, 2019, Jason Cruz announced the name of the upcoming Strung Out album, Songs of Armor and Devotion on Episode 15 of the Dying Scene Podcast.[19] The album was released August 9, 2019. It embodied a return to speed, upping the tempo from the previous two albums. Regarded as one of, if not the most, technically ambitious Strung Out records to date.[20]

In January 2023, the band officially revealed that they were in the studio working on a new album with new drummer Daniel Blume, following RJ Shankle's departure in late 2022. It was revealed April 21, 2023 via the band's social media that the title of the album would be Dead Rebellion.

Current members

• Jason Cruz – lead vocals (1989–present)
• Jake Kiley – guitar, backing vocals (1989–present)
• Rob Ramos – guitar, backing vocals (1989–present)
• Chris Aiken – bass, backing vocals (1999–present)
• Daniel Blume – drums (2022–present, substitute musician 2018)

Former members

• Jim Cherry – bass, backing vocals (1989–1999; died 2002)
• Adam Austin – drums, percussion (1989–1992)
• Jordan Burns – drums, percussion (1993–2018)
• RJ Shankle – drums (2018–2022)

Timeline

• / Official website
• Truepunk interview with Strung Out (audio format only
• Truepunk second interview with Strung Out
• Strung Out interview May 2009 on Exclaim
• Skratch Magazine: article
• Concert live wire: interview
• Interview at The Land Salmon
• Interview with Chris Aiken
• Interview With Jake Kiley