Anything But Joey
Encyclopedia
Anything But Joey was a pop-rock band from the Kansas City
area. The band was made up of high school friends Matt Groebe (lead vocals
), Drew Scofield (bass
/backing vocals
), Jeff Polaschek (drums
), and Bryan Chesen (guitar
).
. In December 1996, Thulium recorded and released a four-song demo called The Blue Tape. However, due to college commitments, the band saw little activity. During this slow period, they added second guitarist Steve Nick and made two more recordings. A self-titled album in 1997 (sometimes called the "white album") and an EP
called Mars Needs Pimps Too the next year.
After college, things for the band began to pick up speed and they again returned to the studio. With producer J. Hall, Thulium recorded their second album, The Secret Club, in two weeks. The title refers to other bands in the Kansas City music scene that were more popular, such as The Get Up Kids
, The Anniversary
, and The Creature Comforts. Thulium felt these bands looked down on them because of the different style of music they played. With a new record, they began playing more local shows and touring regionally. In April 2001, Steve parted ways with the band, citing creative differences. Thulium would continue touring heavily, taking short breaks to record a few songs here and there.
96.5 FM. With a local radio hit, Anything But Joey released a new album, Come Out Fighting, in December 2002. Come Out Fighting also produced other fan favorites such as "One" and "Girls Like You," although "Girl Roommate" was the only radio hit. In June, 2003, the group was the subject of a cover story for the Kansas City alternative weekly, The Pitch. The article described the growing "Joeymania" in the wake of "Girl Roommate." The next few years saw the band touring heavely, opening for Jimmy Eat World
in Kansas City and playing a few dates on the 2003 Vans Warped Tour. They released another 4 song EP, Necessary, But Not Cool, in late 2004.
. However, this line-up didn't last long. In January 2005, Anything But Joey announced that they were breaking up. After almost 10 years together, the members wanted to explore new things. Matt, Bryan, and Wes formed a harder styled emo
/goth band called The Famed. Drew reunited with former guitarist Steve Nick to form another pop-rock band called Stuck On Broadway. Jeff later joined Stuck On Broadway after their original drummer quit.
Anything But Joey has reunited a few times since their breakup to open for their friends, such as St. Louis band Ludo
.
"Sight Reading" from the "Come Out Fighting" album was used in the trailer for the 2007 film "Meet Bill."
As Anything But Joey
As Anything But Joey
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
area. The band was made up of high school friends Matt Groebe (lead vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Drew Scofield (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
/backing vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
), Jeff Polaschek (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), and Bryan Chesen (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
).
Thulium
The band formed in the summer of 1995, under the name M.I.P. After playing their first show, they decided to change their name to Thulium, after the 69th element on the Periodic Table of ElementsPeriodic table
The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular display of the 118 known chemical elements organized by selected properties of their atomic structures. Elements are presented by increasing atomic number, the number of protons in an atom's atomic nucleus...
. In December 1996, Thulium recorded and released a four-song demo called The Blue Tape. However, due to college commitments, the band saw little activity. During this slow period, they added second guitarist Steve Nick and made two more recordings. A self-titled album in 1997 (sometimes called the "white album") and an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Mars Needs Pimps Too the next year.
After college, things for the band began to pick up speed and they again returned to the studio. With producer J. Hall, Thulium recorded their second album, The Secret Club, in two weeks. The title refers to other bands in the Kansas City music scene that were more popular, such as The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids
The Get Up Kids are an American alternative rock band from Kansas City, Missouri. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-90's emo scene, otherwise known as the "second wave" of emo music...
, The Anniversary
The Anniversary
The Anniversary was an American band formed in Lawrence, Kansas in 1997 by Josh Berwanger, James David, Christian Jankowski, Adrianne Verhoeven and Justin Roelofs. The Anniversary was the solidification of a line-up that had been in flux for a year...
, and The Creature Comforts. Thulium felt these bands looked down on them because of the different style of music they played. With a new record, they began playing more local shows and touring regionally. In April 2001, Steve parted ways with the band, citing creative differences. Thulium would continue touring heavily, taking short breaks to record a few songs here and there.
Name change
In 2002, the band decided to change its name from Thulium to Anything But Joey (ABJ). With the name change came more success. Their song "Girl Roommate" became the most requested song on KRBZKRBZ
KRBZ, FM 96.5 in Kansas City, is an Alternative rock station. The station uses the brand name 96-5 The Buzz. It is the Kansas City market's home for the syndicated program Loveline. The station is owned by Entercom Communications, and is based in Mission, Kansas.-History:KRBZ began broadcasting in...
96.5 FM. With a local radio hit, Anything But Joey released a new album, Come Out Fighting, in December 2002. Come Out Fighting also produced other fan favorites such as "One" and "Girls Like You," although "Girl Roommate" was the only radio hit. In June, 2003, the group was the subject of a cover story for the Kansas City alternative weekly, The Pitch. The article described the growing "Joeymania" in the wake of "Girl Roommate." The next few years saw the band touring heavely, opening for Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....
in Kansas City and playing a few dates on the 2003 Vans Warped Tour. They released another 4 song EP, Necessary, But Not Cool, in late 2004.
Break up
In late 2004, Jeff left the band and was replaced by former Walls of Jericho drummer Wes KeelyWes Keely
Wes Keely is a drummer from the United States best known for his time in Walls of Jericho, Until the End and Remembering Never, and has also drummed for bands such as Most Precious Blood, Throwdown, The Famed, Earthmover, and is a current member of Seattle rock band Again & Again.- References :...
. However, this line-up didn't last long. In January 2005, Anything But Joey announced that they were breaking up. After almost 10 years together, the members wanted to explore new things. Matt, Bryan, and Wes formed a harder styled emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
/goth band called The Famed. Drew reunited with former guitarist Steve Nick to form another pop-rock band called Stuck On Broadway. Jeff later joined Stuck On Broadway after their original drummer quit.
Anything But Joey has reunited a few times since their breakup to open for their friends, such as St. Louis band Ludo
Ludo (band)
Ludo is an alternative rock band from St. Louis, Missouri. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Andrew Volpe, lead guitarist/back up vocalist Tim Ferrell, moog/synth and back up vocalist Tim Convy, and drummer/back up vocalist Matt Palermo.-History:...
.
"Sight Reading" from the "Come Out Fighting" album was used in the trailer for the 2007 film "Meet Bill."
Band members
- Drew Scofield - Bass, Backing Vocals (1995–2005)
- Matt Groebe - Lead Vocals, Synth (1995–2005)
- Bryan Chesen - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (1995–2005)
- Jeff Polaschek - Drums (1995–2004, returned for farewell tour)
- Wes KeelyWes KeelyWes Keely is a drummer from the United States best known for his time in Walls of Jericho, Until the End and Remembering Never, and has also drummed for bands such as Most Precious Blood, Throwdown, The Famed, Earthmover, and is a current member of Seattle rock band Again & Again.- References :...
- Drums (2004) - Steve Nick (in Thulium) - Rhythm guitar (1996–2001)
Albums
As Thulium- Thulium
- The Secret Club
As Anything But Joey
- Come Out Fighting
Demos and EPs
As Thulium- The Blue Tape
- Mars Needs Pimps Too
As Anything But Joey
- Necessary, But Not Cool