I Was Totally Destroying It - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

I Was Totally Destroying It is a five-piece powerpop band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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, featuring current and former members of Saddle Creek band Sorry About Dresden

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. After self-releasing and touring the country behind their first full-length album, the band signed with Portland-based indie label Greyday Records. Since forming in 2007, the band has toured much of the country, playing with artists such as Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

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and Blankface. Their next full-length, Horror Vacui, was released by Greyday in October 2009, and was co-produced by Josh Cain of Motion City Soundtrack

Motion City Soundtrack

Formation and Beginnings

John Booker is the one who really began IWTDI. John Booker and James Hepler

James Hepler

James Hepler is an American musician. Associated with several local North Carolina musical groups, Hepler is an adept musician, mastering several musical instruments and is most recognized for his drumming accomplishments playing with the bands I Was Totally Destroying It and Sorry About...

were in a band called called En Garde. En Garde slowly fell apart because band members moved away or chose other bands to prioritize. In 2006/2007 John cam across a band called AOK, which featured Rachel Hirsh and Justin Staple. They joined the band as keyboardist/singer and bassist. At the same time, John found Curtis Armstead from Sanford who was looking to join a band and recruited him to play guitar.

After a while, Justin went to school in Chicago. They recruited Martin Anderson to be the bassist, but things didn't work out. Martin was very busy with his other musical projects, one including being co-owner of Trekky Records

Trekky Records

Trekky Records is an independent record label based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The label was created in 2001 by Chapel Hill natives Martin Anderson and Will Hackney as an outlet for their friends' music...

, so he and the band parted ways. I Was Totally Destroying It held auditions found Joe Mazzitelli.

The summer of 2008, IWTDI had their first real tour on their own. They did some regional touring before hand, but the summer of 2008 was nationwide.

Awards

IWTDI were among the News and Observer’s Great 8 of 2008, and also that year made the Onion AV Club’s list of memorable band names. The Independent Weekly ranked them as having one of the “Best Songs Of The Year” in 2007, 2008, and 2009. The Daily Tar Heel ranked their album, “Horror Vacui”, as the second NC album of 2009.

Band members

Curtis Armstead - Guitar

John Booker - Vocals, Guitar

James Hepler

James Hepler

- Drums

Rachel Hirsh - Vocals, Keyboards

Joe Mazzitelli - Bass

Discography

I Was Totally Destroying It (2007) - self-released

Done Waiting EP (2008) - self-released

The Beached Margin/Done Waiting LP (2009) - Greyday Records

Horror Vacui (2009) - Greyday Records

Preludes (2011) - Greyday Records

External links

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