User:Makingupthetruth2020/sandbox/MUTT-Making Up the Truth

In Buskirk, NY, around 1999-2000, Jeremey Bogardus, Rodney Tobin, Anthony Wescott, and Josh Daten-Gil, combined their love of heavily distorted guitars, punk rock, hardcore, and catchy hooks, to form the band M.U.T.T. (Making Up the Truth); the band name was decided upon on a hot summer day when a dog, that lacked basic K-9 intelligence, would not stay off the couch at Anthony’s grandfather’s house. Making Up the Truth started off slow, but their seemingly effortless ability to craft angst-ridden/infectious anthems, could not be denied and their songs soon began to draw the attention of music lovers, friends, family and casual listeners everywhere they played. In 2002, Anthony left the band and Ron Grieco took over on the drums. Ron’s thunderous and relentless approach brought an unforeseen and heightened level of energy to the band which helped to solidify them as a formidable force in any local scene. Shortly after the addition or Ron, the band went into the studio to record their debut EP, Hot Dogs and Meat Sauce. The name was derived from the band member’s frequent post-practice ritual of going to the local convenient store where they would consume massive amounts of chili dogs and half-gallon jugs of iced tea. The EP, though never properly mastered or mixed, was met with immediate praise and even garnered some radio-play. Songs like High School Dropout, Nympho and Ordinary soon became favorites that fans would shout every word to at shows. Once they were armed with an EP, full of highly relatable songs, the band took to the road and played everywhere and anywhere they could, amassing fans in every new town/city they ventured to. Over the course of the next two and a half years the band would play nearly 200 shows in clubs, church basements, parties, colleges, high schools, parades, festivals, back yard birthday celebrations, and they even won first place in a number of Battle of the Bands contests. During this time, they opened up for such notable acts as, The Toasters, Count the Stars, This Time Tomorrow, Third to None, The Renowned Army, and Steel Train. As a result, the attendance at their shows began to grow, exponentially, as word of mouth started to spread about this pop/punk band with a hardcore edge. In 2005, after being on the road for roughly three years, the band’s musical capabilities, tastes, and aspirations matured. It was decided that they needed to raise the stakes for their next release. Enlisting the help of engineer/producer Mark Buono (drummer for Third to None), the band went back into the studio to record their follow up EP, God Save America. This time around, the band took great care to ensure that the EP effectively captured the sound they wanted, spending a few months (rather than a few days as they had before) meticulously recording the material until it exceeded their newly acquired standards. Nearing the conclusion of the recording process, Josh parted ways with the band. Michael Cox, from Valtie NY, later auditioned and was an instant fit. Once God Save America was finished, the title track became an instant hit with the fans and it quickly transitioned into the band’s signature song. Songs like U.P.F, and the ballad Time, also became highly requested amongst their fanbase. In support of God Save America, the band did what they do best and played show after show after show. The band extended its reach to New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Albany NY, (and the entire Capital Region), all over Massachusetts, and played just about any place that had electricity in Upstate New York. From 2005 through 2007, the band would rack up another 200 shows and sell 1000`s of copies (yes, physical media) of God Save America in the process. In 2006, the band went back into the studio to make a two song demo, containing the tracks Life and Alone, for Talent2k Productions: a company based out of Texas that signed them, in an effort to get them a record deal. Again, the band enlisted Mark Buono to record and produce the demo. The Life and Alone demo would ultimately be the last thing the band would record together. In 2007, after seven years of traveling, writing, playing shows, promoting and recording, the band came to an end. To celebrate their time together, the band held a farewell show in White Creek, NY at a shitty little hall called Jermaine Hall. It was a fitting place to say goodbye, considering that the band played its very first show there as well. For the event, the band put together their final release: a collection of music called At Least We Tried. The album contained the first two EP’s, the Life and Alone demo, a few live tracks and a DVD documenting a tour they went on in 2005. The farewell show was a huge success, with a handful of great bands serving as supporting acts and 300 heavily intoxicated people in attendance. In 2020, Jeremey, Rodney, and Josh started writing music together again and decided that a reunion was long overdue. They are currently working on a new EP and its first single, Freak, will be released soon.