the draft

It’s rare nowadays that any band with a few releases (and a few hundred shows) under their belt hasn’t had a lineup change or two (or six, if you’re a metalcore band on Rise Records). But the following 14 bands didn’t just replace one member and soldier on; they started fresh as a brand new […]

[Photo: kannemilo photography] In late 2005, beard punks the world over mourned the end of Hot Water Music, the long-running post-hardcore band who were hugely influential yet never broke through commercially. But just as quickly as HWM dissolved, THE DRAFT—featuring every member of Hot Water Music minus vocalist/guitarist Chuck Ragan, who was replaced by Todd Rockhill—came […]

We recently spoke to Hot Water Music bassist Jason Black [far left] about the resurrection of his other band, the Draft, for a two-week tour later this month. (Look for that interview on altpress.com in the coming days.) But in the middle of our conversation, he dropped a pretty big bomb on us: He's started […]

The Draft (featuring members of Hot Water Music, sans Chuck Ragan) have announced their first tour in nearly five years. Dates span two weeks in July and cover parts of the U.S. east coast and midwest. You can view them, below:  “We just decided, 'why not?'  It's a short, fun run and we like playing music […]

Hot Water Music Exister This review originally ran in AP 287. Fans apprehensive about Hot Water Music’s first new album in eight years should find plenty to enjoy on Exister. They sound revitalized, especially Chuck Ragan, who bookends the album with perhaps its most urgent tracks, which are anchored by some of his most powerful […]