Dependant on clear and vigorous rock guidelines and creating their tunes via an arousing guitar section and powerful drum cuts, Forstella Ford follows the track of the most inflamed alternative pop/rock segments. In addition, Ford add caustic lyrics and subtle selections of hardcore style to their themes, therefore bestowing a unique kind of hybrid sharp sound. Formerly conceived as Only Airplanes Count, Forstella Ford formed in 1996 in Milwaukee, WI, combining the efforts of a four-piece unit fronted by Mark Sheppard (guitar, vocals) and supported by Nick Sheppard (bass, vocals), Whitney Teska (drums), and Ryan Poulsen (guitar). One year after their first rehearsals, Ford managed to appear on a 12-band compilation disc titled What's Mine Is Yours, which hit the market through the Deep Elm Records label. In 1997 the band entered its first Midwest tour -- alongside Sunday Flood -- eventually gaining a considerable acclaim throughout the region. In that same year they recorded a split disc with Stillwell, securing them an even larger audience. In 1998 Ford recorded Relics of an Unseen Life, a nine-track disc confirming the crew's growing recognition. It was then that Poulsen left, being later substituted by Jim Sardino. Forstella Ford then continued to tour intensively, playing all around the Midwest and Southwest regions and obtaining an even larger praise. Insincerity Down to an Artform, their second full-length disc, hit the record stores in 2000, this time via The Mountain Cooperative logo. In 2001 the band managed to release yet another disc, the EP Dismal State of the Art, months before recording their major full-length, the album Quietus. Forstella Ford then started preparing for their first major tour, taking them all over the U.S., Canada, and Europe. ~ Mario Mesquita Borges