Aphasia

The early 2000s had a few other artists poking around with Aphasia as a handle — an avant-garde electronicist here, a death metal act there. But that didn't stop this California-based neo-emo (think Thrice, Incubus) quartet from copping the name, too. Jeff Harber (vocals), Drew DeHaven (guitar), Jayse Basques (bass), and Will Peng (drums) had solidified their sound and lineup by high school, and began playing shows and building a following around their Bay Area home turf. By 2003 they'd come to the attention of fellow Northern Californian post-grungers Trapt, who took Aphasia under their management and record-release wing. A three-song teaser EP appeared before their self-titled full-length dropped in autumn '04. In 2005 the album was re-sequenced, re-titled, and re-released by RT Entertainment as Fact & Fiction. [For more information, visit www.aphasiaonline.com.]