Karate is an American band, formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1993 by Geoff Farina, Eamonn Vitt and Gavin McCarthy, with Jeff Goddard joining in 1995. The band split up in 2005 before reuniting in 2022.[1]
In 1993, Karate was formed by Geoff Farina (vocals, guitar), Eamonn Vitt (bass) and Gavin McCarthy (drums). In 1995, Jeff Goddard joined the band as bass player, and Vitt moved to second guitar.
Vitt departed Karate to pursue a medical career in 1997.[4]
Their music during their original run was primarily released on Southern Records.[5]
Breakup and post-breakup projects
Farina developed hearing problems due to twelve years of performance with Karate and was forced to disband the group in July 2005. Disbanding with fanfare, the group had recorded six studio albums and had almost seven hundred performances in twenty countries.[6] Their final show was played in Rome, Italy, on July 10, 2005.[citation needed]
In 2007, the former band members released the live album 595.[7] It is a recording of the band's 595th performance, on May 5, 2003 at Stuk, Leuven, Belgium. The recording was sent to them by a sound technician, and Karate were so astonished by the quality they decided to release it as an official live album.[8] Karate's perfectionism and attention to detail is well known among the music scene, which played a part in the naming of the album.[citation needed] It was originally to be called 594. However, McCarthy discovered a flyer for a forgotten early show, so the band quickly changed the title to 595.
Farina developed a solo career, releasing three albums and a number of EPs.[12][13] He also worked with Chris Brokaw, releasing work as Geoff Farina & Chris Brokaw.[14]
McCarthy has been part of a number of bands including E, which released albums in 2016 and 2018.[15][16]
Reissues and reunion
In 2021, The Numero Group announced they would be reissuing the band's music after long periods of their music being unavailable due to Southern not allowing the band to. The first releases to be reissued was the band's first two albums and first single.[17]
In 2022, Stereogum reported that the band would reunite for their first tour in 17 years.[1] It was announced in November that the band would play Primavera Sound festival in 2023.[18]
On September 15, 2023, the Numero Group released Complete Studio Recordings, compiling their six studio albums, the Cancel/Sing and In The Fish Tank EPs, singles, and split 7"s. The 69 tracks were split across eight CDs. The box set included an 80-page book by Leor Galil containing essays and photographs.[19]
On January 7, 2024, Numero Group posted on Twitter teasing new music for the band, featuring a short video of the members at the end of what they said was the "first Karate session in 20 years".[20] Numero would later mention that a "new Karate record [is] currently in the works".[21] The album was formally announced with the name Make It Fit with a release date of October 18, along with the Defendants b/w Silence, Sound single released on July 25.[22]
Influences
The band has said in interviews that their combination of indie rock and jazz came from studying music theory in college. Farina's guitar playing was influenced by bands like The Minutemen and Beefeater.[23]
^Adams, Gregory (April 29, 2021). "Karate's Geoff Farina: "I have an ongoing identity crisis – every six months I'm enamored with some other style of guitar playing"". guitarworld. Retrieved February 15, 2024. The Minutemen were a huge influence on me when I was young; I still love those records. Punk wasn't a distinct style [to me]; it was more people who didn't fit in anywhere because they mixed styles... the Minutemen really embodied that. There was also a band from D.C. called Beefeater that was very strange – they had a heavy metal guitar player, [and] one of my favorite bass players from D.C., Dug Birdzell, who played slap bass.
