Throwing Aces!

TA! was a hardcore band from Pittsfield, MA (USA) that was active between 2007-2009. The band was originally formed by vocalist Jason Shea (2) (Born Into Hate, Bannion) and bassist C.J. Brelsford (Back Down From No One). The two found themselves without active bands and when they met up at a local show they laid the groundwork for a new project. They then recruited guitarist Dennis Shea a.k.a. The Deze (Aisle-4, Born Into Hate) and drummer Rick Gallagher (4) (Born Into Hate, All Kill All, True Blood) to round out the quartet. Tentatively using the name Shut The Fuck Up (STFU) they began rehearsals and writing new songs, including an instrumental version of an old Born Into Hate song. After a while they fell into a hiatus. It didn't take long for Jay, C.J. and The Deze to reform the band along with a new drummer Steve Dowsett (2) (This Never Happens) and a new name. However, after their first show, The Deze left the band for family obligations and the band was able to secure a new guitarist in Kane Gelaznik (Back Down From No One, The Stillborn Extraction, This Never Happens, When I Came Back From Death) cementing what would become TA!'s core line-up. There was a brief time when Steve left the band due to personal reasons and was replaced by Long Island, NY transplant and punk rocker, Johnny Bourque (Poncherellos). and occasionally C.J. would move over to guitar and the bassist position would be filled in by friends of the band such as Bryan Larkin (Zombie Assault) and Scott Rocheleau (Born Into Hate, Bannion). And there was another show where Matt Steiner (The Stillborn Extraction) filled in on guitar for the night. With a set line-up the band began building a name and reputation by ripping through shows in Western Massachusetts and Upstate New York. They also recorded a demo, but it was never finished as the recordings were lost by the engineer. However, the band had a CDr of the rough mixes and made 6 of the 7 tracks available on the band's MySpace page. TA! kept pushing forward and signed to Demonseed Records NY. Things looked promising for the band as they were set to record an EP and on June 5th, 2009 they met with Don Fury at Don Fury Studio in Troy, NY before that night headlining a DemonSeed Records Showcase also in Troy. That show also saw the return of The Deze to the active line-up after joining the band onstage for a pair of songs at a previous show. Unfortunately, as members of the band had other contending commitments TA! began dissolving quickly after that playing just one more basement show. They went away quietly and without much of a bang. The Don Fury sessions never happened. The EP was never recorded and their remaining shows were all cancelled. Eventually in 2014 the Unfinished Demo was released with all 7 tracks on a split CDr release with Bannion but It was a limited quantity and is not very easy to locate. And on Saturday, May 6th, 2017 the band was set to play a reunion show in their hometown with good friend Tom Brown (53) (This Names Taken) handling the drum duties. Again, Unfortunately, after a few practices the band had to drop from the show. Some of the guys would go on to play in other bands and release some great music. C.J. went on to play in Before I Had Wings, Bloodwar and was in the first line-up of Wrong Move (2). He would move to Kansas City, MO and play with a band called Choppin' Block. Steve moved to Boston, MA and plays in metal band Olyphant. Johnny would also play in Before I Had Wings and continues to play with new projects from time to time. Kane has put out numerous releases, both solo and in other bands, but most notably with 7candystars, Absolute Suffering, Before I Had Wings, Maniac (27), Revenge (28), Vomit Forth and Warrior Prince.