Karate, the Massachusetts-based indie rock band, has been making music for over twenty years. Formed in 1998, the band originally started out as an informal experimentation project by guitarist/vocalist Geoff Farina. Upon hosting their first live performance in Newton, Massachusetts, Farina invited bassist Jeff Goddard and drummer Gavin McCarthy to complete the trio’s lineup.
What followed was a prolific career filled with six studio albums over a span of fifteen years. Although they released their debut album In Place of Real Insight in 2000 - featuring a raw amalgam of post-punk and experimental pop - it wasn’t until the release of Unsolved that their true sound began to take shape. An adventurous reconsideration of classic rock and the indie scene of the 1980s, Unsolved established an eclectic sound that was reproduced on further recordings like Some Bridges, Pockets, and The League Of Electric Shadows. After five years and countless tours, the band put out their most successful long play release The New England Sessions in 2005. This album was especially successful due to the seamless blend of genres mixed within it, resulting in a unique and voluminous sound.
The band’s formative years, combined with their adventurous approach to music, created an unprecedented recipe of punk-inspired indie rock, drawing attention from fans and critics alike. If hits like “Expecting Any Change†and “Charlie Brown’s Advice†weren’t enough to captivate listeners, then collaborations with other indie and post-rock greats like Great Unwashed, Transient Songs, Esazar, Illuminated Coast, and File Under: Easy Listening had quite the effect.
Karate is largely responsible for popularizing the use of a “code-mixing†method - a creative practice that combines elements from several distinct genres to create a wholly unique and powerful sound. And if this isn’t admirable enough, the band has collaborated with numerous industry icons such as Lee Ranaldo and Mike Watt, herculean names of the sonic underground.
From the release of their first album in 2000 to the present day, Karate’s wildly inventive sound has remained consistent despite line-up changes; Marty Dusty and Mike Pace became permanent members after Gavin and Jeff left in 2003 and their departure allowed greater flexibility for the trio to hone their skills and numbering skills, which in turn allowed them to perfect their creative code-mixing practices.
In their wake, Karate has left a legacy that is the definition of innovation - a trait all the more commendable for an act that’s been in the industry for over two decades. To this day, the band continues to tour and make music that is both emotionally profound and genuinely powerful - a daunting task for a band still gazing into the creative and versatile horizon.