Raze The Alarms

2026 has been a pretty good year for us as a band. We've been able to play some shows, make some scratch, and meet new bands and fans. We are fortunate to have these experiences especially with the state of music right now.

Overall, we played 7 shows in 2026. We started off the year in January with the Road To Pointfest. We always love playing these shows even though its an uphill battle for us to wind up on a Pontfest stage. Its great networking, helps us make a few bucks, and we get to play at legendary Pops! When Trevor May & the Nomads took the stage we knew we had no chance of winning but man those guys were good!

Next gig was in March at a physical media shop in STL called Media Cavern. We were tucked away in a corner amidst a respectable collection of DVDs and old televisions. It was a bit surreal with all the televisions playing things ranging from near-pornographic anime to children's programming. A projector displayed movies on the ceiling above the band and we came up with the idea to play V For Vendetta during our set. Some kids broke out Magic The Gathering cards and played on a rack of CDs. One of them managed to spill their beer on the CDs and the game was pretty much over at that point.

We were asked to support a show at Red Flag with Tantric and we of course jumped at that opportunity. The show was on a Wednesday in April so the turnout was paltry but it was awesome seeing them live and meeting Hugo Ferreira. It was an interesting perspective into how you hear these bands on the radio when you are younger and idolize them only to see them play decades later to 20 people on a Wednesday night. Just makes you think.

Then in June we hopped on a bill with Divine Sorrow at the newly re-opened Fubar Lounge. The show was alright and most of the people were there for Divine Sorrow as they bring a decent crowd with them. We met some new friends and got a lot of compliments. The new venue was pretty cool even though it is a bit cramped. Sound guy was a stand in so it wasnt great but "good enough" to get us through the set. There were some little kiddos running around and we catered to one boy who was possibly Neurodivergent. We gave him some free stuff like drumsticks and a shirt and he was super appreciative. Made the trip worth it in the end.

July saw us at Pops again supporting a touring act called Versus Me. There were 6 friggin bands on that bill so we only got like a 25 minute set. We were rifled through like an assembly line. Still fun to play that stage and meet new people. Versus Me put on a solid show even though a lot of it was backing track and production antics. Our stage sound was not as good as it usually was. Pops has some newer management and people running sound/lights which makes us miss Chris and the old crew.

We doubled down in July and went back to Fubar with Everfelt. We played decently and again got some solid compliments but it was a bit of a shit show overall. There was misinformation on when bands were supposed to start which lead to us going on an hour later than we expected. Many of our friends and family who were going to come out ended up declining due to how late we were going on. The sound guy was an asshole and didn't give bands any soundchecks. He said just start playing and he will adjust on the fly but that turned into the mix coming through the stage monitors sounding like dogshit. Bands would ask him to make adjustments but he sat in the booth vaping and playing on his phone, doing jack all about it. At the end of the night there was confusion on the bands payout and we had to step up and go talk to Bob the manager to get it squared away. Since all but two bands already left (an asshole move for a band not sticking around for all the acts by the way...) we split it between us. Definitely one of our least favorite shows.

September saw our last show of the year at a venue we always love playing at called the Conservatory in Alton IL. We joined up with old friends Birds of Squalor and a few others. There was some confusion on new venue policies which the singer of BOS reported back to us. Apparently this new policy requires the acts to pay $200 up front when booking so that the sound guy can get paid. Bunch of bullshit really. After some discussions it was ironed out and we were "grandfathered in". We didnt have to pay the $200 but we all agreed that we would not be going back to the Conservatory if that is how they are going to do business. The show was good and Dracula Johnson, well one of their members, did a one man show that involved singing interesting songs over programmed beats and shit. Kind of hard to describe but it was both jarring and creatively interesting. We actually made a bit of cash at that show and it made some good memories.

After experiencing such frustrations with on stage monitors and being at the mercy of the sound guy, we decided to invest in an in ear monitor system. We got it built and are currently practicing with it in hopes it will help us sound better and more professional. We can run a click track in our ears and that opens us up to levereaging backing tracks and other fun stuff. We also agreed to take the rest of the year off from playing live shows and will focus on writing some new material and getting a few songs recorded. We have three new songs on the burners so we hope to have something ready by January 9th which will be our next show at Red Flag. 

Adam left for Illinois in July of 2009, but we all managed to stay in touch. A few years went by and during that time we began to discuss a potential meeting to jam and even record a few songs. We came up with a plan to meet in the fall/winter of 2013. Adam would drive in from Nebraska, we would run through the set a few times to shake off the dust, and then finish things up by heading into the studio. We decided on five songs to record: The Battle Begins, Novels of Your Lies, Silent Prayer, Second Chance and Perfect Design. We found a place in Maryville Illinois called Ambit Studios. Joel Sprenger was the owner and he had just broken ground so we were among the first to record there. He was a fantastic guy to work with and accommodated us in our rusty unpracticed state as well as our meager budget.

It was such a good feeling to be playing music again. We setup our gear in Tonys tiny house and essentially picked up where we left off. After a few days of practice we packed everything up and headed to Maryville. Recording was casual and comfortable, although a bit chilly. We laid down our tracks and Joel got the mixes done a little while later. In the end we were proud of what we accomplished, and we finally had some decently recorded songs to show for it. Adam talks about his experience:

"I hadn't picked up a guitar for a hot minute before that trip. I didn't even have a 7-string to record Silent Prayer and Perfect Design. I actually went to Guitar Center, bought one, and then returned it after we were done. It was such a great time hanging out with Rick and Tony again. I missed our comradery."

We took advantage of our time together and put together a little show for friends and family. Rick and Tony went to high school with a guy who had a band called Pale Horse and they joined us for the night. Tony recalls:

“We had been away for a couple years at that point but made the plan to record and met up for a week of practice and played a small show for about 30ppl before recording at what use to be trinity services in Mascoutah. It felt good to hang with the brothers and again and catch up on how times had passed.”

We were only together for a few days, but we made some great memories such as Adam buying a bottle of Old Crow whisky and every time he took a drink he would let out a loud “Caw!”. It definitely did not get annoying. The overall experience kept that musical fire inside of us going and reminded us that we still had what it took to be a band. Rick told us: 

“Life had pushed each of us into different directions (mentally and geographically). We were given a second chance when the stars aligned and all of us met up again.”

This was the last time we played together until Adam and Tony came back to the Illinois area in 2021/2022. Again, we picked up where we left off and all was right in the world. Our first public show wouldn’t be for almost a year but we'll talk about that later. 

It all started back in 2007 when Tony and some friends got asked if they wanted to start a band by another collegemate. This band would never come to fruition, but its remnants formed a four-piece group called “I Vote No”. Tony’s childhood friend Rick, who he knew from symphony band came to some practices to play keyboard but would ultimately take over on drums. The lead guitarists left the band due to college, so Tony and Rick got Jessica, Rick’s future wife, to fill in on keyboard parts.

Adam and Tony met at a local game store while playing the tabletop game Warhammer 40k. They bonded over music and other nerd stuff. They and another player would jam out to Nirvana covers and some of Adam’s own material. I Vote No would play one show in which Adam came out to watch at the VFW in Mascoutah Illinois. Adam was already drumming for another band but after seeing the creativity that Rick and Tony had he then asked to be a part of the project. The original guitarist would part ways to pursue other interests and Jess left to attend University. 

With the group now a three-piece act, songs were modified and the group decided to rename the band. While working together at Tom’s supermarket Rick had the idea of naming the band with concept of how people must lower their defenses to be able to enjoy and fully see life for what it is and take that risk of bringing down those walls. A small exchange went back and forth and by the end of the shift Tony suggested something like burning down those walls and barriers, thus the concept of “Razing” the Alarms. Rick suggested it be like passing on advice to the next generation and wanted to include the name of Tony’s niece. The group settled on the name Raze The Alarms Deanna.

RAD continued to play shows from 2008-2009 in St. Louis and Mascoutah. They would record all their songs during a living room recording session and burned a handful of CDs with the title “Perfect Design”. Unfortunately, Adam and his family were required to move due to military orders as he and his wife were active-duty Air Force. They played one last official show at the American Legion in Mascoutah with the bands What Once was Eden and Burning Down Oceans. It was a packed house. It was also the last time the friends would play a show together until 2013, but that is for a later post.