Even more obscure than they were groundbreaking,
Moss Icon
was an early emo band whose music remains chiefly the province of
hardcore collectors and underground historians. Whether that music
directly influenced or simply presaged modern emo,
Moss Icon's
shifting dynamics, chiming guitar arpeggios, and screaming, crying
vocal climaxes helped set the template for much of the emocore that
followed in its wake. Typical for many late-'80s emocore bands,
Moss Icon
led an unstable existence; due in part to the members' youth, they
performed and recorded only sporadically, and were on hiatus as often as
not. Their first CD release didn't occur until several years after
their breakup, following distantly on the heels of limited chunks of
material for very small labels. Thus, despite increasing name-checks
during emo's rise to prominence,
Moss Icon remained a mystery to many.
Moss Icon
was formed in Annapolis, Maryland in 1986, when its members were still
in high school. Guitarist Tonie Joy, singer Jonathan Vance, bassist
Monica DiGialleonardo, and drummer Mark Laurence played their first show
as
Moss Icon
in the summer of 1987. In early 1988, they issued their debut 7," "Hate
in Me" (aka "Greta Garbo") on Vermin Scum, the small indie label Joy
co-founded in conjunction with members of fellow Annapolis band
the Hated.
A second 7," Mahpiua Luta, followed in 1989, after which the band
alternated between spurts of rehearsals and inactivity. From 1989-90,
Vance and Laurence also played in a side project called Breathing Walker
with guitarist Alex Badertscher, which later came to include Joy and
DiGialleonardo as well. Badertscher joined
Moss Icon as second guitarist in time for their third single, 1990s "Memorial."
Moss Icon
remained together for approximately one more year after that, during
which time they released a split LP with Silver Bearing. They had
attempted to complete a full-length album, but the results of an initial
session were abandoned, then redone at a later date. The LP went
unreleased during the band's existence, and finally appeared on vinyl in
1994 on the Vermiform label, under the title
Lyburnum (aka
Lyburnum Wit's End Liberation Fly).
Additionally, a half-live/half-studio 12" called It Disappears was
released by Ebullition/Vermin Scum in 1995. The subsequent CD issue of
Lyburnum appended the studio portion of It Disappears.
By that time,
Moss Icon
had long since scattered across the country and beyond, to travel or
attend college. Only Tonie Joy remained extensively active in music,
most notably founding
the Universal Order of Armageddon and
the Convocation Of..., while also playing with
Born Against,
Great Unraveling, and Lava, among others. In 2001,
Moss Icon
reunited for several live shows with a lineup of Joy, Vance,
DiGialleonardo, Badertscher, and one-time Breathing Walker drummer Zak
Fusciello.
Tracklist
| A1 |
Guatemala |
5:35
|
| A2 |
Memorial |
5:34
|
| A3 |
Moth |
7:02
|
| A4 |
Gravity |
4:43
|
| B1 |
I'm Back Sleeping Or Fucking Or Something |
3:22
|
| B2 |
It Disappears |
15:41 |
