Tabula Rasa Orchestra

Pittsburgh’s Tabula Rasa rip away the commercial gloss of late ‘90s punk, bringing it back to its independent roots with unrestrained youthful enthusiasm. The band was formed in 2000 by grade-school pals Rob Spagiare (vocals, guitar) and Andrew Grossman (guitar). Spagiare was originally the bassist for Ear to Ear; after that group split up, Spagiare and Grossman started Tabula Rasa and added bassist Justin Campbell and drummer Jeff Kopanic. Merely a week old, the band had their first gig opening for a wrestling match. In 2001, they recorded a self-titled EP. The group was eventually signed to A-F Records and released their debut album The Role of Smith, produced by J. Robbins of Jawbox fame, in 2003. Tabula Rasa’s frenetic, uncompromising hard rock is often compared to Fugazi. ~ Michael Sutton