Econoline Crush

Econoline Crush was formed in 1992 when singer Trevor Hurst moved to Vancouver from Seattle after he answered an ad seeking a vocalist in the local Seattle newspaper, The Rocket, placed by Chris Meyers. Tom Ferris (previously known for the band Moev) and Meyers had been advertising and searching for a vocalist before Hurst contacted Meyers from Seattle. The trio began writing demos and shortly thereafter, the band started to receive fan and music industry attention. Guitarist Robbie Morfitt, guitarist Hack, bassist Dan Yaremko, and drummer Gregg Leask had rounded out the lineup. In 1993, Ferris (whom had songwriting credits on the next two releases) and Meyers had left the band, and Econoline Crush signed a record deal with EMI Music Canada, after playing only 26 shows total.[2]

In 1994, the band released their first EP called Purge,[3] with producer Dale Penner (later famous for Nickelback) and keyboardist/programmer Rhys Fulber. "T.D.M." was the only song to be released as a single, and its music video aired sporadically on the television program MuchOnDemand.[4] In 1995, the band gained their first nomination for a Juno Award in Canada due to Purge.[5]

In 1996, Econoline Crush released its full-length album Affliction without guitarist Hack. The album was produced by Fulber, and contained the singles "Nowhere Now", "Wicked", and "Close". The band then embarked on an extensive Canadian tour. They also toured Europe three times, with the The Young Gods, Die Krupps, and Waltari, culminating in an appearance at the POP KOMM Festival in Köln, Germany with Filter.

Towards the end of 1996, the band signed with the management group Bruce Allen Talent, and started recording at Sound City with producer Sylvia Massy, who had worked with Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Tool. A year later, they released The Devil You Know. They embarked on a tour with KISS, Foo Fighters, Green Day, The Tea Party, and other bands.[6][7] The album was released in the U.S. on the band's new label Restless Records in 1998, and they went again on tour with KISS, Stabbing Westward, God Lives Underwater, among others.[8]

During the recording of the album and after it was released, the lineup had changed numerous times. Keyboardist Fulber was no longer involved with the band, and his position was not replaced. Bassist Yaremko left the band during recording to join singer-songwriter Bif Naked and then rejoined late in the touring cycle (with Don Binns, Ken Fleming, and then Thom Christiansen filling in). Drummer Leask left the band after the Affliction tours and was replaced by Robert Wagner (only to be replaced himself by Nico Quintal and then Johnny Haro during the tours). Also, guitarist Morfitt was briefly in the band alongside new guitarist Ziggy Sigmund, but Morfitt left after the touring ended for The Devil You Know.

The single "All That You Are (X3)" had charted highly in both the U.S. (#18 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock chart) and Canada (#12 on RPM's Hot 100 chart and #9 on RPM's Alternative 30 chart). The singles "Home" and "Surefire (Never Enough)" had also found moderate airplay in both countries. The band received their second Juno nomination in 1998 due to The Devil You Know, and performed live at the televised Juno ceremony.[9][10] The album also received gold and platinum awards.[11][1] In December 1999, "You Don't Know What It's Like" was released as a successful single and was included on MuchMusic's Big Shiny Tunes 4. Overall it had peaked at #13 on RPM's Alternative 30 chart and at #29 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock chart (it was also re-released in 2001 to support the next album).

During this time, some of the band's songs appeared on television shows, including Melrose Place, Psi Factor, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, and ESPN, among others.[6] In addition, the 1999 Sony PlayStation game Sled Storm featured mix versions of the songs "Sparkle and Shine", "Nowhere Now", and "Surefire (Never Enough)".

The band went to California to work on their next album with producers John Travis, Bob Rock, and DJ Swamp, which included collaborations with Chris Vrenna (formerly from Nine Inch Nails) and Paul Raven (Killing Joke, Prong, and Ministry). In 2001, the band released Brand New History to mixed reviews, despite some moderate commercial success. The lineup was solidified with Hurst, Yaremko, Sigmund, and Haro, alongside second guitarist Mark Peterson late in the touring cycle.[12] The album contained the charting single "Make It Right" and the previously-released "You Don't Know What It's Like".

Across Canada, Econoline Crush and rapper Kardinal Offishall supported Godsmack on a tour; however, both openers were not warmly received by the heavy metal crowd. In the middle of 2002, the band's U.S. label Restless Records had been purchased by Rykodisk, whom was already restructuring internally.[13] The mixed reception of their last album, the ill-fated tours, and the eventual lack of label support caused the band to enter an extended hiatus.

The band members focused on other projects. Yaremko rejoined Bif Naked's backing band for a brief period, and then had multiple stints with the punk rock band D.O.A.. Haro teamed up with Stabbing Westward vocalist Christopher Hall to form The Dreaming. Sigmund embarked on a solo career and later moved to California. Hurst started working on a new band alongside former Collective Soul guitarist Ross Childress, initially called Early Moses; however, due to a legal dispute, it was then changed to simply Hurst.

In December 2006, Econoline Crush reformed to play sporadic one-off shows, although only Hurst and Yaremko from the previous lineups stayed. Afterwards, Hurst announced on his MySpace page that he was working on a new Econoline Crush record, while the band started touring with Hinder. The new lineup of the band was drummer Brent Fitz, bassist Scott Whalen, guitarist Kai Markus, and Hurst. Hurst and Markus (who had worked with Noise Therapy and Methods of Mayhem) co-wrote the songs for the new album, which was recorded at Radiostar Studios in California. The album, Ignite, was released on January 15, 2008. The singles "Get Out of the Way" and "Dirty" both appeared on RPM's Alternative 30 chart in Canada, with the latter peaking at #13.[14] Shortly after, the band went on tour with Three Days Grace and Seether.[15] In August 2008, they went on another tour with 3 Doors Down, Staind, and Hinder, followed by a tour with Alice Cooper in September and October 2008.[16][17] In 2009 the band played at festivals across Canada, including the Halifax Rocks Festival, with KISS, on July 18.[18]

In April 2010 it was announced that both Robbie Morfitt and Ziggy Sigmund were back playing guitar. The band embarked on a summer tour in 2010, joined by drummer Greg Williamson and bassist Steve Vincent, both from Alberta's Tupelo Honey.[19] EMI then released Surefire: The Best of Econoline Crush on December 21, 2010. The band released their EP The People Have Spoken, Vol. 1 on April 8, 2011.

On September 17, 2017, the band performed during Calgary's fifth annual Rally for Recovery Day while also Hurst shared his story of addiction and recovery. It was the third show of a weekend run that introduced drummer Dayvid Swart and guitarist Graham Tuson, while original bassist Yaremko briefly rejoined.[20]

In a Facebook post in August 2019, the band announced new music would be released and shared a trailer for a documentary about Hurst's work as a registered nurse, titled Flatlander. In 2020, the band shared a new song, a re-working of "Get Out of the Way" from 2008's Ignite album. Another new song followed, titled "Fight Like the Devil". Both songs are due to appear on the newest album called When the Devil Drives.

• Trevor Hurst - vocals (1992 to 2002, 2006 to present)
• Ziggy Sigmund - guitar (1997 to 2002, 2010 to present)
• Dayvid Swart - drums (2017 to present)

• Tom Ferris - keyboards (1992 to 1993)
• Chris Meyers - keyboards (1992 to 1993)
• Hack - guitar (1992 to 1996)
• Gregg Leask - drums (1992 to 1996)
• Rhys Fulber - keyboards (1993 to 1996)
• Dan Yaremko - bass (1992 to 1997, 1998 to 2002, 2006 to 2007, 2017 to 2019)
• Robbie Morfitt - guitar (1992 to 1999, 2010 to 2015)
• Robert Wagner - drums (1996 to 1997)
• Don Binns - bass (1997)
• Ken Fleming - bass (1997)
• Thom Christiansen - bass (1997 to 1998)
• Nico Quintal - drums (1997 to 1999)
• Johnny Haro - drums (1999 to 2002)
• Mark Peterson - guitar (2001 to 2002)
• Jay Benison - drums (2006 to 2007)
• Dave Heese - guitar (2006 to 2007)
• Mark Gomulinski - bass (2007)
• Harvey Warren - drums (2007)
• Brent Fitz - drums (2007 to 2009)
• Kai Markus - guitar (2007 to 2009)
• Sean McKay - keyboards (2009)
• Adam Percy - keyboards (2009)
• Nik Pesut - drums (2009)
• Scott Whalen - bass (2008 to 2010)
• Ron Chamberlain - guitar (2009 to 2010)
• Steve Vincent - bass (2010 to 2015)
• Greg Williamson - drums (2010 to 2017)
• Alex Varughese - bass (2015 to 2017)
• Kyle Shaw - keyboards (2015 to 2017)
• Aaron Skiba - guitar (2015 to 2017)
• Troy Zak - bass (2019 to 2020)
• Graham Tuson - guitar (2017 to 2020)

Color denotes main live duty.