Funeral Diner

American screamo band

Funeral Diner

Background information
Origin| Half Moon Bay, California
Genres| Screamo, emo, post-rock
Instrument(s)| Vocals, guitars, drums
Years active| 1998-2007
Labels| Numerous record labels
Past members| Seth Babb
Dan Bajda
Matt Bajda
Dave Mello
Ben Steidel
Sean O' Shea
Rob Beckstrom
Andy Radin
Phil Benson

Funeral Diner was a screamo band from Half Moon Bay, California, located near San Francisco. During their last few years, the band established a strong cult fanbase through a near constant string of releases and a touring schedule during which they visited the United States, Europe, and Japan.[1][2]

The band had a large catalog of splits and compilation tracks on various records. They rarely pressed CDs, and kept many of their releases in limited quantities and one-time pressings, jumping from label to label, though their last few major recordings were released by Alone Records.[3][4] Their most recent full-length, The Underdark, was issued on Alone in 2005.[5]

Members of the band were previously affiliated with other groups such as Nexus Six, Portraits of Past,[6] Living War Room, Lost Ground, Sheep Squeeze, and Takaru. After the breakup, members have gone on to form Stirling Says, ...Who Calls So Loud, Pills, and Lemonade.

Though rooted in first wave emo, hardcore punk and early screamo characteristics, the band later included elements of post-rock.[7] Funeral Diner's albums have attracted significant coverage from rock press outlets.[8]

## Members

[edit]

### Final Lineup

[edit]

* Seth Babb: vocals
* Daniel Bajda: guitar/vocals
* Matthew Bajda: drums
* David Mello: guitar
* Benjamin Steidel: bass

### Former Members

[edit]

* Sean O' Shea: bass
* Rob Beckstrom: bass
* Andy Radin: bass
* Phil Benson: vocals

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

Year  | Album Details  | Notes

|
|

2002  | Difference Of Potential

* Released: August 2002 (CD)
September 2003 (LP)
* Label: Ape Must Not Kill Ape
* Format: CD, LP

| LP edition limited to 1000 black colored copies
2005  | The Underdark

* Released: April 2005
* Label: Alone Records
* Format: CD, LP

| First issued through Alone Records in April 2005 on CD and vinyl formats. First vinyl pressing included black and clear vinyl, 1200 copies of the black vinyl and an unknown number of copies of the clear vinyl. Also unknown amount pressed on white vinyl. In 2015, to celebrate the album's tenth anniversary, Repeater Records reissue the album on grey colored vinyl, 524 copies total.

### Extended plays

[edit]

Year  | Album Details  | Notes

|
|

2002  | The Wicked

* Released: August 2002 (CD)
May 2004 (10")
* Label: Sorry Records
Alone Records
* Format: CD, 10"

| First released in August 2002 on CD format through Sorry Records. Later reissued on CD and 10" vinyl formats in 2004 through Alone Records with different artwork and an extra track.
2005  | Swept Under

* Released: 2005
* Label: LilacSky Records, Audio Is A War (10")
Cosmic Note Records (CD)
* Format: CD, 10"

| 10" edition issued through both LilacSky Records and Audio Is A War. CD edition, issued by Cosmic Note Records, includes different artwork and extra remixed versions of Funeral Diner tracks appended to the end.
2006  | Bag Of Holding

* Released: 2006
* Label: Self-released
* Format: 3" CD

| Tour edition EP released as a home burned 3" CD. Edition of 75, all copies hand-numbered. Featured tracks from their split with Ampere and from The Emo Apocalypse compilation.
2007  | Doors Open'

* Released: March 2007
* Label: Self-released (CD)
Vendetta Records, Adagio830 (12")
* Format: CD, 12"

| CD edition independently released by the band for their 2007 Japan tour. The single-sided 12" edition was released between Vendetta Records and Adagio830 in Germany. This edition included different artwork from the CD edition and was released in edition of 600 black colored copies.

### Split releases

[edit]

Year  | Album Details  | Notes

|
|

1999  | Nexus Six/Funeral Diner

* Released: January 1999
* Label: Old Glory Records
* Format: LP

| Edition of 1000 black colored copies. Split with Nexus Six.
2000  | The World of Forms

* Released: August 2000
* Label: Ape Must Not Kill Ape
* Format: LP

| Edition of 1000 black colored copies, 50 of which came packaged in hand-stamped sleeves. Split with Staircase.
2001  | The Shivering/Funeral Diner

* Released: November 2001
* Label: Into The Hurricane
Unfun Records
City Boot Records
* Format: LP

| Edition of 600 hand-numbered black colored copies. Split with The Shivering.
2002  | A Split Seven Inch

* Released: October 2002
* Label: Vendetta Records
* Format: 7"

| Three pressings total: 525 make up the first, 440 for the second, and 520 for the third, all of which adding up to 1485 black colored vinyl copies total. The second and third pressings were hand-numbered. Split with Zann. The song "Lie In Headlights" is the only song from a split release to not be compiled in any of the band's compilation releases.
2003  | Music Inspired by Rites of Spring Part One

* Released: September 2003
* Label: Fire Walk With Me
* Format: 7"

| Rites of Spring tribute 7" split with the Saddest Landscape. Edition of 780 black colored copies.
2003  | Dead City/Funeral Diner

* Released: September 2003
* Label: Old Glory Records
So Much To Give
* Format: LP

| 1000 black colored copies and about 140 test pressings. About 130 of the test pressings were sold by Dead City on tour with unique artwork and inserts. About 12 copies were packaged in manilla envelopes and had artwork done by Dan Davis of Kodan Armada. Including these two "artwork variations", about 6 different variations of artwork exist for this release. Split with Dead City.
2004  | I Just Want To Feel This Way Forever

* Released: June 2004 (CD)
May 2005 (10")
* Label: Falling Leaves (CD)
Somberlain (10")
* Format: CD, 10"

| First issued as a CD through Falling Leaves in 2004. Reissued on 10" vinyl format through Somberlain with alternative artwork in 2005 as an edition of 675: 340 black, 335 mint-green. Split with Evylock.
2004  | A Seven Inch Split

* Released: June 2004
* Label: Red Cars Go Faster Records
* Format: 7"

| Edition of 1030 copies: 570 black, 460 champagne clear. 141 of the black copies were hand-numbered European tour editions, and 123 of the clear copies were hand-numbered as well. All copies of the split were pressed on thick 70 gram vinyl. Split with Raein.
2004  | Welcome The Plague Year/Funeral Diner

* Released: July 2004
* Label: Electric Human Project
* Format: 7"

| 2000 copies total: 1000 blue, 700 black, 200 clear, and 100 white. Split with Welcome The Plague Year.
2007  | Ampere/Funeral Diner

* Released: July 2007
* Label: Clean Plate Records, Electric Human Project
* Format: 9"

| Released in edition of 1000: 800 black, 200 green. All copies were actually single-sided with etching all over the B-side and some even on the A-side. Split with Ampere.

### Compilation albums

[edit]

Year  | Album Details  | Notes

|
|

2003  | Three Sides Dead

* Released: September 2003
* Label: LilacSky Records
* Format: CD

| Compilation album composed of all of Funeral Diner's tracks from their splits with Nexus Six, Staircase, and The Shivering.
2003  | ...Is Dead

* Released: September 2003
* Label: Self-released
* Format: CD-R

| Tour edition homeburned CD-R, edition of 200. Sold through the band's 2003 European tour. Compilation composed of tracks that will later appear on their splits with Evylock, Raein, and Welcome The Plague Year.

### Compilation Appearances

[edit]

Year  | Album Details  | Song

|
|

2003  | Inspiration From Forest

* Released: November 2004
* Label: Falling Leaves
* Format: CD

| "Shifting"
2004  | A Sequel Of A Story

* Released: August 2003 (CD)
February 2004 (LP)
* Label: Cosmic Note (CD)
City Boot Records, Correlation Records, Coldbringer Recordings (LP)
* Format: CD, LP

| "This Truly Is God's Country"
2006  | The Emo Apocalypse

* Released: May 2006
* Label: React With Protest
* Format: LP

| "Addendum"
2008  | Droning Earth Vol. 4

* Released: October 2008
* Label: Droning Earth
* Format: DL

| "Two Houses"

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Biography Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine, 32brinkster.com. Accessed July 15, 2007.
2. ^ Biography Archived 2009-12-24 at the Wayback Machine, SXSW. Accessed July 15, 2007.
3. ^ Review of The Wicked[usurped]. Delusions of Adequacy, April 15, 2005. Accessed November 7, 2008.
4. ^ Review of The Wicked. Decapolis, September 28, 2004. Accessed November 7, 2008.
5. ^ Review of The Underdark Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine. Aversion Online. Accessed November 8, 2008.
6. ^ Mat Hocking, Review of The Underdark Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Drowned in Sound. Accessed November 8, 2008.
7. ^ Stewart Mason, Review of The Underdark. Allmusic.
8. ^ Joe Davenport, Review of The Underdark[usurped]. Delusions of Adequacy, April 15, 2005. Accessed July 15, 2007.

## External links

[edit]

* Alone Records
* Funeral Diner's Myspace
* Funeral Diner Fan Site
* Funeral Diner lyrics[permanent dead link]

Authority control databases: Artists |

* MusicBrainz

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