by Corey Apar
Halifax is a five-piece pop-punk/emo-rock band out of Southern California. Comprised of Mike Hunau (vocals), Chris Brandt (guitar/vocals), Tommy Guindon (drums), Adam Charles (guitar), and Doug Peyton (bass) by the mid-2000s, the group owed much of its rabidly loyal fan base to constant touring and huge amounts of Internet exposure on sites like www.purevolume.com and www.myspace.com. The band formed in 2002; later that year they issued Start Back at Start, a fairly typical emo-pop offering, on ECA Recordings. While on tour supporting the album, differing opinions on the band's future direction ultimately lead to stylistic and member changes within the group. By the end of 2003, Halifax pressed on with a new lineup, stronger sense of identity, and new energy. They issued the six-song EP A Writer's Reference on No Milk in 2004, and jumped back on the road for the rest of the year, including a month on that summer's Warped Tour. Guindon had previously mentioned his band to Drive-Thru co-owner Richard Reines during an internship with the label; they were so impressed by the young band, Halifax was signed that summer. In conjunction with No Milk, their prior EP was remastered and released in January 2005 with an additional bonus track. Halifax's debut Drive-Thru full-length, The Inevitability of a Strange World, arrived in spring 2006.