The National Acrobat | de

One of many bands that never seemed to get their due during their existence, THE NATIONAL ACROBAT established a legacy that finds the band reaching nearer to legendary status as each year passes. Its members have gone on to form the backbone of Louisville, Kentucky’s current indie music scene in BLACK CROSS (Equal Vision Records), CHRISTIANSEN (Revelation Records), BREATHER RESIST (Deathwish Inc), and Initial’s newest signing – LORDS. Along with their friends and contemporaries in CAVE IN, ISIS, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, BURN IT DOWN, HARKONEN, ANODYNE, BURNT BY THE SUN, KEELHAUL and others, they were part of a brief but important explosion of bands formed with roots in the ideas and urgency of hardcore, yet forging beyond that genre’s restraints to include elements of many other musical styles. Briefly dubbed “noisecore” by indie press, the ad hoc anti-movement disappeared as quickly as it began. Some bands broke up, others skyrocketed in popularity, some still toil in obscurity. THE NATIONAL ACROBAT broke up. TNA, the title originally planned for their never completed full length, compiles every single song ever recorded by THE NATIONAL ACROBAT. All three CD EP’s, the 7”, as well as various compilation tracks, selected live tracks, and an unreleased SEX PISTOLS cover song are included here.

Formed in 1998 by guitarist / songwriter Evan Patterson (now of BLACK CROSS and BREATHER RESIST) and also including Ryan Patterson (BLACK CROSS), Robby Scott (CHRISTIANSEN), and Stephen George (LORDS), THE NATIONAL ACROBAT set forth on a mission to burn every musical bridge they crossed. Fronted by vocalist Casper Adams, whose bratty onstage antics coupled with the meticulously constructed musical mayhem provided the perfect amount of levity for the barrage of sonic fury let loose by the rest of the band, and earned the Acrobat a reputation as a formidable and always entertaining live act. While THE NATIONAL ACROBAT took their cues from sources like THE NATION OF ULYSSES, BORN AGAINST, DEADGUY, DRIVE LIKE JEHU, and JESUS LIZARD, they were often compared to contemporary bands such as REFUSED, INK & DAGGER, and BOTCH. .