Music like ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (often abbreviated as Trail of Dead, or T.o.D., which reads as "death" in German) are an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in 1994. The chief members of the band are Jason Reece and Conrad Keely (formerly Conrad Sobsamai). The two alternate between drumming, guitar and lead vocals, both on recordings and live shows. The band is known for their wild, energetic concerts. Their eleventh studio album, XI: Bleed Here Now, was released on July 15, 2022.

Keely and Reece have been friends since their youth, and originally in Hawaii. They each formed their first bands in Olympia, Washington, where Keely studied at The Evergreen State College. Keely, a songwriter and bassist named James Olsen and a guitarist (Paul Westmoreland) started a band in the early 1990s. The band was called varied things before settling on "Benedict Gehlen" (named after a monk laid to rest in the St. Martin's Abby in Olympia). That went on in various names and forms until 1993. Soon after, Keely became involved in a group called Nancyville, while Reece went on to play drums with Honeybucket and then queercore band Mukilteo Fairies (the name is a play on words, referencing the ferry boat that travels between Mukilteo and Clinton, Washington). Eventually, Keely and Reece moved to Austin, Texas. The two started playing as a duo under the moniker "You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead." The band expanded eventually to include guitarist |Kevin Allen and bassist Neil Busch. They then officially lengthened their name to ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Keely's girlfriend from Olympia, Deanne Rowley (later Deanne McAdams), briefly played with them as a live back-up guitarist.