Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. The band is fronted by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, and was a major part of the Long Island music scene in the early 2000s. The band has been influential in the progression of the underground music scene in the eastern United States and United Kingdom for the post-hardcore genre, and are known for their intense live shows as well as their frequent line-up changes.

The band formed in the summer of 1993 after Palumbo and Beck met each other at camp. Of the band name, Beck has said: "We had a list of names, and we were just like, let's pick one of these band names which ones the coolest. At the time there were a bunch of bands coming out with two names in one like that, like mouthpiece, curbjaw, stuff like that. We were going down the list, and the first name that I liked was Swiftkick. I'm all like, that's a sick name. But for some reason Glassjaw stuck. There's really no reason behind it; it just sounded cool." The band played their first show in 1994 in Oceanside, New York. In the early days, Beck and Weinstock were also playing with Jewish straight edge metalcore band, Sons of Abraham. Sons of Abraham constitute an important influence on Glassjaw, songs such as "Hurting and Shoving (She Should Have Let Me Sleep)" by Glassjaw drawing particularly on earlier Sons of Abraham releases. Palumbo was in his own straight-edge band called XbustedX. The group's line-up changed constantly in their early years while they played in the local New York hardcore scene. Beck's primary instrument throughout this time was drums, but switched to bass guitar when Ariel Telford left the band in 1998, and then switched to lead guitar when Kris Baldwin left and Manuel Carrero joined the band in 1999. From 1994 to 1999 the band did several demo recordings of some songs that would eventually appear on their official releases, as well as several other compositions that would not see official release. The band recorded the five-song Kiss Kiss Bang Bang EP in 1997. The record was released independently on the label 2 Cents a Pop, and saw a re-release in 2001 without label affiliation. The line-up on this record was Daryl Palumbo, Justin Beck, Todd Weinstock, Kris Baldwin and Ariel Telford. "Star Above My Bed", from the EP, is still in the band's set lists to this day. A significant recording came in 1999 working with Don Fury (Quicksand, Snapcase, Orange 9mm, The Hearing Aides), showcasing songs that appeared on their debut LP Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence.

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