Vegas Archive: Full Pledged – Discography 1998-2006

Jul 17, 2015 Posted by Guest In Vegas Archive Tagged Full Pledged Comments 0

Click here to download the Full Pledged Discography

[ezcol_2third]Welcome to Vegas Archive, a feature where we re-release music from local bands that are gone, but certainly not forgotten.

Today we’re bringing you the complete discography from local punk band Full Pledged, who were active in Vegas from 1998-2006. For more information about the band and these songs, read the commentary from former Full Pledged and current Eliza Battle drummer Chris Berg.

Full Pledged started in early ’98 and consisted of Lowell Lobaro on vocals, Jeff Bodell and Paul Dupuy on guitar and Geoff Johnson on drums. There were quite a bit of lineup changes early on.

I came in very shortly after they started, I’m talking like 1 week in, to replace Geoff on drums due to his lack of drum set. Craig Krones replaced Jeff for some reason I cannot remember. I don’t think Jeff actually knew how to play guitar, he just had one. Our first bassist, Brad Johnson, no relation to Geoff, joined a month later. Brad played about 3 house shows with us and was then replaced by Sean Harris.

The most memorable Full Pledged show was our very first show in ’98. We had written 2 songs in the first few weeks of starting the band and figured we were ready to play some shows, with our 2 minute 45 second set. Lowell Lobaro [vocalist] signed us up for a talent show at his high school, A-Tech. Our parents drove us to the gig and when we arrived we saw girls in ball gowns walking around. We figured they were all in the talent show and started taking our gear inside.

The stage looked a little funny to us. Almost like a catwalk. Again, thought nothing was weird about this. It wasn’t until Lowell asked one of the school employees what time we were slotted to go on that we found out he had accidentally signed us up for a beauty pageant, and that the talent show was the weekend before.

They actually let us play and by the 45 second mark of the set, about 12 people had already left the cafeteria, hands over ears. After our set, our parents shouted “encore!” Lowell told them we only had 2 songs, but we could play them again. And at that time we were promptly ushered off the catwalk by the pageant host.

This lineup lasted for a solid year or so before Paul departed and was replaced by Sean’s longtime friend Duston Buhecker. Craig left the band about 2 weeks after Paul to join Laugh Then Die (Ptomaine), and we stabilized as a 4 piece for a good while.

From there we started playing more shows, and that meant promoting. And promoting shows back then was fun! Design a shitty flyer, go to Kinkos and print out a million copies and then go all over the city handing them out to people. We made a lot of new friends that way and also annoyed A LOT of girls that way. We never had to pre sell tickets to any of the shows we played. We also played these shows and expected to not get payed. If we got kicked down $20 from the venue, we felt like we were big time.

My favorite venue to play was The Sanctuary, which was located on the backside of The Huntridge on Maryland Parkway. It was especially fun when they had the split shows with the Huntridge, where people could go back and forth and watch a bunch of bands. A close second would have to be Tremorz. It comes in second mostly because of that damn staircase we had to carry the equipment up.

We mostly stuck to playing shows in the Las Vegas area, but we did play 1 out of state show. It was in ’02/’03 and it was in Tuba, AZ. We played on a Reservation at a high school. The stage was cafeteria tables set up on the football field. We traveled out there with Vegas locals Roundabout and Blumpkin. The promoters were going to let us stay at an abandoned dormitory that was straight out of a horror movie. We stayed at a local motel, instead of falling victim to a knife wielding maniac. Duston Buhecker’s transmission blew up on the way up there and his dad had to drive up and tow us back.

While recording with Ben Gabaldon in 2001, we somehow tricked him into joining the band as another guitarist. We were a 5 piece again until around 2002 when we kind of simmered out. Everyone had graduated high school and was in college or working full time and we just stopped playing.

We were fortunate to be active in a time when the Vegas scene back then was BIG. There were always shows going on. We were either playing a show or going to a show every weekend. We weren’t old enough to play bar shows back then, but there were enough all ages venues to make up for it. The Castle, Sanctuary, Huntridge, Sound Barrier (which later became Balcony Lights), Ozone, Tremorz, Midian, pizza places, dollar cinemas, living rooms and back yards.

The scene today is different because everyone from back then grew up, and that’s not a dis on the scene being for “kids.” Lots of us now have families and responsibilities. I would love to go watch bands every weekend and hang out with my friends and bands. But, I also want to hang out with my family. And I think there are a lot of people like me from back then.

Now, the younger crowd has no place to go see bands due to lack of all-ages venues. It seems once one opens up, it’s shut down a month later. They are also charging ridiculous amounts to see local bands. Here is me sounding old: “I remember paying $15 at the door of the Huntridge to see NOFX.” Now, venues want $15 for local shows. I think that’s a reason why kids aren’t coming out to support their generation’s scene and these all-ages venues can’t stay open.

In 2005 we got back together minus Duston and Ben. This time Morgan Molchany was on guitar and we were back to being a 4 piece. We played a few shows around Vegas until Lowell left to go intern for the Government and we called it quits in ’06. Sean played in Vegas punk act Billy’s Kid, Duston started House Divided and I was in a few bands through the years but now play in Eliza Battle.

-Chris Berg