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Highstrung (2)

Progressive pop punk / skate punk band from Paterson, New Jersey. Active from 1997 to 2001. When Pat Van Dyke, Sam Macy, and John Greco first decided to write songs together in the late spring of 1997, the average age between them was 16. The three musicians had been playing together in bands for a while, and in June of that year they combined their talents with vocalist and guitarist Jeremy Hernandez to form Highstrung, characterized by an aggressive guitar-driven sound. Just months after they started playing together, Highstrung went into the studio to lay down tracks for their first demo, “Something has Changed.” The cassette sampled five songs. They began to get booked almost every week for gigs, sharing the stage with many artists, including Bigwig, Shades Apart, Digger, and The Alkaline Trio. They landed back in the studio in 1998 to record their first full-length album. However, at the time, another opportunity presented itself to Jeremy, and in 1998 he left Highstrung to pursue other interests. As a result, the untitled album was never released. Pat, Sam, and John wrote new songs and took their style from pop punk to a more progressive, hard rock sound. In 1999, with all new material and new guitarist Jeremy Comitas, Highstrung recorded and released their EP “This Time Around.” In 2000, Jeremy Comitas left Highstrung, and Pat, Sam, and John went into the studio one last time to record three new songs. In 2001 Highstrung officially broke up.