Pittsburgh's Tabula Rasa rip away the commercial gloss of late ‘90s punk, bringing it back to its independent roots with unrestrained youthful enthusiasm. The band was formed in 2000 by grade-school pals Rob Spagiare (vocals, guitar) and Andrew Grossman (guitar). Spagiare was originally the bassist for Ear to Ear; after that group split up, Spagiare and Grossman started Tabula Rasa and added bassist Justin Campbell and drummer Jeff Kopanic. Merely a week old, the band had their first gig opening for a wrestling match. In 2001, they recorded a self-titled EP. The group was eventually signed to A-F Records and released their debut album The Role of Smith, produced by J. Robbins of Jawbox fame, in 2003. Tabula Rasa's frenetic, uncompromising hard rock is often compared to Fugazi. ~ Michael Sutton