First incarnation (1996–1997) , Matthew Crum,
Damien Moyal, and Henry Olmino. In September 1996, vocalist
Damien Moyal was invited to a band practice in
Davie, Florida by guitarist
Henry Olmino, bass guitarist
Jeronimo Gomez, and drummer
Matthew Crum; the three had been playing under the name Wayside, originally with vocalist Robert Rudas, since 1994. Moyal had previously been the vocalist in
Culture,
Shai Hulud, and
Morning Again, and was then simultaneously playing in
Bird of Ill Omen, and had just rejoined Culture (having originally left that band in April 1995). Moyal named the new
melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust, after the lyrics "
as days count down and as friends rust from exposure to exposure," penned in early 1996 while in Shai Hulud, planned for a song titled "Now Ruin Is". Instead of using Moyal's lyrics, Shai Hulud guitarist
Matthew Fox wrote new lyrics and the song became "
My Heart Bleeds the Darkest Blood" (originally sung by Moyal, but later recorded with vocalist
Chad Gilbert). As Friends Rust played its first show on September 19, 1996, at Cheers in Coconut Grove, Florida. After writing nearly a dozen original songs (including some that were never recorded, like "Superheroes," "Kid," and "I Know"), the band entered Wisner Productions in Davie, Florida to record six of them ("Encante," "Ruffian," "Broken Brain," "When People Resort to Name Calling," "The Only Point," and an untitled instrumental acoustic song) with producer James Paul Wisner from November 19–22, 1996. Three of the songs, "Encante," "Ruffian," and "Broken Brain," were used on a demo tape shopped to such record labels as
Revelation Records (which had signed Moyal's previous band, Shai Hulud, earlier that year, and would shortly thereafter sign Morning Again, also based on material recorded with Moyal),
Doghouse Records,
Equal Vision Records,
Jade Tree, Art Monk Construction, and Network Sound; however, the band only received rejection letters.
The "Porch House" era (1997–2000) The Fists of Time and first tours (1997–1998) The idea to reform As Friends Rust was brought up in June 1997, by Culture's guitarist,
Stephen Looker, who had been a fan of the band's demo. Unbeknownst to Moyal, Looker had been approached by Olmino earlier that year as a potential second guitarist for As Friends Rust shortly before its first break-up. Inspired by the band's proposed line-up, Moyal dubbed a new batch of As Friends Rust demo tapes with updated liner notes announcing its new members, to take with him on Culture's first European and British tour and secure a record deal. for the band's debut release,
The Fists of Time, in 1998. In September 1997, drummer
Timothy Kirkpatrick (formerly of the emo band Roosevelt) replaced Dooley in both As Friends Rust and Culture. Moyal quickly asked recently fired ex-Morning Again guitarist and former Bird of Ill Omen band-mate,
Joseph Simmons (who had just finished recording Morning Again's
As Tradition Dies Slowly), to join both Culture and As Friends Rust (thereby switching places with Looker), and also recruited Hot Water Music's
roadie,
Kaleb Stewart, as bass guitarist and backing vocalist for As Friends Rust. The cover art for
The Fists of Time was painted by Moyal. The tour included stops to perform at such festivals as More Than Music in Columbus, Ohio, Tin Can Full of Dreams in
Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Wilkes-Barre Festival in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The song would appear on a
split CD and 7-inch vinyl with Discount, released by Good Life Recordings in December 1998. The release was the first to feature As Friends Rust's new "guy with gun" logo, which Moyal had discovered on a wall while walking through an alleyway in Boston, Massachusetts'
Chinatown in early July 1998 (while on tour with Discount). As Friends Rust and Discount embarked on a second tour together, this time travelling around Europe and the United Kingdom from December 3, 1998, to January 11, 1999,
Signing with Doghouse Records and As Friends Rust (1998–1999) As soon as
The Fists of Time made its way to American distributor
Lumberjack Distribution, As Friends Rust began to be courted by Toledo, Ohio-based record label
Doghouse Records (which co-owned Lumberjack Distribution). On May 9, 1999, the band returned to Goldentone Studios to record six songs with McGregor for their Doghouse Records debut. The new material included "Half Friend Town," "Like Strings (Spell It with a K)," "Fire on 8th and 3rd," "Coffee Black," "Scapegoat Wets the Whistle," as well as a cover of
Circle Jerks' "Operation" planned for a split 7-inch vinyl with Hot Water Music. the European version, released earlier in July 1999 on compact disc and double 7-inch vinyl, was erroneously promoted under the titles
God Hour and
6-Song CD by Good Life Recordings (and included "Operation" as a bonus track once the split was cancelled). As Friends Rust toured the east coast of the United States during three weeks, spanning from June 12 to July 4, 1999, The band quickly followed up with a five-week European and British tour in July and August 1999, playing at such festivals as
Good Life Midsummer Hardcore Festival in Kuurne, Belgium,
Festival Hardcore in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain, and
Ieper Hardcore Festival in Ypres, Belgium. The European and British tour was originally intended to be shared with Hot Water Music, but due to a disagreement over
top-billing, the two bands ended up booking separate tours. In retaliation, the Hot Water Music side-project band Unitas included a
diss track, "Molotodd Cocktail," on its debut album,
Porch Life. The disagreement also caused the cancellation of the split 7-inch vinyl of Circle Jerks covers which the two bands had planned to release through Good Life Recordings in promotion of the tour. As Friends Rust hoped to record a full-length album in late 1999 or early 2000, which was to include the newly written song "Shame on You," performed during the summer 1999 tours, but was unable to compose enough new material. A split 7-inch vinyl with
Good Riddance, scheduled for release through Good Life Recordings, was also abandoned due to lack of material. In March 2000, Good Life Recordings announced a long-delayed split 7-inch vinyl between As Friends Rust and Christian metallic hardcore band
Disciple. ,
Kaleb Stewart,
Joseph Simmons, and
Damien Moyal. On June 22, 2000, Doghouse Records re-issued
The Fists of Time, under the expanded title
The Fists of Time: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Non-Fiction, on compact disc, 12-inch vinyl and digitally, adding the songs "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" and "Operation," which had previously been exclusive to Good Life Recordings and the European market. Unbeknownst to the band, the re-issue did not count towards the existing three-record contract (which counted
As Friends Rust as the EP, and two, yet-unfulfilled full-length albums). The tour included several cross-over shows with Florida
post-hardcore band
Glasseater, Pennsylvania emo band Mid Carson July, and Florida emo band The Agency (the three of which were on a separate tour together), as well as stops to play at such festivals as Mixed Messages in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pheer Festival in
College Park, Maryland, and
Hellfest 2K in Auburn, New York (the last of which As Friends Rust did not play due to a last-minute change in venue). In July 2000, Good Life Recordings invited As Friends Rust back to Europe for a week's worth of shows in Belgium and the Netherlands, including a performance at
Dour Festival in Dour, Belgium and Metropolis Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands. having written a handful of new songs, including "Tuesday Clad" and "Watch It Fall," described by Moyal as "calmer and more depressing," took up lead vocals while
Damien Moyal was sick. From left to right: Stewart,
Joseph Simmons,
Peter Bartsocas, and
Timothy Kirkpatrick. Prior to leaving for Europe and the United Kingdom in August 2000, Glayat and Kirkpatrick announced their desire to leave the band upon returning home. On the way to Ieper Hardcore Festival, less than a week into the tour, the band was involved in a motor vehicle accident in Belgium, which badly damaged the touring van and resulted with Glayat suffering torn ligaments in his leg (and several other members enduring injuries and stitches). With Glayat wearing a splint, the band continued on to half a week's worth of shows in the United Kingdom,
Won (2001) In February 2001, Moyal, Simmons, and Beckham recruited former
Twelve Tribes drummer Alexander Vernon (who had relocated from Ohio to Florida to play with metalcore band Red Roses for a Blue Lady), and future
Rehasher bass guitarist Guillermo Amador. This line-up wrote and recorded two songs, "Morningleaver" and "This Is Me Hating You," at Goldentone Studios with McGregor in late February 2001, both of which were released as
Morningleaver / This Is Me Hating You by Doghouse Records as part of its 7-inch vinyl Fan Series in March 2001. Further line-up changes resulted with Zachary Swain (formerly of Rosalind, Adversary, and Carlisle) replacing Vernon on drums in March 2001, and Thomas Rankine (formerly of Crestfallen, Bird of Ill Omen, Dead Men's Theory, Anchorman, and Crucible) replacing Amador on bass guitar in April 2001. Recorded material included new versions of "Morningleaver" and "This Is Me Hating You," newly written songs "We on Some Next Level Shit," "Fourteen or So," "Austin, We Have a Problem," "Won't Be the First Time," "Perfect Stranglers," "Laughing Out Loud," and "Last Call," as well as "Ten" for which Moyal improvised lyrics in the studio. The band began touring full-time in support of
Won, starting with an American summer tour with Vangard,
Keepsake, and
Further Seems Forever from early August to mid-September 2001. The last leg of the American tour was cut short due to the
September 11 attacks in New York City (As Friends Rust was scheduled to play the city three days later), As Friends Rust then reunited with Strike Anywhere for a five-week European and British tour from late October to early December 2001, supported by
Planes Mistaken for Stars during the first leg and Durango 95 for most of the European shows. In promotion of these shows, British record label Golf Records reissued the band's earlier compilation album,
Eleven Songs, on compact disc on October 22, 2001. A highlight performance at
London, England's
Camden Underworld from November 16, 2001, was filmed and later
released on video and DVD by British home video company Punkervision on December 17, 2002. The chemistry shared between As Friends Rust and Strike Anywhere on tour also gave talk to releasing a split single by the two bands, but it never materialized.
Moyal's departure and transition into Salem (2002) Recording A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of Our Times In mid-February 2002, As Friends Rust recorded five songs ("More Than Just Music, It's a Hairstyle," "The Most Americanest," "Temporary Living," "Born With a Silver Spoon Up Your Ass," and "Where the Wild Things Were") at Wisner Productions with producer James Paul Wisner, as part of a one-off loan-out to
Equal Vision Records. Tension within the band resulted with Moyal recording his vocals separately and co-producing the material without the other four members' presence. During his studio session, Moyal recorded a guitar and vocal interlude titled "Up and Went" (with Wisner contributing additional guitar and synthesizer), which he later pointed out as a precursor to his solo project,
Damien Done. ,
Adam D'Zurilla (top),
Zachary Swain, and
Christopher Beckham. Less than two weeks after the recording session, Moyal quit As Friends Rust, citing dissatisfaction with touring and wanting to focus on school and his then-girlfriend. In retrospective interviews, Moyal reflected that the new members (Beckham, Swain, and Rankine) were taking As Friends Rust in a more mainstream and polished direction, which in turn led to his loss of interest. Moyal, nevertheless, encouraged the band to find a new vocalist and continue under the established name.
Touring for Won and A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of Our Times Beckham initially stepped up as temporary lead vocalist, and Tarpley returned to fill the vacant guitarist position, Adam D'Zurilla (formerly of Short Order, Esteem, Die Tomorrow, and Kumité) was finally welcomed as Moyal's replacement in late March 2002, allowing Beckham to return to playing guitar and providing backing vocals. followed by a week-long east coast tour with
Bloodlet and
Hotwire, and a performance at Gorefest in Miami, Florida. The final recordings with Moyal were released on the extended play
A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of Our Times on compact disc and 12-inch vinyl on May 27, 2002, through Defiance Records in Europe, and on May 28, 2002, through Equal Vision Records in the United States. The band immediately hit the road non-stop for the next six months, beginning with a two-week Canadian tour in early June 2002, followed by a month and a half-long American tour with Prevent Falls, Garrison, and Clark, spanning from mid-June to late July 2002. During this tour, As Friends Rust played
Krazy Fest 5 in Louisville, Kentucky, and three Van's
Warped Tour dates in Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. As Friends Rust travelled as a four-piece, with Simmons as sole guitarist, for its month-long European and British tour, which spanned from early August to early September 2002. The band was supported by The Copperpot Journals on its ten-date United Kingdom leg. Prior to leaving for Europe, the band had already discussed abandoning the name As Friends Rust in favor of one that better reflected its new musical direction. and that the band would be officially changing its name to Salem upon returning home. Although As Friends Rust officially played its last show on September 11, 2002, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, As such, Salem continued to play As Friends Rust songs and tour in promotion of
Won and
A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of Our Times for several more months. Back in the United States, the band was supposed to go on tour with Florida emo band The Remedy Session, from mid-September to early October 2002, but the tour was cancelled. It was further revealed that the band would be performing with its 1998–2000 line-up (referred to as "The Porch Days" line-up), including Kirkpatrick, Simmons, Stewart, and Glayat. At the time, Simmons and Stewart were still living in Gainesville, Florida, but Moyal had relocated to Ann Arbor, Michigan in September 2006, Kirkpatrick had been living in Los Angeles, California since January 2005, and Glayat had been based in Brooklyn, New York since August 2002. ''. One of only four shows played with drummer
Joshua Williams. From left to right:
Joseph Simmons,
Kaleb Stewart,
Damien Moyal, and Williams. On April 24, 2011, As Friends Rust social media accounts were created on
Facebook and
Twitter (an official
Myspace profile had previously been created on December 29, 2005). On June 6, 2011, As Friends Rust recorded demos of six new songs; although news leaked that an extended play was on the horizon, the band was not satisfied with the result and ultimately shelved the material. As Friends Rust travelled to Asia for the
Japan Tour 2014, which spanned from June 12–15, 2014, supported by Japanese hardcore bands Endzweck, Noy, and Nervous Light of Sunday. As Kirkpatrick was unable to tour, he was temporarily replaced by former
Culture drummer
Joshua Williams (Williams would join Morning Again two months later, and eventually played in the hardcore band
On Bodies with Moyal). The compilation was also released on compact cassette by Indonesian record label D'Kolektif on December 27, 2014, and on 12-inch vinyl and compact disc by Dutch record label Shield Recordings on April 29, 2015. As Friends Rust played three shows in 2015: the first at the
Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, New York on April 30, 2015 (during which Bartsocas joined the band to play a song); the second at
Groezrock festival in Meerhout, Belgium on May 2, 2015; On May 22, 2015, German record label Demons Run Amok Entertainment released
The Porch Days: 1998 to 2000 on 12-inch vinyl. The release compiled all of the band's studio recordings from 1998–2000, as well as previously unreleased live recordings of two songs ("Shame on You" and "Tuesday Clad") never recorded in the studio by the band with that line-up. Kirkpatrick had since moved to St. Augustine, Florida in 2018, and with three members living in Florida, the logistics of getting together to record material became more feasible. Upon returning from Booze Cruise, As Friends Rust parted ways with Stewart, though the band did not immediately look for a replacement bass guitarist. The band recorded two songs, "Up from the Muck" and "Last of the Famous International Scumbags," for its planned comeback extended play in early March 2020. in promotion of the band's second full-length album,
Any Joy, in 2023. "Up from the Muck" premiered digitally on March 23, 2020, while "Last of the Famous International Scumbags" premiered digitally a week later on March 30, 2020. Both songs were released on a 7-inch vinyl by Unity Worldwide Records on July 3, 2020, and on a cassette tape by Stick to the Core on May 1, 2023. "Up from the Muck" was also included on the Moyal-produced Various Artists compilation,
Peace Is Earned: A Benefit Compilation for Black Lives Matter, released on June 6, 2020. Both songs were later included as bonus tracks on the compact disc edition of
Any Joy in 2023. In January 2020, it was announced that As Friends Rust would perform at
Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama on September 20, 2020, though the festival was ultimately cancelled in June 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. As Friends Rust was re-booked to perform at the next year's edition, and set to play on September 26, 2021, but the band cancelled its appearance due to the prolonged pandemic. The band was again re-booked for the 2022 edition. He also explained that there had been interest in celebrating the 20th anniversary of
Won in 2021, but that due to last-minute planning, the celebration had been postponed to the album's 25th anniversary in 2026. ,
Damien Moyal, and
Ryan Mahon. On September 25, 2022, As Friends Rust performed at the sixth edition of
Furnace Fest. As Darby was on the road touring with Samiam, Michael Lipscomb (who played in the black metal band Rot in Coffins with Simmons) was brought in as bass guitarist. On June 22, 2023, the band released the single "
Positive Mental Platitude," The band also revealed that
Against Me! member,
Andrew Seward, had recorded bass guitar on the album and would be touring with the band. followed by "
No Gods, Some Masters" on August 17, 2023. The band embarked on a European and British tour spanning from September 29 to October 7, 2023, accompanied by guitarist and backing vocalist Ryan Mahon filling in for Simmons, who was unable to make the trip due to a business endeavor. The tour was initially booked with American melodic hardcore band Don't Sleep as the supporting act, but Calling Hours (featuring four out of five members of Don't Sleep) came in as a replacement. On October 18, 2024, the band released the single "Lost in Space," the first single from their fifth extended play,
Lightless, which was released via End Hits Records on November 1, 2024. == Members ==