Great Day For Up
Northeast heavy, 1999–2007 — "inventively angry music in an angrily inventive way," from Enduro to Small Stone Records.
Biography
Great Day For Up took their name from a Dr. Seuss book and then spent eight years contradicting it — one contemporary critic landed on 'inventively angry music in an angrily inventive way,' and that stands as the band's best epitaph. Formed in Albany in 1999, GDFU was a cross-pollination of Northeast heavy-scene veterans: founding guitarist Mike Vitali arrived via Boston's Ajna Chakra and a brief involvement with the Helmet offshoot Handsome, which AllMusic heard all over the band's early minimalist attack.
The discography maps a working band moving through the independent heavy ecosystem of the early 2000s: the self-titled EP and 'Ready Rock' on Enduro, 'Godlovesasinner' on Curve of the Earth — the record Lollipop called 'what I thought Danzig's metal move was gonna be' — the split with New Jersey's Solace on Underdogma, and finally 'Flores De Sangre' on Small Stone, where AllMusic heard 'riffs upon riffs, compacted into layers so dense and sludgy they could level city blocks.' Lineups shifted around the Vitali core; the songbook kept tightening. 'Crash Landing,' 'Ghost Cycle,' and 'Hit' were road-tested on the EP before being re-cut for the album — this was a band that revised like a writer.
In 2007 the core — Vitali, Brendan Slater, Jim Feck — folded directly into Ironweed, making GDFU the load-bearing middle span of the lineage: Ajna Chakra before it, Ironweed after, American Record Company carrying the masters forward now. The estate vault holds the WAVs; the PENNY vault is where they are headed.
Era History
- 1999Three scenes collide — Named after a Dr. Seuss book, formed 1999 in Albany from NYC/Boston/Albany heavy-scene veterans — Vitali arriving via Ajna Chakra and the Helmet offshoot Handsome. The middle span of the lineage: after Boston, before Ironweed.
- 2002Ready Rock — 'Ready Rock' released on Enduro Records — eleven tracks, three of them ('Crash Landing,' 'Ghost Cycle,' 'Hit') rebuilt from the debut EP. The songbook was already being revised on the move.
- 2003God Loves a Sinner — 'Godlovesasinner' released on Curve of the Earth — seven tracks from 'Golden Arms' to the nine-minute 'Siempre,' with an official video for 'Below.' Master WAVs preserved in the estate vault.
- 2005Flores De Sangre — 'Flores De Sangre' released on Small Stone Records (SS-057) — recorded at New Alliance in Boston, mixed by Bob Pantella at The Laundry Room. The record that put GDFU on the same shelf as the label's stoner-rock heavyweights.
- 2007Into Ironweed — GDFU winds down; Vitali, Slater, and Feck walk straight into Ironweed the same year. Nothing ended — the lineage changed names.
Canonical Catalog
| Title | Year | Format | First pressed via | Tracks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greatdayforup (EP) | 2001 | EP | Enduro Records | 5 |
| Ready Rock | 2002 | LP | Enduro Records | 11 |
| Godlovesasinner | 2003 | LP | Curve of the Earth (cote 751) | 7 |
| Split w/ Solace | 2004 | EP | Underdogma Records (ur015) | 3 |
| Flores De Sangre | 2005 | LP | Small Stone Records (SS-057) | 12 |
Press, On the Record
“Clear, tight, bolted-down and butted-together tension/release rock with breathing room and a touch of melodic flavor. This is what I thought Danzig's 'metal move' was gonna be.” Lollipop Magazine · 2004 · Godlovesasinner review (Craig Regala) · verified at lollipopmagazine.com
“A wide-bellied gut punch hard rock record born of kick ass alt/punk listening habits jammed into quality metal's 'thing.'” Lollipop Magazine · 2006 · Flores de Sangre review (Craig Regala) · verified at lollipopmagazine.com
“This is the sound of riffs upon riffs, compacted into layers so dense and sludgy they could level city blocks.” AllMusic (Eduardo Rivadavia) · 2005 · Flores de Sangre review · verified at heavyplanet.net
“Hailing from Albany, NY, stoner/doom outfit Greatdayforup took their name from a Dr. Seuss book and first formed in 1999 — initially with a sound comparable to minimalist alt-rockers Helmet, due to founding guitarist Mike Vitali's brief involvement with Helmet offshoot Handsome.” AllMusic (Eduardo Rivadavia) · Artist biography · verified at music.apple.com
Notable Appearances & Placements
- SXSW 2005 & 2007 — Austin, TX · Documented in the 2012 It's Psychedelic Baby interview.
- Compilation: 'Golden Arms' on Burn the Street Vol. 3 — (2004) · Daredevil Records — verified via Discogs/Metal Archives.
- Small Stone Sampler 2006 — (2006) · Verified via Discogs.
Contact
LabelAmerican Record Company · Albany, New York
Press & Booking Deskdemos@amrecordcompany.com
Streamingpennyhq.com
Vinyl & Merch3313rpm.com