French Toast

French Toast formed in 2001 around James Canty and Jerry Busher, a duo whose separate careers are rooted in the highly regarded Washington, D.C., punk scene. Canty had been a member of the Nation of Ulysses, Cupid Car Club, and the Make-Up, while Busher had logged time with bands like Fidelity Jones and las Mordidas, in addition to playing with Fugazi and Ted Leo. Busher was also a part of the D.C. post-punk all-star group the All Scars, featuring members of Fugazi, Beefeater, and more, and when Canty joined that band for a European tour in the fall of 2000, the foundation was laid for the collaboration that would become French Toast. As French Toast, the two didn't offer up post-rock along the lines of Fugazi, instead cohesively mixing rock and electronic elements into a rather somber and composed indie rock affair, somewhat like the Dismemberment Plan. They debuted in 2002 with The Bugman, an EP on Arrest Records, a label that Canty co-owned, before hooking up with Dischord for their March 2005 full-length In a Cave. The band played shows with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Modest Mouse, and Bloc Party and, in mid-2005, became a trio with the addition of Ben Gilligan (a vet of bands like the Vague and Australia's Small Doses) to their ranks. The three split vocal duties and played all instruments, next issuing Ingleside Terrace in fall 2006.