O Pioneers!!!

The crashing post-hardcore of O Pioneers!!! resulted from the team of Eric Solomon (guitar/vocals) and Jeff Groban (drums), whose desperate energy and enthusiasm evidently deserved no less than three exclamation points. The duo's music was reminiscent of early Hot Water Music and Against Me! crossed together, and the band's unpretentious and community-oriented approach resonated with the D.I.Y. punk-folk scene it spawned from. Hailing from Houston, TX, the guys — one of whom may or may not be the second cousin of singer Josh Groban — played their first show together in October 2004. Playing around locally, O Pioneers!!! later spread the word on tours with Latterman, Fake Problems, and By the End of Tonight, issuing some 7" releases along the way. A split with Austin's Saw Wheel in early 2006 preceded their first official full-length, Black Mambas, released by San Antonio-based indie Team Science later in the year.