The Detachment Kit

Chicago do-it-yourselfers Detachment Kit scraped together some money to record their full-length debut, which, appropriately enough, was released on the Self-Starter Foundation of New York. Label owner Chris Newmyer had already been wowed by the group's demo, which was later released as the vinyl EP Attack on Bright America. Detachment Kit's similarity to another Self-Starter group, Les Savy Fav, probably didn't hurt, though the influence of old punk acts like Wire and Gang of Four gave them a fresh twist. They Raging, Quiet Army came out in early 2002 and quickly ascended to the CMJ college radio Top 40. Singer/guitarist Ian Menard had started young; at 17 he was a part of Caesar's Glass Box in his hometown of Nashville. He met guitarist Charlie Davis, drummer Toddrick Spalding, and bassist Josh Hight while attending art school.