Small Brown Bike
Michigan's gruff, dynamic melodic-hardcore torchbearers — quiet-loud swells and a hoarse howl. Kindred spirits to the Hot Water Music lineage that runs through Fest.
Small Brown Bike formed in 1996 in Michigan, taking its name from the members' shared habit of working on bicycles together as kids. The lineup was built around brothers Mike and Ben Reed alongside Travis Dopp and Dan Jaquint, and the band released records through No Idea and Lookout! during the late-1990s and early-2000s Midwestern surge of melodic hardcore and post-hardcore.
The band's calling card became a double-vocal approach, with shouted, throat-worn lines traded between members and pushed against ringing, melodic guitar work. Writers have grouped their sound with Avail, Hot Water Music and Dillinger Four, and the band shares clear ties to the Gainesville gruff-punk scene through touring and recording.
Small Brown Bike toured three times with Dead Season between 1999 and 2000 and once with Thoughts of Ionesco in 1999. They played their final show in 2004 at the Fireside Bowl in Chicago, already having agreed to split up.
The band reconvened for benefit shows in September 2007 to support a friend battling leukemia, playing Kalamazoo, Chicago, Detroit and, later that October, a Gainesville festival date. They announced a return to songwriting in October 2009, following the January 2008 release of an album called Voices.
Members went on to other projects: Mike Reed and Dan Jaquint formed LaSalle, Ben Reed started Chicago's Great Sea Serpents, and the Reed brothers later formed Able Baker Fox with former drummer Jeff Gensterblum and Nathan Ellis of the Casket Lottery. Guitarist Travis Dopp died of cancer in December 2023.
Festivals Small Brown Bike is playing
Small Brown Bike at a glance
What festivals is Small Brown Bike playing in 2026?
Small Brown Bike is booked at 1 festival: The Fest 2026.
When does Small Brown Bike play at The Fest?
Saturday, October 24, 7:30 – 8:20 PM at Vivid Music Hall.
Where is Small Brown Bike from?
Small Brown Bike is from Marshall, MI.
What kind of music does Small Brown Bike play?
Small Brown Bike is tagged melodic hardcore and emo.
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