Emerging from the fertile Florida hardcore scene of the mid-’90s, Dragbody carved out a reputation for chaos and precision in equal measure. Formed in Orlando, the band fused hardcore, screamo, and grind into a sound as punishing as it was inventive before calling it quits in 2001.
Their brief but explosive run left behind a small but potent discography that still sounds as dizzying today as it did when those records first came out.
I recently caught up with Dragbody members Scott Poyer (drums), Scott White (vocals), and Dave Crisafi (bass) to revisit their history, the creative spark behind their genre-bending sound, and the legacy of a band that burned brightly in its short life.
Tell me the origin story behind Dragbody's formation in 1995. At that point, Florida, especially Tampa, already had a huge rep because of its death metal community. But I also remember bands like Strongarm, Culture, and Timescape Zero making quite a bit of noise within hardcore music circles. What was your tie with that community?
(Scott Poyer, drums): The earliest form of the band came together in the fall of 1995 at University of Central Florida. [Guitarist] Mike Rosen, [guitarist] Matt McCort, and I were all students at the time. Matt and Mike Rosen were roommates and wanted to put something together. I met Rosen by chance the day I moved to Orlando. We talked music and I told him I play drums and we traded numbers.
He gave me a call later to see if I would like to jam with them and it went from there. Matt and Mike already had 3 songs that would be on the Contention of the Orders demo and Rosen's friend Opie had already committed to sing for the band. We put up flyers at the local record stores for a bassist and that's how we met Mike Bolen.
We recorded a demo and started playing shows but Opie decided to go back to school out of state. He told us not to worry though, his friend was moving back to Orlando and said he would sing for us. That's how we met Scott White. After he joined we changed the name from Contention of the Orders to Dragbody and focused what we wanted the band to sound like.
What were some of the influences you guys discussed when you started the band? I imagine some of you grew up on thrash and traditional metal as well?
(Scott Poyer): We met because we were all involved in the hardcore scene so that early '90s heavy hardcore sound was really evident on the Contention demo. All of us were into all kinds of Metal though, and when Scott joined he really encouraged us to move in that direction.
Mike Bolen was a huge metalhead and was really into all the death metal that was going on at the time and Mike Rosen was always listening to unconventional stuff. I grew up on Slayer, old Metallica, Anthrax, and punk rock. Anything that was fast, heavy, or fast and heavy.
(Scott White, vocals): By the time I joined the band, they had a demo out. It was good straight-forward metallic hardcore. For me, it was a lot of Carcass, Obituary, Rorschach, Brutal Truth, Deadguy, and 108 Songs of Separation were in constant rotation.
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The first Dragbody release was the self-titled 7" that Toybox Records issued in 1996. How did you guys connect with Sean Bonner on that one, and what do you think of that material all these years later? I'm asking that since it was the band's debut release.
(Scott White): The original pressing of the first 7” was on a local label called Deltona Records. He had just released a comp of mostly Orlando bands and wanted to start releasing stuff.
We ended up having a falling out over how we were selling the records and decided we were going to go with someone else on the repress. Sean was putting out a ton of good stuff on Toybox so when he offered it was the obvious choice. We all knew him and what he was doing.
How much were you guys playing out during that point? Did the local scene receive the EP well? What were some of the other bands you were playing with, and what were some of the venues down there that hosted hardcore shows?
(Scott Boyer): We played out as much as we could book in Orlando and DeLand at the time. Having the first 7" out was good because we had something to give to people and it legitimized us, but people were still learning who we were. In the earliest days the other Florida bands we played with most frequently were Cease, Withdrawal, Omega Man, and Gray Before My Eyes.
We got to play a house show in Orlando with Assück and that ended up being really beneficial for us. We became friendly with Steve Heritage and Rob Proctor [both of Assück] so they would put us on shows in Tampa and Gainesville, and even invited us to join them for the east coast leg of their 1997 summer tour.
(Scott White): We played as often as possible. I just started a tattoo apprenticeship and the other guys were all in school so we did what we could working around that. Eventually, they all put school on hold when we started touring more.
DIY Records was kind of the center of the scene here in Orlando. We had a few warehouse venues along the way as well as some bars, but DIY was the spot devoted to punk and hardcore. Melbourne had Thee Brothel. 403 Chaos in Tampa and Happy Daze in DeLand. Billy was doing shows at a church in Daytona which really helped get people down the coast.
That split you did with Burial Ground is a ripper. The late great Ian Selby put that out through his Fist Held High label. How did that project come together? Did you have a personal connection to Ian, and or the band?
Ian just released the Reversal of Man/Enemy Soil record and wanted to continue doing splits. He reached out to us and asked. Mike Bolen, our bassist for the first half of the band, talked to Ian a lot and made that happen.
I met Jamie from Burial Ground when he came in the tattoo shop. He told me he sang in a band up in Pennsylvania and gave us some stuff to listen to. We became good friends and suggested Burial Ground for the split and Ian loved them [Selby passed away of cancer in December of 2022].
A couple of us kept in touch until his passing. Jamie passed many years ago so that record definitely holds a special place in my heart.
To my ears, the band stepped things up a bit on the Transgress. Nullify. record. Do you agree with that? Also, what was it like working with Steve from Assück at the legendary Morrisound Studios? So many classic records were made there!
(Scott Boyer): We were really excited about getting to record in Morrisound, it was the most professional studio we had stepped foot in at the time. It was also where some of the greatest death metal albums of all time were recorded, so there was a real reverence for the place. Looking back though we were still such a young band that we didn't have any idea what we were really doing.
We probably weren't as prepared as we needed to be going into that recording session. Steve was patient with us but was probably thinking 'what the fuck did I get myself into?' He was originally going to put it out on his own label Schematics, but it fell through so he let us put it out with Jawk.
(Scott White): I’d agree with you about our progress on that record. By that point we were tighter and had written a solid batch of songs with that first lineup. We practiced 3 nights a week. We were lucky enough to end up with a great recording from Steve, which is what makes those specific
songs sound powerful (to me, at least).
Our songwriting changed drastically after Matt moved. Tom eventually joining was really the catalyst for where we’d end up stylistically with how Mike Rosen wrote. Mike was wanting to go in a more noisy direction and he and Tom played well off each other. Lots of weird parts that somehow fit together. The songs would eventually become less straight forward rhythmically and more about the parts and dynamics. [Laughs] We used to joke, "if you start on time and stop on time, what you do in the middle doesn’t really matter."
Recording with Steve was definitely intimidating. He was very opinionated and knew what he wanted us to sound like. Being there with him recording us in such a landmark as Morrisound was very cool.
That takes us to Flip the Kill Switch, my favorite Dragbody release. What brought on the decision to Chicago to work with Steve Albini? He was known for his dry sense of humor, and bullshit detector-like personality. What was your take on him, and did he truly "get" what the band was doing?
(Scott Boyer): We met Matt Beckerman when we were on tour in 1997. We played shows in Detroit and then Chicago at the Victory Records store with Dillinger Escape Plan who was completely unknown at the time. Matt had put out their first CD and was thier roadie for those shows. We really got along well with those guys and we kept in touch with Matt afterword.
He let us know that he really wanted to work with us and since we knew him and liked him we thought it would be a good fit. Originally, Matt suggested we work with Steve Evetts, who had recorded the Dillinger CD, but he was booked when we wanted to record. We were kicking around possible studios and producers when someone brought up Steve Albini, which seemed absolutely ridiculous.
Dave Crisafi, who replaced Mike Bolen on bass, said I'll give Electrical Audio a call and see if they have openings.
(Dave Crisafi, bass): I just called him up and his price was more reasonable than we thought it was going to be. He was pretty easy to work with and was pretty funny. Lots of memories of playing billiards and trying different types of Indian food.
At the end of the day I don't think the album really sounds that much like we did live but he captured what he got and that was his job. We still talk about rereleasing it and possibly remixing it or at least remastering it.
(Scott Boyer): Steve Albini was a really cool, laid back guy in the studio. He never big-timed us and treated us like a peer. Since we were a small band on an independent label he knew that time was precious for us so he was really efficient. The guy absolutely knew his shit. He was actually really funny too, and was always quick with a story or joke.
I don't know if Albini actually enjoyed listening to our music for 5 days straight but if he hated it he never let on [laughs]. It was a really cool experience. Every now and again I'll get feedback from people who say the album could have been cleaner or it sounds messy, but I don't know if we would have benefitted from a super tight, metal production. It was a pretty good reflection of the band at the time.
(Scott White): Albini was such a pro but had no issue stopping to bullshit and tell some stories. That guy was really funny. We spent a week there and it was an absolute blast.
I think he got us to some degree but it didn’t translate after mastering. I don’t like the recording at all but it was an amazing experience.
What are some of the highlights of touring in Europe back then? Lifeforce Records was a big supporter of the band, but how tough was it? I know things have gotten better for touring bands in terms of the circuit.
(Dave Crisafi): When we went to Europe, that was with the help of Overcome Records that put out Flip the Kill Switch over there. Lifeforce had put out the compilation CD of all the 7 inches along with two songs we recorded for it, which were the first two songs I played on.
The tour was long and for the most part a great time. We met lots of great, kind folks but we also stayed in some places that were sketchy at best. One squat we stayed in had a draw bridge so it wouldn’t get raided at night. Also another place definitely had a “murder mattress” that none of us chose to sleep on.
(Scott White): Lifeforce was super easy to work with and they were on it with their distribution. The European release of Flip the Kill Switch was on Overcome out of France, who also completely had it together with merch waiting for us and all the necessities.
We had the guys from Stack driving us and taking care of shows. That was really good because they both ran labels and distros and knew exactly what they were doing. We also got to see them a bunch which was awesome. They absolutely ripped.
There were sketchy spots but it was pretty smooth thanks to them. Everything is so close compared to the states so having time to roam around and experience the cities was definitely a highlight for me.
(Scott Boyer): Touring in Europe was way different from touring in the states at the time. The guy who booked the European tour made sure we had food and a place to sleep every night and breakfast in the morning, which was definitely not how it worked in the US.
Plenty of times a place to sleep in the states wasn't guaranteed, and with the longer drives in the US there were plenty of nights where we just drive all night and slept in the van. Having the promise of a warm meal and a place to sleep every night was quite an improvement.
The biggest highlights for me was going to new places and meeting people, Driving through Europe and seeing buildings older than the United States, getting to go from Spain all the way up to Sweden with my friends playing music on top of it all was amazing.
Speaking of Lifeforce Records, they released the Swallowing Razors / Most Bitter Gift record. You have mentioned that Dragbody was supposed to do a split release with a German band but it fell through.
(Scott White): It was. I had a friend in the Army stationed in Germany. I sent him a bunch of the first 7”s because he met some people and wanted to help get the band out. That’s how Lifeforce came into the picture. They reached out and we ended up doing the record and compilation CD of all the individual recordings with them.
Once that happened, we figured it would be easier to get over there. We were supposed to do a split with Caliban on Lifeforce, which would’ve been rad, but it didn’t happen.
I don’t really remember much of the writing process of those songs. Lyrically, they were about my family falling apart and relationships. Pretty standard stuff for a 21-year-old. Love, anger, and abandonment. Being afraid I’d inherit the things I disliked most about my father and not knowing how to communicate those feelings. There was a year when I joined the band that I lived out of my car and didn’t have much but I wrote a lot.
Finally, what's the story behind that split with Crucible? Rob from Assück was in that band, but I am not certain that they ever did anything else? No Idea released that one, which was a nice tip to the Flordia Punk hat there!
(Dave Crisafi): We knew Crucible through Rob Proctor. After Assück ended, Rob started playing guitar, first in Cease and then after he moved to Gainesville for school he started Crucible. We were still close with Rob so we would jump on shows with Crucible when we could. Rob was friends with Var from No Idea who told him he would put out a Crucible record whenever he was ready.
I believe it was Rob that mentioned doing a split together and we thought it sounded great. We were really excited about the prospect of doing something with No idea because they had put out so many great Florida bands. We had one new song for it and decided to do a cover of a really old Clutch song too.
We ended up recording and mixing the songs on two seperate overnight sessions which may have been a mistake in hindsight because we were all nodding off at different points during the sessions.
When and why did Dragbody break up? Did you guys stay in contact with each other in the years after?
(Dave Crisafi): When we came back from Europe we had been on tour nonstop in the U.S. and Europe for over a year and were pretty burnt out. Everyone started getting jobs again as we figured out what came next. I had gone to school for sound and didn’t really want to get a crappy job and had some friends in other bands that were starting to do some bigger touring and they asked me if I wanted to tour with them.
So I started touring more and more with other bands doing sound, merch, tour managing, guitar teching. I went from making nothing and going for fun to actually making a living at it. Dragbody would play shows from time to time sometimes with me and sometimes with fill ins.
We had started writing some new songs but never got to record them. Then I think life just took over and people were working and going back to school and the band just kind of stopped. Never had an official last show or anything and we were all still friends.
(Scott Boyer): We had toured almost constantly from June 2000 through February of 2001 and it had taken a real toll on the band. We had all put our lives on hold to travel that much so when we got back we all kind of concentrated on ourselves instead of the band.
We played a couple shows and wrote some new music but we had slowed down considerably. Our last show was the 2001 Gainesville Fest. It wasn't planned that way but we all kind of scattered and did our own things.
(Scott White): We never had the definitive break up moment. After the European tour we were all just burned out. We constantly toured and it was getting more difficult to even want play shows. I just wanted to tattoo and not have obligations outside of that.
Mike Rosen and I lived together for a long time and played in a sludge band called Railsplitter after Dragbody. We all still talked but I think we all needed that peace. We had some new songs with our friend Keith on bass and then we just dropped it and everyone went on their way. I wish we would’ve recorded those songs.
You reunited in 2015 to play a show. Tell me about that experience and the emotions that came from it.
(Scott Boyer): There was never a defining moment when we broke up. There was never any kind of blow up or fight, there was no animosity between anyone in the band, we just kind of got tired and stopped. Because of that there was never a sense of closure. We had kicked the idea of a reunion around a couple times before that but nothing ever came of it.
The toughest part was that no one in the group lived in the same city as anyone else. We are scattered all over, with members in Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, and Texas. Finally in 2014 we were able to get everyone together at the same time.
The reunion turned out great. We were able to get all the guys from the early and later iterations of Dragbody together for it, which had never happened before. Getting to see everyone and play music again was really awesome and the show gave us that sense of closure that had been missing when we stopped playing in 2001. Playing those songs again felt really comfortable and natural too.
(Scott White): That was an amazing experience. It was a reunion weekend with a bunch of other bands from Orlando. Basically a class reunion. Every member that recorded songs came and played those songs. It was a great way to close that chapter and just be friends again.
(Dave Crisafi): I still had the same strings on my bass as I had used on the last Dragbody show I played. There was definitely a lot of rust to knock off but Poyer and I were able to get together a few times before to work on things since we live closest together before everyone else was able to join up to play.
The show was just a reason to get everyone together and hangout. We had everyone that had recorded with the band come and play on their songs which was really cool. It is still a time we talk about.
Are there any plans for Dragbody in the future? Would you be open to doing more shows, and/or recordings together?
(Scott White): I don’t think so. We all talk and keep up but I don’t foresee that happening. I wouldn’t be opposed to playing another show at some point if the circumstances were right but it’s nothing I’d push for.
(Dave Crisafi): None of us live in the same city now so it would be hard for us to do anything. Scott White and I probably see each other the most since my work takes me to Orlando often. The only thing we really talk about is working on is at least getting a vinyl release of Flip the Kill Switch out at some point.
We have had a couple of labels show interest and we have talked about doing it ourselves too but that seems like more work then most of us have time for these days with families and work. As far as shows, I would be down if we did it more to spend time together then anything else.
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What are you up to these days? Do you stay connected to hardcore/metal and the current bands out there right now?
(Dave Crisafi): Currently, I live in Miami with my wife and twin daughters and work for New Belgium Brewing as a Regional Sales Manager for FL. I try to keep up on things and from time to time something new catches my attention but I don’t get to make it out to see many new bands live these days.
(Scott White): I still go to shows and play. I’m doing vocals in a band called MOVINGDIGGINGTEETH that’s like a down tuned fast core/ power violence band. I keep up as much as I can.
What song best captures the sonic spirit of Dragbody?
(Scott Boyer): Personally I feel like "Drenched and Open" was the first song where we focused what we liked into something that felt like our own. It was where first mixed the fast to slow tempos, chaotic energy, and heaviness that made Dragbody.
There are other songs that do each of those aspects better, but that was our blueprint. As far as personal favorite, probably "Kill the Dogs" because it's the most fun to play. The ending of that song is the closest we've come to turning music into a blunt object and smashing something with it.
(Scott White): "Drenched and Open" was the first song I wrote with them so that was an important moment in my life but I think it would be "Kill the Dogs." That was us at our tightest and most chaotic but I feel like that song was focused. I still want to smash stuff when I hear it.
(Dave Crisafi): I think I would have to go with "Kill the Dogs." I think it pulls in a lot of different aspects of what we did from groovy, droney parts to more chaotic fast parts to us just falling apart at the end as we did at the end of most of our shows.
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Flip the Kill Switch is available on streaming outlets.
Dragbody on social media: Instagram
Tagged: 90s hardcore week, dragbody
