Miles Between Us

Miles Between Us were a straight edge hardcore band from Ottawa, Canada. Beginning in 1998 as From This Day Forward, the band aimed to bring classic style hardcore to a scene that was well known for its emo leanings. Nathan Simpson (guitar) and Matt Laforge (vocals) recruited Matt Ford (bass), formerly of Sumo Grimace and Adam Solomonian, who had previously played in various local hardcore and punk bands. Howie Joyce (drums) came on board to solidify the original lineup. Still going with the name From This Day Forward, the group released a split demo with Ottawa crust punks Course of Action on Dagobah Records. Soon after, the band decided to change its name- partially because they had grown musically and wanted to record another demo, but also because there were other bands using a similar name. The band recorded Demo 2K and released this on both cassette and CD formats. This allowed them to begin touring extensively and playing numerous shows in Canada and the United States. Their hard work caught the eye of Rochester, NY's Blatherskyte Records, which released the band's debut 7 inch. Miles Between Us toured to support the release, playing countless shows with American Nightmare, Count Me Out, Bane, Outbreak, Reach The Sky, Good Clean Fun, Strike Anwhere, The Disaster, Fucked Up, and many others. This heavy schedule took its toll on the band, with Joyce leaving and replaced by Chris Catz. The band soon began to prepare for its full length release, which was originally planned to be with Blatherskyte again. After recording the album, there were some complications with Blatherskyte, and Thinkfast Records displayed interest in releasing the full length, When It Counts. By the time of the release, Ford and Simpson had left the band, leaving the others to carry on as a 4-piece, with Shaun Morris taking over on bass duties. The band played its final show in Ottawa at Saw Gallery, and the following year played a reunion show with Mental. Since that time, the members of Miles Between Us have been involved in various projects including The Transit, Ancient Heads, Needles//Pins, Fox On The Run, The Wishlist, Black Passenger, and many others.