The River Bed
Small Brown Bike was born years ago in a small garage  located in Marshall, Michigan. Using parts of old and new bikes, four  friends created one bike that would take them further than they  imagined. Today Small Brown Bike takes on a whole new meaning.In 1997, these four friends (Travis Dopp, Dan Jaquint, Ben  Reed and Mike Reed) started working on their next project. The band  was named Small Brown Bike, in homage to their past accomplishment,  and the wheels were set in motion. After two self-released 7-inches,  the band was offered a helping hand from No Idea Records  (Gainesville, Florida). Nothing short of astounded and flattered, the  band immediately went to work and recorded their first full-length,  entitled "Our Own Wars" (June 1999).Later that year, Travis Dopp stepped down from guitar duties  to pursue other interests and take a break from the band. Long-time  friend Scott Flaster picked up his Les Paul and stepped in, to hit  the road and work on new songs for the next record. The band was  invited along on the opening slot of the Hot Water Music / Saves the  Day east coast tour in January 2000, and from then on, they haven't  stopped.After spending most of 2000 on the road, Small Brown Bike  released their second full-length, "Dead Reckoning", on No Idea  Records in March 2001. The album was recorded at Red House Recordings  in Eudora, Kansas with Ed Rose (The Get Up Kids, Coalesce, Reggie and  the Full Effect). It was instantly hailed as a "powerful and  enormous" step for the band. They continued touring across North  America, making new fans everywhere they went.More changes came to the band when Travis returned in January  2002, and Jeff Gensterblum stepped in on drums in March of that year  as Dan Jaquint left to pursue his full-time job and education. The  new line-up was solidified. The band again entered Red House  Recordings, this time to work on a collaboration with long-time  friends, The Casket Lottery.The Casket Lottery / Small Brown Bike split EP was released  on Second Nature Recordings in October 2002. Critics called it  "essential" and "exceptional". The scope of the project went far  beyond everyone's expectations, with each band going into unexplored  territories from their previous work.Today we find Small Brown Bike pushing ahead. Their new EP,  "Nail Yourself to the Ground", finds them using more textures, more  layers and building on their already strong foundation. This  progression is a natural one, showing tremendous growth and  maintaining the honesty and power their fans have grown to love.