|genre current_members years_active label article_title landscape past_members background image origin name
punk rock rory henderson ryan massey john peck scott healy 1995 & ndash ; present fat wreck chords , lookout ! records american steel
 yes jamie kissinger group_or_band americansteel.jpg oakland , california , usa american steel
american steel

american steel is an american punk rock band formed in 1995 in oakland , california .
when offered their first show , the group took their name from the block-long sign on the warehouse across the street .
after playing at parties and smaller venues around the bay area for over a year , and undergoing several lineup changes , the band bought a van and embarked on their first tour of the us , lasting 32 days and covering 12,000 miles .
after returning from tour , american steel recorded their eponymous first album for san francisco 's new disorder records .
in the spring of 1999 , american steel signed to lookout !
and released `` rogue 's march '' in october 1999 .
the recording process was intermittent , due to guitarist ryan 's initial diagnosis and early battle with leukemia .
2000 saw the band tour in both the u.s. and canada , including appearances at south by southwest and cmj .
their third full-length , `` jagged thoughts '' followed in 2001 .
following this , american steel changed their name and sound in 2002 , becoming communiqué .
the band reunited in 2007 , and signed to fat wreck chords .
they released a new album entitled `` destroy their future '' on october 2 , 2007 .
they toured with alkaline trio in the summer of 2008 and with donots in the fall of 2008 in europe .
in march 2009 they announced recording had begun on a second album for fat wreck chords , `` dear friends and gentle hearts '' , which was released july 21 , 2009 .
