About Poison the Well
Poison the Well is an American metalcore band from Miami, Florida who were last signed to Ferret Music. In 2010, they announced a hiatus to explore other interests. Lead guitarist Ryan Primack and drummer Chris Hornbrook were the only remaining founding members, although vocalist Jeffrey Moreira featured on all five of their full-length albums. The band reformed for numerous shows in 2015 and again in 2016 and 2020; they have since reunited permanently and are working on a new album as of 2024. Their albums have sold a combined total of over 300,000 copies in the United States as of 2012.
Poison the Well was originally formed under the name Doubting Thomas by lead vocalist Aryeh Lehrer and lead guitarist Ryan Primack in the autumn of 1997. Lehrer was responsible for coining the name Doubting Thomas. The band was originally based in Coral Springs, Florida, where the two attended J. P. Taravella High School, but later moved to a rehearsal space in Miami, Florida. Lehrer, who had previously played in the band Reaching Out, recruited rhythm guitarist Russel Saunders, formerly of the band Side Order, and bassist Shane Halpern who had recently moved from North Carolina down to Florida.
In December 1997, Doubting Thomas was renamed An Acre Lost, a name Saunders' girlfriend came up with.
From October 2–10, 1999, Poison the Well recorded their first full-length album, The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation, with producer Jeremy Staska at Studio 13. The band invited former vocalists Hosein and Lehrer to provide backing vocals on the song "Not Within Arms Length", the lyrics of which had been written by Hosein before he left the band in 1998.
Bassist Landsman was kicked out of the band in late September 2000 due to ongoing personal differences. Landsman had been the vocalist in the Florida metalcore band Until the End and would later front the band Target Nevada with several ex-Poison the Well members. Nevertheless, Landsman agreed to honour Poison the Well's already-booked upcoming show on October 6, 2000, at Club Q in Davie, Florida. The show was a landmark event, not only as Landsman's final show with Poison the Well, but because it also celebrated the release of Until the End's debut extended play, already released on September 12, 2000, through Equal Vision Records. Despite rumors that he walking off stage mid-way through their show, Landsman finished Poison the Well's set and went on to perform with Until the End later that evening. However, Hornbrook was later asked to leave Until the End at Landsman's insistence.
Michael Gordillo was immediately announced as Landsman's replacement. Gordillo's first show with Poison the Well was on October 20, 2000, at the Downtime in Manhattan, New York.
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