French Toast

French Toast formed in 2001 around James Canty and Jerry Busher, a duo whose separate careers are rooted in the highly regarded Washington, D.C., punk scene. Canty had been a member of <a href="spotify:artist:5WYp4rSdvV9DuiswVnxheS">the Nation of Ulysses</a>, Cupid Car Club, and <a href="spotify:artist:3S4UtnIGLI03OBpRy3wrNY">the Make-Up</a>, while Busher had logged time with bands like <a href="spotify:artist:7tPKJBnjmL3s87OgSwTtgE">Fidelity Jones</a> and las Mordidas, in addition to playing with <a href="spotify:artist:62sC6lUEWRjbFqXpMmOk4G">Fugazi</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6dzueKMr7xesqFAZesqeSf">Ted Leo</a>. Busher was also a part of the D.C. post-punk all-star group the All Scars, featuring members of <a href="spotify:artist:62sC6lUEWRjbFqXpMmOk4G">Fugazi</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0B46DSYeU1t0QRmRHkPpuR">Beefeater</a>, and more, and when Canty joined that band for a European tour in the fall of 2000, the foundation was laid for the collaboration that would become French Toast. As French Toast, the two didn't offer up post-rock along the lines of <a href="spotify:artist:62sC6lUEWRjbFqXpMmOk4G">Fugazi</a>, instead cohesively mixing rock and electronic elements into a rather somber and composed indie rock affair, somewhat like <a href="spotify:artist:2JpHk8yju1DH1l3c9sXzOS">the Dismemberment Plan</a>. They debuted in 2002 with The Bugman, an EP on Arrest Records, a label that Canty co-owned, before hooking up with Dischord for their March 2005 full-length In a Cave. The band played shows with the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:4pejUc4iciQfgdX6OKulQn">Queens of the Stone Age</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1yAwtBaoHLEDWAnWR87hBT">Modest Mouse</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3MM8mtgFzaEJsqbjZBSsHJ">Bloc Party</a> and, in mid-2005, became a trio with the addition of Ben Gilligan (a vet of bands like <a href="spotify:artist:7fLoD3EbgBsbzRySM4h7zs">the Vague</a> and Australia's Small Doses) to their ranks. The three split vocal duties and played all instruments, next issuing Ingleside Terrace in fall 2006. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi