Augusta GA band Debt of Nature has announced that they will re-unite for live shows, a new release, and the 2008 12 Bands of Christmas CD and concert as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the band's beginning in the summer of 1988.
Originally formed in 1988 from the remnants of the garage rock-influenced Tin Soldier, Debt of Nature consisted of Marc Tompkins (guitar, vocals), David Newhall (bass), and Steve Howard (drums), all graduates of Westside High School. In the fall of 1988, David Bradberry, of the recently deceased Orphan Train, was added to provide vocals and additional guitars to the lineup. The group re-located to Athens GA in late 1988 and in 1989 released the seminal "Six Songs We Hate" EP recorded in Athens by legendary producer John Keane. Later in 1989 Debt of Nature released the single "Head" b/w "Heavy Water", also recorded by John Keane and released by the Texas based Selfless Records.
Debt of Nature spent the bulk of 1989-1991 touring the southeast until college graduation and a horrible farming accident sent the members of the band their separate ways.
In 1992 Bradberry founded the Augusta GA based label Haunted Pillar Records to showcase the growing Augusta music scene and released three compilations of Augusta music between 1993 and 1996 among others. He and Newhall formed the band Smile while Tompkins and Howard formed the band Hundred Year Sun, both of which were featured on 1993's "Haunted Pillar Presents" CD compilation. Members of Hundred Year Sun, including Tompkins, re-located to Atlanta under the name Billionaire, signing a major label deal with London Records in 1999.
All along the four members of Debt of Nature have remained close, and Bradberry, Newhall, and Howard have performed in recent years as Deviltown. When Tompkins threatened to join Deviltown, the realization that Debt of Nature's beginning was approaching the 20 year mark spawned the idea of playing together as Debt of Nature once again as a celebration of their long friendship and close ties as musicians.
Debt of Nature plans to play some shows locally in the fall of 2008 with a release of new songs to follow in 2009 on the Haunted Pillar label. They will also contribute the first original Debt of Nature recording since 1989, "Santa Claus is Driving Under the Influence of Love", to this year's 12 Bands of Christmas CD.
The big Jesus refrain in "SANTA..." is one of the best things you've ever written. I love it when some elses lyrics say perfectly what i thought no one else understood.
