No Way Out started in March '05 pretty much as Dementia fell apart. Me and Big Chris had been talkin' about starting a new band, and Dave was down after Dementia broke up so we started practicing in Dave's parents' garage. Mostly we played Sega Genesis though, but we did write a few songs. At first we didn't have a drummer and I played second guitar, then we got some kid whose name I can't remember who played drums for like two practices. He was real into Coheed and Cambria but we didn't know anyone else.
Obviously that shit didn't work out, but Chris and Dave learned that this dude Colin from school played drums. That worked out much better. We wrote some more songs, but still mostly played Genesis. Dave kinda lost interest, so we started practicing in Chris's parents' garage. John was still in the Defense at the time but that shit was falling apart too, so he came in on guitar. We got our first show with that lineup in June '05. We played like 5 songs, then played "Hardcore Isn't Punk" again because kids wanted us to play more. And I wasn't sure why. At some point around then we also recorded our first demo, which was terrible. But we could put shit up on MySpace.
Dave decided he wanted to be in the band again, which we were OK with - especially since his garage was way better. For a little while Davey (who later ended up playing guitar...) was on drums because we thought he looked more punk than Colin. True story. But then he moved to Norfolk so we got Colin back. We played a lot of shows and recorded the SST e.p. with that lineup - Matt, Chris, Dave, John, and Colin.
Dave, Chris, and Colin all graduated high school that next summer, 2006 now, and Colin was leaving to go to college in New York. Colin was my homey, but after he straight up missed a show, we went ahead and cut to the chase and got Stevey from Vomit Up Blood to start playing drums before Colin was gone. He did a pretty good job filling in that show Colin missed. Played a lot of shows with that lineup as well, and then Dave kinda lost interest again as S.S.B.S. was blowing up. So he quit, and everything was amicable which was cool.
Davey was losing interest in Clockwork Bully at that time and came back into NWO as a guitarist - and that was the final and most permanent lineup. We played lots more shows, including the sad final punk show at the Nanci Raygun, and did a small tour with Insurgency in December '06. We had just finished recording songs for a new 7" in the spring and had plans for a summer tour with the Social Dropouts in the works when it all fell apart. Davey was going through a rough time, him and John were both about to go to jail in August, and I stopped feeling like spending all my time doing No Way Out shit was worth the effort. So, we called it quits.
But, since that was a shitty way to end it, we played our last show at the Rocks, January 5th '08 with Government Warning and a buncha other tight bands. If you weren't there you fucked up. There have been a few cameo appearances here and there, however...
It was fun, we're all still friends, and I'll never forget it. Me and Davey play in Mega Minge... Stevey and Dave are in Don't Hesitate... John is in Black Heart Saints... Stevey's in SSR... and John and Davey are also in Empty Grave. So check that shit out and peace bitches.
- Matt
