2003-present 2002-2003
The Drafted's first lineup had Adam on guitar, Omeed on DRUMS, and Ben on bass. They formed around May of 2003 and played their first show in September. At that time, Baytown bands had to travel long distances to play shows. Lucky, a venue called The Harbour would soon open in Baytown and literally set the stage for them to gain a Baytown following more easily. The Drafted played there a few times in the beginning of 2004. They had a few die hard fans, but the trio was dissatisfied. Omeed sucked at drums, he was really a guitar player. So they set out to find a better drummer and keep Omeed as a second guitarist. Adam joined his high school's jazz band that semester (spring '04) and in doing so, met a young aspiring drummer named Aaron (who had actually seen The Drafted's first Harbour performance). After a few weeks of coaxing, Adam recruited Aaron into The Drafted. At that time there were three good places bands could play in Baytown: The Harbour, Chilly Willy's (formerly the little-known and actually pre-Harbour 'Elbow Room'), and Salvation Skatepark. The Drafted played at all three that summer, but not regularly, and not with many other punk bands. The Drafted didn't seem to be catching in Baytown, or anywhere else for that matter (except for a small group of Brazilian teenagers staying in Baytown that summer, no joke). Rehearsals and shows slowed down that fall, and by the end of the school year Ben became particularly negative about the band, and Adam became particularly sick of it. In the spring of '05 a new jazz band friend named Rylan was begging Adam to let him take Ben's place. In May the replacement was official. The Drafted recorded a full length cd that summer with a newly established Lower Records. By this time (summer '05) Salvation Skatepark and Chilly Willy's had closed, leaving only The Harbour for Baytown shows. Accordingly, The Harbour moved to a new location and put themselves on the map as the ONLY good medium sized venue on Houston's east side. They also got a new booking guy, who happened to like The Drafted. So by the beginning of 2006, The Drafted had a monthly gig at The Harbour, and kids started showing up in droves. By the end of that summer The Drafted could pack the room two weeks in a row (August 5th and 12th 2006, to be exact). But the glory was short lived. The Harbour closed that September, with no signs of ever reopening, while Adam went off to college in New Orleans and Rylan joined the Navy. Most bands would have broken up, but The Drafted are still playing shows today, usually with a substitute lineup including The Kamikaze Overture's Danny on drums and Aaron on bass. Their inability to play regularly has ruined their local turnout, but they continue to put on one of the baddest shows you'll ever see on a 6-inch high stage. Watch out, they just might fuck up your bass amp.
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