Review Text
The Return is a three piece punk, ska, reggae and rock band based out of Ventura, California. Until January of 2000 the three members of The Return formed the core of the punk/ska band The Shecks. When The Shecks decided to disband Andrew (bass), Derek (guitars/vocals) and Justin (drums) decided to remain together and The Return was born. Immediately following their inception The Return recorded their first demo, the 8 song self-titled EP. Although the demo sold well at their shows it neglected to receive industry attention. The Return shot a video for the song 'Falling Down' off the self-titled E.P. and has since been getting occasional airplay on MTV2. Deciding to try something new The Return moved to Long Beach in attempt to widen their fan base. In September of 2001 they released their live demo Expect to See Blood and later released their third 5 song studio demo Sometimes it Hurts to Smile. This time their demos received many positive responses from independent record labels but The Return still didn't come away with a record deal. After moving back to Ventura, The Return teamed up with Omaha punk-rockers, Jank1000 and managed to do a completely DIY national tour, with over 25 shows in May and June of 2002, making over $2,000 in merchandise sales (pretty good for band with absolutely no backing by any record label). Also in June The Return were featured on the cover of Skratch magazine in conjunction with a 3 page interview. When they arrived home from their tour they immediately recorded their final full length demo 'Revolution of the Mind'. This demo, along with an exceptional live performance gained the attention of local independent record label Missing Words Records. On March 11, 2003 The Return released their debut full length album 'Build Me a Reason' and will be touring in support of the release for the rest of the year. The Return have shared the stage with a number of respectable acts such as: The Specials, Slick Shoes, RxBandits, The Skatalites, No Motiv, Craigs Brother, Jeffries Fan Club and many more. 'She's Gone Sour' and 'This is My Life' off of Sometimes it Hurts to Smile, have received airplay on local and national radio stations.
