It was the winter of 2000/01, the junior year of high school for three punks that were destined to make the world spin off its axis. All in their school's band program, The Quitters assembled by chance.
Bassist and lead vocalist, Marq Roqsberg, and drummer and back-up vocalist, Miqah Mayhem, had played together before for kicks in a cover band that had no name(and only played in living rooms and garages to no one), and wanted more in a band than covering MxPx. So started a quick separation where Marq played bass and sang for the ill-fated, Threefold, and Miqah was almost swallowed by the darkside known as emo, playing drums for the also ill-fated, Mayfield Place. Both bands played a few gigs, but soon Marq and Miqah left the bands, unsatisfied by the styles of music they were playing, and just wanting to play because they loved to.
Junior year ended, senior year began. A fresh start was afoot. Marq and Miqah reunited along with their buddy, Jim, who played guitar, and they were soon back to their cover band ways. But a fire was growing in the bass and drum section; a need to be original(if being in the previous bands had been useful at all, it made them realize that having a hand in writing the music they were playing was much more fulfilling then just playing someone else's material).
The three began writing a song together(called "Take It"), and in the process, discovered that they needed another guitar player. The fates had aligned; a trumpet player from Minnesota had just won a guitar in the school band's spaghetti dinner raffle. His Name: Qarr.
Knowing only basic chords, Qarr jumped in enthusiastically, slowly but surely proving his worth on the six-string. The quartet finished "Take It" and began on a new song, "Snivels", a song about the ills of emo music, and also the first song written with all of The Quitters. Along with some covers by Green Day, Pennywise, Berlin and 2gether, the foursome were ready for their first gig, The 1st Annual Milk Gallon Challenge.
But before even the first drop of lactose touched a tongue in the contest, Jim left the band, not interested in the rest's ambitions to play hard, fast, aggressive punk rock music. With good will, the band cut their losses and cemented themselves into a punk trio fit for a bar: Marq, Miqah and Qarr.The Quitters.
The MGC was their first and last show for more than a year, where a hiatus(albeit an unwanted one) took the form of college, with Qarr going to Reno, Marq spending a life-changing year Israel, and Miqah staying at UNLV. The year went slow, but good songwriting took place, and the reunion was an anticipated one. The 2nd Annual MGC show came and went, and so did Marq, who at the end of the 2003 summer, went to Oregon for college. With Qarr now in Vegas for school with Miqah, Marq Roqsberg put a hold on The Quitters once again. And once again, good songwriting and patience prevailed.
Marq had become antsy in Oregon, and wrote like crazy. When he decided he couldn't take it anymore, he transferred his credits to UNLV, and came back to Vegas where nothing would stand in the way of The Quitters punching Sin City in the face with highly concentrated anarchy. A quick tightening of the music screws and they were off.
Since the summer of 2004, The Quitters have lived together, practicing and writing, and playing shows at all the local venues: The Boston, The Cheyenne Saloon, The Tailspin, The Double Down, and Gameworks(in order from first location played). Anyone that's been to a Quitters show knows that the band destroys the place with high audience interaction and break-neck speed punk rock.
The Quitters will be around for a long time coming, so go to a show and become a believer in punk rock music once again.
Micah Malcolm is a fan ofThe QuittersCreate your Fan Badge
