The Last Dance Information

The Last Dance was originally formed in 1990 in the Southern California city of Fountain Valley by schoolmates Rick Joyce (Guitar) and Jeff Diehm (Vocals). Soon after they were joined by Ian Haas (Drums) & Tony Tullai (Bass). Inspired by UK post-punk bands of the 80's like Southern Death Cult, The Mission & U2, as well as their SoCal peers like London After Midnight & Christian Death, they set out to create their own brand of dark & passionate rock music, one that paid tribute to their inspirations yet called upon other varied influences as well as their own personal musical & spiritual inclinations to give them their own unique & personal voice. The initial line-up of TLD as they are often called by longtime fans & the band themselves, did 2 self-recorded cassette releases during these formative years: "Everyone" & "Angel", before original bassist Tony Tullai left the band to focus on his work as the guitarist for The Prophetess, a band in which Joyce also performed, interestingly enough, as bassist. In 1994, Tullai's official replacement was found. In what seemed to be a regular practice of instrument swapping within the group & their inner circle, Peter J. Gorritz, who had been playing guitar in the Central California dark rock band The Shroud when he first met Joyce & Diehm, stepped in as bassist, a role he has played ever since. The recruitment of their new bassist brought a new sound to the band, one that was slightly more aggressive, emphasized the bass as more of a rhythm section instrument, & benefited from a broader set of influences as well as a larger & more varied fan base. Taking advantage of new digital technology, the band started releasing material in CD format, beginning with the EP "Tragedy" (Apollyon Records) released in 1995. 1995 also marked the first of TLD's many ventures into international waters, when they were invited to play in Mexico City, where a vibrant & passionate scene dedicated to dark underground music had been sprouting. Soon, afterwards however, founding member Haas also ...