THE FULLY DOWN

It’s wild to think Don’t Get Lost in a Movement turns 20 today. When we recorded it, we were just trying to make something energetic, technical, and rooted in the influences past and present that shaped us. With the help of the legend @allbuttonsin , we spent months pushing ourselves and the boundaries of what we thought we could create. We had no idea this album would take us around the world or connect us with so many people. A huge debt of gratitude will always be owed to @fearlessrecords / @fearbob and @daisuke_ihorihara who helped make that all possible. Thank you to everyone who came to a show, bought a CD, burned it for a friend, or shouted these songs back at us. Two decades later, we’re still humbled by what this record meant to the people who kept it alive. “If you have Iron Maiden and Thrice songs back to back on your mix tapes, allow us to introduce you to your new favorite band.” Alternative Press AP Magazine @altpress “Fast, melodic, and impressively tight… The Fully Down deliver a level of technical pop punk that stands out in a crowded mid 2000s scene.” PunkNews.org Album Review @punknews “A sharp, high energy debut filled with precision guitar work and hooks that stick Canada’s post hardcore scene had a real gem on its hands.” Exclaim Magazine Music Review @exclaimdotca

Back in 2005, we had the chance to speak with @rejlaplanche on 123 Punk—right outside the MusiquePlus Studio on Sainte-Catherine Street. Here’s a clip where we talked about the Ottawa scene. At that time, it felt like Ottawa had something really special. It wasn’t about genres or cliques—punk, hardcore, emo, indie—everyone shared stages, showed up for each other, and built something real together. Huge thanks to Reg for the opportunity—we’ll always appreciate it. Great to see @123punkofficiel back in one way or another. Apologies for the quality of the footage.

Dec 21, 2005 – Chain Reaction – Anaheim, CA The last night of the Halifax , @iamtheavalanchenyc , @punchlion , The Fully Down tour ended the way any good run should… in a parking lot photo. Members of all four bands crammed together outside the legendary @chainreactionca in Anaheim for one last photo before loading out. Chain Reaction was a fitting final stop… the Anaheim all-ages room had already become a rite of passage for mid-2000s pop-punk and post-hardcore, the scene really felt alive at this time with bands on @drivethrurecords , @fueledby and @fearlessrecords all touring the country together. What came next was its own kind of adventure. Straight out of the parking lot and into a 40-hour drive from Anaheim to Ottawa no stops; just highway. California sun slowly fading, the air changing as the miles stacked up. Somewhere through the middle of the country, snow started to show up along the edges of the road. A little at first, then more the further north it got. Eventually winter fully set in. Made it back just in time for Christmas.

A small piece of early 2000s scene history. Before Spotify playlists and algorithms. Music for Playgrounds Vol. 1 (2004) was a Sunday League Records compilation featuring bands from the punk, emo and post hardcore scene at the time. Alongside @dotmoneendot , @theearlynovember , @thefalloftroy , @braidofficial , @wintersleeptheband , @choke_band_94 , @wotbband , @thejunction and @spitalfield98 , we were fortunate to be part of that moment captured on one record. Forever grateful to @thetouringgoose and Marcio Sargento for this one.

Detroit, Michigan, USA - Alvins April 26th 2006 Second show of a 32 show run w/ @boysetsfireofficial and Verses The Mirror which took us all across the United States. @boysetsfireofficial were nothing short of incredible to us… they took us under their wing like big brothers during that tour. You know it’s a great tour when bands are swapping members and riding in each other’s vans to the shows just to keep the hang going. Here’s a list of the shows from that tour: APR 24 – Travel/Off Day – Off Day APR 25 – Cleveland, OH – Peabodys APR 26 – Detroit, MI – Alvins APR 27 – Covington, KY – The Mad Hatter APR 28 – Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theatre APR 29 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen APR 30 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry MAY 1 – Des Moines, IA – House of Bricks MAY 2 – Kansas City, MO – El Toreon Theatre MAY 3 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre MAY 4 – Salt Lake City, UT – Avalon Theater MAY 5 – Boise, ID – The Venue MAY 6 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon MAY 7 – Portland, OR – Rock and Roll Pizza MAY 8 – Sacramento, CA – The Boardwalk MAY 9 – San Francisco, CA – The Pound MAY 10 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction MAY 11 – Hollywood, CA – Knitting Factory MAY 12 – La Jolla, CA – Rimac Field MAY 13 – Tucson, AZ – Skrappys MAY 14 – Travel/Off Day – Off Day MAY 15 – San Antonio, TX – Sanctuary MAY 16 – Dallas, TX – The Door MAY 17 – Houston, TX – Javajazz Coffee MAY 18 – Travel/Off Day – Off Day MAY 19 – Saint Petersburg, FL – State Theatre MAY 20 – West Palm Beach, FL – Rays Downtown MAY 21 – Orlando, FL – The Social MAY 22 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade MAY 23 – Greensboro, NC – Greene St Club MAY 24 – Richmond, VA – Nanci Raygun MAY 25 – Levittown, NY – The Ritual MAY 26 – S. Hackensack, NJ – School of Rock MAY 27 – Wilkes Barre, PA – Cafe Metropolis MAY 28 – Columbia, MD – MerriWeather Post

Over the years, we’ve had many versions of this shirt, but it remains the most printed design we’ve ever had as a band. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who grabbed one or supported us in any way.

Bricks doing his thing somewhere in 04’

One of the most unforgettable interviews we ever did was at 103.1 FM in Los Angeles with @dicky_barrett on the “Mighty Morning Show.” Dickie, frontman of @bosstonesofficial , we were nervous as hell sitting in front of him. It was our first full U.S. tour in mid November of 2005 with @fouryearstrong and Maida, and we were determined to give a shoutout to the other bands. @danfys from FYS agreed to come along for the interview and even jumped in to sing harmonies with us on a live acoustic track. We decided to rework “Cost of Comfort” into a stripped-down version, something we’d never done before. That live version also saw the light of day as a bonus track on the Japanese release of Don’t Get Lost in a Movement. In the van, we rehearsed it over and over, determined to get it right. We were building a relationship with a @gibsonguitar rep at the time, and they hooked us up with three acoustic guitars for the performance. Everything seemed lined up for a smooth interview. The interview itself? It went… alright, considering how clueless we were back then. Dicky definitely carried us, no question. He knew how to keep things moving and make us sound better than we probably deserved. As for the song, I think it went well, though I haven’t listened to it in years. After we wrapped up, we plugged the show, thanked everyone, and headed down the street to a little coffee shop. We sat outside, soaking up the California sun, still buzzing over the fact that we’d just been on the radio in L.A.

New York, NY, USA - Randall’s Island Park August 7th 2004 @vanswarpedtour

Eight-hour drives through endless days and nights, for months at a time. From desolate stretches of nowhere to the brightest lights of North America’s biggest cities, the van was our world. It wasn’t just transportation—it was at the core of everything we did. That van was our home, our hangout and our mess. It was where we cracked jokes, talked shit, and scribbled down the worst raps you could imagine. We’d work on merch designs between pit stops, pass out in the seats after shows, or zone out to whatever movie was on. It reeked of cigarette smoke and had a floor covered in trash we’d ignore until it cascaded out the moment we slid the door open. That van was chaos, but it was ours.

This photo of Alex was taken somewhere in the US on the Halifax, @punchlion , @iamtheavalanchenyc tour back in 2005.

Buckle up for this one. I remember us being so excited for Tour and Loathing—it was such a solid lineup of bands. @mark.spicoluk from Underground Operations had a role in putting that tour together. Of course, a few shows into the tour our van broke down… it was the morning after the Calgary show. We were driving through an area of farms and ranches when it happened. We all got out and pushed the van to the nearest ranch. As we were getting closer to the house a few of us broke out in laughter over witnessing two dogs getting it on right in our direct line of sight. The rancher who owned the place saw us on his property, came outside and was cool enough to let us all stay inside his place to call for a tow truck. Then he just straight up left. He left a bunch of sketchy kids with a broken van hang out at his home. So, we did what any group of sketchy kids with a broken van would do… left a thank you note and all of our weed, since we were about to cross the boarder into Montana to cut through the United States to catch back up with the tour. During all of this Gab hitched a ride with the other bands, playing acoustic along the way. If I remember correctly he also had a court date to make London, Ontario. With the van fixed we headed to Regina, then to the US border, where guards pulled us in for individual interrogations. They swabbed our cards hoping to find cocaine residue, searched everything, and even tore apart the muffins gifted to us at a previous show. They also claimed they could “scrape a pound of weed from the van” and kept asking where the rest was, we had NONE. During the interrogations Dan was repeatedly asked if he had aliases like “dumbass.” Either the border guards found another Dan Hay or were using insults to get him to confess. It became a running joke in the TFD camp. But despite everything, we eventually caught back up with the tour and ended it with what might’ve been one of the most fun shows we ever at Babylon in Ottawa.