Biography
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Years Active
1997 – present (27 years)
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Founded In
West Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States
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Members
- Erik Ratensperger (1997 – present)
- Jeff Smith (1997 – present)
- Nick Antonopoulos (1997 – 2021)
- Sean Leary (2021 – present)
Jeromes Dream is a three-piece screamo band that originally formed in Connecticut and is now based in San Francisco, CA. They were active from 1997 to 2001 and then again from 2018 onwards.
Jeromes Dream began on September 13, 1997, after a short jam session between bassist Jeff Smith, guitarist Nick Antonopoulos, and drummer Erik Ratensperger that was held in the basement of Antonopoulos' mother's house. According to Erik Ratensperger, their first recorded material was intended to be used for a demo release; however, it caught the attention of Rice Control Records, resulting in the intended demo material being released as a split album with Amalgamation. The band had a unique vocal style - singer Jeff Smith opted not to use a microphone while performing live, instead screaming unamplified at the top of his lungs. The band was known for playing very short sets, usually no longer than 10 minutes. According to Smith, they thought 10 minutes was all they needed to get their point across.
The band's second full-length album, Presents, featured a drastic change in vocal style, abandoning the raw screams for processed "megaphone" style vocals. This stylistic shift was rumored to a product of vocal cord damage sustained by their singer from the repeated strain of performing. However, Smith cites an anecdote in which while recording with Orchid his voice cut off and he passed out in the recording booth. Afterward, they changed their style overall.
After Jeromes Dream, Jeff Smith went on to play experimental drone music in The Wind-Up Bird. Drummer Erik Ratensperger now played in the bands Best Inventions and The Virgins and currently plays in The Rassle. According to guitarist Nick Antonopoulos, the band devised their name from the film Gattaca. In contrast, during a 2018 Instagram live stream, drummer Erik Ratensperger stated that the name came from watching a friend's cat (named Jerome) sleeping.
In 2005, Alone Records of Oswego, NY released a 2CD discography containing all of Jeromes Dream's recordings, including live and unreleased songs.
In March 2018, Jeromes Dream crowd funded their upcoming LP on Indiegogo. They announced that it would be recorded and produced by Kurt Ballou of Converge. However, the album was ultimately recorded by Jack Shirley. The band's first full-length release in 18 years, LP, was released in July 2019.
In October 2021, Sean Leary of Loma Prieta joined the band as a second guitarist, founding guitarist Nick Antonopoulos later left the band in 2022. His last recording with the band, Reminders to Parallel, was released on the Balladeers, Redefined compilation in 2023.
In Febuary 2023, the band announced their fourth full-length album, releasing Stretched Invisible from London as it's first single. The Gray In Between was released in May 2023, it marked a return to the band's screamo style vocals and was recieved more positively than it's predecessor.
• Jeromes Dream Demo Cassette (Self-Released. 1998)
• Split w/ Amalgamations 7" (Rice Control Records. 1998)
• Split w/ July 7" (Hit the Ground Running Records. 1999)
• Split w/ Book of Dead Names 5" (Witching Hour Records. 1999)
• Seeing Means More Than Safety 10" LP (Old Glory Records. 2000)
• Split w/ Orchid 10" Skull Shaped Split (Witching Hour Records. 2000)
• Split w/ Usurp Synapse 7" (Level Plane / Clean Plate Records. 2000)
• V/A "Antipodes" 7" EP (Level Plane Records. 2000)
• Presents MCD (Alone Records. 2001)
• Split w/ The One AM Radio 7" (Garbage Czar Records. 2001)
• Completed 1997-2001 2xCD (Alone Records. 2005)
• LP (Microspy. 2018)
• The Gray in Between (Iodine Recordings. 2023)
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