No Motiv

by Steve HueyA punk-pop quartet from Oxnard, CA, No Motiv specialize in the sort of personal introspection and emotional catharsis that defines the subgenre known as emocore. They released two albums on Edge Records, Cynical and Scarred, and soon became one of the first bands to sign to the then-fledgling Vagrant Records. No Motiv continued their recording career by contributing songs to films and to Vagrant's Five Years on the Streets compilation. The latter in particular set the stage for No Motiv's Vagrant label debut album; And the Sadness Prevails was released in early 1999. Ten tours and two years later, Diagram for Healing, produced by Face to Face's Trever Keith, was issued in spring 2001. Lineup changes ensued before the release of the Lola EP in June 2003, and January of the following year saw the darker, more mature effort of Daylight Breaking. By this time, No Motiv consisted of Max McDonald (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Palaszewski (vocals, guitar), Jeff Hershey (bass), and Roger Camero (drums).