Raid the Quarry

“Hard rock lives, and its name is Raid the Quarry.” - Unstarving Musician’s Podcast

Call them “the kings of loud.” Call them pop-punk, emo, or 90’s throwback. Call them rock and roll. Whatever you call them, Raid the Quarry is on a mission to keep rock alive. With an aggressive but accessible combination of growling guitars and memorable melodies, the North Carolina quartet’s punk-inflected style should appeal to fans of Anberlin, Foo Fighters, and Jimmy Eat World.

Raid the Quarry has been supplying Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and beyond with energetic alt/rock since 2014. Regular guests at the Carrboro Music Festival, the band has also featured in Triangle-area events such as Hopscotch, Packapalooza, SPARKcon, and Local Band Local Beer; and shared the stage with acts such as Mike Mains & the Branches, Eva Under Fire, and Rusty Shipp.

Beyond These Castle Walls, Raid the Quarry’s latest full-length album, was successfully crowdfunded through Indiegogo in October of 2021. This swell of support enabled RtQ to tap Al Jacob (He is Legend, Beloved) to produce the record, bringing a more polished and immersive quality to the project. Incorporating huge riffs, breakdowns, guitar solos, key changes, and multiple time signatures, Beyond These Castle Walls is the band’s heaviest and catchiest effort to date. The album was mastered by Troy Glessner (August Burns Red, New Found Glory). It debuts on December 9, 2022.

The lead single, “S.O.S,” was released ahead of the album, accompanied by a music video directed by Jaiden Frost (Cultus Black). Stranger Things-esque, “S.O.S.” was filmed on location at Panic Point Haunted Forest in Youngsville, NC, utilizing the horror-themed scenes to visualize the isolation and despair felt by those struggling with thoughts of suicide or self-harm. The song explores the darkness of that experience, acting as an honest cry for help and a declaration of hope. Logan Christopher of Obsidian Darling is featured on the track.

Lead vocalist Daniel Stidham and bassist Aaron Farnsworth met via Craigslist, bonding over a shared appreciation for bands such as The Classic Crime and Thousand Foot Krutch. Initially, they performed as a thee-piece with a revolving door of drummers. Wanting to pursue a fuller sound, they brought on guitarist Brian Rogers with this writing and vocal talents (his application included a small essay praising the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs The World). Trey Yoder was finally added to complete the lineup. Raid the Quarry has maintained the same roster since their EP, Priority One in 2016; through Temporary Cemetery in 2019; and up to today. Playing together consistently over the years has allowed them to develop as a group and take a more collaborative approach to writing and arranging.

All four members have played in church worship bands. Coming up with the Christian music boom of the mid-1990s, Dan learned the craft of songwriting by immersing himself in the work of luminaries like Steven Curtis Chapman, Jon Foreman, and Derek Webb. He always had a fraught relationship with labels like “Christian” or “Gospel” that threatened to silo artists into a niche that would be either blindly embraced or dismissed out of hand by a subset of the population. Dan and Aaron seek to write music that honors their belief in Christ while authentically engaging the messiness, doubts, and struggles of life.

Daniel Stidham / Vocals, Guitar
Aaron Farnsworth / Bass
Brian Rogers / Lead Guitar, Vocals
Trey Yoder / Drums, Vocals

Photos by Tyler Bradford Wright