Scary Kids Scaring Kids

by Corey AparTaking their name from a Cap'n Jazz song, Phoenix sextet Scary Kids Scaring Kids began spewing impassioned post-hardcore that could be both shriekingly spastic and soothingly melodic in the early 2000s. Known for a reckless, incendiary live show, the band originally comprised Tyson Stevens (vocals/bass), DJ Wilson (guitar), Peter Costa (drums), and Chad Crawford (guitar). Wilson later picked up the bass following the addition of guitarist Steve Kirby and keyboardist Pouyan Afkary to the band's ranks. While still seniors in high school, the guys recorded their debut EP, After Dark, with Bob Hoag (Recover, the Format), independently releasing it that June before putting the band on the back burner. As members locally enrolled in college for the fall of 2003 -- and Costa returned to his first dream of working to be a concert pianist -- an escalating buzz around the band really began to take off, especially after the popular website absolutepunk.net posted their EP online. Next thing bandmembers knew, Scary Kids was back as their first priority with a new deal on Immortal Records. The label reissued After Dark in 2004. Recorded in five weeks under the production skills of Brian McTernan (Snapcase, Thrice), The City Sleeps in Flames appeared in June 2005. In spring 2006, Justin Salter officially took over drumming duties, replacing Costa in the band. Summer was spent on both the Warped Tour and separate dates with Haste the Day.