Biography

First coming together in the suburbs of Washington, DC in early 2017, Commander Salamander was formed with the sole intention of ripping shit up. Combining the brute force of DC hardcore, the hooks and energy of pop-punk, and the technicality and passion of DIY emo, Commander Salamander burst forth like a baby antelope, already able to walk, run, and play shows. Cutting their first EP, Gross October, in late 2017, the band immediately impressed with their blend of scorchingly fast and intricate riffs, Liam Crone’s agile, rubbery drumming, Fernando Moyano’s bone-snapping bass tone, and Claudio Benedi’s endearingly scrappy-yet-powerful howl. The band’s easygoing sense of humor (they’ve been known to break into random covers of Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” mid-song), along with their immediate and catchy songwriting, earned them fans among both audiences and members throughout the world of DIY. After releasing a split with like-minded emo-pop pranksters Origami Angel, Commander Salamander regrouped in mid-2019 to release Off the Goop, the most clear and coherent representation of their sound yet, replete with songs that blend pop melodies with screamo aggression, powerviolence breakdowns with jazzy twinkles, and a detached, meme-heavy sense of humor with genuine earnestness and emotion. 
 ~ Ellie Kovach 
 Photo credits - Owen Lehman, Lil Bee, Sam Treber, Jamie Langley, Johnny Bailey, Pat Gaffney, Ron Akins