After more than 20 years in the music industry, the band Floor is back together to tour and prepare for the creation of its new record.
Floor is set to perform Thursday at Ace of Cups, with the doors opening at 8 p.m.
Band members Steven Brooks (guitar, vocals) and Anthony Vialon (former bassist and current guitarist) met in Miami in 1992 and decided to put together a rock/heavy rock band. They started playing with drummer Henry Wilson in 1997.
Floor released its first album, which was self-titled, in the early 2000s, in addition to the few EPs it released in the ’90s. The band eventually split up in 2003, according to its Facebook page. Brooks split off to form a new band named Torche, which ended up helping bring the band back together.
“We thought when we (released the album), it was going to be new, but then it just kind of dysfunctioned,” Vialon said. “The popularity and invention of the Internet and the success of Torche propelled the original record. We did a reunion show and when we saw that there were a few hundred people in the audience, we decided to get back together.”
The members of Floor toured together in 2010 as a reunion tour and officially decided to get back together earlier this year. The band plans to release a new album on record label Season of Mist later this year.
“We haven’t put out a record in 10 years,” Brooks said. “Since we are about to record a new record, we decided to do a tour as a warm up.”
Vialon described Floor’s style as heavy rock/doom pop because it has a style that is distinct to the band members’ personalities. With low-tuned guitars, heavy and poppy riffs and upbeat vocal melodies, Vialon said it was good to have the versatility of producing crushing, devastating songs as well as catchy, poppy songs.
“We came up with our own thing and it’s great in the sense that we know we came up with something new,” Vialon said. “It’s difficult to create something new in any artistic medium.”
Chris Wood, owner of booking and promotions company Starwood Presents, helps book bands in the Columbus area and has a particular interest in Floor due to his history with the band.
“Floor is a special, powerful band that rarely tours, so when I got the word that they were looking to play in Columbus again I got excited,” Wood said in an email. “Back in 2002 I played drums in a band that opened for Floor. That started my love of heavy, dynamic, underground rock bands that were coming through town. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Brooks said audiences cannot expect a particular kind of show from the band because it approaches each of its performances differently. Some shows have stage diving, while others are more mellow – it all depends on the energy of the audience.
“We just like playing music; we just like to play what we do and hope people come out to our show,” Brooks said.
Floor is set to perform alongside bands Mockingbird and Thrones at Ace of Cups, and the show is scheduled to start at 9 p.m.
Tickets are available for $10 in advance and $12 on the day of the show at brownpapertickets.com and Ace of Cups. Ace of Cups is located at 2619 N. High St.
