Cellar Rats

Cellar Rats was formed in 2012 after Cesar Ocampo met Greg Stark and Dario (Wallace) Sanchez after performing a show with his then-current band, Ramona's Revenge. The original lineup consisted of Cesar on drums, Greg on guitar, and Wallace on vocals. After a few shows, the band brought in Eric Olivo, Cesar's former bassist in Ramona's Revenge, to fill in on bass. Cellar Rats played locally in the Chicago suburbs for about a year before Cesar left the band for personal reasons. One of Eric's friends, Zach Damit, was then brought in on drums. The band began to grow their audience and perform at various locations farther away from their hometown before releasing their first 5-track EP in November, 2012 titled Spacebar. 2013 was a great year for the band. They played 23 shows at favorite local venues such as Reggies, Ashbary Coffee House, and Mike's Luv 'N' Music, while reaching out-of-state audiences in Indiana and Iowa. Greg Stark, the band's guitarist at the time, left the band in August due to differing opinions regarding the band. However, he helped significantly with the recording process of their upcoming album. Katelyn Correa, a friend of Eric's, was invited to the band after Greg left. Katelyn took over on bass, and Eric switched to guitar. In October of the same year, they released their first LP, You And Me. At the start of the new year, Cellar Rats was invited to play Thursday Night Live, a weekly live radio show hosted by Northeastern Illinois University. However, it was difficult for the band to play as many shows as they did the year prior due to lineup changes and differing schedules between the band members. In July, Wallace left the band to pursue other opportunities, and Cellar Rats was without a vocalist until October. Tom Bogdan, another friend of Eric's, was interested in acting as frontman for the band, and played his first show in February of 2015. Cellar Rats released their second EP titled Diets Kill in May of 2015, which showcased their change in musical style from the previous year. In the beginning of the new year, Cellar Rats released a single titled Worthless, which highlighted one of the songs appearing on their upcoming album, along with a live version of a cover recorded at The Alley Chicago. They're still actively writing new songs and playing shows, and hope to continue to reach larger audiences outside their hometown. 2013 was a great year for the band. They played 23 shows at favorite local venues such as Reggies, Ashbary Coffee House, and Mike's Luv 'N' Music, while reaching out-of-state audiences in Indiana and Iowa. Greg Stark, the band's guitarist at the time, left the band in August due to differing opinions regarding the band. However, he helped significantly with the recording process of their upcoming album. Katelyn Correa, a friend of Eric's, was invited to the band after Greg left. Katelyn took over on bass, and Eric switched to guitar. In October of the same year, they released their first LP, You And Me. At the start of the new year, Cellar Rats was invited to play Thursday Night Live, a weekly live radio show hosted by Northeastern Illinois University. However, it was difficult for the band to play as many shows as they did the year prior due to lineup changes and differing schedules between the band members. In July, Wallace left the band to pursue other opportunities, and Cellar Rats was without a vocalist until October. Tom Bogdan, another friend of Eric's, was interested in acting as frontman for the band, and played his first show in February of 2015. Cellar Rats is now working on creating new songs and merch, playing more shows, and finalizing the tracks for their next EP, which they hope to release in the summer of 2015. Our roots are punk, but we like to explore other alternative genres. https://cellarrats.bandcamp.com cellarrats.dontexist.com