Love Equals Death

Love Equals Death was a punk rock band from Petaluma, California, active in the 2000s and later revived in the late 2010s. Their music pulled from punk rock while nodding to classic rock and horror punk imagery. The band formed in 2003, released multiple EPs and a compilation, put out one early full-length album, and toured widely in the United States before lineup turmoil and burnout led to a breakup in 2009.

Starting in Petaluma and the early releases

Love Equals Death started in 2003 and often treated Halloween as the band’s birthday. The first lineup included singer and guitarist Chon Travis, guitarist John Rosser, bassist Dominic Davi, and drummer Tonio Garcia-Romero. Early on, they contributed a cover of “Dammit Janet” to The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show compilation in December of that year.

They followed with their debut EP, 4 Notes on a Dying Scale, released through Popsmear Records. The band backed it with local Bay Area shows and their first U.S. tour in September 2004, then hit the road again from February to April 2005. During this stretch, Rosser was replaced by Justin “Duffs” Levine, and the group kept pushing forward with more touring and new recordings.

Japan compilation, label attention, and a bigger runway

In July 2005, a Japan-only compilation titled The Prelude came out through Treasure Trunk, collecting 4 Notes on a Dying Scale plus demo tracks. A second EP, The Hucklebuck EP, followed in August through Popsmear. That same month, the band signed with Fat Wreck Chords after label head Fat Mike was impressed by their live show. A U.S. tour ran from October through December 2005, supporting The God Awfuls and The Eyeliners.

Nightmerica and the touring grind

In November 2005, Love Equals Death recorded their full-length album Nightmerica at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, with producers Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore. In early 2006, they toured as an opening act for Pennywise, No Use for a Name, and The Suicide Machines, then followed that with dates supporting Tiger Army.

Nightmerica was released on March 21, 2006. The band supported the album with a music video for “Pray for Me,” played shows with a wide range of punk and hardcore acts, then toured with Time Again from May through June. They also opened for Death by Stereo in August and released another video in October for “Bombs Over Brooklyn.” A tour with labelmates the Mad Caddies followed through November.

2007, momentum, and a crisis point

In January 2007, Love Equals Death toured California and the Southwest with NOFX, Strike Anywhere, and Dead to Me. Near the end of the run, the band was robbed in Sacramento when their van was broken into and personal belongings were taken. They also released a video for “Truth Has Failed,” which included cameos from members of several bands connected to their orbit at the time. Plans for a split with Death by Stereo were discussed, and the band toured the West Coast with AFI and other acts in March.

On the second-to-last night of that tour, bassist Dominic Davi was arrested in Fullerton, California, on charges tied to an alleged rape of a Virginia woman in June 2006. Chon Travis initially issued a statement saying the band would not pass judgment before matters were settled, but within two weeks the band announced that Davi would no longer be playing with or working on behalf of Love Equals Death.

In a later statement dated July 2008, Davi maintained his innocence and said the rape charge had been dropped in December 2007. He also said the situation prompted the band to prioritize continuing as a group while he focused on his defense.

New bassists, Europe, Warped Tour, and the end of the first run

In June 2007, Ryan Sinn, formerly of The Distillers and Angels and Airwaves, joined as bassist. The band shared a new song, “Last Dance,” later that year and toured with Tiger Army in November, then headed to Europe for a December run that covered eight countries and ended on December 22 in Bocholt, Germany.

By March 2008, Sinn had been replaced by Sean Jordon, and Bryan Kelly-Holden joined on rhythm guitar. This lineup played seven dates on the 2008 Warped Tour and planned to record a follow-up album later that year. In January 2009, Chon Travis announced he was leaving to focus on a solo project, explaining he never fully felt comfortable in the band and wanted to pursue a different creative lane. In April 2009, Love Equals Death announced the band was ending, saying it had been a back-and-forth struggle to keep going and that they wanted to preserve what the band had been.

After the breakup

After Love Equals Death ended, Levine, Jordon, and Kelly-Holden formed a new band called Good Knives with singer Shaun Phillips. Using songs written for Love Equals Death’s planned second album and working with producer Lee Dyness, they released a self-titled album in March 2010 and toured Europe.

In November 2011, Chon Travis was arrested in Ukiah, California, on drug-related charges and driving with a suspended license. Travis denied the accusations and claimed the evidence had been planted, stating he had tried to cooperate with police.

The 2019 return and later releases

In 2019, Chon Travis reformed Love Equals Death with a new lineup. A compilation titled The Hour of Resurrection was released in 2021, followed by a full-length album, Gravity and Grace, released in 2022 on SBAM Records.

According to the information provided, Travis died on August 11, 2024, during a European tour and was found dead in a hotel room in Stafford.

Members

• Chon Travis – lead vocals, guitar (2003–2009, 2019–2024)
• Tonio Garcia-Romero – drums (2003–2009)
• John Rosser – guitar (2003–2005)
• Dominic Davi – bass (2003–2007)
• Justin “Duffs” Levine – guitar (2005–2009)
• Ryan Sinn – bass (2007–2008)
• Sean Jordon – bass (2008–2009)
• Bryan Kelly-Holden – guitar (2008–2009)
• Tim Parks – guitar (2019)
• Jeremy Lantz – bass (2019–2020)
• Johnny Myers – drums (2019–2020)
• Tom Arnott – guitar (2009–2011, 2021–2022)
• Chris Ivy – guitar (2022–2024)
• Matt Brown – bass (2022–2024)
• Tony Heckerman – drums (2024)

Discography

• Studio albums
  • Nightmerica (March 2006, Fat Wreck Chords)
  • Gravity and Grace (July 2022, SBAM Records)
• Compilations
  • The Prelude (July 2005, Treasure Trunk Records)
  • The Hour of Resurrection (October 4, 2021, SBAM Records)
• EPs
  • 4 Notes on a Dying Scale (January 2005, Popsmear Records)
  • The Hucklebuck EP (August 2005, Popsmear Records)
• Splits
  • Love Equals Death / The Static Age (October 2020, Say-10 Records and SBAM Records)