Pressure 4-5

Pressure 4-5 was an alternative rock group hailing from Santa Barbara, California. The band broke up upon many of the band members leaving for alternate lifestyles not relating to music. Formed in January 1998 by vocalist Adam Rich (Now a Chemistry Teacher) and guitarist Mark Barry, Pressure 4-5 started simply enough, as two college friends forming a band together. Things quickly picked up when another friend from college, Lyle McKeany, joined the group as bassist. Joe Schmidt later joined the band as DJ before switching to rhythm guitar.

Formed in January 1998 by vocalist Adam Rich (Now a Chemistry Teacher) and guitarist Mark Barry, Pressure 4-5 started simply enough, as two college friends forming a band together. Things quickly picked up when another friend from college, Lyle McKeany, joined the group as bassist. Joe Schmidt later joined the band as DJ before switching to rhythm guitar. Joe Schmidt later recruited his brother, Tom Schmidt, to fill in the final void in the band as drummer.

The band's moniker comes from Joe Schmidt's unwillingness to be the group's DJ. He rarely came for practices with the band, which left the remaining members wondering if they'd have 4 or 5 members, hence the name "Pressure 4-5."

In 1999, the band released an independently-released EP, entitled Antechnology. After a warm welcoming from the rock community and a large outpouring of support, the band was quickly signed to Dreamworks Records, where they released their only full-length album, Burning The Process, in 2001. Amidst the alternative metal craze, this year would prove to be Pressure 4-5's most successful; they acquired a spot on the Second Stage of Ozzfest 2001 before touring with groups like Dredg, The Used and Lit. The song "Melt Me Down" would also be featured on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Soundtrack.

Unfortunately, the band's success was short lived, with only two singles "Beat The World," a song about the death of Adam Rich's friend, and "Melt Me Down." "Beat The World" actually did quite well on modern rock mainstays such as MTV2 from late summer to winter of 2001. But after working on a follow-up to Burning The Process the next year, numerous band members left (namely Tom Schmidt and Lyle McKeany). The band abruptly called it quits after gathering replacement musicians and recording a few demos that were never released.

Albums
* Antechnology (1999)
* Demo (2000)
* Burning the Process (2001)

Singles
* 2001 "Beat the World"

Music videos
* "Beat the World"
* "Melt Me Down"