NorCal hardcore/punk band, THE FORCE, is reuniting for the first time in 10 years. Singer Matt Wedgley (Viva Hate), bassist Hunter Burgan (AFI), guitarist Mark Roustabout (The Roustabouts) and the inimitable drummer Chad Cox went their separate ways after the band’s final show in 1998, each following his own path to personal and professional success.

This reunion will give fans as well as those who missed The Force the first time around a chance to witness California hardcore/punk at its truest and finest.

The Force will only be playing three shows, the first of which will be in their hometown of Grass Valley, CA (a small town in the Sierra Nevada foothills, between Sacramento and Reno) followed by a Bay Area concert and finally a Southern California stop. The dates are as follows:

August 29, 2008 – Miner’s Foundry in Nevada City (Grass Valley), CA

August 30, 2008 – 924 Gilman St. in Berkeley, CA

August 31, 2008 – Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA

Formed in May of 1995, the band recorded and toured for three years. The Force released several recordings, including a 7″, a 10″ and a split 7″ as well as a number of songs on compilations.

This reunion will coincide with the release of a complete discography, containing every song The Force ever recorded. A limited edition, 21-song double-LP will be sold at the shows as well as online while supplies last.

link: myspace.com/theforcerip

- Memmmmmmmories… these guys were the essence of snotty California punk in the mid-90s. The band had a song on the crankin’ compilation “One Big Happy Slam Pit,” that was one of the releases standout jams. I’m going through the band’s songs on MySpace as a type this and it’s interesting to note that while their style seems awfully dated for what passes for punk rock these days, the melodies still hold strong.