Of all the five young men that had on separate occasions played with the band, three members stand out. Bassist/vocalist, Hated Jon Martyr was the brainchild of Anxiety. He had previously headlined Cause; another punk band. Lead vocalist/guitarist, Jay “Anxiety” Stewart had his own band, The Corvettes; a sort of pop-reggae group. Drummer, Jeremy Gull played percussion in a rock and roll band, Century; specializing in covering popular tunes.
Anxiety played their first show on May 3, 1993. It was about this time that the group started recording music. Not long after the first live show, their first EP, The Anxiety State was released. It featured such songs as Bias, Angst and Images of Hate. Just days after the band’s second show(June 6, 1993); and coming by way of a mutual decision, Jeremy Gull left the band. He was briefly replaced by Chris Colohan of Basketcase fame, but after one recording session (see track #10), Anxiety was reduced to two members. This however, did not stop the duo from recording new music. Also, as a direct result of this down-sizing, Anxiety’s sound changed as well. A new “electronic” rhythm was adopted. New songs like Hate the Rain and Fieldgoal fully utilized the experimental sounds. In the spring of 1994 the Hate the Rain compilation was released. It featured new tracks, previously unreleased material, live tracks, and alternate versions of their songs. Shortly after its release, the band went into a long hiatus, at which time both Jay and Jon worked on an Anxiety-inspired film project called Concrete Robe.
Finally in the summer of 1995 Anxiety began recording new material. This time the band would be recording in a professional, 16-track recording studio. It was decided that they would record new and follow-up versions to their most popular songs. The familiar song titles and lyrics would be the only thing connected with the old days. The new sound was a blend of Industrial, Techno, Punk, and Dance. The Corporate Staples demo was released by the end of the year. Unfortunately, the follow-up to this release was an anti-climax. Jon moved away to Texas, while Jay resumed his writing and film projects. The unofficial end of Anxiety was at hand. There was no farewell tour, no actual good-bye, and no “final chapter”. The duo quietly moved on to other things.
Although Jay and Jon had kept in contact over the years and even talked about recording new material, there was little chance of any sort of reunion. Then in 1999 Jon moved back to Canada. In January, 2000, Jay and Jon reunited for a photo shoot to promote the new “best of Anxiety” collection. Even at that time both members weren’t interested in a full-scale comeback; however, they had expressed a desire to record perhaps one or two new songs for a future compilation. In a matter of months, the reformed-Anxiety(minus Jeremy) recorded the fitting tune, The Anxiety State: A2K; an updated version to a song which had only ever been performed live- never in the studio. There was even talk of a complete album of the same name. Prophetically though, the reunion of Anxiety was brief. The magic and inspiration of yesteryear was no longer there. Jon and Jay have spoken little since. In 2001, the reunion buzz started once again when Jay and Jeremy Gull had their own Anxiety comeback of sorts. They took part in a publicity photo shoot much like the Anxiety-Martyr shoot the previous year.
Anxiety had always believed in recording whenever possible, so many recordings still exist. Their most popular songs are featured in this collection. The tracks are arranged in chronological order, showcasing the evolution of the music. As an added bonus, three previously unreleased tracks are featured for the very first time. The first track, Personal Angst, is a reworking of unused music from the Angst sessions, complete with added vocals. Concrete Robe had only previously appeared as a short instrumental segment from the film of the same name. The third rare gem is The Anxiety State: A2K.1; a slightly different version than the one that had been featured back in the 2000 reunion. The purpose of this compilation is to let others rediscover the band; their message, their music, and their legacy.
Will Anxiety ever again rise above the ashes? At this point it’s unlikely, but one learns quickly that in life you should never say never. Only time will tell. The band’s catalog of music has been kept alive with the first-ever CD release of their material to an entire new audience. Perhaps that is the real second coming of Anxiety.
Discography:
The Anxiety State/The Anxiety State- Live (EP-1993)
Hate The Rain (Comp.-1994)
Corporate Staples (Demo -1995)
The Collection (Comp. -1999. Reissued 2000, 2001)
Filmography:
Angst (short -1993)
Images of Hate (video -1994)
Concrete Robe (feature -1994)