The Impossibles

The Impossibles sprang from the ashes of the tragically named Austin, Texas band, The Fatgirls, in April of 1994 when Fatgirls members Rory Phillips (vocals, guitar), Craig Tweedy (bass), and Pat Elliott (drums) began searching for a different singer and a less embarrassing name. Within weeks they were practicing with Gabe Hascall, at that point also a bass player for the Austin hardcore band Loophole. Gabe sang one song in Loophole's set, a cover of the Avail anthem "March," and it was this shining moment that caught Rory's eye and convinced the future Impossibles they had found their singer. Acting as a stand-alone singer for The Impossibles first official show, Gabe soon also took on second guitar playing duties. This move would prove critical to the future direction of the band. Writing songs with dual vocals and dueling walls of guitar, The Impossibles began to forge a sound reminiscent of their main influences at the time. This fusion brought together the alternative rock pop of bands like Weezer and The Pixies with the punk pop and ska sounds of bay area bands like Green Day and Operation Ivy. After a short run of demo tapes the band recorded a full length self-titled album which they initially released on local label Red 5 Records. The LP was shortly picked up by the Gainesville, Florida label Fueled By Ramen. After a summer of touring on their first full length The Impossibles once again headed into the studio to record a follow up EP, Back 4 The Attack. By this point the four members of The Impossibles were unsure of their futures, with some members wishing to pursue scholastic goals. The band decided to call it quits shortly after the release of their new EP, and would play their final show early the next year never to be heard from again... Cut to winter, 1999. The first two Impossibles records on Fueled By Ramen along with the first demo recordings were collected into one CD, The Impossibles Anthology 94-97. After two years of playing in Imbroco and The Stereo, Rory found himself back in Austin and looking for a place to live. Although their lives had previously gone in different directions, Gabe and Rory had remained in touch sporadically. The two wound up living together in a one bedroom apartment in Austin's Hyde Park district. Although the idea had come up from time to time, an Impossibles reunion wasn't really feasible at any point until then, and somehow to everyone involved, it made perfect sense. Craig had been playing with Austin band Cruiserweight, but after much coaxing and convincing came back to the band solidifying the original lineup. The following spring The Impossibles wrote and recorded Return, their second full length. The album was a noticeable departure from the original formula of ska meets pop rock. With two years apart and a lot of changes in musical influence, The Impossibles were now also incorporating influences from artists like Elliott Smith, Spiritualized, and Fugazi. At its core, however, the sound could still be found in the lyrical hooks and signature big rock guitars that had powered the band's earlier efforts. The Impossibles hit the road and hit it hard in 2000, supporting acts like Less Than Jake and New Found Glory and headlining tours with Ultimate Fakebook and Cadillac Blindside. In spring of 2001 a new EP was recorded with hardcore super producer Brian McTernan entitled 4 Song Brick Bomb. The band's fourth effort broke even more new ground and honed the band's pop rock skills. After a six week US tour with the likes of Grade and The Movie Life, the band found themselves at another impasse with the departure of their original drummer Pat Elliott. After several months of playing with other drummers The Impossibles eventually called it quits yet again, and staged a final show on June 1st, 2002 with Jimmy Vela of the band Recover helming the drum kit. The show was filmed for a DVD which stood as The Impossibles' final farewell... until June 9th, 2012.