First finding their footing in the robust Orange County rock landscape of the mid-90's, Course of Ruin's initial run spanned from 1996 to 2001. The era was synonymous with genre-defining entries as bands like Rx Bandits, Death By Stereo, Home Grown, Thrice and more helped further establish the region's rich musical legacy. Among the field of then emerging voices, Course of Ruin followed a similar trajectory until circumstance resulted in band losing their momentum as real life would eventually intersect with art.
By 2001, Course of Ruin had stalled. Having issued two full length albums and two supplemental EPs in their five-year span, the core of the band would undergo a significant shift and their stride would slow - resulting in the members to place Course of Ruin on the creative back burner.
For founding member and band architect Joey Adkins, various creative and professional pursuits aside, the fire that fueled Course of Ruin continued to smolder below the surface. Some five years after Course of Ruin hit a wall, Adkins felt the need to soothe his itch, picking up whee he left off and began working on his brand of melodic, emotive rock - only this time with the benefit of added life experience.
Revisiting the music over the course of nearly two decades, Adkins continued to file away musical ideas and while the physical form of Course of Ruin had long been dormant, the spirit of the band remained essential to Adkins both in passion and creative profession.
Then... life added some serious complications.
Earlier this year, Adkins faced a cancer diagnosis head on, enduring an exhaustive six week stint of treatment that saddled Adkins with a scary reality - idle time. Held up in treatment and forced to hit pause on life, Adkins managed to navigate the mental load of compromised health and finality by picking up his guitar. It was during that six weeks of uncertainty that Adkins resorted to the muscle memory of his music, channeling the wave of emotions that incubated under the white hospital lights to complete a passion project some two decades in the making.
Late last month, Adkins led Course of Ruin back for their first release in a generation with The Stonington Project. Building on the band's Orange County rock linage, the collection of songs translate as earnest and effective - the kind of rock release that could only come experience, authenticity and the respite sometimes needed from real life. Written, performed, engineered and mixed entirely by Adkins, the EP serves as the resounding example of personal resilience and the therapeutic quality that makes real art invaluable.
The Stonington Project EP from Course of Ruin is now available - HERE
