Jump to content

Splashdown (band)

From Alfawiki
Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Splashdown (band), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025
Splashdown
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1996
Defunct2001
Headquarters
Allston, Massachusetts
,
United States
ProductsMusic albums, singles

Splashdown was a pop rock ensemble originating from Allston, Massachusetts, established in 1996. The band ceased operations in 2001, with their final performance occurring at the Freezepop debut album release event on February 2 of that year. Their last official track, the single "Metamorphosis," was released digitally and on streaming services on November 21, 2023.

Career

The core members of Splashdown included vocalist and pianist Melissa Kaplan, electronic programmer Kasson Crooker, and guitarist/bassist Adam Buhler. For live performances, the band often expanded to include five or six musicians, regularly featuring drummer Jason Sakos and guitarist Trevor Shand. Prior to Splashdown, Buhler and Crooker were part of the mid-1990s female-led band Sirensong. After that group disbanded, Cynthia von Buhler—Buhler’s then-wife and co-owner of Castle von Buhler Records—introduced them to Kaplan, who had previously provided backing vocals for Cynthia’s band Women of Sodom. With Cynthia acting as manager, Splashdown formed in 1996, making their live debut on March 29 and releasing the 7-inch vinyl single Pandora / Deserter within the same year.

Their debut album, Stars and Garters (1997), contained nine tracks including "Pandora" and "Deserter". In that year, the song "50%" was included on Nigh, a compilation released by Castle von Buhler. The following year saw the release of the Halfworld EP, which featured four new tracks alongside a revamped version of "Beguiled" from their first album. Building on early momentum, Splashdown signed with Java Records—an imprint under Capitol Records headed by Glen Ballard—and issued the five-track EP Redshift in 1999, which quickly sold out. Despite this progress, Capitol did not release their subsequent album, Blueshift, even though it was co-produced by the band and engineer Bryan Carrigan and contained two songs co-written with Ballard. The Blueshift collection comprised five tracks from Redshift, five remixed earlier songs (including "Games You Play," a reinterpretation of "Paradox"), plus six new compositions.

Following disputes with Capitol Records, Splashdown independently assembled Possibilities, an album consisting of demos and previously released songs not owned by Capitol. Fans were later provided with CD-R copies of Blueshift as a complimentary bonus. Both albums have since become widely accessible online. Facing ongoing label difficulties and diminishing enthusiasm, the band announced an indefinite break in 2001 before ultimately disbanding.

Throughout their active years, Splashdown toured the East Coast segment of the Lilith Fair in 1999. Their track "Karma Slave" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Titan A.E. Other media placements included "A Charming Spell" on the television series Charmed and "Games You Play" on Angel. Additionally, their music appeared in Glen Ballard’s film Clubland.

Splashdown received airplay on various college and alternative radio stations such as Boston’s WBCN—where they participated in the 1997 Rock & Roll Rumble—and Cincinnati’s WOXY-FM. They found particular popularity on Rochester’s WBER; "Ironspy" reached number five in that station’s 1999 year-end listener poll, while "Mayan Pilot" achieved fourth place and "A Charming Spell" tied for eighteenth in 2000. The band also served as headliners for Rochester’s Lilac Festival, and a 1999 album sales competition saw all top winners hail from Rochester.

Activities Following the Split

Following the dissolution of Splashdown, Kaplan established Universal Hall Pass, unveiling the album Mercury in 2004, followed by a six-track EP titled Subtle Things toward the end of 2006. Kaplan continues as the only official member of this project. The inaugural live appearance of Universal Hall Pass in March 2006 featured solely Kaplan accompanied by a piano. She has also lent her vocal talents to various film soundtracks such as K-PAX, Pretty Persuasion, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Skeleton Key, and Red Planet, many of which were composed by Graeme Revell.

Buhler contributed as producer and bassist on Boston-based band Sparkola’s debut album in 2002 and their 2003 EP, both released through his Castle von Buhler label. Prior to Splashdown, he was involved with the darkwave group Black Tape for a Blue Girl. Currently, Buhler forms one half of the hard rock duo Anarchy Club alongside Keith Smith (formerly of C60). Their discography includes The Way And Its Power (2005), the EP "A Single Drop of Red" (2007), and The Art of War (2009). Tracks by Anarchy Club have been featured in popular video games such as Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero 2, Rock Band, and Rock Band 2. In 2010, Buhler released a collaborative project under the name Map & Key, featuring his compositions paired with vocals from Scottish singer Alice Ishbel Watson; this partnership was conducted remotely across different continents.

Crooker co-founded Freezepop, which launched its debut album during the period when Splashdown was active. He also pursues solo work under the name Symbion Project, a venture ongoing since 1992. Crooker collaborated with Kaplan on Universal Hall Pass’s "Subtle Things" EP. He holds the position of Audio Director at Harmonix, the company behind acclaimed music games including FreQuency, Amplitude, and the Guitar Hero franchise. Many Harmonix titles are published by Konami, where Crooker additionally contributed to North American versions of Dance Dance Revolution. Multiple songs from Symbion Project and Freezepop appear in these games, often under pseudonyms; Kaplan’s vocal performances are featured in both Frequency and Amplitude.

On October 28, 2023, Splashdown’s long-inactive Facebook page shared a new image displaying the date "November 21, 2023". Subsequently, on November 17, Adam von Buhler disclosed via his blog that he had recently been diagnosed with "a rare, aggressive case of The Thing Nobody Wants To Get." This revelation led to renewed communication among band members, inspiring Kaplan to write lyrics influenced by their discussions after his diagnosis.

On November 21, the group digitally released Metamorphosis across streaming platforms, accompanied by a demo version of "Nomadic," an unreleased track previously performed live as an unfinished work.

Distribution of Music

During Splashdown’s active years in the late 1990s—a period marked by the emergence of file-sharing services like Napster—the band discouraged unauthorized online distribution of their music. However, following their disbandment, both Splashdown and their fanbase ensured that their songs remained accessible online without charge. Their complete collection is still available for free download, including remastered editions of their first two releases prior to signing with Capitol Records, which are also offered on iTunes.

Releases

Pandora/Deserter (7", 1996)

  1. Pandora
  2. Deserter

Stars and Garters (LP, 1997)

  1. Thunder
  2. Pandora
  3. Presumed Lost
  4. Beguiled
  5. So Ha
  6. Need Versus Want
  7. Paradox
  8. Deserter
  9. Running With Scissors

Halfworld (EP, 1998)

  1. Ironspy
  2. Sugar High
  3. Halfworld
  4. Over The Wall
  5. Beguiled Mark II

Redshift (EP, 1999)

  1. A Charming Spell
  2. The Archer
  3. Mayan Pilot
  4. Waterbead
  5. Ironspy

Blueshift (LP, unreleased, 2000)

  1. A Charming Spell
  2. Presumed Lost
  3. Sugar High
  4. All Things
  5. Mayan Pilot
  6. The Archer
  7. Elvis Sunday
  8. Ironspy
  9. Games You Play
  10. Dig
  11. Waterbead
  12. Procreation Chick
  13. Lost Frontier
  14. Halfworld
  15. I Understand
  16. Over The Wall

Possibilities (LP, unreleased, 2000)

  1. Asia At Odd Hours
  2. A Charming Spell (Symbion remix)
  3. Trophy Hunter (Demo)
  4. 50% (Jez Collin remix)
  5. Lost Frontier (Demo)
  6. All Things (Symbion remix)
  7. Karma Slave
  8. 50% (Jez Collin Dub remix)
  9. Over The Wall (Demo)
  10. Sugar High (Doc remix)
  11. Sugar High (Rhys Fulber remix)
  12. Sugar High (Bill Klatt remix)
  13. Sugar High (Stryker Bros. remix)
  14. Sugar High (E.P.)
  15. A Charming Spell (Redshift version)
  16. 50%
  17. You Are (Demo)

Metamorphosis – single (2023)

Nomadic (Demo) – single (2023)

External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Splashdown_(band)&oldid=83402"