He wanted the one with the clean bathrooms. That's not what this band was ever about.
AKRON, OH — Local hardcore band Griefloop announced Monday that it was “going on indefinite hiatus” after a heated dispute at mile marker 212 of I-71 over whether to stop at a Sheetz or “the weird one with the fireworks.”
The announcement, posted to the band’s Instagram over a grainy photo of a fuel pump, cited “creative differences” and asked fans to “respect our privacy during this time, and also buy the remaining shirts, because we have like 90 of them.”
According to sources close to the band, tensions had been building for years.
“Dev always wanted the big chain gas stations,” said guitarist Marcus “Hollow” Petit, 29, from the van, which is now parked in his mother’s driveway. “Clean bathrooms. Good lighting. Self-checkout. That’s not what this band was ever about. Our first EP was literally recorded in a Speedway bathroom.”
Drummer Devin Kosloski, 31, disputed this account. “I have IBS,” he said. “This isn’t about the scene. This is about my body.”
The breaking point
Bandmates say the breaking point came on the final night of a six-date regional tour that included stops at two basements, a VFW hall, and a laundromat that “had a show once in 2014 and is still talking about it.”
Vocalist Tara Quinn, 27, reportedly attempted to mediate by suggesting the band stop at both gas stations, a compromise that was rejected as “a sellout move” by Petit and “a waste of gas” by bassist Joel Ng, who handles the band’s finances, which totaled $212.40 at the time of the split.
“I just wanted a taquito,” Ng said. “I don’t care where it comes from. That’s my whole thing. I’m the bassist.”
Legacy
Griefloop leaves behind two EPs, Sincerely, Nobody and Everything Is a Parking Lot, as well as a 2019 split seven-inch with a band that has since become a coffee roaster.
Scene veterans say the band’s influence can’t be overstated, though several said it could probably be stated a little less. “They were important,” said a local promoter. “Not musically. But they were the only band that would load in on time.”
What’s next
Petit says he is starting a new project that will “only stop at gas stations with a Tex-Mex hot bar, as a matter of principle.” Kosloski is joining a pop-punk band that he says “respects travel center infrastructure.”
A reunion show has already been announced for next spring.