Purpose reuniting for NateFest (Flemington, NJ band had members of Saves The Day, Thursday & more)
Flemington, NJ melodic hardcore band Purpose were a band ahead of their time. Big things may have happened for them if they hadn’t broken up in 2001. Their last show was at Westwood Garage in June of that year, and they haven’t played since. They weren’t completely forgotten though. Their entire 27 song discograpy was released by Black Numbers in 2007. Punk News reviewed it at the time:
One of New Jersey’s better kept secrets over the course of the `90s and into the tip of the early 2000s seemingly had, well, a purpose. That purpose — conveying real, profound and inspired emotion — comes across pretty well in this nicely done, career-spanning overview.
Listen to Discography: 1994-2001 in full, courtesy of Spotify or Bandcamp, below. Pick it up for $6 at Bandcamp.
Missed them the first time around? Maybe the biggest surprise on the just-announced lineup of NateFest is that Purpose are reuniting! It’s unclear who will be a member this time though, but stay tuned for updates.
Led by John Waverka (who went on to front The Break), with constant member Brian Fahey, the band had a rotating cast of characters during its lifespan. Other members included Mikey Allen, Chris Oliver, Cass McGrath, Ed McGrath, Shaun Weeden, Anthony Anastasio (who went on to play in Saves The Day), and Bill Henderson.
Purpose member Bill Henderson is/was also in The Procedure, x One Way x, Between The Wars, Helcaraxe, AND Thursday! Though Bill left Thursday in 2000, he was one of the five original members, and one of the three original members of Thursday from Hunterdon Central High School in Flemington — where Purpose formed, and where Kid Dynamite’s Jason Shevchuk also went to school. Jason later formed None More Black, who are also playing NateFest.
Thursday, despite having much Flemington in them, were a New Brunswick band, like Enisgn whose Nate “Edge” Gluck is being benefited by NateFest.
Listen to all of Purpose’s songs below…
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