When John Balicanta decided to attend NYU, he not only had to move from his native California to New York City but he also had to leave his high-school band behind. Vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Balicanta had formed Lola Corin (translated from Filipino, it means "Grandma Corin") with high-school friends Brian Spina (guitar) and James McIvor (bass). They were a loud band, playing in the style of the Smashing Pumpkins, Fugazi, and Failure, until college broke them up. While at NYU, Balicanta was studying audio engineering and needed an internship.

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