Narthex Structure formed in 1983 in Ventura, CA. Singer/Guitarist Paul Miller and Mike Torres were playing in No Serenity and Ground Zero when they decided to take a different direction with their music. Tyler Kam had also played bass in No Serenity, and became the final pillar of this Narthex experiment. After Paul had moved to Oxnard in 1984, the band released a 5-song demo cassette and started sending them to radio stations, fanzines, and labels.
Flipside and Maximum Rock and Roll compared Narthex Structure to Orange County bands of the day, including Adolescents, Social Distortion, and Shattered Faith. The release was generally accepted as a welcomed addition to early Southern California punk music. Although they were urged to play in Boston and Minneapolis, most of their shows were played on the west coast opening for such legendary bands as Agression, Youth Brigade, Stiff Little Fingers, Blast, and Corrosion of Conformity.
Narthex recorded in 1986, and the demo made it into the hands of Epitaph founder/producer Brett Gurewitz. After a meeting between the band and Brett at Westbeach Recorders in Santa Monica, Narthex had received an offer from Brett to record for Epitaph Records. A meeting was scheduled for the following week to sign the contract, which was delayed due to logistical issues.
In 1990, the band recorded under the name Expression in Goleta – with new bassist Mike Boone.
To be continued…