In early 1996 Jeronimo, Henry, and Matt were jamming under the name Wayside. Soon after Damien was recruited from Bird of Ill Omen to step in on vocals. After recording six songs with James Paul Wisner, and making a three track demo, the band soon disbanded, and was not picked up until 1998 when Damien revived it with new members, mostly from the breaking up band Culture. The new line-up recorded a single new song, and used four from the demo, to come out with the debutThe Fists of Time on Good Life Recordings. A year later, with a slightly different line-up, the Split with Discountcame out, and they quickly went on tour. Another major line-up change and the new EPs God Hour and As Friends Rust were released on Good Life Recordings Doghouse Records, which they had just signed to. Each label now had rights to the band's recordings, which led to Doghouse to re-releasing the band's debut album in 2000, now adding two songs and a new packaging. The band went on to tour for three years with the same tracks, continuing to grow, and gain respect on the underground scene. Having lost three members, the band was not sure whether to continue. After a short break, the new members set out to write an albums worth of material. The result: Won, in the fall of 2001. The album was well received and showcased a more mature songcraft. Another big tour, and a notable show in London at the Camden Underworld was recorded to later come out on DVD, along with longtime touring partners, Strike Anywhere. A compilation album titled Eleven Songs was released that same year through Golf Records, a British label, and contained most songs from the Good Life period. The band went back in the studio to record A Young Trophy Band in the Parlance of Our Times for longtime friends at Equal Vision Records. Damien quit the band before the release of the EP, leaving the rest of the members searching for his replacement. With the addition of Adam D'Zurilla on vocals, the band toured and performed as As Friends Rust throughout the US, Canada, and Europe until the fall of 2002, when the remaining members disbanded and started the band Salem, releasing one EP on Fiddler Records in 2003. In August 2008, As Friends Rust reunited once more, playing seven shows. They played one show in their hometown Gainesville, Florida, before playing seven shows in the UK and Europe. The line-up during this tour was the same as the God Hour/As Friends Rust era; Damien Moyal, Kaleb Stewart, James Glayat, Joe Simmons and Timothy Kirkpatrick. In mid-2011 it was reported that As Friends Rust have re-united once again and have recorded demo versions of six new songs. The band has also indicated that they plan to play more live shows in the future.
