…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (often abbreviated as Trail of Dead) are an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas. The chief members of the band are Jason Reece and Conrad Keely (formerly Conrad Sobsamai). The two switch between drumming, guitar and lead vocals, both on recordings and live shows. The band is known for their wild, energetic concerts.

Their ninth studio album, IX, was released in November 2014. Keely and Reece have been friends since their youth; they met originally in Hawaii. They each formed their first band in 1993, soon after moving to Olympia, Washington, where Keely studied at The Evergreen State College. Keely started a band called Benedict Gehlen that lasted only a year.

Nancyville was Keely's next project, though it also was short-lived. Reece played drums with Honeybucket and then queercore band Mukilteo Fairies (the name is a play on words, referencing the ferry boat that travels between Mukilteo and Clinton, Washington) while living in Olympia. The two moved to Austin, Texas and started playing as a duo under the moniker You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The band expanded to include guitarist Kevin Allen and bassist Neil Busch.

They then officially lengthened their name to...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Conrad's girlfriend from Olympia, Deanne Rowley (later Deanne McAdams), briefly played with them as a live back-up guitarist. According to the band's website, their name is taken from an ancient Mayan ritual chant, which shows a striking similarity to an ancient Egyptian chant. This explanation, however, is said to be merely an ongoing joke.

By 1995, they had issued their first release (one song on cassette-only compilation called Austin Live Houses), followed by another self-titled four-song cassette on Golden Hour, and in January 1998 a self-titled full-length on Trance Syndicate. Trail of Dead soon moved on to Merge Records after the Trance label folded. The band released Madonna on Merge in late 1999, and toured the U.S. opening for labelmates Superchunk to promote it. They signed to Interscope Records and released the Relative Ways EP in 2001.

In early 2002, the Trail of Dead released Source Tags & Codes, which received universal acclaim, including a 10/10 rating from Pitchfork Media, later saying it is "one of indie rock's truly epic albums". Their following tour was chronicled by Rolling Stone, with Andrew Dansby commenting on their group dynamic as a "post-punk Voltron, that just might be the most exciting unit working today. " A follow-up EP to Source Tags & Codes was released in April 2003, titled The Secret of Elena's Tomb. The EP featured contained the electronic track "Intelligence" which featured, and was co-written by, Tyler Jacobson from A Roman Scandal, Reece's other band.

In July 2004, it was announced that Neil Busch had been removed from the band and Danny Wood would be taking his place on bass. Second drummer/percussionist Doni Schroader also joined the band around this time. Trail of Dead released Worlds Apart on January 25, 2005. Music videos were filmed for singles "And the Rest Will Follow" and "Caterwaul".

The band also added live keyboardist David Longoria to their touring lineup. Now a six-piece, the band toured heavily on the album, with its trademark explosive live performances and a two-drummer attack. Opening for part of this tour was Longoria's band The Black, which featured Longoria on vocals and guitarist Alan Schaefer, with the rest of TOD filling out the group. The band's fifth album, So Divided, was released on November 14, 2006.

Clay Morris replaced Longoria as live keyboardist, and eventually became a full-time member.