Official 6Bit
Portland, Oregon
6Bit: The Official Story, Abridged
Industrial / Punk / Hip-Hop
Established in 1998 (Abbeville, LA) | Reborn in Portland, OR | Currently Active on the Oregon Coast
🎇The Origins: From the Swamp to the Circuit (1998 - 2000)🎇
Born in the swamps of South Louisiana and forged in the concrete of the Pacific Northwest, 6Bit is the singular industrial/punk/hip hop vision of Deric Boneski (Nails). Established in 1998 at the dead end of Pelican Road south of Abbeville, the project began as an experiment in limitation. Armed with little more than a Casio keyboard, a department store drum machine, and a cheap Stratocaster clone, Nails utilized the humble "Sound Recorder" on an HP Pavilion to capture the earliest iterations of digital aggression.
The name "6Bit" — chosen over "Hexadecimal" and "8-bit" from a computer troubleshooting glossary with help of brother Daniel Boneski - was solidified in 2000 with the release of the seminal track "Burned". This, along with the digital-only Hexadecimal EP, marked the transition from bedroom noise to a fully realized sonic entity.
🎇The Early Era: Golgothan Blues & The 6Bit Clique (2000 - 2005)🎇
New Year's Eve 1999 sparked the project's evolution when collaborator Beau "Strider" Steward brought synthesis and recording gear to the swamp, proving to Nails that real music could be made with a computer. This revelation led to the 2003 release of the full-length LP Golgothan Blues, a limited-run physical release that defined the early 6Bit sound.
During this time, 6Bit operated as a fluid collective and a tight clique. The lineup shifted and evolved, featuring contributions from guitarists Josh Plummer, Daniel Brown, and Bryan "Gimp" Aucoin, as well as bassists Jeremy Verret and Chris Broussard, playing cafes and parties in the area. Nails embraced the digital revolution early, moving from hardware limitations to Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) like Acid Pro and FL Studio, reimagining tracks with a complexity that was groundbreaking for independent artists of the time, especially those coming out of the swamp. This period also saw the creation of the fan-favorite, black-metal-tinged cover of the Spongebob Squarepants theme, which remains the project’s most streamed track.
🎇Survival: Hurricanes and Homesteads (2005)🎇
6Bit is a project defined by survival. When Hurricane Rita devastated Vermillion Parish in 2005, flooding the Boneski homestead with toxic surge water, Nails managed to salvage the computer containing the project's archives. Rebuilding a studio in an 8'x20' shed with the help of their dad and Mego Rene, Nails continued to engineer and produce, notably helming Mego’s debut album Whose Couch You Callin Ugly? — a production achievement Nails counts among their proudest.
🎇The Tat-2 Sessions and More (2006 - 2013)🎇
In late 2006, bassist Sammy "The Ghost" Vincent pushed the project into new territory by introducing local rappers to the industrial mix. This era birthed the collaboration with rapper Tat-2, among others. Bonded by a willingness to experiment with music (and plenty of cannabis), the group produced "Clique" — a track that namechecks 6Bit in its lyrics, cementing the band's identity in audio history - and memorable songs such as "Homegrown", "Shottaz", and "No Way".
Starting around 2010, Nails performed acoustic originals and covers around Abbeville and Lafayette for a few years before they and Ryan Landry reformed 6Bit with other area musicians, recording a live demo engineered by the members of The Wanderer's Drift and playing a show at Cajun's Cafe in Lafayette. This era of 6Bit was short-lived and eventually disbanded before Nails moved to Oregon.
🎇The Portland Chapter (2014 - 2019)🎇
Following a 2014 move to Portland, Oregon, 6Bit was re-established in the Pacific Northwest. The new era saw collaborations with Ramon Mills (Production Unit Xero) and Johan Ess, resulting in tracks like "The Orchid Blooms Again" and "Right To Exist" and memorable shows at venues like The Crimson Lotus (now closed) and the Albina punk house (hopefully condemned).
🎇The Present (2020 - Now)🎇
After a forced hiatus from 2020 to 2024 caused by homelessness — during which Nails, their spouse, and the couples pets lived in campgrounds and a car. Still, Nails continued to write music and gather field recordings, successfully escaping homelessness in 2024.
Now, 6Bit has returned and is reclaiming its history. With a vast archive of unreleased material and a new album near completion, the project stands as a testament to resilience. No one else is us. Accept no substitutions. This is 6Bit.
©1998 NailsOf6Bit
Select Discography:
2000: "Burned" (Single)
2003: Golgothan Blues (LP)
2004: "Crucifixion Experiment" (Digital Single)
2007: Bits and Pieces (Compilation) & The Tat-2 Sessions ("Clique")
2016: "The Orchid Blooms Again" (Single)
Key Collaborators (Past & Present): Nails Boneski, Josh Plummer, Beau Steward, Ryan Jamison Landry, Mego Rene, Bryan Aucoin, Tat-2, Paul Piazza, Sammy "The Ghost" Vincent, Ramon Mills, Johan Ess.
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