Carrigan was founded on an island in Vermont in 1999 as a collaboration between high school friends, Zack Martin and Jebson Interlandi. One year later, with the addition of drummer Ken Johnson, they released their self-titled EP, recorded with a digital 16-track in churches, auditoriums, and homes around the state. The next five years saw members come and members go, including Daryl Rabidoux (Cancer Conspiracy) on guitar and Dave Barnett (Drowningman) on bass. Frustrated with the direction of the band, Zack and Ken decided the only way to move forward was to stop collaborating with outside musicians. Again a 2-piece, they then began what would become a 2 year project to record their ambitious 2006 release, Young Men Never Die.