Give It A Name: Manchester MEN Arena and London Earls Court


April 29th/30th, 2006

For GIVE IT A NAME FESTIVAL 2006 there will be two line-ups that will play both London Earls Court and Manchester Evening News Arena. There will be two stages per day with stage times notified closer to the time. Below are details of all the bands playing and several profiles especially of the newer acts that have yet to play the U.K. This promises to be a great festival, and very early in the festival calendar.

DAY 1

My Chemical Romance

Lifting their name from the cult description of Irvine Welsh’s novels, My Chemical Romance is emerging as one of the most promising young bands in recent musical memory. Their sound, distinct and fresh, pledges allegiance to everyone from Iron Maiden and The Misfits to Morrissey and At The Gates. Having a live show that explodes with energy and leaves a footprint in the face of all things in it’s way, My Chemical Romance has spent 2003 trekking around the United States numerous times and travelled to Europe to do a string of dates in the UK, Germany, Holland, and Spain. This has given the five lads a chance to further hone their skills and craft, all the while connecting with fans on an international level. It all seems like quite a feat for a little band from Newark, NJ. The chronicle of My Chemical Romance is a twisted voyage through many years of grimy New Jersey suburbs. The five members have been very loose-knit friends since their high school years.

There were many incarnations of local bands throughout that time, but never the combination that left that feeling of satisfaction they were striving for. As high school ended, the band members were scattered in all different directions in a search to find out what they would become. This left some attending school, while others went instantly into full time jobs. Over the years, the guys stayed in contact with each other. “I was doing animation in New York City, living in my mother’s basement,” states Gerard, “and I was really starting to question the direction of my life. So I called Matt, who’d been asking himself a lot of the same questions. We decided we would get together and play some music.”

After writing a song, and getting together with Matt, Gerard decided it was time to move forward. “The song, ‘Skylines And Turnstiles,’ came out pretty good. So I decided to call Ray, who is the best guitarist I know.” The three of them spent the next few months in what was considered “a constant state of seeing what would happen.” The result of this was another demo, recorded in an attic in the winter of 2001. “Things started moving rather quickly after that,” explains Gerard. “Mikey heard about what we were up to and wanted to be a part of it. My brother didn’t really know much about being a bassist, but he knew that was what we needed, so he learned to play almost overnight. We are all very impressed.”

After being picked up by the New Jersey’s independent Eyeball Records , My Chemical Romance marched into a studio in upstate New York to record their debut album in May of 2002. Still feeling incomplete, the band recruited Frank to fill out their sound. Tracking the record in just over two week’s time, My Chemical Romance was all ready to go. What they never saw coming was that their ability to write songs would touch the hearts and souls of nearly everyone they came across.

I BROUGHT YOU MY BULLETS, YOU BROUGHT ME YOUR LOVE was released in July of 2003. With this album came an avalanche of interest in the band. Constant regional touring created a fan base that is loyal to no end. The next evolutional step was to expand the touring to a national level. Securing opening spots on high profile tours, they set out in a van for the next 14 months of their lives.

My Chemical Romance did not take these opportunities to appeal to more fans than they expected very lightly. From swaggering to leaping, the band set out to grab people by the throat, scream until they listened, than explode in their face with unprecedented energy and performance that would not be ignored. They have something to say and want you to listen. The cool darkness of Gerard’s lyrics and vocals may leave you to think of Nick Cave, Greg Dulli, or a young Reznor, while the wall of sound behind him will seal the coffin of what was. From “Demolition Lovers” and “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville,” to the big rock of “Headfirst For Halos” and “Vampires Will Never Hurt You,” My Chemical Romance really does have something to say.

They will prove that in music, is life. And this life is darker than any New Jersey shore could ever be. Just listen for yourself. The band released its second album and Reprise debut ‘THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE‘ last September. Songs featured included the excellence of ‘Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge‘, ‘I’m Not OK (I Promise)‘ (think a darkly-themed Jimmy Eat World), the rattling power and fierce dynamics of ‘Helena‘, the slow-burning anthem ‘The Ghost Of You‘ and the melodic punk rush of ‘Give ‘Em Hell Kid‘. Black Flag legend Greg Ginn provides backing vocals on four tracks of the album.

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The Ataris

The Ataris as you know it has come to an end. In mid-2004 Kris Roe, John Collura, Mike Davenport, and Chris Knapp played their last show together. “We just sort of went our separate ways,” says lead singer/guitarist Kris Roe. “We had been touring endlessly and we honestly were not enjoying playing music together anymore. Most of all there was just this feeling inside that after four albums, the music that the band was creating was no longer representative of the art and music that I was into personally.”

After a year off, Kris and guitarist John Collura finally met up again. They realized they were both on the same page in wanting to create something completely fresh that would challenge the listener and could that sit along side the artists that inspired them. In mid-2005 Kris and John holed up in a small studio working out songs with friends Sean Hansen (bass), Shane Chickeles (drums), Paul Carabello (playing a third guitar), Bob Hoag (keys) and Angus Cooke (cello). These songs would eventually become The Ataris’s upcoming full length album “WELCOME THE NIGHT” (due out in spring of 2006).

“We all just got into a room together and started writing and creating. We had no expectations. All I know was that something just felt right again. There was this unspoken chemistry that I had not felt since I had first started playing music,” says Roe. “It felt like seven friends creating music together, something very much from the heart and something we would listen to personally.” The final product was recorded during a dreary winter in an old house in Los Angeles. The band lived, wrote and recorded there for several months. “WELCOME THE NIGHT” was recorded entirely live to two-inch analog tape with very minimal overdubs. The end result is a beautifully tragic, dark, atmospheric soundtrack for a rainy morning; an album more akin to bands like Swervedriver, Slowdive, Doves or Muse than to any of its American counterparts. The lyrics follow a very personal journey of one’s intensely painful struggle to find hope, contentment and life in a world where we are often led astray. “WELCOME THE NIGHT” was produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave, PIL, Gang of Four, Midnight Oil).

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Atreyu

In 2002, a band called Atreyu exploded out of Orange County. Previously unknown to the rest of the world, the band released their stunning debut album, SUICIDE NOTES AND BUTTERFLY KISSES, grabbing the attention of a wide spectrum of music fans by demolishing the barriers between rock, melodic hardcore and metal. The band’s original, unique music hit like a lightning bolt in hard music circles, energizing audiences and redefining the hardcore sound Southern California was known for. Atreyu hit the road, and within a year were headlining their Bitter, Broken, Bound and Gagged tour to sold out rooms across North America. Critical raves poured in from publications like LA Times, Guitar World, and Metal Maniacs, who commented, “The Southern California five-piece brings new definition to overnight success.” SUICIDE NOTES AND BUTTERFLY KISSES has sold 90,000 units and shows no signs of slowing down. With their new album, THE CURSE, Atreyu have honed their personal style even more, exceeding all expectations and expanding the boundaries of metallic rock yet again.

The band headed home in late 2003 to write and record their second album, THE CURSE. The cathartic process transformed the band. “We were in the van for two years, and it seemed like every time we left home, there would be a crisis with someone close to us, and there was nothing we could do to help. Eventually the van becomes like an isolation chamber in which we internalized every trauma or negative experience.” Alex explains, “When we came home and starting writing the album, everything came pouring out, with the intensity of something new. It was really cleansing.” The band’s torrent of honesty and emotion resulted in one casualty; bassist Chris Thomson left the band, to be replaced by Marc McKnight, an old friend of the band. “We are so fanatical when it comes to our music, that we demo-ed every song and put them in the sequence that they appear on the album before we even chose a producer,” recounts Alex. GG Garth, famous for his work with bands like Rage Against The Machine, Kittie and Testament, was chosen to produce the album because his sincerity and excitement about Atreyu outstripped that any of the other candidates. “Garth really believed in us and after he heard the demos, he really wanted to help us realize our vision. When we got to the studio we were amazed - his ideas for the record were exactly the same as ours! He also has a killer studio and the technical capability to get the sound we were looking for.”

THE CURSE explores themes of isolation and paranoia, memory and immortality as well as power and potency. Songs like ‘The Crimson’ explore vampiric immortality, while ‘The Remembrance Ballad’ is a meditation on the brevity of life. “A lot has happened in the past two years, and I started realizing that I will die, that I can’t control it, so I started thinking about my choices while I am living this life, and on trying to break everything down and build back up into a person I can be proud of“, Alex explained. ‘My Sanity On The Funeral Pyre’ explores the harsh battle between paranoia and peace of mind, in stark contrast with ‘You Eclipsed By Me’, a howling roar of determination and strength of will in the face of adversity. The first single from THE CURSE will be hitting television and radio airwaves this summer. ‘Right Side Of The Bed’ reigns as one of the most personal songs on the album according to Alex. “There is so much contrast in the song, it’s a total rock song, but the lyrics reflect pure pain for me - regret and misery aren’t usually presented in that context, but it just worked well for us.”

With an extraordinary album ready to hit the streets, features in Alternative Press, Revolver, Guitar World, Metal Edge, Hit Parader, Outburn and numerous other national magazines, a North American tour, the support of Active Rock radio and the summer Ozzfest Tour, Atreyu are poised to reach a huge audience and captivate them with their genre-bending metallic rock. Their dynamic guitar assault combines brilliant single-note leads and pummeling power chords, offset by the melodic and guttural vocals. “We blend it to make a prettier dark picture“, Alex comments. Atreyu made waves in the music world with their debut, catching fans off guard with their original style, but the story is just beginning - with THE CURSE comes world domination.

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Thrice

Thrice’s second album with Island Records, VHEISSU, has debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the band’s highest chart entry ever. Thrice spent the months of April, May and June recording VHEISSU with producer Steve Osborne (Massive Attack, Doves, U2, Peter Gabriel) in Bearsville, New York. VHEISSU combines the skill and artistry of accomplished young musicians with the experimentation and willingness to transgress boundaries of artists with a long career ahead. The video for the first single “Image of the Invisible” has been added to MTV2 and FUSE. The video offers a glimpse into an apocalyptic world in which children are snatched from their homes, while Thrice act as members of a resistance movement attempting to recover the stolen kids. Dustin Kensrue (Thrice’s lead singer) and Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance’s lead singer) devised the concept for the unique clip over the course of Warped Tour this past summer, when both bands headlined. After filming the video, Thrice was made aware of the real plight of ‘invisible children’ in Uganda, via the charity invisiblechildren.com.

The band is working with the organization to raise awareness to the plight of the children in that nation. Currently, Thrice are on a headline tour to support VHEISSU, with support acts Underoath, the Bled, and Veda. This tour looks to be a smash success given their early ticket sales. With their devoted fan base emerging in thousands to support Thrice’s latest effort, the band has sold out shows in top markets such Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland OR and more. In addition to reaching thousands of fans on tour, the band played before a national television audience on release night (October 18th ) on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC).

Advance press has raved about VHEISSU and its musical depth. Billboard Magazine describes VHEISSU as, “highly intelligent, meticulously crafted and tautly performed. VHEISSU finds Thrice living up to its potential.” Alternative Press claims, “… VHEISSU is the band’s most challenging effort yet. With VHEISSU, Thrice prove you can be aggressive without being empty-headed, deep without relying on clichés and heartfelt without being ‘emo.’” VHEISSU takes its title from the loose collection of arcane myths found in V, Thomas Pynchon’s classic underground novel of 1963. While hesitant to explain too thoroughly why they have chosen this title, the band has remarked that at each crossroads they face, they feel they are “Standing at Vheissu,” which could stand for Vesuvius, cited by Virgil as the entrance to the maze of the underworld. VHEISSU takes its title from the band’s desire for the album, and by extension the band’s music, to defy categorization and remain subject to the opinions of its audience. The band’s clearest cited reasons for choosing the title, the belief that VHEISSU “was a beautiful word,” and wholly lacking in connotations or a point of reference for the average listener, suggest a new outlook for Thrice on their music and reflect the band’s ever-evolving musical landscape.

The VHEISSU cover art also showcases Thrice’s artistry. Designed by Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, You Shall Know Our Velocity, and How We Are Hungry, the cover art proves as evocative as the album’s title. The art is reflective of the lyrical and musical themes that permeate VHEISSU, an optimistic message that emerges upon closer examination of the cover. In accordance with one of the dominant lyrical and musical themes of VHEISSU, that of the power to define and redefine personal meanings, the cover is teeming with messages encouraging self-discovery: phrases such as “Stand and feel your worth,” “Hold fast hope,” and “Wrap yourself in light.” Thrice calls upon a range of influences with VHEISSU, expanding their already diverse sound to incorporate more eclectic influences. Songs like “Atlantic” show the way in which the band’s sound has developed from “The Illusion of Safety”. “Atlantic,” an ambient ballad track reinforced by electronic backbeats, features melodic intonations and slower tempo. “Like Moths to Flame” has harmonic undertones suggestive of the atmospheric ballast of bands such as Massive Attack. By contrast, powerful bombastic rock tracks like “Image of the Invisible” show the way in which Thrice has not abandoned their roots but has continued to expand upon them.

In keeping with Thrice’s interest in community development, each time the band releases a record they choose a charity that they are passionate about to donate a portion of their album sales. For VHEISSU, Thrice have joined hands with 826 Valencia, a tutorial program designed to help underprivileged children improve their communications skills. 826 Valencia supports the production and publication of student magazines and journals. Specifically focusing on creative and academic writing, reading, and SAT preparatory classes, this Bay Area foundation focuses on one-on-one tutorials and is available for students ages 8-18. Orange County, California-based Thrice - guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue, guitarist Teppei Teranishi, bassist Eddie Breckenridge, and drummer Riley Breckenridge - have won a loyal fan base since 1998. VHEISSU follows THE ARTIST IN THE AMBULANCE, the group’s third album (and first for Island), released July 2003.

The culmination of nearly two years of composition, VHEISSU is an album that displays the sonic contrasts that have always existed with Thrice -a band capable of attracting audiences to the Vans Warped Tour as easily as it captivates fans at Coachella. A band that plays for a crowd of 24,000 punks in the summer sun, Thrice can just as easily play for 1,000 at Bowery Ballroom during the CMJ Music Marathon. Their diversity has enabled them to tour with bands on opposite sides of the spectrum, from the hardcore metal act Converge to the commercially successful emo act Dashboard Confessional. These are contrasts which have always existed in Thrice’s music, but with VHEISSU, the contrasts and dynamics are stretched even further.

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Panic At The Disco

Some bands spend their whole careers just hoping to produce an album as complex, cohesive and creative as A FEVER YOU CAN’T SWEAT OUT. Panic! At The Disco managed to get it right on the first try. Before you grab a cold washcloth, let’s diagnose what caused A Fever.

It all started in the suburbs of Las Vegas when 12-year-old Ryan Ross asked his parents for a guitar for Christmas. Not to be outdone, neighbourhood pal Spencer Smith begged his parents for a drum set so the duo could start jamming. “Really, from that first year [playing instruments], all we really did was cover Blink 182songs,” remembers Spencer, laughing. The band eventually matured, moved on from all the small things and recruited classmates Brent Wilson and Brendon Urie on bass and vocals, respectively.

With the final line-up now in place, the newly christened Panic! At The Disco (from a line in the Name Taken song “Panic“) started practicing in Spencer’s grandmother’s living room and began crafting the songs that would eventually make their way onto A FEVER YOU CAN’T SWEAT OUT. With their flair for experimental instrumentation and intimately observant lyrics, it wasn’t long before the band sparked the interest of Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, who brought the band to Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen, a label with a green thumb for new talent. “We really clicked with Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen and they understood what we wanted to do as a band,” Ryan explains. “They gave us a lot of freedom to do what would make us happy with our music.”

Soon after signing, things got serious and started moving forward at a rapid pace. Spencer and Brent finished high school through distance education; Brendon was taking classes during the day, practicing at night and barely scraping by his senior year; and Ryan decided to leave college at the end of his freshman year, causing a huge rift between him and his family. “When I told my dad I wanted to drop out and write music, he definitely flipped out. It was a battle between me being happy and doing what would make him happy.” So minus the blessing of one father, the four friends packed up, left home for the first time and headed east to College Park, Maryland, to record their debut album with famed producer Matt Squire (Thrice, Northstar, The Receiving End Of Sirens).

“We didn’t want to write a record that had 11 of the same songs on it,” explains Ryan. In order to make sure that didn’t happen, the band came up with the concept to divide the album in two halves: the first being futuristic, complete with drum machines and synthesizers, and the second being nostalgic, complete with Vaudevillian piano and accordion. “It was too extremes of influence being put next to each other: the most electronic music we have on the record and the most old, out-of-style music we have on the record.” The band took pointers from some of their biggest—although not overt—influences: Third Eye Blind’s melodic song structures (on “But It’s Better When We Do“), Queen’s theatric instrumentation (on “Build God, Then We’ll Talk“) and Counting Crows’ vivid and narrative lyrics (on “There’s A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven’t Thought Of It Yet“). “You wouldn’t hear our record and say, ‘Hmmm, these guys are influenced by Fleetwood Mac or Counting Crows, ‘but those are our favourite bands,” insists Spencer.

It’s this split-brain approach to song writing that has resonated with listeners young and old. The band has scored big with PureVolume (continually being on the site’s Top 10 Signed Bands chart) and MySpace (reaching #1 on the indie charts), and when they returned to Las Vegas after recording, they played a hometown show (actually, the band’s first live concert ever) and over two hundred people showed up. The boys’ parents, especially Ryan’s father, realized the band was more than just a fleeting hobby and eventually became card-carrying members of Panic! At The Disco’s fan club.

Warning: Panic! At The Disco is not a trend. Prepare accordingly.

PLUS: Underoath, Billy Talent, Men Women & Children, The Bled, Drive By, Paramore, The Honorary Title, Taint

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DAY II

Lostprophets

If you thought you had Lostprophets sussed based on their first release THEFAKESOUNDOFPROGRESS you’d better abandon those preconceptions. Begin afresh with the Welsh sextet’s second release START SOMETHING, a scintillating collage of hardcore, pop, breakbeat, and metal. It’s not just an impressive creative leap, it’s one of the most adventurous rock albums to arrive. That’s what happens when a group of young musicians - Ian Watkins (vocals), Mike Lewis (guitar), Lee Gaze (guitar), Stuart Richardson (bass), Mike Chiplin (drums), and Jamie Oliver (keyboards, programming) - get a chance to hone their musicianship via three years of non-stop touring. The band’s initial foray into the studio in 2000 was as six naïve, small-town kids armed with raw enthusiasm and a grab-bag of influences ranging from the hardest guitar rock to an unapologetic love for ’80s icons like Duran Duran and the Police.

The resultant debut album THEFAKESOUNDOFPROGRESS sold 140,000 in the UK alone, and earned them Kerrang! magazine’s Best New British Band 2001 award. The group has since toured the UK, US, Europe and Japan sharing stages with The Used, Glassjaw, Linkin Park, Andrew W.K. and the various heavy hitters of OzzFest 2002. Late last year, they performed for 5,000 at London’s Brixton Academy, their largest ever headlining gig. Since then, they have worked their fingers to the bone fine-tuning their sound. “It used to be riff-riff-riff. We had no idea how to structure a song or what to do,” Ian admits, “This time around we learned how to make more coherent songs.”

For START SOMETHING, Lostprophets joined producer Eric Valentine (Queens Of The Stone Age, Good Charlotte, Smash Mouth) in his Los Angeles studio for four months this year. It was the first time the band actually had a budget. “For the last album it was just: in, record, out,” Jamie says. “We didn’t have a producer and we’d go in, sing the lyrics and nobody would question anything. This time around, we’ve made an album in which every single avenue has been explored. Everything has been done to perfection.” The band knew they wanted to make an epic-sounding album, understanding that the opportunity might not arise again in the current industry climate. “I love big, grand, epic albums like Queen” Ian says. “So we’ve seized the chance while we have it, while everyone’s behind us.”

And epic it is, whilst still retaining Lostprophets’ raw indie edge. Songs like album opener “We Still Kill The Old Way” and “Ride” are dizzying in their sonic assault while “Tonight” is glorious, New Wave-inspired pop. Single “Burn Burn” is incendiary rock energy with vein-popping choruses. Many of the songs seem to embrace a clutch of different genres at once - like “Last Train“, which opens with atmospheric verses before switching gears into an anthemic sing-along, complete with unruly backing vocals from members of Good Charlotte. Elsewhere, strings (courtesy of alt-rock orchestral hero David Campbell) bathe some of the album’s harder cuts in an ethereal glow. START SOMETHING will always keep you guessing. You think you’ve got a song figured out and then it takes a hairpin turn, maybe to a bone-crushing, full-throated passage, to a weird, ambient interlude or a dramatic piano coda. For Ian Watkins, it’s all about following their muse, not some sort of trend: “We’re not a post-hardcore band, we’re not a nu-metal band, we’re not interested in proving anything to anybody. We just want to make music we like.” START SOMETHING is the latest chapter in the Lostprophets’ self-penned success story. “This is us, take it or leave it!” says Jamie. This album is Lostprophets’ call to arms, a rallying cry to kids everywhere - never lie down, never give up. As Ian admirably sums up, “Everyone’s got dreams. Start something, start anything. Just do what you’ve always wanted to do.”

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Taking Back Sunday

Back in late 2001, Taking Back Sunday’s founding member Eddie Reyes could only imagine what his life would be like just 3 short years later. With new bass player Adam Lazzara moved up from North Carolina to sleep on his couch and share the Top Ramen, the world was their’s for the taking. After finalizing the initial line-up and moving Adam to lead vocals the band recorded a few demos and begged anyone and everyone to have a listen. A record deal with Victory Records followed after their demo circulated to an east coast rep of the label.

Their debut album recorded a few short months later, Taking Back Sunday’s TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS hit stores at the end of March 2002. The album sold over 2,300 copies in it’s first week after the band had barely done more than hit up the local Long Island touring circuit, played a few weeks with indie favorites Rival Schools and spent a few weeks as the opener on a multi-band packaging of the Victory Records tour. From there it just started to pick up momentum. “We played our first shows in California and one was at a venue called Chain Reaction in Anaheim. We’re suddenly 3,000 miles from home and there are like 150 kids singing all of the words to our songs. That was when it hit us. What could really happen,” recalls Reyes. Before they knew it, a sold out summer tour showed them and the indie label public the force they were about to become. Soon fans were singing along so fervently that it was sometimes hard to hear the stage sound. They continued touring and started playing with more national acts like The Used, Jimmy Eat World and Saves the Day. The cover of Alternative Press and features in Rolling Stone and Spin soon followed.

For the sophomore album, Taking Back Sunday enlisted veteran producer Lou Giordano (Sugar, Goo Goo Dolls, Sunny Day Real Estate) to come in and take five valid musical opinions and craft them into one cohesive album. “The songs really are written by all five of us. They may start with a part or an idea but it’s the five of us that make it the song it ends up being,” states Fred. ‘It’s fantastic,” recalls Lou, “because they’ve grown so much and added such great musicianship, yet it’s still very much Taking Back Sunday. I was honored to be a part of this record.” Recorded during most of March and April of 2004, the 11-song album, titled WHERE YOU WANT TO BE, was released on July 27, 2004 on Victory Records. Filled with their trademark dual vocals and hook-filled, guitar driven songs of love, hate, blame, greed and non-apologetic calling out, this album connected with their audience much in the same way as their debut which has already scanned over 500,000 copies. “We didn’t quite know what we were going to come out of the studio with,” remembered Adam. “The second we all heard it finished, I just can’t describe the look on everyone’s face… I can only explain it as shock; it was exactly what we wanted. I personally could not be happier to be a part of this record.”

The tracks range from solid opener “Set Phasers To Stun,” an urgent Police-like tune, to the hardcore finger-pointing song “The Union.” Acoustic string-laden “New American Classic” showcases the level of song writing capabilities combined with the softer singing voices of the two vocalists while “One-Eighty By Summer” showcases much of their vocal range and repeats the unanswerable question we all pose “Why can’t you just be happy?” The albums’ first single was chosen immediately by the band, which sees it as a song that reflects all sides of Taking Back Sunday, musically and lyrically. Aptly titled “A Decade Under The Influence,” it’s a biting number that starts out soft while telling an opposite tale, eventually confidently whispering and repeating the anthem “to hell with you and all your friends.” Add in a few more expertly crafted pop sounding songs and the album is complete with the trademark Taking Back Sunday curves that sometimes come back around and sometimes leave you off a different road. “It would be next to impossible to play anyone half of the album and still get a sense of the entire thing. We all have different favourite songs, it’s a great problem to have,” recalls Mark. “There’s a depth to this record that you always hope for when you start. Now that it’s finished I hear more every time I listen, ” adds Fred. With the often agonizing sophomore album complete and out of their hands, Adam, Matt, Eddie, Mark and Fred did not have much time to ponder its impact. “In 2004 we were not home at all, and that’s exactly what I wanted,” states Adam. The band finished mixing the tracks just in time to start a month of North American dates with Blink 182, finding time to make a stop at the HFStival in Washington, DC. Then they headed out for their first trip overseas to play the Donington Download festival (with headliners Metallica) and then headline their own sold out shows including their virgin London gig in the legendary 2,000 capacity Astoria.

They returned from that to play KROCK-NY’s Dysfunctional Family Picnic with the Beastie Boys, The Strokes and a bunch of others in the band’s hometown backyard amphitheater, Jones Beach. “We’re in surreal pretend land,” exclaims Matt. With no rest in sight, they immediately flew to Texas to begin their entire summer run as one of the headliners on the 2004 Vans Warped Tour, and then back to the UK for a main stage stint on the infamous Reading and Leeds Carling weekend. Prior to the albums’ release, Taking Back Sunday released an album track titled “This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know)” on the hugely successful Spider-man 2 Soundtrack. August 2004 found them on another Alternative Press cover, Rolling Stone’s ‘Hot Band’ and Launch’s Emerging Artist just as their video for “A Decade Under The Influence” was declared Buzzworthy on MTV and M2.

On August 2, 2004 WHERE YOU WANT TO BE debuted in the #3 spot on the Billboard Top 200 Chart with 163,000 units in sales for the first week, making them the highest selling rock band in the United States for the week. It’s hard not to imagine that this is exactly where they WOULD want to be. Matt put it best; “the band has focused all of its energy on the present and future… we’re ready for anything.” The band continued to tour, selling out their entire Fall Headlining run. 50 shows sold out in advance in larger venues than they had ever anticipated playing, let alone headlining. Selling out three solid nights at the Starland Ballroom in NJ during a holiday time where most shows were slow was one example of why promoters across the US’s confidence in the band continues to grow. “We could have put three more on sale, the tickets would have just kept selling.” says Stan Levinstone, Starland’s promoter. Their insane touring schedule for 2004 didn’t end there. A few weeks of radio shows with bands like Franz Ferdinand, Muse, The Killers, My Chemical Romance and Modest Mouse followed as Taking Back Sunday prepared to release “This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know)” as their second single from WHERE YOU WANT TO BE in January of 2005. The video was directed by Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 fame and really showcases the bands’ energetic live performance. MTV2 began airing a “Makes A Video” half hour special just before the New Year.

“It’s hard to believe that we’ve scanned over 600,000 copies of this album in less than a year,” remarks Reyes. “As a matter of fact it’s really hard to imagine that we’ve scanned over a million records between the two albums. We know we are so lucky. Most bands don’t get that lucky, and we appreciate it every day.” WHERE YOU WANT TO BE did in fact remain on the Billboard Chart for 24 weeks straight and was the #3 Independent Album of 2004. FUSE and MAXIM Magazine declared Taking Back Sunday 2004’s #1 Rising Star. Year-end accomplishments like “Band of the Year” and “Artist of the Year” from the College Music Awards and Alternative Press’s Readers Poll respectively and inclusion in numerous Year End countdowns including Rolling Stone’s Top 50 albums of 2004 and FUSE TV’s year end Top 10 Rock Countdown still take the band by surprise. “Someone called me and woke me up because we had the #1 song on 89X Detroit’s year end countdown,” remembers Reyes. “It’s still pretty unreal.”

As they headed to Europe in January of 2005 for their third UK run, selling out 5,000 tickets at the legendary Brixton Academy in advance, the past year seems like a blur. A Spring 2005 run of colleges and arenas co-headlining with a band they have admired for a long time, Jimmy Eat World, and two sold out shows at the legendary Milton Keynes Bowl outside of London with Green Day in June 2005 capped off an amazing touring cycle. “I’ve accomplished more than my wildest dreams,” adds Adam. “If I wasn’t doing this, I have no idea what I would be doing. I want to do this for the rest of my life.”

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Aiden

Something wicked this way comes. From the foggy majesty of Seattle, Washington comes Aiden, a young band who meld punk, post-hardcore and goth influences into a lethal stew that recalls the best of bands like AFI and H.I.M.. With music that defies categorization, Aiden dubbed it horror rock, defining once and for all the dark lyrical influences and vital energy displayed both live and on disc. NIGHTMARE ANATOMY is Aiden’s Victory Records debut: a heavy clash of hardcore and up tempo melodies that belies songs with decidedly grim themes.

Aiden began in the spring of 2003 by four friends from Seattle, WA - Jake W., Angel, Jake D. and Will - as more of a fun hobby than an effort to take over the world. With only five songs written, Aiden played their first show in July, 2003 at a pizza joint in downtown Seattle. Taking their name from a horror movie called ‘The Ring’, Aiden had a few line-up changes early on: singer will was originally the band’s bassist, and switched to vocals when the original singer left the band. After adding Nick to play bass, the final unit was rock solid. Aiden went into the studio in December 2004 with producer Steve Carter and the result was their debut full length titled OUR GANGS DARK OATH. The boys took it into their own hands to make CD samplers of some of their new material and passed out over 2,000 copies of the two song demos at shows around Seattle. Their DIY promotion started the enormous word-of-mouth phenomenon on Aiden. 2004 was a very busy and exciting year for the band. They managed to play over a hundred shows, put out their debut full length, make two music videos, and catch the attention of Victory Records. Quite the feat for a band with two members in high school! Taking advantage of any chance to get out on the road; they toured throughout the school year, holiday school breaks, and were in a hotel in Gallup, New Mexico on Christmas eating Subway sandwiches for dinner. When asked about their dedication to touring so soon, Will said, “We all do miss our friends and families, with these guys still going to school we just have to take any opportunity to get out there and get known. This is my family, my brothers and it is awesome that we all get to be together.” Victory Records signed Aiden in December 2004, and plans for NIGHTMARE ANATOMY began.

Aiden entered the studio in March 2005 for pre-production at Robert Lang Studios, before heading to Orbit Audio for five weeks of non-stop recording. Produced by long-time friend (and producer of their debut) Steve Carter, who has worked with the band since the beginning. The songs on the album are imbued with references to pain, darkness, immortality and redemption. From Die Romantic a dedication to the memory of a friend whose suicide will not be forgotten, to The Last Sunrise which explores addiction and abuse, to Genetic Design For Dying, a love letter to a parent asking forgiveness. In June, Jake D. and Angel graduated from high school and Aiden hit the road, joining the Zumiez Coach Tour. Heading home to film the video for The Last Sunrise was next. “We watched The Queen Of The Damned and decided that it would be cool to make a video with a similar storyline but with young kids from our scene instead of older people. We had a lot of fun getting it together, from props to the actors. We shot it in an old Masonic Temple in Tacoma, and it was creepy, we kept hearing noises in the balcony, but every time we checked they would stop.”

Aiden hit the road again on the Victory Records Tour in July and August with The Hurt Process, The Junior Varsity and the Audition, but there will be no rest for the band - in October they join Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein and Bayside for the Never Sleep Again Tour in North America. NIGHTMARE ANATOMY is in stores October 4th. When asked about the new record, Will sums it up: “What we have is a collection of cohesive new material and something to say. We aren’t holding anything back on this record. We are ready to let the world know we’re here.”

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Silverstein

Some say years as a touring band are somehow sped up, with such a flood of experiences happening so fast that just a few years on the road can seem like a decade. It can be overwhelming or exhilarating, or both depending on one’s perspective, but ultimately it leads to a life-changing maturity. Perspective plays a key role in Silverstein’s new album, DISCOVERING THE WATERFRONT; it is a central theme in songs that explore self-determination and coping with change. Addiction to negative relationships is another recurrent theme, from the opening track; “Your Sword Versus My Dagger” to “My Heroine“, lyricist/vocalist Shane Told is beyond candid as he tells stories of obsession, hopelessness and ultimately redemption. The music is flawlessly executed, with powerful instrumentation and the melodic/raw vocal juxtaposition that Told delivers seamlessly.

Silverstein formed in Burlington, Ontario, on the outskirts of Toronto in 2000. Emerging from the thriving hardcore scene in their hometown, the band began honing their sound, and recording whenever possible. Two EPs followed and a former member of Grade began talking the band up to his friends at Victory Records. The band signed with Victory shortly afterward. They released WHEN BROKEN IS EASILY FIXED which went on to sell over 200,000 copies worldwide, earning the band a spot in Alternative Press’ 100 Bands You Need To Know in the spring of 2005. Non-stop touring followed and Silverstein became one of the most talked about bands on the hardcore/emo scene. Many fans responded with tattoos of their distinctive robot artwork - a permanent display of their devotion.

Despite an almost constant touring schedule with bands like Hawthorne Heights and Fall Out Boy, Silverstein continued to write, drawing from their own experiences as well as the world around them. At first glance, “Already Dead” might seem to express extraordinarily brutal thoughts of a stalker, perhaps from a too-personal angle. In fact, the award winning novel, “The Lovely Bones“, as opposed to an actual relationship, inspired the song. Years on the road are examined as well, with bitter revelations of growing apart from long-time friends as well as the changing perceptions that are an inevitable bi-product of time and distance from the familiar. What sets these songs apart is their passionate, muscular delivery: complex meter changes and metallic dual guitars complement each other, showcasing the band’s skin-tight musicianship.

When time was found in their packed schedule to record, the band found a soul mate in producer Cameron Webb, who has recorded bands like Motorhead, Social Distortion, and Ben Folds Five. “The session was done in California so we lived for a long time away from family and friends. I was completely alone when I did most of the vocal tracks and I think the focus I was able to achieve was really important. You can hear it on the record,” remembers Told. “We were intimidated by the legends Cameron worked with previously, but he was so friendly and easy going that he really got the best performances out of us.” The album was recorded in part at one of the most recognized studios in the country, Capitol Studios in Hollywood. “Capitol blew us away. Next to us, Bon Jovi was recording strings. The number of huge bands that have walked through those doors is ridiculous,” said drummer Paul Koehler. Shane adds, “Waking up and driving there every day made us feel like real musicians, like a real band. When we got in there we had more drive because of the setting. I think that shines through, especially in the drumming.”

During the recording, the band was working hard on the packaging, with artist Martin Wittfooth creating the gorgeous paintings that would bring the album’s concept into sharp focus. “We wanted the art to tell the story of someone struggling to decide which direction to take his life in, staying in a place that is known, depicted as the dark city in the background, or he can go into the water, where his fate is unknown. The water in the painting seems to go into oblivion, its metaphoric for fear of change. The protagonist in the paintings finds a message in a bottle, and it allows him to take the chance to end up in a better place,” explains Told. With the heavy lifting of recording and packaging wrapped up, a video for the first single, “Smile In Your Sleep” was the next step. Settling on a concept paying homage to the board game Clue, they began filming with Marc Ricciardelli in the mansion that served as the set for the hit movie Billy Madison. “The song, ‘Smile In Your Sleep‘ is a dark song about jealousy, deception and ultimately murder,” explains Shane. “Our director came up with the Clue concept and it gave us a chance to have a little fun with the video. Each of us wears the colours of the characters, there are all the weapons, and of course, there is a butler. I think it’s going to look great, we can’t wait for fans to see it.”

Silverstein will spend summer 2005 playing Warped Tour before embarking on a promotional tour of the United States, which leads into overseas shows and a direct support slot on the North American Hawthorne Heights tour. It’s easy to see that their work ethic hasn’t wavered and life on the road will continue as they bring their thought provoking new songs to music fans everywhere. On DISCOVERING THE WATERFRONT, Silverstein uses their infectious, melodic songs with a metallic edge to explore the struggle inherent in choosing a path and making the hard decisions life presents to us all.

PLUS: Angels & Airwaves, Goldfinger, Hundred Reasons, Say Anything, Classic Case, Bayside, Gym Class Heroes, The Blackout