Audiovent | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Vent |
| Origin | Calabasas, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock,[1]post-grunge,[1]hard rock[2][3] |
| Years active | 1993–2007, 2018–2019, 2023-present |
| Labels | Atlantic |
| Past members | Jason Boyd Benjamin Einziger Paul Fried Shane McLafferty Jamin Wilcox Ryland Steen |
Audiovent is an Americanalternative rock band fromCalabasas, California. Initially forming as "Vent" in the early 1990s, the band changed their name to Audiovent upon signing withAtlantic Records in 2001. The band released their one and only album on a majorrecord label,Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris, in 2002. Two singles were released to rock radio and charted with moderate success - "The Energy" and "Looking Down". The band began work on a second album in 2003, demoing over 19 tracks over the course of the year, but disbanded in mid-2004 before the album could be formally recorded, due to creative differences between band members. They reformed in 2017 for several reunion shows, then began writing and recording new material in 2022. They released their first single,"Sleepless Machine" in late 2023, with more music to follow.
The band's origins trace back to the members attendingmiddle school, whenlead singer Jason Boyd began playing music with friendbassist Paul Fried.[4] Fried'sstepbrother, Benjamin Einziger, walked into one of theirjam sessions, and joined shortly thereafter.[4] The three had all known each other through their brothers' band,Incubus, of which they were all related.[5] Jason Boyd is the brother of vocalistBrandon Boyd, Benjamin Einziger is brother of guitaristMike Einziger, and Paul Fried is their stepbrother.[5] The band recruited the final part of the band,drummer Jamin Wilcox,[4] and, upon having a solid lineup, formed the band under the name "Vent".[6] Despite forming so early, members had just recently learned how to play their instruments, and would spend years just practicing together, playing covers ofNirvana andMetallica.[7]
The band continued to practice together throughouthigh school, and began to build up a base by playing local shows.[8] In 1999, the band financed their own independent full-length albumPapa's Dojo.[8] The album greatly increased their local popularity, something the band had difficulty coping with, leading to much in-fighting between members.[9] The band took part ingroup therapy to help strengthen their communication amongst one another.[9] The therapy and determination to keep their long-term friendships paid off, as not only was the band able to stay together, just a few months after the release ofPapa's Dojo, the band received interest from multiple majorrecord labels.[9] The band choseAtlantic Records, the label they felt understood the band's vision and creativity the best.[9]
Upon being signed to a major record label, the band decided to rename themselves as something more recognizable - "Audiovent".[6] The band met with over ten record producers,[10] before deciding to enter the studio withmusic producer Gavin Mackillop to record their major label album debut in 2001, though the process proved to be "slow and tedious".[6][8][9] The majority of the album was recorded over the course of a three-month period in the studio.[9] Initially thinking they were done, upon listening to the material, the band decided they wanted to restructure and re-record some songs, while additionally recording some new songs, that were ultimately not used in the final album.[9] The band opted to almost entirely re-record the material fromPapa's Dojo for their major label debut.[9] The band hadn't initially planned on doing this, but went with it once they realized how well their old songs sounded when they were re-recorded in a high-tech studio with a professional producer and equipment likePro-Tools.[9] The process was further drawn out while they searched for amixing engineer to provide the album's finalmix they felt best complemented their sound, who ended up beingChris Lord-Alge.[9]
The final product,Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris was released on June 4, 2002. Commercial reception was lukewarm; the album charted, but peaked at no. 156 on theBillboard 200 in 2002, staying on the chart for six weeks before dropping off.[11] Two singles were released in support of the album, "The Energy" and "Looking Down".[12][13] They too were moderately received; "The Energy" peaked at no. 17 on Billboard'sAlternative Songs chart and at no. 9 on theirHot Mainstream Rock Tracks, but "Looking Down" only charted on the Hot Mainstream Chart, peaking at no. 29.[12][13] Prior to the album's release, the band toured withAdema.[2] After its release, they spent the second half of the year touring in support of the album withSaliva,Theory of a Deadman,[14] andOur Lady Peace.[15] The band finished out the year in December by playing a live show broadcast onMTV called "Live at theRock & Roll Hall of Fame".[16]
By 2003, sales and airplay of their debut material had stalled,[5] prompting the band to start writing material for a followup.[17] The lack of success, and return to the creative process, began to cause friction in the band once again.[5] Einziger reflected on the state of the band:
There was never a lot of synergy in Audiovent ... The band members wouldn't compromise on artistic agendas. There was a conflict every time we turned around. It was like pulling teeth to get anything done."[18]
Wilcox was the first casualty of this, leaving the band in March 2003 due to creative differences.[19] He was replaced byRyland Steen, of theska punk bandReel Big Fish.[20][21] The band continued to push forward, spending the remainder of the year in the studio recording a follow-up album.[17] By the end of the year, Fried reported that the sessions had been rather prolific, the latest session had produced seven new demos, bringing the overall tally of 19 new songs in contention for the second album.[17] He also stated the band had been working with record producerTony Berg on some of the demos, with the hopes of entering the studio with him in early 2004.[17] The band proceeded to enter the studio in early 2004 withEric Stenman, who produced,mixed, andengineered further demos with the band.[22] While largely quiet during this period, the band reemerged in May 2004 by announcing they'd be playing live shows in May and June, but under a new, temporary moniker "Nigel", to represent the stylistic shift in their new music.[23] The band performed the shows, but by mid-June it was abruptly announced that the band had broken up altogether due to their creative differences with one another.[5][24] Einziger, Fried, and Steen formed a new band that same year calledAgent Sparks, although Steen left to play inReel Big Fish before recording any material with the band.[21][25] Agent Sparks recorded two releases without any success, an EP,Not So Merry in 2005, and a full album,Red Rover in 2006, before disbanding themselves in 2007.[25]
While the second album was ultimately aborted, some tracks from the sessions were eventually released in various ways. In August 2008, Audiovent released five previously unreleased demos on theirMyspace account for streaming and purchase, under the title ofThe Lost Demos Vol. 1.[26][27] No further volumes have been released, though Stenman later released another Audiovent demo on his personal website entitled "Call My Name".[28]
In late 2018, the band announced their reformation, alongside a tour withHoobastank.[29] However, the tour was cancelled before it started by Hoobastank due to "an unforeseen personal matter".[30] A reunion show was instead scheduled for January 11, 2019, atThe Viper Room.[31]
In October 2023 the band released a new song named 'Sleepless Machine'.[32]
The band purposely used a traditional "guitar, bass, and drum" rock sound in their music, in efforts to distance themselves from theDJs,rapped vocals, andangsty themes commonly found innu metal andrap metal's music, which was at its peak of popularity upon the band's major label debut.[33] The band desired to distance themselves from the shadow of their sibling's band Incubus,[2][8] though critics commonly compared them regardless, especially to Incubus's 1999 albumMake Yourself[5] andBrandon Boyd's vocals.[1][2] They did manage to avoid said band'snu metal label though, most commonly being identified asalternative rock,[1]post-grunge,[1] andhard rock.[2] Music journalists noted a diversity between their songs as well, with Margo Whitman ofBillboard described them as having "cuts that run the gamut fromacoustic-typeballads tohardcorerock numbers".[8] The band experimented with thesitar on the track "Rain", and a 22-pieceorchestra in "When I Drown".[1]
The band was greatly influenced byclassic rock, such asThe Beatles,Pink Floyd, andDavid Bowie.[34] According to Boyd:
"We look at old footage ofJimi Hendrix andLed Zeppelin andThe Who, and that's really what gets us going. We want music to be like that again ... The stuff we listen to isn't what's going on today ... everything from Beatles to Zep to Hendrix—everything from that to oldStevie Wonder,James Brown,The Funky Meters—And I like bands that do something different, that aren't afraid to step it up a notch ...Radiohead, obviously, andThe Flaming Lips,Shudder to Think-- We just play stuff that comes from our hearts. It's all natural."[33]
Boyd states the band was also influenced bysoul,funk, andjazz in a general sense,[8] andmetal in their earlier days.[7] Boyd states that the band composed 9 minute Pink Floyd-esqprogressive rock songs in their earlier days, but the band ended up unhappy with the end results, and strayed away from the approach upon becoming more familiar with the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.[7] Wilcox stated that drumming ofJohn Bonham,Ziggy Modeliste, andRussell Batiste Jr. were particularly influential to his drumming style.[35]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat. | ||
| 2002 | Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris
| 156 | 4 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt. | US Main. | UK | |||
| 2002 | "The Energy" | 17 | 9 | 167 | Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris |
| "Looking Down" | — | 29 | — | ||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| International | |
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