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Greek Fire | |
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.jpg) Moon Valjean performing with Greek Fire at Pointfest 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri, US |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | WITHYN RECORDS |
| Members | Philip "Moon Valjean" Sneed Mark Joseph Roth Johnny Venus Chris Hobbs |
| Past members | Ryan Phillips |
Greek Fire is an Americanrock band fromSt. Louis, Missouri. The band was formed in 2008 by members ofStory of the Year and Maybe Today. Since formation, Greek Fire has released a self-titled EP, a single titled "Doesn't Matter Anyway", on August 16, 2011, they released their debut, full-length album,Deus Ex Machina, and have recently announced a new addition to theLost/Found EPs titledBroken set to be released beforeFound.
In May 2009, Philip Sneed (aka Moon Valjean) and Ryan Phillips (both from Story of the Year) joined with Johnny Venus and Mark Joseph Roth (both from Maybe Today) to start performing as the band Greek Fire. While their first official show was on May 16, 2009, the band's short documentary posted on YouTube specifies that the band formed in 2008.[citation needed]
Greek Fire posted numerous demos (including some teaser clips) since forming, the oldest of which are their songs titled "Dreaming in Deja Vu", "The Ride", and "Down In Mexico" which first appeared onMySpace.
Greek Fire released a three-song EP on November 19, 2010, while they continued to write and record music for a currently unreleased full-length album. Greek Fire went to the studio in late January 2011 to record. Greek Fire released "Doesn't Matter Anyway" to iTunes on March 10, 2011.[1] "Doesn't Matter Anyway" has received considerable radio play in St. Louis on 105.7 ThePOINTKPNT,Sirius Satellite Radio, KSHE95, and in Chicago at Q101 since then.
Greek Fire played several live performances at venues throughout the midwest: Fubar Lounge, Pops Nightclub andVerizon Wireless Amphitheater in Saint Louis, MO (where they opened forIncubus on August 20, 2011, and played in POINTFest in May and September 2011), as well as many other locations including Columbia, MO (where they opened forGood Charlotte), Toledo OH, Grand Rapids MI and Chicago IL where they opened for the bandMadina Lake.
On August 1, 2011, Greek Fire announced that they would be releasing their independent debut albumDeus Ex Machina on August 16, 2011, through many outlets, online and otherwise.[2]
In support ofDeus Ex Machina the band toured withEve 6 and played Pointfest along withMegadeth,Incubus,P.O.D.,Chevelle,HURT and more, and playedUproar withGodsmack,Staind,Papa Roach,Shinedown,Thousand Foot Krutch andAdelitas Way.
The band announced at the 2012 HoHo show that their next album will be entitledLost/Found. The first single, "A Real Life" from the record was released March 12, 2013. The second single "Top Of The World" was released on December 2, 2013, and a stripped-down version was released February 21, 2014.
The band later announced that the concept album would instead be released as 2 EPs calledLost andFound respectively. TheLost EP was released on May 13, 2014.
They later added a third EP to be released before Found titledBroken
James Gunn, a St. Louis native, planned to feature the band in the soundtrack toGuardians of the Galaxy, but ultimately decided to stay with a mix of 1970's music.
In September 2014, "Top Of The World" was featured in a commercial spot for Disney'sBig Hero 6,[3] while "A Real Life" was featured in a November episode ofThe Bold and the Beautiful.[4]
After Sneed parted ways withStory of the Year, Ryan Phillips also left Greek Fire. Chris Hobbs fromCavo has replaced him on at least a touring basis.
Sneed (aka moon) is now a member of the "Rizzuto Show" on 105.7 THE POINT
While touring in Japan in early 2012, Johnny Venus started to feel exhaustion. After the tour in Japan, Venus's exhaustion did not fade. When he returned home, he had some blood tests. Hours after the blood tests, Venus was admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis ofAcute promyelocytic leukemia. Venus had no medical insurance. While he was recovering and receiving treatment, the band askedStory of the Year singer, Dan Marsala, to play drums with Greek Fire. Marsala did so for the months of June and July. Venus completed his first round of treatment in early August. On November 10, 2012, Venus made his official return to the group in a show atMissouri University of Science and Technology. He has declared himself cancer-free and has returned to touring with the band.
The band describes themselves this way:[5]
Greek Fire is a mission to capture the attention of a rock deprived generation. A mission to re-vitalize the spirit of rock music in all of its purity and greatness. A mission to create uplifting, soaring music for those who need it now more than ever. Greek Fire is composed of four young men from the planet Earth, each sharing an extreme passion for their respective instruments. Greek Fire is about purity and expression, poetry and mystery, the beauty of the journey. Faith in something greater, a quest into the unknown, a connection with the fire within. Embracing the power of words, the beauty of the guitar riff, the energy created through real rhythm, Greek Fire is a quest to resurrect the greatness of rock music for those who want something more. Natural melodies and rhythm with no cover ups, no pitch correction, no splicing and dicing it to perfection, just the spirit of that natural and attitude-filled first take. We invite you to the ride.
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| Title | Album Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock Albums | Hard Rock Albums | Heatseekers Albums | ||
| Deus Ex Machina |
| — | — | — |
| BROKEN |
| — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Doesn't Matter Anyway" | Deus Ex Machina |
| 2011 | "Break Me Down" | |
| 2012 | "If This Is the End (The Sound of Belief)" | BROKEN |
| 2013 | "A Real Life" | LOST |
| "Top of the World" | ||
| 2014 | "Coming Alive" | |
| 2017 | "Coming Out of the Rain" | BROKEN |
| 2018 | "The Ride" | ORIENTATION |
| "Running Away" | ||
| 2019 | "I Do" | BROKEN |
| "True Colors" | ||
| 2020 | "I Don't Wanna Leave This Place" |
| Title | Year | Album | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Doesn't Matter Anyway" | 2011 | Deus Ex Machina | |
| "If This Is the End (The Sound of Belief)" | 2012 | BROKEN | |
| "Top of the World" | 2014 | LOST | Justin James Muir |
| "Coming Out of the Rain" | 2017 | BROKEN | |
| "The Ride" | 2018 | ORIENTATION | Jordan Phoenix and Ben Vogelsang |
| "I Do" | 2019 | BROKEN | Ben Vogelsang |
| "True Colors" | Jordan Phoenix and Ben Vogelsang | ||
| "Coming Alive" | 2021 | LOST | J.T. Ibanez |
| "A Real Life" | 2024 | Kavan the Kid |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)