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Remo is an American drumhead and banjo head company founded by Remo Belli in 1957. They are well known for their highly successful WEATHERKING series, which is now seen on orchestral, world, marching percussion, and drum sets. In addition to drumheads, Remo also produces drumsets and ethnic percussion instruments.^[1]

History[link]

Drummer and founder Remo D. Belli experimented with PET film as a possible material for the production of drumheads after World War II due to its consistency in tonal qualities and resistance to weather changes. Throughout the 1960s, it was a fight to gain market acceptance, as purist jazzmen preferred the sound of natural calfskin. Rock drummers, however, appreciated the added durability and attack.

Originally, the drumheads were white and opaque to help mimic the look of calfskin. Later innovations were clear drumheads, two ply drumheads (for added durability and depth), and simulated natural drumheads with a product called "FIBERSKYN", which is currently on its 3rd version.

Drum Heads[link]

Remo supplies drum heads for various drum companies including Pearl, DW Drums, Yamaha, Mapex, Pork Pie Percussion and Sonor. Remo has factories in the USA and in Taiwan, where the "UT" and "UK" versions are made.

• Ambassador/Vintage A/Ambassador X – A single-ply drumhead made from 10 mil of Mylar film. These heads are most commonly used as snare batter heads. Vintage A heads consists of two plies (7.5 and 3 mil) of polyester film, while Ambssador X heads are 20% thicker than their original counterparts. Vintage A's and Ambassador X heads are available as coated heads only.
• Diplomat - A single-ply drumhead made from 7.5 mil of Mylar film. Diplomats are commonly used as resonant heads for toms.
• Controlled Sound/Controlled Sound X – Drumheads made with 10 mil of Mylar film with a 5 mil center dot to add durability and focus. Often used as a snare batter head. For 2011, Controlled Sound X heads are increased-durability versions of the original, made with a 12 mil coated ply of Mylar film, and are only available as snare sizes.
• Emperor/Emperor X/Vintage Emperor – Drumheads made with two free-floating plies (7 mil) of Mylar film, making them the brightest-sounding two-ply heads and the most durable clear heads of the Weatherking series. Emperor X heads are made with two 10 mil plies of Mylar with a 5 mil reverse dot, making these Remo's most durable drumheads among rock and metal drummers. Vintage Emperor heads are made with two plies (7.5 mil) of polyester film. Emperor X heads come in snare sizes only, while Vintage Emperors are also available as clear heads.
• Smooth White - Drumheads with the characteristics of clear and coated heads, making these an ideal choice for marching drum heads. Available in Ambassador, Controlled Sound, Emperor, Diplomat, Powerstroke 3 and Powerstroke 4 weights.
• Ebony - Black drumheads that provide a darker sound, making them a popular choice for resonant heads. Available in Ambassador, Pinstripe, Powerstroke 3, and Suede weights.
• Pinstripe – Drumheads made with two plies (10 and 5 mil plies) of Mylar film with a measured layer of a ring-reducing agent applied between them at the outer edge that gives a "fat" low pitch and a short sustain, making them popular among rock and R&B drummers.
• Suede/Black Suede - Textured drumheads that enhances the production and reflection of sound. Black Suede drumheads have a slightly darker tone than their Suede counterparts. These drumheads come in Ambassador, Emperor, Black X (two 10 mil plies of Mylar with a 3 mil reverse dot), Diplomat (Suede), and snare side weights.
• Powerstroke 3/Powerstroke 4 – Ambassador-weight drumheads with a thin underlay at the edge of the head to dampen overtones, making these a popular choice for bass and snare drums. Powerstroke 4s are two-ply versions of the Powerstroke 3 with a much darker sound than their single-ply counterparts.
• Powersonic – Bass drum heads made with two 7 mil plies of Mylar film with internal dampening rings to enhance low-end frequencies. These heads come with a snap-on ESDS (External Sound Dampening System) system for added muffling.
• Powerstroke X – Drumheads made with a single ply (14 mil) of Mylar film with a 2 mil inlay ring and optional reverse dot. Snare sizes only.
• Powerstroke Pro – New for 2011, the Powerstroke Pro series of bass drum heads consists of a single ply of Mylar film (10 mil). Powerstroke Pro heads features permanently mounted acoustic foam and comes with Remo's "Pressure Dampening Profile" to reduce overtones and improve sound quality. Available in clear, coated, and Ebony.

Competitors[link]

Remo's primary competition includes Evans Drumheads, Aquarian Drumheads and Attack Drumheads.

See also[link]

• List of drum makers

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official remo myspace
• About Remo Drumheads

Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes (Konkani:लुईज रेमो जे मारिया बेर्नांद फेर्नांदेज) more popularly known as Remo Fernandes (born 8 May 1953), is a pop/rock/Indian fusion artist and playback singer from the state of Goa, India. His musical work is a fusion of many different cultures and styles he's been exposed to as a child in Goa and in his later travels around the world. Such influences include Goan and Portuguese music, Sega music from Mauritius and Seychelles, African music, Latin music from Cuba and Nicaragua, the music of erstwhile European communist states, those of the dancehalls from Jamaica and Soca from Trinidad.^[1] Writing and singing songs in English made his success more distinctive in the context of the Bollywood-dominated, Hindi language-based, occasionally even disco music scene that was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. His music, reflecting life and socio-political happenings in India with which every Indian could identify, became popular largely with the growing, English-educated, Indian middle class. A popular stage performer in India, he has also taken part in many music festivals around the world.^[2] He now writes and sings his songs in five different languages, English, Hindi, French, Portuguese, and Konkani.

Early years and musical influences[link]

Remo Fernandes was born to the well-known Panjim family of Bernardo and Luiza Fernandes on 8th May 1953.^[3] Although brought up in a Catholic family, Remo says 'When I turned 18, I started thinking for myself; and I realized that god is beyond religion.' Remo's first introduction to rock was at the age of seven, when a cousin returned from London with "Rock Around The Clock", a record by Bill Hayley and The Comets. He claims that it changed his life forever.^[4] He spent the next decade listening to music of that era's most popular icons:

"After about a decade of going crazy over Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, The Shadows, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, one of the greatest influences in my life was the psychedelic music of the 70s, especially the movie 'Woodstock', which I watched over and over again. That was the time when rock broke all barriers and became experimental; Jethro Tull fused it with western classical, Blood Sweat & Tears fused it with jazz, Santana fused it with Latin, Osibisa fused it with African... rock truly became the voice of global youth, no more the prerogative or monopoly of America."

— In an interview to 'The Week'.^[4]

In school Remo developed natural guitar playing skills and along with a talented group of friends, Alexandre Rosario, Rex Fernandes, Nandino Lobato Faria, and Caetano de Abreu, formed a school band named the Beat 4. After graduating from school Remo went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the city of Bombay (now called Mumbai). His love affair with music continued, often bunking classes to work on his guitar technique. He began writing his own songs, playing solo or playing with different bands including one called 'The Savages' led by Bashir Sheikh.

Being one of the few cities in India at the time with a niche audience for Rock Music, he played in concerts and venues such as Shanmukhnanda Hall, Rang Bhavan, and in all the major college campuses of Bombay. He tried to bring an Indian element to the music he played tuning his guitar to make it sound like a Sitar and taught himself to play the Indian flute.^[4]

After graduation, Remo returned to Goa and immersed himself in its once famous Hippie culture. He met a group of traveling European artists who named themselves the Amsterdam Balloon Company, playing in their parties at Baga and helping organize concerts for them. Much later, Remo would team up in Amsterdam with Lucas Amor, the violinist in this group, and cut a song called Venus And The Moon. He formed a fusion band Indiana with two others around this time.

Between 1977 and 1980, Remo traveled to Europe and North Africa, hitch-hiking around eight countries during a span of two-and-a-half years, often singing and passing a hat around in underground stations and pedestrian streets to get by.

"I'd met a lot of European hippies in Goa; I wanted to be an Indian hippie in Europe"

— Remo commenting on his first trip to Europe.^[1]

He performed in shows with fusion rock bands, such as playing an electric guitar with Rock Synergie in Paris. Almost settling in the West for good, he changed his mind and returned to India.

Pre-fame years[link]

After returning, Remo continued to write some of his most memorable socio-political songs, but had to face rejections from Indian record companies. At that time no recording company in India was willing to release his music because it was in English, and did not believe there was a market for such music. Apart from this, in 1980s, there was no air play on radio and television, they were both monopolized by the government, who seem to refuse to accept pop music's existence. Remo Fernandes recorded his maiden album Goan Crazy and a subsequent album Old Goan Gold, on a four-track cassette Portastudio recorder in his home. In these albums he played all the instruments, sang all voices, and was the only composer of its music and lyrics. He engineered the recording and mixing and designed the album covers. He had cassettes produced in Bombay and personally went about distributing the cassettes from shop to shop on a yellow scooter along with an illustrated book of poems he wrote, postcards and t-shirts he designed to promote his albums.^[2][3]

1986 was a turning point in his career when three things happened. First was being invited to play at an official government function in Goa for the then visiting Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. There he sang a song titled 'Hello Rajiv Gandhi' causing a controversy in the local press and then in the national one. But on mailing a press clipping to the Prime Minister and getting a reply back from him saying he'd loved the song and found nothing objectionable in it, this letter, together with the whole story with pictures, was carried in countless national publications.

Second was singing to an audience in Bombay at a concert called Aid Bhopal, held to raise funds for victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, in which he sang two songs 'Pack that Smack' and 'Ode to Graham Bell'. To his surprise, the concert with both his songs, were televised by Doordarshan on four successive Sundays at prime time. In a country with just one monopolistic television channel at the time, that was a tremendous exposure.

Third was composing and performing the title song for the hit movie Jalwa, which was released the next year, this last event made him instantly famous due to the popularity of Bollywood cinema and of the Hindi language.^[4]

Career[link]

After breaking out with his first hit album "Pack That Smack" in 1986 and "Bombay City" the next year, he became the highest-selling English rock musician in India and the only one in the country to be awarded Gold Discs in this category.^[2] "Pack That Smack" became his first album to be actually released by a recording studio, CBS, at a national level. This was an anti-drugs themed album, especially against addiction to Heroin which contained songs such as Down with Brown, Just a Hippie, Mr Minister - a satire on politician who become inactive once elected to power and So Wie Du - a recording of his performance in Dresden. Bombay City contained hits such as Ocean Queen, Against you/Against me and a hilarious take on the condition of telephone services in India with the song Graham Bell.

Around this time, Invited to attend international music festivals and concerts, Remo again started traveling around the world. His first international event was at the Dresden International Song Competition in former East Germany that attracted competitors from socialist and communist countries. There he won three awards, the Press Critics Award, the overall Second Prize, and the Audience Favorite Award. He once represented India, when it was invited, in the Tokyo Music Festival. He also took part in the Festival of India in the USSR, the MIDEM '96 Music Festival in Hong Kong, besides Festivals in Germany, Bulgaria, Macau, Seychelles and Mauritius. As a stage performer he has by now been to every single continent in the world.

Although the 15-minute title song Jalwa for the movie of the same name released in 1987 made him instantly famous in India, he still resisted the urge to join the commercial Hindi film music industry, as he felt that he would have to compromise his artistic values by doing so and because his command in Hindi prevented him from writing good lyrics.

The next album he released was in 1992 with Magnasound titled Politicians don't know to Rock'n'Roll. Released in the backdrop of communal violence spreading in India, terrible events such as the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the destruction of the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya, the album expressed the depression of the times. It included songs such as Don't kick up the Rao -a tribute to the then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, A song for India, How does it feel? and a song about safe sex titled Everybody wants to.

In 1995, Remo Fernandes finally moved into Hindi Pop and film music to become a playback singer, by teaming up with the legendary director Mani Ratnam and composer A. R. Rahman. He sang the song "Humma Humma" in the Hindi version of the hit movie they produced - Bombay. The song went on to earn Remo a Double Platinum.

Huya Ho was the next song he composed for the film Khamoshi: The Musical which was released in 1996.

In 1998, along with his newly formed band called the Microwave Papadums. He released his first and only Hindi/pop album to date titled O, Meri Munni( sample (help·info)) and in 2000 became the first Indian solo artist to have a song officially released solely on the Internet. The Cyber Viber generated 16,000 downloads in 2 weeks. Other artists in India who also released top hit songs on the Internet that same year were both Mumbai based artists, Pentagram & Dementra.^[5]

Other collaborations and work[link]

In 1995, during the Channel V Music Awards, Remo, on a bass guitar, and Roger Taylor, on drums, played with Led Zeppelin band members, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.^[6]

When Pepsi USA entered Indian markets in the 1990s as Leher Pepsi, they signed up Remo for an endorsement deal and got him to star in their first two launch ad films, making advertising history in India.

In February 2005, Remo collaborated with Jethro Tull along with renowned Indian percussionist Sivamani, for a concert held in Dubai. They performed tracks such as Mother Goose, Locomotive Breath, and Remo's now very famous Flute Kick also informally called "the flute song".

Until recently, remo has participated in, and helped popularise a local festival called the Siolim Zagor.^[7]

In 2001, three Microwave Papadums band members- Dharamedra Hirve, Selwyn Pereira and Victor Alvares, and Remo's personal assistant Sunil Redkar, were killed in a motorvehicle road accident in Kanpur.

In 2003, on his 50th birthday, Remo held a reunion concert with many of his former band members from The Beat 4, Indiana, and The Savages, besides friends like The Valadares Sisters and Lucio Miranda.

Personal life[link]

He currently resides in his ancestral home in the village of Siolim, in Bardez district of Goa. He was married to a French lady named Michelle, with whom he has two sons Noah and Jonah.

Awards[link]

• Karmaveer Puraskaar Noble Laureates, 26 November 2007
• Padma Shri, 2007

Song samples[link]

•  The Flute Song (help·info)
•  A Konkani Song (help·info)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Siolim Zagor
• Siolim & Cortalim Zagor

Chad Smith
Chad Smith performing with Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Prudential Center in Newark on May 4, 2012.
Background information
Birth name	Chadwick Smith
Born	(1961-10-25) October 25, 1961 (age 50) St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
Genres	Funk rock, alternative rock, funk metal, experimental rock, hard rock, heavy metal, jazz-funk
Instruments	guitar, Piano, Guitar, Oboe, Saxophone, Didgeridoo, Flute
Years active	1982–present
Associated acts	Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chickenfoot, Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats, Glenn Hughes, Dave Navarro, Toby Redd

Chadwick "Chad" Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961)^[1][2][3] is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers whom he joined in 1988. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot, which formed in 2008.

Smith has also worked with Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and on his own instrumental side-project, Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats. In 2010 Smith released a children's record, Rhythm Train which he recorded with legend, Dick Van Dyke, and Leslie Bixler. In April 2010 MTV named Rhythm Train one of the best children's records of all time.

In addition to Smith's bands, he also records with many other musicians including The Dixie Chicks, Kid Rock, George Clinton and Outernational. Smith was ranked #87 on Rolling Stone list of "100 Greatest Drummers of All time". He entered the Guinness book of the world records for playing the world's largest drum kit consisting of 308 pieces. In March 2012 Modern Drummer named Smith #2 on its list of best living drummers.

Smith, along with his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.

Biography[link]

Smith was born Chadwick Smith on October 25, 1961 in Saint Paul, Minnesota but spent most of his childhood in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan where he attended Andover High School and graduated from Lahser High School in 1980. Following high school, Smith spent his time playing in many local bands and the local club scene. It wasn't until 1988 when Smith decided to fly to California to visit his brother that his life changed. While in California, Smith was one of the last drummers to audition for the vacant spot left open by D. H. Peligro in the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith completely blew the other three band members away with his aggressive drumming, although Smith's personal style and background of hard rock and motorcycles didn't completely mesh with the other three, who came from a punk rock background. Singer Anthony Kiedis hired Smith to be in the band although he insisted that he needed to get rid of his bandana and long hair. The following day, Smith showed up for another audition wearing the same bandanna and sporting the same long hair. Kiedis admired Smith and found his persistence pretty impressive.^{[citation needed]} Smith joined the Chili Peppers in December 1988 and within a few months was recording his first album with the band, Mother's Milk. Smith reflected on joining the band in a 2012 interview by saying “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, cool, they have a record deal. Great! I’d love to be in a band that has a record deal. We started playing, and right away we just hit it off musically. I was like, ‘Man, this is a blast! These guys are great!’ … We were just doing what we do. We just jammed, which is what we still do today. It’s very similar.”^[4]

In 2008, during a break for the Chili Peppers, Smith joined the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot. The group has released two album to date. In 2011, due to touring commitments with the Chili Peppers, Smith was unable to tour with Chickenfoot and was replaced by Kenny Aronoff although Smith still remains a member of the band and plans to record more music with them during the next break away from the Chili Peppers.

In August 2011, the Chili Peppers released I'm with You, their tenth studio album, seventh with Smith. The band expects to be on the road until at least 2013 supporting the album although Smith said a new album isn't expected until at least late 2013. In April 2012, the band was inducted by Chris Rock into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Personal life[link]

On May 8, 2004 in Hopetown, Abaco, Bahamas, Smith got married for the second time to architect Nancy Mack. They have two sons together, Cole and Beckett Cash and as of March 2012 are expecting their third child as announced by Smith on his Twitter page. Smith has 3 other children from previous relationships; daughter Manon St. John Smith with first wife, Maria St. John, daughter Ava Smith, and son Justin Smith.^[3][5]

Smith is a diehard Detroit Pistons fan and loves playing golf, riding motorcycles, surfing and watching Saturday Night Live. He has a striking resemblance to actor Will Ferrell and has acknowledged the resemblance in various interviews.^[6]

Smith regularly contributes to many non profit organizations including: MusiCares, Surfer's Healing, an organization which provides aid to children facing Autism, Right Turn in Boston, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children's Hospitals across the United States and Camp Korey, which is one of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall summer camps for children with serious illness.

Equipment[link]

Chad Smith drumming at the London Guitar Show 2008

Chad's Pearl Acrylic kit:

• 12x8 tom
• 14x14 floor tom
• 16x16 floor tom
• 24x18 kick drum
• 14×5 Pearl Ultracast Snare

Note: Chad rarely uses his signature snare.

Sabian cymbals:

• 14" AAX-Celerator Hats,
• 21" AA Rock Ride,
• 20" AA Rock Crash,
• 19" AA Medium Crash,
• 19" Vault Holy China,
• 10" AAX Splash

Vater Percussion sticks:

• Chad Smith Funk Blaster

Pearl hardware:

• C1000 straight stand x 5
• P2000C bass drum pedal
• H2000 hi-hat stand
• S2000 snare stand
• D1000S throne
• T2000 double tom stand
• B1000 boom stand
• AX20 adapter

Remo drumheads:

• Clear Powerstroke 4 (Bass Drum Batter): 24"
• Clear Ambassador (Tom Resonants): 12", 14", 16"
• Clear Controlled Sound(Tom Batters):12", 14", 16"
• Coated Controlled Sound (Snare Batter): 14"
• Ambassador Hazy (Snare Side): 14"

Selected discography[link]

• Jam Sessions - Jamming with Linc (1977)
• Pharaoh - Point Of Entry (1982)
• Toby Redd - In the Light (1986)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk (1989)
• Second Self - Mood Ring (1990)
• Twenty Mondays - Twist Inside (1992)
• Queen Remix (1991)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
• Wild Colonials - Fruit of Life (1994)
• General Clusterfunk - Starin' Straight at the Sun (1994)
• Various Artists - A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division (1995)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute (1995)
• Original Soundtrack - Grace of my Heart (1996)
• Wayne Kramer - Dangerous Madness (1996)
• Thermadore - Monkey on Rico (1996)
• Howard Stern's Private Parts (1997)
• Lili Haydn - Lili (1997)
• John Fogerty - Blue Moon Swamp (1997)
• Leah Andreone - Alchemy (1998)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (1999)
• Fishbone - The Psychotic Friends Nuttwerk (2000)
• Various Artists - Loud Rocks (2000)
• Dave Navarro - Trust No One (2001)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the Way (2002)
• Johnny Cash - Unearthed (2003)
• Glenn Hughes - Songs In The Key Of Rock (2003)
• Hughes Turner Project - HTP 2 (2003)
• John Frusciante - Shadows Collide With People (2004)
• Glenn Hughes - Soulfully Live In The City Of Angels (2004)
• Glenn Hughes - Soul Mover (2005)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (2006)
• Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (2006)
• Glenn Hughes - Music For The Divine (2006)
• Glenn Hughes - First Underground Nuclear Kitchen (2008)
• George Clinton - George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love (2008)
• Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot (2009)
• Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Meet The Meatbats (2009)
• B'z - Ichibu to Zenbu/Dive (2009)
• Rhythm Train with Leslie Bixler, Chad Smith and Featuring Dick Van Dyke - (2010) ^[7]
• Paul Oakenfold - Pop Killer (2010)
• Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - More Meat (2010)
• Kid Rock - Born Free (2010) ^[8]
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm with You (2011)
• Chickenfoot - Chickenfoot III (2011)
• Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Live Meat And Potatoes (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Red Hot Chili Peppers Official website
• Chad on Twitter
• Rhythm Train
• Guitarworld
• Chad Smith on Drum Channel

Karl Brazil is the main drummer for the Welsh indie rock band Feeder.^[1] He also works with James Blunt and Take That. Although born in Wolverhampton, he is a dedicated supporter of Birmingham City F.C. During his own years of drumming experience, Karl Brazil has become one of the top rated drummers around the United Kingdom, because of the way he is able to drum opposite to his own opposing set up, using a right handed drum kit, with his left handed and footed style.^[2]

Childhood[link]

During his younger years, Karl happened to have quite the musical family, influenced by them at quite a young age. This caused Brazil to adapt quite easy to any playing style which is recommended to him by any band he happens to be playing for.^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

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August Burns Red
August Burns Red in Bonner Springs during 2008's Warped Tour. From left to right: JB Brubaker, Jake Luhrs, Dustin Davidson, Brent Rambler, and Matt Greiner.
Background information
Origin	Manheim, Pennsylvania
Genres	Metalcore
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Solid State, CI, Hassle
Associated acts	Bells
Website	www.augustburnsred.com
Members
Jake Luhrs JB Brubaker Brent Rambler Dustin Davidson Matt Greiner
Past members
Jon Hershey Josh McManness Jordan Tuscan

August Burns Red is an American metalcore band, from Manheim, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2003, the group began their first performances while a majority of the members were attending their senior year of high school, and soon began playing shows around Lancaster, before being signed to CI Records, and afterward, Solid State Records. The group is primarily known for their heavy breakdowns and odd-meter riffs. They cite Between the Buried and Me, Misery Signals and Hopesfall as their main influences.

History[link]

[edit] Formation and Thrill Seeker (2003–2006)

August Burns Red was founded in March 2003 when all the members were attending high school.^[1] The original practice sessions of the band began in drummer, Matt Greiner's old egg house and basement on the Greiner family's farmland. After playing many local shows within Lancaster, they recorded their first EP, titled Looks Fragile After All with label CI Records in 2004.^[2]

Vocalist Jon Hershey eventually quit the band during the same year, which led to Josh McManness to take on the position as lead singer,^[3] and after several months of playing with McManness, August Burns Red signed to Solid State Records in 2005.^[4] Hershey would later go on to form post-rock band Bells.^{[5][better source needed][6][better source needed]} August Burns Red released Thrill Seeker, their first full-length album, on November 8, 2005. In 2006, drummer Matt Greiner was endorsed by Truth Custom Drums following the release of the album.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Messengers (2006–2009)

Vocalist Jake Luhrs joined the band in 2006. He is the band's third and current lead vocalist.

McManness departed from the band in 2006, exhausted by the band's constant touring. He was replaced with Columbia, SC resident, Jake Luhrs during the same year. Bassist Jordan Tuscan also left the band in 2006 for similar reasons as McManness. He was replaced by bassist Dustin Davidson, a friend of the band. The band's second album, Messengers, was released on June 19, 2007. Marking the debut for Luhrs fronting the group, it managed to become the band's breakthrough album, reaching number 81 on the Billboard 200.^[7] The album has sold a total of 108,000 copies as of May 2011.

Throughout 2008, August Burns Red toured with several acts across North America and Europe to promote Messengers. From April to May they toured with As I Lay Dying and Misery Signals across the United States and Canada.^[8] In September and October of that same year, they headlined a tour with A Skylit Drive, Sky Eats Airplane, Greeley Estates, and This or the Apocalypse in the United States.^[9] The band also visited Europe for a month-long headlining tour in November, playing in Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, The United Kingdom, Republic Of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and France.

After this series of tours, the band recorded two covers of popular songs. They recorded an instrumental version of the classic song, "Carol of the Bells" for the X Christmas compilation album, which was featured in trailers for the film, The Spirit, released Christmas Day 2008. They also recorded a cover of "...Baby One More Time" by pop singer Britney Spears for the Punk Goes Pop 2 compilation album, released in March 2009.

On February 24, 2009, the band released an EP, entitled Lost Messengers: The Outtakes. It contains material that is related or was decided not to be included in the final, mastered version of Messengers.^[10] August Burns Reds' first trip to the Middle East took place on March 6, 2009 with the band playing at the Dubai Desert Rock Festival. The band's last tour before their next album release took place in the United States, where they toured with metalcore band All That Remains throughout April and May.^[11]

[edit] Constellations (2009–2011)

To promote their upcoming album, August Burns Red released several new tracks and a music video during June 2009. The tracks Thirty and Seven, Existence, and Ocean of Apathy were all released on the 15th,^[12] 21st, and 29th, respectively. A music video for the song Meddler was also released during this month.^[13] On July 7, a week before the album's release, August Burns Red began streaming the full album on their Myspace profile for a limited time.^[14] August Burns Red released their third full-length album, Constellations, on July 14, 2009. During the week of August 1, 2009, the album charted at spot 24 on the Billboard 200.^[15] Another United States tour was organized with August Burns Red headlining and support from Blessthefall, Enter Shikari, All Shall Perish, and Iwrestledabearonce.^[16] After this tour, the band joined a short tour in Australia with Architects in support of Australian band Parkway Drive.^[17] August Burns Red toured alongside Underoath and Emery in November and December 2009 as well.^[18]

The band released their first live CD/DVD, Home, on September 28, 2010.^[19] The group co-headlined an Alternative Press tour throughout November.^[20] On February 23, 2010, Constellations was nominated for the Dove Award for "Best Rock Album".^[21]

August Burns Red toured Australia and New Zealand in December 2010 on the No Sleep Til Festival. The band played alongside Parkway Drive, A Day to Remember, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys, Suicide Silence, Megadeth, Descendents, Gwar and many others.

[edit] Leveler (2011–present)

August Burns Red in April 2011

On July 27, 2010, lead guitarist, Brubaker stated that the band would be taking time off tour to write their next record,^[22] On February 12, 2011, the band announced via their official Facebook page that they had completely finished writing their new record and that they would be entering the studio on Valentine's Day.^{[23][better source needed]} which, following into March of the next year, the band announced that the record was finished, and that it was (at that point) time for mixing.^{[23][better source needed]} On the April 5, August Burns Red revealed the name of this upcoming record as Leveler.^[24] On May 16, 2011, the band released the song "Empire" as a preview before its release. They also later premiered three other songs: "Internal Cannon", "Divisions", and "Poor Millionaire", on May 31, June 6, and June 14, respectively.

Leveler was released on June 21, 2011 in two forms; standard and deluxe. The deluxe version of Leveler contains four extra songs, including an acoustic version of the song "Internal Cannon". The album sold particularly well compared to their other releases, with 29,000 of its opening first week-copies being sold in the United States alone. These sales had the record land at position 11 on The Billboard 200 chart.^[25] After the release, August Burns Red took part on the main stage of the 2011 Vans Warped Tour.^[26]

August Burns Red headlined their own Leveler tour on the first quarter of 2012 with Silverstein, Texas in July, I the Breather and Letlive as support acts.

Characteristics and image[link]

Musical style[link]

August Burns Red is generally credited as a metalcore band,^{[27][28][29][30]} and have also been said to share traits of other genres such as progressive metal,^[29][31] and thrash metal.^[32] August Burns Red songs frequently feature technical or odd time signatures and heavy breakdowns, with a variety of influences including Meshuggah, Between the Buried and Me, Poison the Well, Symphony in Peril and Misery Signals.^[1][33]

While the group has stated that they don't mind being classified as metalcore, Brubaker has grown to a distaste in the genre's usual bands: "I feel like anyone who can pick up and play a guitar and learn to play a metalcore riff and any drummer who can learn to play a thrash beat over a breakdown is doing it. It's almost become very formulaic, and metal to me was never a formulaic genre."^[30]

Band name[link]

August Burns Red have been asked of the origin of their band name on many occasions and many different stories given in explanation to where it originated.^[27] The most popular story behind the name is an incident that revolves around the band's original vocalist, Jon Hershey wherein he dated a woman named August who burned his dog Redd alive in his dog house.^[34]

However, it was later revealed in a radio interview that this meaning (along with others) were simply comical stories created by the members and there is no actual meaning behind the band name. Drummer Matt Griener stated in the interview that "we just came up with the name to come up with a name."^[35]

Christian faith[link]

August Burns Red is a Christian band.^[3] JB Brubaker mentioned in an interview with Shout!, an online magazine, that "Christianity is a religion, not a style of music" and he would "rather just let the music speak for itself."^[36] Brent Rambler commented on the fact that "It is important to us that people know that we are indeed Christians...without having us stand up there and ram it down people's throats."^[37]

Members[link]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: August Burns Red

• Official website