Jump to content

Alexisonfire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AustinGOLDENEYE (talk | contribs) at 20:26, 18 October 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For the Adult Film actress, see Alexis Fire.
Alexisonfire

Alexisonfire (IPA: /ə.lɛks.ɪs.ɔn.faɪ.ɹ/)[1] is a five-piece post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada[2] in 2001. The band consists of George Pettit (vocals), Dallas Green (guitar/vocals), Wade MacNeil (guitar/vocals), Chris Steele (bass), and Jordan Hastings (drums/percussion).

The band describes their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight". This comes from their method of using multiple vocalists: Green providing melodic, soft singing, and MacNeil's implusively sweet punk vocals on one side, with Pettit's polar-opposite explosive metalcore screaming on the other.[3] This management of good-versus-evil style of music and writing is unique to the band.[4] When the band came out of the underground like an "utterly captivating car-accident-in-progress" in late 2001, it was enough to impress critics[3] and attain a gold certification for their self titled debut album.[5]

Aside from that, the band has released two more successful albums: Watch Out! in 2004, and Crisis in 2006, both which have achieved Platinum certification in Canada.[6][7] The band is currently touring in support of Crisis, and plans to continue until December 2007. From there they will take a break over Christmas, and then begin writing a new album.[4]

History

Origins and mainstream success: 2001–2003

Alexisonfire was formed in late 2001 as the result of a three-band break up. Pettit was playing bass in a tech-metal band called Condemning Salemn, Green was a lead singer/guitar player in Helicon Blue, and MacNeil and Steele played in a punk rock band called Plan 9. These bands broke up at the same time, and those remaining members still had the drive to play and succeed.[8] They got together, recruited Ingelevics, and formed Alexisonfire.[9] The band's name was derived from Alexis Fire,[9] the world's only lactating contortionist stripper.[10] This caused problems when she discovered that they were using her website name as their band name, and she threatened to sue the band for copyright infringement.[11] However, they discovered the moniker was not registered, no further action took place.[9] The band released its first EP, Math Sheet Demos in 2002 so named because the CD was wrapped in former drummer Jesse Ingelevics' math homework.[11] The group caught it's first break when they caught the attention of recording engineer Greg Below and Montreal journalist Mitch Joel. The pair were setting up a record label called Distort Entertainment at the time, and coincidently they were looking for artists. Below was working with EMI at the same time and he used this to record the band at the company's in-house studio and land them a co-publishing and distribution deal.[9]

On September 9, 2002, Alexisonfire was released, featuring two Catholic school girls engaged in a knife fight,[9] which goes in hand with the band's description of their music.[3] Although there was a distribution deal with EMI, the album's success was mostly attributed to word-of-mouth. The band proceeded to tour support their album, crossing Canada twice, and begin stepping into the United States and European scenes, playing with Billy Talent, GWAR, Juliana Theory, Godsmack, and Glassjaw. The band was starting to become more of a full-time job than a hobby.[9] In the end, Alexisonfire was certified Gold in Canada, marking 50,000+ sales.[5]

File:Alexisonfirescenefest.jpg
Alexisonfire @ S.C.E.N.E. 2006 in their hometown, St. Catharines, ON, CAN

Watch Out!: 2004–2005

Alexisonfire had attracted considerable attention from major record labels, thanks to the solid success of their self-titled debut. However, when they started considering making a second album, the band felt that, for artistic reasons, they should remain independent, as it would give them better chances of developing and deciding their direction. They would remain with Distort Entertainment, and instead of using a famous producer, they recorded the album with Julius Butty at his studio near Hamilton, Ontario.[9]

Watch Out! was released on June 29, 2004, and was immediately successful. It debuted at #6 on the Nielsen Soundscan Top 200, and received Gold certification in Canada in twelve weeks.[3] The good critical reception came from the fact that the band was more focused from the eighteen months of touring, helping them harness more aggression, release more emotion, and fine-tune all the tracks. This lay in comparison to their debut album, which was mostly first drafts.[9]

I think if you do it long enough, then you get better at it. You're on the road a lot and you just get better. Also, we had a great producer, Julius Butty. We learned what we like to play. We're no longer virgins to the studio. We're just not quite the band we were a long time ago.

— George Pettit, MusicEmissions.com interview[9]

While touring in support of the album with Johnny Truant and The Blood Roses in Glasgow, Scotland in October 2005, each member of all three bands had the word "Yeti" tattooed on themselves. On an episode of the MuchMusic program The New Music, Pettit and Green revealed that the inspiration for their "Yeti" tattoos came from the 1988 Gary Oldman film The Firm.

Crisis: 2006–present

On August 22, 2006 the band released their third studio album, Crisis,[12] which All Music Guide considered their best to date.[13] The album was marked with a CD release party, where the band performed on a boat in London, England. In support of the album, the band toured across most of Canada with Every Time I Die, Cancer Bats and Attack in Black, the latter being recently signed to the band's independent label Dine Alone Records. Immediately following that was an American tour with Moneen, Cancer Bats, and A Change of Pace.[12]

In a recent interview, vocalist George Pettit states that he is unaware of the direction that the band will head in for their next album, but that it will be a big departure from their post hardcore roots. "The next record, I think, is us pretty much wanting to put the knife in screamo. I don't want to be the band that saves it, I want to be the band that kills it.[14]

Side Projects

The members of the band have many side projects:

City and Colour

City and Colour is Dallas Green's solo side project, under which he has released an EP, The Death of Me, a studio album, Sometimes, and a live album, Live; all under the label Dine Alone Records. The Alexisonfire song, "Where No One Knows", was originally (in part) a song by Dallas Green (as City and Colour). He is set to release a second full-length in summer 2008. The side projects name derives from Dallas Green's name, City being his first name and Colour being his last name.

The Black Lungs

The Black Lungs is a band formed by Wade MacNeil. Originally its members were George Pettit, Jordan "Ratbeard" Hastings and Sean McNabb of the now dissolved band Jersey. After playing a few shows the band broke up leaving only Wade MacNeil. The Black Lungs is now Wade MacNeil's solo project. Sammi Bogdanski plays the piano over Wade's vocals and guitar. Wade has recorded an album which will be released on Dine Alone Records sometime in the winter/spring of 2007. Two tracks have been released onto MySpace.

Bergenfield Four

George Pettit played a show on September 1 2006 in a band with members of Attack in Black, Keep It Up and Fucked Up. Named after the suicides in BergenField, N.J. the quartet has recently released their first 7" on LowDown Records.

Fucked Up

George Pettit, from time to time, plays bass for the Toronto hardcore band Fucked Up.

Members

Former members

As of June 14, 2005, Alexisonfire made a statement on their website that Jesse Ingelevics would no longer be part of the band. The news story cited that the band and Ingelevics had slowly grown apart, and that he wanted to spend more time with his family and his fiancée.

Awards/Nominations

Year Event Won Nominated
2004 Canadian Independent Music Awards Best Video ("Pulmonary Archery")
CASBY Awards NXNE Favourite Indie Band
MuchMusic Video Awards VideoFACT ("Counterparts and Number Them") Best Independent Video ("Counterparts and Number Them")
2005 Juno Awards New Group Of The Year
MuchMusic Video Awards Best Independent Video ("Accidents")
 Peoples' Choice Award - Favourite Canadian Group, MuchLOUD Best Rock Video ("Accidents")
SPIN.com Band of the Year Band of the Year in the "All-Ages" category
2006 CASBY Awards Favorite New Indie Release (Crisis)
2007 Juno Awards Group of the Year
MuchMusic Video Awards Best Cinematography ("This Could Be Anywhere In The World")
 Peoples' Choice Award - Favourite Canadian Group, MuchLOUD Best Rock Video ("This Could Be Anywhere In The World")

Selected discography

Main article: Alexisonfire discography
Date of release Title Record label Certifications
September 9, 2002 Alexisonfire Distort Entertainment Gold (Canada)[5]
June 29, 2004 Watch Out! Distort Entertainment Platinum (Canada)[6]
August 22, 2006 Crisis Distort Entertainment Platinum (Canada)[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Alexisonfire FAQ. theonlybandever.com. Retrieved on September 22, 2007. ("What kind of an idiot would name a band alex is on fire?")
  2. ^ Ross, Mike. "Band is a scream", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d http://www.dinealonerecords.com/bands/alexisonfire/
  4. ^ a b http://www.allschools.de/showInterview.php3?ID=33757
  5. ^ a b c CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications for October 2005. Canadian Recording Industry Association (October 2005). Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  6. ^ a b CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications for April 2007. Canadian Recording Industry Association (April 2007). Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  7. ^ a b CRIA Gold and Platinum Certifications for May 2007. Canadian Recording Industry Association (May 2007). Retrieved on September 22, 2007.
  8. ^ http://www.truepunk.com/interviews/alexis_on_fire/
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004551/Alexisonfire.html
  10. ^ http://www.myspace.com/alexisonfire
  11. ^ a b http://www.punktv.ca/?c=105&a=1439
  12. ^ a b http://www.theonlybandever.com/news.php?offset=50
  13. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wcfpxqldldde
  14. ^ http://www.canadaeast.com/ce2/docroot/article.php?articleID=29123
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexisonfire&oldid=165483307"