The Bled
The Bled | |
|---|---|
 The Bled performing on the Projekt Revolution Tour on September 1, 2007 at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, Illinois. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Tucson, Arizona, USA |
| Genres | Hardcore Mathcore Post-hardcore |
| Years active | 2001–08/2011 |
| Labels | Rise, Vagrant, Fiddler |
| Members | Robbie Burbidge James Muñoz Shane Sheffer Josh Skibar Jeremy Ray Talley |
| Past members | Mike Celi Adam Goss Brad Murray Ross Ott Mike Pedicone Darren Simoes |
The Bled was a hardcore band from Tucson, Arizona. The group formed in 2001, originally under the name "The Radiation Defiance Theory", but changed it because of its length.[1] They have since released four albums, Pass the Flask, Found In The Flood, Silent Treatment, and their most recent Heat Fetish which was released on March 9, 2010.
History
Formation and early years (2001–2002)
The Bled formed in 2001 under the name "The Radiation Defiance Theory" but changed the name because they felt it was too lengthy. Their music style was largely influenced by hardcore punk bands such as Refused, metalcore bands such as Cave In, and the mathcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan. After being a band for only two months, the band released an EP titled His First Crush, and released a self-titled EP a year later, both of which featured Adam Goss on vocals. The Bled quickly began to build a name for themselves in Tucson, Arizona, and started to play sold out shows.[2][3]
Pass the Flask (2003–2004)
After achieving local success, The Bled caught the attention of Fiddler Records and later got signed. A day before the band started to record their debut album Pass the Flask, vocalist Adam Goss quit the band and suggested James Muñoz as a replacement. The rest of the band felt that Muñoz was a much better fit than Goss, and he became a permanent member of the band. Pass the Flask was released in July 2003 and the band toured relentlessly in support of it. This also marked the first time The Bled left Arizona to tour as a band. The album demonstrated The Bled's skills in both a lyrical sense and music sense as the band incorporated a wide variety of genres including metalcore, mathcore, melodic hardcore, and post hardcore. The album was also a major success within the hardcore community.
Found in the Flood (2005–2007)
The Bled was not content with Fiddler Records, and decided to change labels. The band was a big fan of Vagrant Records, and in 2005 they signed to the indie record label, ensuring that a major label was not for them. Before working on their new album, the band parted ways with bass player Mike Celi and hired Darren Simoes as a permanent replacement. For their second studio album, Found in the Flood, The Bled worked with producer Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182).[3] The album expanded both the heavier and lighter sides of the band. This album is also their first album to chart on the Billboard 200, which peaked at #87.[4]
The success of the album landed The Bled a spot on Warped Tour in the summer of 2006 on the Vagrant Stage featuring many rising names signed to Vagrant Records, and the international Taste of Chaos in early 2007 alongside bands like Rise Against, The Used, and Aiden.
During this time Pass the Flask went out of print. The Bled was unable to sell it on tour because it was released on their previous label (that has since gone out of business). Many fans believed that Found in the Flood was the band's first and only album. To fix this, a reissue of Pass the Flask was created. The new version was released on Vagrant, and in addition to the original track listing the new album featured songs from The Bled's original EPs and three unreleased songs.[2]
Silent Treatment (2007–2008)
After touring on the Taste of Chaos tour, the band started working on their new album. The process of writing and recording was slightly different from previous efforts. For the first two albums, Muñoz and Talley each wrote half an album worth of songs individually. For Silent Treatment Muñoz and Talley wrote songs together. The band also had five months to write songs for the album, the longest writing period to date for any album. While recording, The Bled set up a live webcam in the studio so fans could watch the progress. Silent Treatment was produced by Brian McTernan (Thrice, Converge) and featured a more evolved and heavy sound than what is found on Pass the Flask in addition to the slower melodic songs found on Found in the Flood.[2]
Shortly before the release of Silent Treatment, The Bled toured in the 2007 Projekt Revolution Tour alongside Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Taking Back Sunday and others.[5] After the album was released they toured the Take Action Tour with Every Time I Die and From First to Last followed by a short tour supporting The Dillinger Escape Plan. On April 18, while playing with the Dillinger Escape Plan at Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth, TX, vocalist James Muñoz told the crowd "this is our last tour for a long while" due to mutual exhaustion among the band members from extensive touring over the past year and financial turmoil within the band. During the hiatus, bassist Darren Simoes toured with New York hardcore act Warship alongside Reggie and the Full Effect and guitarist Jeremy Ray formed the band Starving Arms with past members of the bands The Funeral March and Versus the Mirror.
Lineup changes and Heat Fetish (2009–present)
After touring in support of Silent Treatment, The Bled found themselves in debt. Each band member found a way outside of The Bled to earn money, such as getting regular jobs or playing in other bands. The end result was that three core members decided to no longer be a part of the band. Mike Pedicone joined Gavin Rossdale as drummer, Ross Ott started working for a company called ArtistForce, and Darren Simoes decided to finish college. These members were replaced by Robbie Burbidge, Brad Murray, Josh Skibar, and The Bled is currently working on a new album with this new lineup.[6] The band will record their follow-up to Silent Treatment after their spring tour with The Used, and proceed to tour in support of the new album this summer. On March 30, it was reported by Alternative Press Magazine that The Bled have been dropped from their label, Vagrant Records. On March 31, The Bled put up two demo tracks on their MySpace titled "Mouthbreather" and "When Exiting Your Vehicle." It was confirmed that the two demos would be on the new record. On September 4, The Bled embarked on their first nationwide tour in over a year.
On August 13, 2009 it was announced that The Bled signed a two record contract with Rise Records and would release their next full-length in February 2010[7] On November 13, 2009, Talley told Noisecreep that the forthcoming album would be called Heat Fetish[8]
On May 8, 2010, it was announced that Shane Sheffer, vocalist of The Fade and formerly of The Funeral March and Starving Arms, would be replacing bassist Brad Murray on the Rise Records Tour and that Murray is no longer a part of The Bled. After the Rise Records tour, Mike Patton, a close friend to the band, their touring sound engineer and of no relation to Mike Patton of Faith No More, was picked to fill in on bass until further notice.[citation needed]
The band is currently working on an untitled EP with a release date still unannounced.[citation needed]
The band recently announced their break-up on AbsolutePink. A farewell tour is being planned. [9]
Members
Current members
- Robbie Burbidge – guitar (2009–present)
- James Muñoz – vocals (2003–present)
- Shane Sheffer – bass guitar (2010–present)
- Josh Skibar – drums (2009–present)
- Jeremy Ray Talley – guitar (2001–present)
Former members
- Mike Celi – bass guitar (2001–2004)
- Adam Goss – vocals (2001–2003)
- Brad Murray – bass guitar (2009–2010)
- Ross Ott – guitar (2001–2008)
- Mike Pedicone – drums (2001–2008)
- Darren Simoes – bass guitar (2004–2008)
Discography
Studio albums
- Pass the Flask (2003)
- Found in the Flood (2005)
- Silent Treatment (2007)
- Heat Fetish (2010)
EPs
- His First Crush (2001)
- The Bled (2002)
Split EPs
- Alexisonfire / The Bled
- The Bled / From Autumn to Ashes
Non-album tracks
- Masters of Horror – "Nervous Breakdown" (Black Flag cover)
- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Soundtrack – "House of Suffering" (Bad Brains cover)
- Resident Evil: Extinction Soundtrack – "Asleep on the Frontlines" (Appliantz remix)
References
- ^ Video Interview
- ^ a b c The Bled on Vagrant Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ a b The Bled on Purevolume Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ The Bled on AMG Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution 2007 Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
- ^ Kohli, Rohan. "The Bled Announces Line-Up Changes" AbsolutePunk. Retrieved on February 2, 2009.
- ^ "The Bled sign to Rise Records; new album in 2010" Alternative Press. Retrieved on August 13, 2009.
- ^ "The Bled Reveal New Album Title -- 'Heat Fetish'" Noisecreep. Retrieved on November 13, 2009.
- ^ [1]