The Audition (band)
Encyclopedia
The Audition is a pop/rock band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of singer Danny Stevens, drummer Ryan O'Connor, guitarists Jimmy Lopez and Timmy Klepek and bassist Joe Lussa and are based in Detroit, Michigan. The band's first release was a six track EP
entitled All In Your Head
. In early 2005, they signed to record label Victory Records
and released their debut album, entitled Controversy Loves Company
. In early January 2008 they released their second studio album Champion. On April 28, 2009 they released their third studio album Self-Titled Album
. Their latest album Great Danger was released on March 16, 2010. The first single from the new album, entitled "You Ruined This", has been released.
The audition announced they were no longer with Victory Records in July of 2010.
In September of 2011, the band announced a lineup change, and plans of recording and releasing a new EP, their first since leaving Victory.
. Stevens, who became the singer, was originally brought in to play guitar for the band. The Audition then signed to Victory Records; national touring followed, and Controversy Loves Company
, their debut LP for the label, was released in September 2005 to mixed reviews. The band's lineup at the time of the CD release included O'Connor, Lussa, guitarists Seth Johnson and Timmy Klepek, and vocalist Danny Stevens. Touring with Silverstein
and Spitalfield
ensued in February 2006; more touring with Mae
and Lovedrug
followed later in 2006. According to lead singer Danny Stevens, states the band name came from "Whenever performing, it always felt like an audition".
In early 2007 the band joined Head Automatica
and Jack's Mannequin
on The West Coast Winter Tour, including dates in Canada. Shortly after this tour they scored the support slot for New Found Glory
on their Australian tour in April 2007. Following this they headlined a nationwide tour, supported by Monty Are I
, New Atlantic
, and The Graduate
. They have also toured nationally with Rock Kills Kid
. They played on the Warped Tour
in 2006 and returned for Warped Tour 2007. They also supported Boys Like Girls
on Tourzilla with All Time Low
, We the Kings
, and Valencia
in late 2007.
Coming off an appearance at Austin's SXSW festival, the band went on a full US tour with Hit The Lights, with sets scheduled at both east and west coast Bamboozle
events. Following some festival appearances throughout the UK, such as the Reading and Leeds Festivals
, in May they took part on the entire 2008 edition of Van's Warped Tour and a visit back to Australia in May/June supporting Story of the Year
.
In January 2008 they released their second full length LP entitled Champion to more positive reviews. It is the first album by the band to make it into the Billboard 200, entering at #157.
Throughout February and March 2009 The Audition took part in the Soundwave festival.
The band's third album was released on April 28, 2009, entitled 'Self-Titled Album
'.
Before release, the band released a preview to three songs off of the upcoming album on their MySpace
page.
On January 28 it was announced on their official blog that original bassist and founding member Joe Lussa, now bassist for a local Chicago band called The Shakes, would be leaving the band. Bass duties were handled by Klepek and the band continued for this period as a four-piece.
The Audition replaced Kill Hannah
on the Madina Lake
2009 British tour. They also toured with All Time Low
in September and October 2009 and joined Cobra Starship
on their "Hot Mess Across the U.S." Tour in late August 2009 with The Friday Night Boys
and Skeet Skeet, replacing Plasticines.
The Audition played with This Providence
, Anarbor
, and The Bigger Lights
in the 'Bout Damn Time tour Spring 2010.
The band announced in July of 2010 that they were no longer signed to Victory Records
.
The Audition toured in Australia in September 2010 with You Me At Six
. The band announced they would be writing and recording after the tour and released a fifteen second clip of a new song on their Facebook
page in November. The clip was unavailable shortly after being posted, but in February, the band announced on their Twitter
that they would be releasing new music in the spring.
It was announced on 21st September 2011 that original bass player Joe Lussa had rejoined the band and that original guitarist Seth Johnson had left, to be replaced by Jimmy Lopez.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled All In Your Head
All in Your Head
All in Your Head is an EP released in 2003 by the band The Audition.- Track listing :...
. In early 2005, they signed to record label Victory Records
Victory Records
Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
and released their debut album, entitled Controversy Loves Company
Controversy Loves Company
Controversy Loves Company is The Audition's first full-length release. It was released on September 20, 2005 by Victory Records. It has sold roughly 50,000 copies as of November 20, 2007.-Track listing:-External links:...
. In early January 2008 they released their second studio album Champion. On April 28, 2009 they released their third studio album Self-Titled Album
Self-Titled Album (The Audition album)
Self-titled Album is the third studio album released by The Audition. It was released on April 28, 2009. It was streamed online from April 16 on their VictorStream profile and as a result leaked later that day. It was produced by Mark Trombino, who has previously worked with Jimmy Eat World, Senses...
. Their latest album Great Danger was released on March 16, 2010. The first single from the new album, entitled "You Ruined This", has been released.
The audition announced they were no longer with Victory Records in July of 2010.
In September of 2011, the band announced a lineup change, and plans of recording and releasing a new EP, their first since leaving Victory.
History
Drummer Ryan O'Connor and bassist Joe Lussa along with former guitarist/song writer Bob Morris formed the core of the band in their hometown of Elmhurst Illinois in 2003, working with a revolving cast of musicians in their early years. Their first EP, titled "Every Scar Tells A Story," had 6 songs, including a song called 'A Lifetime In Six Months' which would later be called 'Fashion Hour'. They recorded their second EP, "All in Your Head", at The Gallery of Carpet before Danny Stevens, Seth Johnson and Timmy Klepek joined the group, and played some gigs with other local Chicago acts like The Academy Is...The Academy Is...
The Academy Is... was an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, formed in 2003. Before dispersing, they were signed by the Decaydance imprint of the Fueled by Ramen label. They were originally known as "The Academy", but added the "Is..." in 2004 to avoid legal complications with other...
. Stevens, who became the singer, was originally brought in to play guitar for the band. The Audition then signed to Victory Records; national touring followed, and Controversy Loves Company
Controversy Loves Company
Controversy Loves Company is The Audition's first full-length release. It was released on September 20, 2005 by Victory Records. It has sold roughly 50,000 copies as of November 20, 2007.-Track listing:-External links:...
, their debut LP for the label, was released in September 2005 to mixed reviews. The band's lineup at the time of the CD release included O'Connor, Lussa, guitarists Seth Johnson and Timmy Klepek, and vocalist Danny Stevens. Touring with Silverstein
Silverstein (band)
Silverstein is a Canadian post-hardcore band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 2000. Their band name is a reference to the famous children's author Shel Silverstein, whom the band had admired and read the stories of as children. They have released a total of five studio albums, three EP's, a...
and Spitalfield
Spitalfield
Spitalfield was a rock band based in Chicago, signed to the Victory Records label.Formed in 1998, Spitalfield caught the attention of Victory Records with their 2002 release The Cloak And Dagger Club EP and a year later released fan-favorite Remember Right Now...
ensued in February 2006; more touring with Mae
Mae
Mae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
and Lovedrug
Lovedrug
Lovedrug is an indie rock band from Canton, Ohio that formed in 2001. The band’s name is something of a word play; singer Michael Shepard initially left music to attend film school but his first ‘love’ of the music medium ‘dragged’ him back .- History :Lovedrug released their first EP, the...
followed later in 2006. According to lead singer Danny Stevens, states the band name came from "Whenever performing, it always felt like an audition".
In early 2007 the band joined Head Automatica
Head Automatica
Head Automatica is a Dance Rock band, formed by Glassjaw frontman Daryl Palumbo with Jarvis Holden, formerly of Give Up the Ghost or American Nightmare, Jim Greer, and Brandon Arnovick.-History:...
and Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...
on The West Coast Winter Tour, including dates in Canada. Shortly after this tour they scored the support slot for New Found Glory
New Found Glory
New Found Glory is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida. Formed in the summer of 1997, founding members were lead vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Joe Marino...
on their Australian tour in April 2007. Following this they headlined a nationwide tour, supported by Monty Are I
Monty Are I
Monty Are I is an American rock band from Cranston, Rhode Island. Monty Are I is titled after the band instructor, Arthur Montanaro. The "Are I" portion of the name is a pun on "RI", Rhode Island's postal abbreviation.-History and Achievements:Monty Are I won Takeover Records' "Sign My Band"...
, New Atlantic
New Atlantic (U.S. band)
-History:New Atlantic started in 2004, they released many EPs independently before signing with Eyeball Records. They released the "Wire and Stone" single online in 2006 and their debut album The Streets, The Sounds, and The Love was released on April 10, 2007...
, and The Graduate
The Graduate (band)
The Graduate was an American indie/emo band from Springfield, Illinois.-History:The Graduate formed in central Illinois in November 2005, after the breakup of two other local bands whose members began playing shows together. Lead singer Corey Warning said of the band's name, "None of us graduated...
. They have also toured nationally with Rock Kills Kid
Rock Kills Kid
Rock Kills Kid is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California that consists of Jeff Tucker , Shawn Dailey , Sean Stopnik , Reed Calhoun , and Mike Balboa . Their music often draws comparison to The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Duran Duran and U2, as well as new bands such as The...
. They played on the Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
in 2006 and returned for Warped Tour 2007. They also supported Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album. Boys Like Girls was the co-headliner with Good Charlotte for the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour 2008 that toured across the United...
on Tourzilla with All Time Low
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2003.The band consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alexander Gaskarth, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Jack Barakat, bassist and backing vocalist Zachary Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson...
, We the Kings
We the Kings
We the Kings is an American powerpop band formed in 2005 from Bradenton, Florida, currently signed to record label S-Curve Records. The group released their self-titled full-length debut album in 2007, which peaked at No. 151 on the Billboard 200. Their second full-length album, Smile Kid, was...
, and Valencia
Valencia (band)
Valencia is an alternative rock/punk band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are currently on hiatus.-History:Valencia met by playing local shows together around the tri-state area in separate bands. George Ciukurescu and JD Perry grew up together; attending elementary school, high school, and...
in late 2007.
Coming off an appearance at Austin's SXSW festival, the band went on a full US tour with Hit The Lights, with sets scheduled at both east and west coast Bamboozle
Bamboozle
Bamboozle! was a quiz game featured on Channel 4 Teletext in the United Kingdom. It was originally part of Teletext's "Fun & Games" category, though the rest of the category had been discontinued for some years before Bamboozle! ended...
events. Following some festival appearances throughout the UK, such as the Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, in May they took part on the entire 2008 edition of Van's Warped Tour and a visit back to Australia in May/June supporting Story of the Year
Story of the Year
Story of the Year is an American rock band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 2000. The band was initially named 67 North but was then changed to Big Blue Monkey...
.
In January 2008 they released their second full length LP entitled Champion to more positive reviews. It is the first album by the band to make it into the Billboard 200, entering at #157.
Throughout February and March 2009 The Audition took part in the Soundwave festival.
The band's third album was released on April 28, 2009, entitled 'Self-Titled Album
Self-Titled Album
Self-titled Album is an album by the Huntingtons released in 2003 on the Fast Music label. It features "Pittsburgh" which was played during a televised professional baseball game.-Track listing:# Cut Me Loose# 3 Chord Baby# I've Been Waiting...
'.
Before release, the band released a preview to three songs off of the upcoming album on their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page.
On January 28 it was announced on their official blog that original bassist and founding member Joe Lussa, now bassist for a local Chicago band called The Shakes, would be leaving the band. Bass duties were handled by Klepek and the band continued for this period as a four-piece.
The Audition replaced Kill Hannah
Kill Hannah
Kill Hannah is a rock band formed in 1993 in Chicago. The band has released six studio albums, seven EPs, and two compilation albums as well as three DVDs.-History:...
on the Madina Lake
Madina Lake
Madina Lake an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A in 2005.Madina Lake released their debut album From Them, Through Us, to You through Roadrunner Records on March 27, 2007...
2009 British tour. They also toured with All Time Low
All Time Low
All Time Low is an American pop punk band from Baltimore, Maryland, formed in 2003.The band consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alexander Gaskarth, lead guitarist and backing vocalist Jack Barakat, bassist and backing vocalist Zachary Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson...
in September and October 2009 and joined Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship
Cobra Starship is an American synthpop band created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta in 2003 in New York City, New York...
on their "Hot Mess Across the U.S." Tour in late August 2009 with The Friday Night Boys
The Friday Night Boys
The Friday Night Boys were a pop punk band from Fairfax, that formed in 2006. The band consists of Andrew Goldstein, Mike Toohey, Robby Reidera, and Chris Barrett....
and Skeet Skeet, replacing Plasticines.
The Audition played with This Providence
This Providence
This Providence is a four-piece Alternative Rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band consists of Dan Young , David Blaise , Gavin Phillips , and Andy Horst .-Formation and early history:...
, Anarbor
Anarbor
Anarbor is an American alternative rock band from Phoenix, Arizona that was formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist and bassist Slade Echeverria, guitarists Adam Juwig and Mike Kitlas, and drummer Greg Garrity. Initially known as "Troop 101", the band later changed their name to...
, and The Bigger Lights
The Bigger Lights
The Bigger Lights are a five-piece rock band based in Vienna, Virginia. The band signed with Doghouse Records less than one year after forming. Fiction Fever was released on October 7, 2008. Their self-titled debut album was released on March 30, 2010...
in the 'Bout Damn Time tour Spring 2010.
The band announced in July of 2010 that they were no longer signed to Victory Records
Victory Records
Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
.
The Audition toured in Australia in September 2010 with You Me At Six
You Me At Six
You Me at Six is a British rock band from Weybridge, Surrey. Formed in 2004, the group rose to fame in 2008 with the success of their debut album, Take Off Your Colours, which included the singles "Save It for the Bedroom", "Finders Keepers" and "Kiss and Tell", with the latter two peaking at #33...
. The band announced they would be writing and recording after the tour and released a fifteen second clip of a new song on their Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page in November. The clip was unavailable shortly after being posted, but in February, the band announced on their Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that they would be releasing new music in the spring.
It was announced on 21st September 2011 that original bass player Joe Lussa had rejoined the band and that original guitarist Seth Johnson had left, to be replaced by Jimmy Lopez.
Members
- Danny Stevens – lead vocals, guitar, keys (2005-present)
- Timmy Klepek – rhythm guitar (2005-2009, 2011-present), bass (2009-2011)
- Ryan O'Connor – drums, percussion (2003-present)
- Jimmy Lopez - guitar (2011-present)
- Joe Lussa - bass (2003-2009, 2011-present)
Former members
- Robert (Bob) MorrisRobert (Bob) MorrisRobert "Bob" Samuel Morris was born on February 8, 1985 in Bensenville, Illinois. He is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist of Los Angeles indie group Stamps...
- guitar (2003-2005) - Evo Soria - vocals (2003-2005)
- Patrick Fanella (2003-2005)
- Seth Johnson - (2004-2011)
- Tom Bahri- guitar (2004)
LPs
| Released | Title | Label | Billboard 200 | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 20, 2005 | Controversy Loves Company Controversy Loves Company Controversy Loves Company is The Audition's first full-length release. It was released on September 20, 2005 by Victory Records. It has sold roughly 50,000 copies as of November 20, 2007.-Track listing:-External links:... |
Victory Records | ||
| January 22, 2008 | Champion | Victory Records | #157 | Heatseekers #5, Independent #20 |
| April 28, 2009 | Self-Titled Album Self-Titled Album (The Audition album) Self-titled Album is the third studio album released by The Audition. It was released on April 28, 2009. It was streamed online from April 16 on their VictorStream profile and as a result leaked later that day. It was produced by Mark Trombino, who has previously worked with Jimmy Eat World, Senses... |
Victory Records | Heatseekers #7, Independent #28 | |
| March 16, 2010 | Great Danger | Victory Records | Heatseekers #17 |
Singles
- "Dance Dance Revolution (Dance Halls Turn to Ghost Towns)" (2004)
- "You've Made Us Conscious" (2006)
- "Approach the Bench" (2005)
- "Don't Be So Hard" (2005)
- "Warm Me Up" (2008)
- "Make It Rain" (2008)
- "My Temperature's Rising" (2009)
- "You Ruined This" (2010)
Other recordings
- A demo for a song called "Summer" was included on the Get Around Records & friends 2003 Summer Sampler.
- The song "Approach the Bench" was part of the soundtrack in the video game MVP 06: NCAA BaseballMVP 06: NCAA BaseballMVP 06: NCAA Baseball is the fourth edition of the baseball video game series developed by Electronic Arts. Because of Electronic Arts' loss of the Major League Baseball license to Take Two Interactive in 2005, which now has the exclusive MLB license, the publishers decided to transition the MVP...
- The Audition contributed an acoustic rendition of their song "Don't Be So Hard" on the compilation CD Punk Goes Acoustic 2Punk Goes Acoustic 2Punk Goes Acoustic 2 is a compilation album included in the Punk Goes... series by Fearless Records that features previously unreleased and acoustic versions of songs from various pop punk bands. It follows the original Punk Goes Acoustic, which was released in 2003.-Track listing:...
- The band contributed a cover of "Livin' On A PrayerLivin' on a Prayer"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well-received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band...
" to the Kerrang! Higher Voltage CD. - Danny Stevens contributed vocals to Forgive DurdenForgive DurdenForgive Durden is an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington, who got their name from the novel Fight Club. They are signed to Fueled By Ramen...
's album Razia's Shadow: A MusicalRazia's Shadow: A MusicalRazia's Shadow: A Musical is an album from Forgive Durden released on October 28, 2008. It is a musical featuring members of popular bands such as Panic! at the Disco, Say Anything, The Matches, mewithoutYou, Portugal. The Man, The Hush Sound, The Dear Hunter, and Gatsbys American Dream among others...
. - The intro to the song "Basbhat" was featured on Jersey Shore
- Play various Audition songs in the background of various MTV shows.