Agent 51

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Agent 51

Background information
Origin	San Diego, California
Genre(s)	Punk Rock Rock Rock & Roll
Years active	1995–2005
Label(s)	Suburban Hooligans Records Adeline Records Surfdog Records Alphabet Records
Associated acts	51 Guns Arm the Angels The Rattlesnake Aces The Megas
Website	myspace.com/agent51
Members
Chris Armes Eric Davis Sean Scura Mikey Levinson
Former members
Jared Herndon Rob Hunter Greg Schneider

Agent 51 was an American rock band from Poway, California (a suburb of San Diego), formed in 1995 and originally called Area 51. They released three albums on various record labels before going on indefinite hiatus in 2005. Over the course of their career their music evolved from straightforward punk rock to incorporate aspects of classic rock and heavy metal. At various times during their career the band has maintained a mythology about their origins which purports them to be rogue secret agents, on the run from a clandestine government organization with ties to extraterrestrials.

1 Band History
2 Secret Agent Mythos
3 Band Members
- 3.1 Recent Members
- 3.2 Past Members
4 Discography
5 Videography
- 5.1 Music Videos
- 5.2 Video Releases
6 External links

[edit] Band History

[edit] Formation

Agent 51 formed in Poway, California (a suburb of San Diego which was home to many other bands such as blink-182 and Unwritten Law) in 1995 under the name Area 51. Prior to forming Area 51, guitarist Chris Armes had attended Poway High School with blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and Chris' band Openfast had played as openers for blink-182 on several occasions in the mid-1990s. The original lineup of Area 51 consisted of Chris "Broken" Armes on guitar and vocals, Eric "Airwick" Davis on guitar and backing vocals, Greg Schneider on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Rob Hunter on drums. Shortly before releasing their first album they changed their name to Agent 51 due to the fact that there were already several bands in existence using the name Area 51.

[edit] Early Albums and Mythology

Early band logo featuring their "prowler" character

Their first album, Red Alert, was released in 1998 by local label Alphabet Records. The album gained them notoriety in the local punk rock scene, and an independent music video was filmed for the title track. Armes earned his nickname at this time due to a broken arm he had suffered in 1997, and in order to play on the album he cut the cast off himself and played while still injured. Around this time the band began disseminating the mythos that they were rogue secret agents on the run from the government due to their knowledge of secrets related to extraterrestrial life. To match this theme the band wore matching black suits when performing. They were also known for covering songs from the classic rock and 1970s metal genres in concert, such as AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Highway to Hell."

By the recording of their second album in 2000, Hunter had been replaced on drums by Mike "Mikey L" Levinson. The album, Just Keep Runnin', was released that year on the band's own label, Suburban Hooligans Records. To celebrate its release the band held a CD release party at 'Canes Bar and Grill on Mission Beach, with other local acts such as Counterfit opening for them. The music on the album was faster and slightly less punk-based than on Red Alert, and included several songs which had become favorites in the band's live set over the last few years such as "Who's Gunna Riot?" and "The Last Pirate Standing." The album's artwork and liner notes, as well as a few songs, greatly expanded on the band's secret agent mythos by describing each member as a rogue agent enhanced with super powers through extraterrestrial DNA and technology, as well as detailing their struggle against a secret government organization called "The Agency." The band played on the 2000 Warped Tour that summer on the Ernie Ball side stage and won the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands competition, which awards its winners musical equipment and studio time. They also had a song on the 2001 Warped Tour Compilation called "Radiation Nation", the title track for a short-lived Public Access TV show in the San Diego area produced by Flax Glor. "Just Keep Runnin'" caught the attention of Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and his label Adeline Records, who re-released it in 2001 with 2 bonus tracks featuring new bassist Sean Scura. The band continued to tour, playing at San Diego's Street Scene and other festivals.

[edit] Success and Break Up

Agent 51's next album was 2003's The Red & the Black, released on southern California label Surfdog Records. With it the band intentionally distanced themselves from their punk rock sound by writing songs which were much more reminiscent of classic rock and heavy metal bands such as AC/DC, Motörhead and Def Leppard. They also distanced themselves from their secret agent mythos by not mentioning extraterrestrials or conspiracies anywhere on the album, and by ceasing to wear their matching black suits in concert. The result was a more straightforward rock sound on songs like "American Rock n' Roll" and "Wrecking Ball." They received airplay on local rock radio station 91X for the song "She's My Heroine," and the album was nominated in several categories at the 2003 San Diego Music Awards and won for "best punk album." The song "American Rock n Roll" was featured in the opening episode of MTV's The Real World: San Diego and the band members appeared in a photo in the April 2003 issue of Rolling Stone. Despite their growing popularity, however, Armes announced that he was leaving the band due to musical and financial pressures. Davis and Levinson formed 51 Guns in the summer of 2004, along with Adam Rapps from the band Pivit and Arnold Graham. Agent 51 remained inactive until June of 2005.

[edit] Reunion and Recent Activity

On June 5, 2005 Agent 51 played a reunion show at SOMA, San Diego's all-ages concert hall. The show featured the most recent lineup of the band including Armes, Davis, Scura and Adam Rapps. They once again wore their matching black suits and made reference to "The Agency" and other aspects of their secret agent mythos. The band have not played any shows or made any concrete announcements about the future of Agent 51 since this time, and the members are known to have moved on to other projects. Davis resumed playing with 51 Guns, who recently renamed themselves Arm the Angels in 2006. Scura moved to Utah, though he has since returned to San Diego. Levinson left 51 Guns, reuniting with Greg Schneider to play in The Megas, a video-game rock band based in Los Angeles. In 2006 Armes announced his involvement in a new band, The Rattlesnake Aces. The members have stated, however, that there may be more Agent 51 reunions in the future. An announcement on the band's MySpace page in March of 2006 included an extended story detailing the origins of their connections with extraterrestrials and government conspiracies, and a statement asking for continued support from the San Diego music community. In June of 2006 a demo of a new song entitled "Automatic Addicts" was posted, with a statement that about 6 other new demos exist and may be posted in the near future.

[edit] Secret Agent Mythos

At various times in their career Agent 51 has maintained a backstory about their origins which purports them to be rogue secret agents on the run from government agencies with ties to extraterrestrials. The only notable exception to this was the era of the album The Red & the Black from 2003 to 2004, during which the band made no mention of the story and attempted to distance themselves from it.

According to band leader Chris Armes, the secret agent mythos was started due to his longtime interest in extraterrestrials and other stories of alien life, which led to the band originally being named Area 51 after the supposed secret military base where UFOs are said to be stored. On their first album, Red Alert, the band sings about the presence of UFOs and the government's coverup of their existence in the songs "Red Alert" and "Surprise, Surprise." The album concludes with a clip from the radio program "Area 51" in which a caller identifies himself as a former Area 51 employee on the run, before a mysterious electronic phenomenon interrupts the program. Around this time the band began dressing in matching black suits and claiming that they were secret agents on the run from the government.

According to the band, on July 14, 1999, 2 weeks prior to a show in Las Vegas, they received a mysterious email from a source identifying him/herself as "Res Nulius" which said that they would soon find secret UFO-related information. Upon returning from their trip to Las Vegas the band discovered a set of photocopied papers amongst their musical equipment which appeared to be military documents detailing government secrets about the presence of UFOs and extraterrestrial life. At their live shows the band began to claim that they were rogue government agents on the run, hunted by the government due to their attempts to reveal these secrets to the general public. Archived resources confirmed the band's ties with Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, yet their actual work records could not be recovered and the band maintains that these records were erased.

Artwork from the 2000 album Just Keep Runnin' portraying the band members as secret agents

The release of the 2000 album Just Keep Runnin' greatly expanded the band's secret agent story, with many new details written into the album's artwork and liner notes. The story claimed that the United States government was secretly controlled by a powerful organization called "The Agency," a 50-member council who had secretly run the world's affairs since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 with the help of their psychic powers. Using alien technology, The Agency had constructed a satellite system codenamed Epsilon-6 which could track every individual on Earth and control the world's population by magnifying and chanelling the Agency's psychic powers, allowing them to become rulers of what they called the "New Earth." However, the Agency had been thwarted when the members of Agent 51 stole a briefcase containing the codes to the satellite network. The notes also detailed the origins and powers of the band and its members:

Agent 51 is a group of former Agency members and agents who have gone rogue in their attempts to thwart the Agency's plans to rule New Earth. They attempt to reveal the secrets of the Agency to the public while disguised as an ordinary rock band. They must regularly avoid detection by the Agency, who try to pinpoint their location using a combination of alien technology and psychic powers.

Chris was a member of the Agency until he discovered their plans to rule New Earth. He began working as a saboteur within the Agency, but soon formed a team of handpicked individuals codenamed "Agent 51" to oppose the Agency's agenda. As the leader of the team Chris uses his psychic powers to shield the group from the Agency, and also has exceptional mind control and telekinetic abilities. His knowledge of the inner workings of the Agency allow Agent 51 to combat them effectively.

Eric was an outstanding Navy SEAL before being brainwashed by the Agency and placed into "Project Night," where he was experimented on with an alien substance called Xenocycline-6 which increased his speed and reflexes and made him a perfect assassin. Working as a hitman for the Agency he carried out the assassinations of key political figures until the Agency decided to scrap the project and eliminate him. Fortunately Chris revealed the Agency's plans to him before he could be eliminated, and he became a member of Agent 51.

Greg grew up in the former Soviet Union as the son of an American ambassador before being kidnapped at the age of 11 by the "Aura-Z," Russia's answer to the "Majestic-12" program. He was given cybernetic implants designed to record everything he would see and hear, making him an excellent spy for use against the United States. When the implants failed to work, they abandoned Greg and he was eventually discovered by the Agency, who repaired his technological flaws and used him as a spy. Chris eventually deprogrammed him and recruited him into Agent 51, where he became a valuable team member due to the fact that his cybernetic implants make him immune to psychic influence.

Mike was created by the Agency as part of a super-soldier program which was the follow-up to Project Night. By combining human and alien DNA the Agency created a being that was both incredibly strong and incredibly vicious. He escaped his captivity and was hunted by Agency military forces before being recruited by Chris into Agent 51.

Sean was recruited for his unique ability to shapeshift, making him an ideal information resource for thwarting the Agency's latest plots. When the Agency would block out the psychic powers of Agent51, Sean would be sent in as a decoy to undermine the operation. His skills and loyalty have made him a much valued asset. Sean is largely responsible for implanting much of the U.S. government's captured and classified Extra-terrestrial technology into the public sphere. Such advances include fiber-optics, as well as anti-gravity propulsion systems.

Just Keep Runnin' also explored these themes in the songs "C.I.A.F.B.I." and "Psychic Spies." The band continued to wear their matching black suits in concert and to discuss the existence of extraterrestrials. Their album release party ended suddenly when, according to the band, they had to flee the scene due to the Agency having triangulated their position. They continued to address the subject of their secret agent identities in interviews and at concerts over the next 2 years.

During the period of their third album, The Red & the Black, Agent 51 abandoned their secret agent mythos and made no mention of it for nearly a year, ceasing to wear their black suits in concert and not writing any new songs dealing with their secret origins. A rumor popularized among fans during this time was that the band had come very close to being captured by the Agency and therefore had to assume civilian identities and downplay their anti-Agency agenda in order to avoid detection for a time. According to the band, they were once again contacted by Res Nulius in November of 2004, during the band's extended hiatus, when he/she sent them a coded message and a key. Sean's uncle was able to decode the message using "hieroglyphic archetypes," revealing directions to a safety deposit box in Olancho, California. The band claim to have opened the box on February 19, 2005, recovering an unmarked metallic sphere roughly 2.5 inches in diameter and weighing 57 pounds, and a metallic i-beam object about 12.75 inches long and 0.5 inches in diameter with 12 hieroglyphic symbols etched into it. They theorized that the sphere could be made of "Element 115", an unconfirmed metal believed to be used to power gravity accelerators in UFOs. They claim to have turned over a portion of the sphere to Los Alamos National Laboratory for testing, with results still pending. Also reportedly included was a note indicating that Res Nulius would rendezvous with the band on June 5, 2005 at an unknown location to confirm recovery of the objects.

The specified date of June 5, 2005 was also the date of Agent 51's reunion show. The band claim that they hoped Res Nulius would appear at the show, and that they were approached minutes before the show by a mysterious, slender man approximately 5'9" in height in dark street clothes asking about the contents of the box. However, with the show about to start the band could not speak at length with the man, who disappeared afterwards. The band claim to believe that this man was either Res Nulius or possibly Dr. Dan Burisch. They also claim to have received harassing phone calls and death threats in later weeks from government agencies seeking to keep these documents, articles and objects secret. The band explained all of these details in a post on their MySpace page dated March 22, 2006, in which they also claimed that their current inactivity and low profile is a deliberate attempt to avoid possible follow-through on these death threats. They claim that they are attempting to post pictures of the information they have received thus far, but are awaiting authorization and security guarantees from Res Nulius. They state that they hope to reconvene soon, but that this information must be kept secret for their protection.

[edit] Band Members

[edit] Recent Members

Chris "Broken" Armes - guitar, lead vocals
Eric "Airwick / E-Rock" Davis - guitar, vocals
Sean Scura - bass, vocals
Mike "Mikey Hell" Levinson - drums

[edit] Past Members

Greg Schneider - bass (1995-2000)
Rob Hunter - drums (1995-1999)
Adam Rapps - drums (2005 reunion show)
Jared Herndon - bass, vocals (period unknown)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year	Title	Label	Format	Other information
1998	Demos and More	mp3.com	CD	Demos and finished tracks for first album.
1998	Red Alert	Alphabet Records	CD	First album.
2000	Just Keep Runnin'	Suburban Hooligans Records	CD
2001	Just Keep Runnin'	Adeline Records	CD	Re-release; includes 2 songs not on original release, recorded with new bassist Sean Scura.
2003	The Red & the Black	Surfdog Records	CD	Named "Best Punk Album" at 2003 San Diego Music Awards.

[edit] EPs

Album Cover	Year	Title	Label	Format	Other information
	2003	Agent 51	Surfdog Records	CD-EP	Pre-release teaser with 4 songs from The Red & the Black.

[edit] Non-Album Tracks

Year	Album/Source	Label	Song(s)	Other information
1998	Pete's Comp: Kids in America	Alphabet Records	"Fight for Your Right" (originally performed by the Beastie Boys)	Compilation of rock and punk bands playing popular songs from the 1980s.
1999	offered as a download on the band's official website	no label	"Hardcore Hooligan"
2001	Warped Tour 2001 Compilation	SideOneDummy Records	"Radiation Nation"	Song originally recorded as theme song for a local punk rock TV show.
2002	Every Dog Will Have its Day	Adeline Records	"Wrecking Ball"	Demo version, differs from album version.
2005	91X Loudspeaker	Budweiser True Music	"Sandra Dee"	Most recent completed song.
2006	offered as a download on the band's official MySpace page	no label	"Automatic Addicts" (demo)	Demo version of a new song. About 6 other new demos exist and may be offered in the future.