Arizing
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Arizing was an alternative/rock band from Detroit, MI signed to Medea Records. The members of Arizing's final lineup were Matt Dalton (Vocals, Guitar), John Dion (Guitar, Programming), Nick Steadman (Bass, Vocals), and Ryan Brukwinski (Drums).
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[edit] History
[edit] Original Lineup
The initial concept of Arizing was created by four close friends from the Detroit suburbs of Clinton Township and Macomb Township, MI. The original line was Jason Revoir on guitar and backing vocals, Nick Chmiel on guitar and lead vocals, Ryan Brukwinski on drums, and Shane Thomas on bass. They formed in January of 1998.
[edit] Introduction to the Local Scene (1998 to early 1999)
Chmiel left the group soon after and was replaced by singer/keyboardist Brandon Jump (now Brandon Giampa.) Due to stylistic differences, Jump was replaced by Wayne Parks in June of 1998, which also marked the band's induction to the local Detroit music scene.
In August of 1998, Parks left the band while Revoir's friend John Miller joined the group. They released their first single, "Bike," which helped the young group find their niche in the Detroit scene, which was heavily influenced by rapcore at the time. Around Christmas 1998, the band released their first three-song demo, including a reworked version of "Bike" and welcomed second guitarist Dennis Klein into the group. However, Arizing hit yet another roadblock in March of 1999 as Miller left the band due to financial obligations.
[edit] From Rapcore to Alternative Metal (early 1999 to early 2001)
With Miller out of the group, Revoir assumed the role of lead vocals in an effort to give Arizing some stability. Revoir's childhood friend, Bryan Adams, was welcomed into the group to assume the duties as the second guitarist. Arizing once again began playing shows and working on new material, releasing the Little Yellow Different EP in May of 1999. They spent the rest of 1999 performing live and gained the attention of local fans, press, and independent label Medea Records. Unhappy with the musical direction of Arizing, bassist Shane Thomas quit the band in January 2000. He quit on a night Arizing had a show scheduled so he could play a high school talent show with his other band, San Dimas High School Football Rules, whom with he was better friends and pursuing a musical direction to his liking.
Soon after Thomas quit the band, Adams left the band due to personal conflicts. During this time, Jason Sutter and Mike Havrelock, who were in Klein's previous band Lyger, were recruited to fill in while permanent members were found. Nick Steadman joined the group as their new bassist in Spring 2000 and Adams also returned to the fold and the band resumed as a five piece. They departed from the rapcore stylings that they became known for and started writing music that was metal in nature, but lyrically closer in influence to acts like Depeche Mode than the contemporary influences of rapcore at that time. They were signed by Medea Records in Spring 2000 and spent the summer of 2000 playing numerous shows in the Midwest (notably the 2000 Milwaukee Metalfest) and released a 3-song EP displaying their new sound. They also recorded a live version of the song Devotion and placed it on mp3.com. The band spent the remainder of the year at Tempermill Studios, where they began to work on their first full-length release Womb. While the album was completed by early 2001, both Revoir and Adams decided that their time with the group was over, and they decided to split with the group before releasing and supporting Womb.
[edit] From Revoir to Dalton (early 2001 to 2003)
Arizing was now dealt with the task of having to replace two core members of the group, leaving Brukwinski as the sole original member of Arizing. During this time, the band relocated to New Baltimore, MI. While many people came to audition for the vocalist role, the band looked towards labelmate Matt Dalton (of LeFT) for not only his singing abilities, but also for the dedicated work he put into the Michigan music scene. Word didn't get out of Arizing's decision to bring Matt into the fold until August 2001, when Matt was spotted with the rest of Arizing at a local show featuring other Medea bands. The band soon found guitarist John Pregler and resumed playing shows by Fall 2001.
The band went on to release Womb in 2002, with Revoir's vocals being replaced by Dalton's. There was some controversy caused by this, as many of Arizing's fans felt that Revoir's vocals should have remained on the album. Nevertheless, it was one of the more anticipated and well-received local albums of the year.
In 2003, the band's sound began to change yet again. The group started to embrace a more poppy, radio-friendly sound. They released an EP titled Advance in Summer 2003, which was far removed from Womb. Much of the aggressive side of the group had been replaced by a sound that was comparable to Switchfoot or many of the disco punk groups that went mainstream soonafter. Within a couple of months following the release of Advance, the band recruited local musician John Dion (of former label mates Pooch) strictly for live keyboard and electronic duties. As the band continued to play a multitude of shows, difficulty writing and mounting tensions resulted in an inevitable split between Dennis Klein and the remaining members.
[edit] The Final Era (2004 - 2006)
Upon the departure of Dennis, the band forged on with John Dion filling the vacant guitar slot in Spring 2004. Arizing would play several shows with guitarist Johnny Pregler, including a one-off at the Beachland in Cleveland opening for the first Suicide Girls burlesque tour, until he decided to fully pursue his band (then side project) Breathing Underwater. At this point Dalton opted to perform both vocals and guitar for the group, thus changing the band from a five-piece to a four-piece for the first time in over five years. The band released a 2005 sampler which showcased the new direction of music they pursued. The sound was still closely aligned to what they sounded like with Advance, but had more of a contemporary influence in the vein of Fallout Boy and Jimmy Eat World. In addition, Arizing began to perform and record several well received heavier songs as well, such as "Better Off Without" featuring primarily screaming vocals, which were slated for a future extended play release via Medea Records.
On a side note, Matt Dalton faced some criticism in 2005 for engaging in a homosexual kiss as a publicity stunt on Detroit radio station 97.1. Dalton went on to say that he regretted the incident and that it made him feel "nauseous" afterwards.
As of Fall 2006, after nearly a decade of existence and two Dirtfest appearances with their final lineup, Arizing disbanded due to personal differences and inexorable label conflicts.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Released through Medea Records
- 2003 - Advance - Produced by Grant Mohrman (Jettared, Celldweller), Mastered by Tom Baker (Stone Temple Pilots, Marilyn Manson)
- 2002 - Womb - Produced and Mastered by Tony Hamera
[edit] Released Independently
- 2005 - 3-Song Sampler
- 2000 - 3-Song EP
- 1999 - Little Yellow Different
- 1998 - Bike
[edit] External/Defunct links
- Arizing on Medea Records
- Arizing on GarageBand.com
- Arizing on MP3.com
- Official Arizing Homepage - defunct
- Arizing on PureVolume.com - defunct
- Arizing on MySpace.com - defunct
