Anberlin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Anberlin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Winter Haven, Florida, United States |
| Genre(s) | Alternative rock Christian rock (disputed) |
| Years active | 2002—present |
| Label(s) | Universal Republic Records (2007-present) Tooth & Nail Records (2002-2007) |
| Associated acts | Anchor & Braille |
| Website | www.anberlin.com www.anberlincities.com www.myspace.com/anberlin |
| Members | |
| Stephen Christian Deon Rexroat Joseph Milligan Nathan Young Christian McAlhaney |
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| Former members | |
| Nathan Strayer Joey Bruce |
|
Anberlin is an alternative rock band from Winter Haven, Florida, United States formed in 2002. Since the beginning of 2007 their line-up has consisted of lead vocalist Stephen Christian, bassist Deon Rexroat, lead guitarist Joseph Milligan, drummer Nathan Young and rhythm guitarist Christian McAlhaney.[1] The band has released four albums and an EP in their six-year run and have sold over 400,000 albums.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] SaGoh 24/7
Lead singer Stephen Christian met bassist Deon Rexroat while they were both in middle school, and they formed a Christian punk band called SaGoh (Servants after God's own heart) 24/7. Drummer Sean Hutson and guitarist Joseph Milligan were then added to the group.[3] The band released two albums, Servants After God's Own Heart (1999), and Then I Corrupt Youth (2001), both under Rescue Records.[4] After the albums sold only 1,300 units,[3] Hutson left the band to start a family, and Nathan Young was brought in as a replacement.[3] Christian and Milligan began working on an acoustic side project, which transmutated into Anberlin after Milligan suggested that they develop more of a rock sound.[4] Some SaGoh 24/7 songs were reworked to fit the band's new alternative rock style.
[edit] Formation and Blueprints For the Black Market
The bandmates officially created Anberlin in 2002, after being approached by Tooth & Nail Records. Barely a year after their formation, their first album as a new band was entitled Blueprints for the Black Market (2003), and was produced by Aaron Sprinkle. It failed to chart, but spurred on by the single "Readyfuels", the album proved to be sufficiently successful, selling over 60,000 units.[5] Through steady touring with other bands in their label and heavy internet promotion, Anberlin was amassing a dedicated fan base early on.
Rhythm guitarist Joey Bruce was eventually ejected from the band. According to Christian, he was "all about sex and drugs", and was going in a different direction than the rest of the band.[3] After several failed replacements, Nathan Strayer from The Mosaic took over rhythm guitar duties. Bruce is now the singer/guitarist for the band Mouse Fire.
[edit] Never Take Friendship Personal
Anberlin released their follow up to Blueprints, Never Take Friendship Personal, in early 2005, again produced by Aaron Sprinkle. Charting at the #144 position on the Billboard 200, the album brought the band a step closer into the mainstream. NTFP was generally more well received by critics than Blueprints, and garnered favorable reviews. Before its release, the band promoted the album by releasing a track per week on their PureVolume and MySpace website accounts, as well as on their own website. Two singles were released from the album: "A Day Late" and "Paperthin Hymn". Both were reasonably successful on alternative rock radio, with the latter peaking at the #38 position on the Modern Rock chart.
Anberlin participated in a number of compilations during this time, recording covers of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," and the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."
[edit] Cities and Lost Songs
Anberlin's third album produced by Aaron Sprinkle was released in early 2007 under the title Cities. It sold 34,000 copies in its first week of release, debuted at #19 on the Billboard 200 chart, and, like their previous album, received fairly positive reviews from critics. Before the release of Cities, the band released Godspeed EP exclusively on iTunes in late 2006 to give a preview to the new album. In support of the album, Anberlin held their first headlining tour, supported by Bayside, Meg & Dia and Jonezetta.
In an interview about the album, Christian commented that the lyrics throughout the band's discography are progressively becoming more mature. "The first CD (Blueprints for the Black Market) was childish in the manner that it was Man vs. World in the lyrics. The second (Never Take Friendship Personal) was Man Vs. Man. Cities is more adult in the manner that it's Man Vs. Self.[6][7]
One day before the release of Cities, it was announced that guitarist Nathan Strayer amicably left the band to go back to The Mosaic and that Christian McAlhaney, formerly of the band Acceptance, would take over as the new guitarist.[8]
A compilation album of unreleased material, called Lost Songs, was released on November 20, 2007. It features B-sides, demos, covers, acoustic versions of their previous songs and songs recorded at AOL Sessions.[9]
[edit] New Surrender
The band signed to Universal Republic Records on August 16, 2007, and since then they started to write material for their major-label debut, currently set to be released September 30, 2008.[10] The first song to be heard from the new album is a brand new song called Bittersweet Memory. This will be the band's first album to not be distributed through Tooth & Nail Records or produced by Aaron Sprinkle. Eight weeks of recording sessions with famed producer Neal Avron (New Found Glory, Yellowcard, The Starting Line) began in early February. Stephen Christian stated in an interview, "We're very excited about working with Neal; I think our fans are going to be pleased when they hear the final result."[11] Christian also discussed the difficulties in writing this record. "When you try to write 29 songs lyrically you find yourself topically working in circles; I only go through so much in one year, but needlessly I have dedicated myself to begin searching books, art, and friends for new directions."[12] The band set up a live webcam in the studio so fans may watch them record the album via the band's MySpace page. The album, which has been titled New Surrender, was placed at the number two spot on Jesus Freak Hideout's 25 Most Anticipated Albums of 2008.[13] The band stated on their Live Web chat on Justin.tv that the album will be very "diverse", including an array of instruments including the sitar.
[edit] Side projects
Stephen Christian has formed an acoustic solo project under name of Anchor & Braille; however, although the project was originally a joint venture with Aaron Marsh of Copeland, Marsh is no longer involved, and Anchor & Braille now comprises Stephen Christian. The project has released a 7-inch vinyl thus far. A full-length album was in the works over 2007, and is expected to be released in the spring of 2008.[14]
[edit] Origin of name
Various interviews credit vocalist Stephen Christian with providing conflicting origins of the band's name:
- Christian had long planned to name his first daughter Anberlin. Struggling to find a name for the band, Stephen suggested it. "We were all sitting around trying to come up with a name. None of us were married or had kids, but one day I was going to name my daughter Anberlin, so I figured we could name the band that until we thought of something better. So we chose Anberlin and no one has thought of anything better."[15] He no longer plans to use Anberlin to name his first daughter, however: "If I ever have a daughter and name her Anberlin, she'll think she was named after the band instead of the other way around."[16]
- Christian stated in another interview that the band's name was created when he was thinking about cities in Europe he wanted to visit. In his mind he listed "London, Paris, Rome, and Berlin." Stephen thought that "And Berlin" would be a cool name for a band and so when the band was looking for a name Stephen suggested "And Berlin," which was then modified to "Anberlin."[17]
- Christian stated in yet another interview when asked about the origin of the band's name: "There are several stories that have circulated on the internet, but the actual story is when I was in college my favorite band was Radiohead; on one of their songs off the record Kid A there is a background noise on the song 'Everything in Its Right Place' (about 2 minutes 31 seconds into the song). While Thom is singing try to say I always thought the background noise sounded like Anberlin, I always thought that Anberlin would have been a great band name and well ... it was/is."[18]
[edit] Involvement with Christianity
Over the years, many fans and members of the media have consistently characterized Anberlin as a Christian band. However, Stephen Christian denies these claims, stating in an interview, "I think we're categorized like that a lot because we're on Tooth & Nail Records, which, years ago, was known as a Christian label and never lost that reputation. I don't care who listens to our records. If it helps people in whatever circumstances they're in, that's amazing, but I definitely don't classify us as a Christian band."[15] Elsewhere, Christian has remarked, "[My faith] affects every single aspect of my life, but I'm not a preacher, I'm an entertainer."[19]
Despite these statements and others of the like, multiple sources list the band as part of the Christian rock genre, and some Anberlin song lyrics contain religious references. Furthermore, their songs have been included on Christian rock compilation CDs[20] and DVDs.[21] They are also frequently played on the Gospel Music Channel and JCTV.
Christian has also said in an interview with Lightforce radio how the band tries to "step out of the bubble" and referred to themselves as being part of Christian music. He discussed in detail about what Christians should do in their lives: love and embrace others as Jesus would as well as show God's grace to others. He mentioned as well how the band Fall Out Boy said in an interview that they did not really know much about Jesus until Anberlin toured with them.[22]
[edit] Members
[edit] Current members
- Stephen Christian – lead vocals (2002-present)
- Deon Rexroat – bass (2002-present)
- Joseph Milligan – lead guitar, backing vocals (2002-present)
- Nathan Young – drums (2002-present)
- Christian McAlhaney (formerly of Acceptance) – guitar, backing vocals (2007-present)
[edit] Former Members
- Nathan Strayer – guitar, backing vocals (2004-2007) (Now playing with The Brick Path)
- Joey Bruce – guitar (2002-2003) (Now playing with Mouse Fire)
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums/EPs
| Release Date | Album/EP | US Billboard Peak | Status | Record Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2003 | Blueprints for the Black Market | 60,000+ copies sold.[5] | Tooth and Nail | |
| February 1, 2005 | Never Take Friendship Personal | #144 | 150,000+ copies sold.[9] | |
| December 26, 2006 | Godspeed EP | |||
| February 20, 2007 | Cities | #19 | 100,000+ copies sold.[2] | |
| November 20, 2007 | Lost Songs | |||
| September 30, 2008 | New Surrender | Universal Republic |
The band also released a DVD included with the special edition of Cities which goes behinds the scenes in the making of the album.
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | |||
| 2003 | "Readyfuels" | Blueprints for the Black Market | |||
| 2005 | "A Day Late" | Never Take Friendship Personal | |||
| 2006 | "Paperthin Hymn" | #38 | |||
| "Godspeed" | Cities | ||||
| 2007 | "The Unwinding Cable Car" | ||||
[edit] References
- ^ Anberlin To Record With Neil Avron. Indie Vision Music. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
- ^ a b Florida Indie Rockers Anberlin Hit Studio for Universal Republic Debut. Universal Republic Press Release (2008-01-11). Retrieved on 2008-01-11.
- ^ a b c d Anberlin -- We the Wanderers.
- ^ a b Perez, Omar. Change the World. Orlando Weekly, July 24, 2003. Accessed July 19, 2007.
- ^ a b SputnikMusic -- Anberlin Never Take Friendship Personal.
- ^ LIFE: Anberlin's "Cities" best album of 2007 so far.
- ^ Live with Stephen Christian and Nathan Strayer.
- ^ Kohli, Rohan. Anberlin Parts Ways With Guitarist. AbsolutePunk.net (February 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
- ^ a b Anberlin finds 'Lost Songs' on the road. Live Daily (November 28, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
- ^ AbsolutePunk.net. AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ Anberlin Hit Studio For Universal Republic Debut. Ultimate-Guitar.com (January 15, 2008). Retrieved on 2007-01-18.
- ^ www.drivenfaroff.com/2008/02/12/anberlin-post-studio-update/.
- ^ Jesus Freak Hideout's 25 Most Anticipating Albums of 2008.. JesusFreakHideout.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.
- ^ Anchor & Braille Finishes Album. AbsolutePunk.net (October 8, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-19.
- ^ a b Bryson, Scott. Anberlin Aren't Christian Rock, But It's OK If You Call Them That. Chart (July 12, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
- ^ Stavrinos, Nicole. Music: Anberlin. NOISE (October 11, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
- ^ Interview With Anberlin. Europunk.net (June 3, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-01.
- ^ Anberlin interview at BeatTheScene.com.
- ^ ThisWeek -- Florida-based band Anberlin to play The Basement May 1.
- ^ MusicMoz -- X 2003- Experience The Alternative.
- ^ Amazon -- X 2007.
- ^ The Joy FM Radio Interview.
[edit] External links
- Anberlin.com
- Anberlin on MySpace
- Stephen Christian's personal weblog
- Anberlin Crew Myspace
- Anberlin discography at MusicBrainz
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