| Audiovent | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Calabasas, California, USA |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Years active | 1993–2004 |
| Labels | Atlantic |
| Associated acts | Agent Sparks Reel Big Fish Under the Influence of Giants Incubus |
| Past members | |
| Jason Boyd Benjamin Einziger Paul Fried Jamin Wilcox Ryland Steen |
|
Audiovent was an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Audiovent was formed in the early 1990s under the name Vent, and broke up in 2004.
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Audiovent was originally formed by Jason Boyd, Paul Fried, and Benjamin Einziger under the name Vent. Boyd and Fried met while attending A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas.[1] After Fried introduced Boyd to his stepbrother Einziger, the three decided to form a band. When Fried was in tenth grade Jamin Wilcox joined Vent. Throughout their high school years, Vent played gigs around Calabasas and eventually played as far as Hollywood.[1]
Their oldest recorded demos are also considered the "holy grail" of old Vent material. This demo featured the songs, When Will We Learn, For The Moment (which later became "Sweet Frustration"), Remedy & Back & Forth. Over time, this demo has become scarce due to the low volume of copies produced. Every once in a while you may see a copy online. The actual release date is unknown but surfaced sometime around 1997 or 1998.
In 1999, the band independently recorded and released their first CD, Papa's Dojo, under the name Vent. Papa's Dojo sold more than 3,000 copies and was only available online and at local gigs. Upon release of "DSKIP" Numb, Remedy, and Only Human were the only three tracks that didn't make it onto the album from Papa's Dojo, although Numb was reworked into 'Underwater Silence'.
After Papa's Dojo, the band decided to undergo a few sessions of preventative group therapy to try to dispel any conflicts before they started. Boyd said about the sessions, "We don't want any kind of turmoil in our band. We don't want any egos getting in the way, or anything else that can cause a problem. We'd just rather not go there."[1]
In 2001, the band renamed themselves Audiovent, signed with the major label Atlantic Records. Audiovent then began recording their first major label album, Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris, which was released in 2002. The first single released off of the album was entitled The Energy and received significant national airplay both on the radio and as a music video. However, since the group had strong ties to the band Incubus, charges of nepotism plagued the group.
Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris received average reviews from the press, with many labeling it too slick and over-produced, especially compared to the band's raw live sound. It peaked at 156 on the Billboard 200 in 2002.[2] A second single, Looking Down was released with a video as well but it had little success. In late 2002, Audiovent toured with Saliva and Theory of a Deadman.[3]
In 2003, Jamin left the band citing creative differences and was replaced by Ryland Steen. In early 2004, the band was largely dormant, suggesting a breakup. The band did re-convene for a time, playing a bunch of small clubs around California under the name Nigel, suggesting they were having label problems with Atlantic. The new tracks were very different from the sound of their first album. Later in 2004 the band finally split, citing "creative differences," although it is largely believed they would have been dropped from Atlantic anyway for poor sales performance.
Benjamin Einziger and Paul Fried moved on to start another band named Agent Sparks. They have released an EP entitled Not So Merry and a full length album called Red Rover. Since then, Benjamin has been working on solo material and streaming songs on his reverbnation page.
Jamin Wilcox joined Aaron Bruno and Drew Stewart of Home Town Hero to form Under the Influence of Giants. They have since recruited bassist David Amezcua, signed to Island Records, and released their self-titled debut album. Recently he has also been releasing new songs via the internet.
Jason Boyd currently runs the American Caveman clothing company. He still creates music, and is also a writer, actor, and photographer.
Three out of four of the original members of Audiovent are related to members of the band Incubus. Jason Boyd is the brother of vocalist Brandon Boyd. Benjamin Einziger is brother of guitarist Mike Einziger, and Paul Fried is their stepbrother.[4]
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat. |
||
| 2002 | Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris | 156 | 4 |
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt. |
US Main. |
UK | |||
| 2002 | "The Energy" | 17 | 9 | 167 | Dirty Sexy Knights in Paris |
| "Looking Down" | — | 29 | — | ||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||