EVANESCENCE

 

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Evanescence is a Grammy Award-winning American alternative rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1998 by singer Amy Lee and former guitarist Ben Moody. After recording two private EPs, and a demo CD named Origin with the help of Bigwig Enterprises, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on the Wind-up Records label in 2003. Fallen sold more than 14 million copies worldwide and helped the band win two Grammy Awards. After abrupt changes to the band's lineup, Evanescence released their second studio album, The Open Door, in 2006.

 

 

Amy Lee - Evanescence green corset

 

Amy Lee - Evanescence

 

 

Early history

 

Evanescence was founded by singer, pianist and songwriter Amy Lee and former lead guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody. The two met in 1994 at a youth camp in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Moody heard Lee playing "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf on the piano. Their first songs were "Solitude" and "Give Unto Me," written by Lee, "Understanding", and "My Immortal", written by Moody. The songs were edited by both artists, and they shared equal credit.

 

Two of Lee and Moody's songs found playtime on local radio stations, raising local awareness of the group and demand for a show. The band eventually appeared live, and became one of the most popular acts in the area. After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, they decided on Evanescence, which means "disappearance" or "fading away" (from the word evanesce, which means "to disappear"). Lee has stated she loves the name because "it is mysterious and dark, and places a picture in the listeners' mind".

 

Their first full-length demo CD, Origin (released in 2000), is relatively unknown. The band also released two Extended plays (EPs). First, the self-titled Evanescence EP (1998) of which about 100 copies were made, and second the Sound Asleep EP, also known as the Whisper EP (1999), limited to 50 copies. Origin and the EPs contain demo versions of some of the songs on their debut album, Fallen. For example, the recording of "My Immortal" found on Fallen can also be found on Origin, minus a handful of additional string accompaniments. Only 2500 copies of this record were produced; in response, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet.

 

 

Fallen

 

In early 2003, the lineup was completed by Amy Lee and Ben Moody's friends, John LeCompt, Rocky Gray and Will Boyd, all of whom worked on Evanescence's earlier songs. Meanwhile, Evanescence signed on with their first major label, Wind-up Records, and began work on their next album, Fallen. While they were looking to promote Fallen, Evanescence accepted an offer from the video game company Nintendo to perform on the "Nintendo Fusion Tour" which they headlined in 2003.

 

Fallen spent 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 10; has been certified 6x Platinum; and has sold more than 14 million copies worldwide, including 6.6 million in the United States. The album was listed for 104 weeks on the Billboard top 200, and it was one of eight albums in the history of the chart to spend at least a year on the Billboard Top 50.

 

Evanescence's major label debut single "Bring Me to Life", which features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 Stones, was a global hit for the band and reached #5 on the American Billboard Hot 100. It provided Evanescence with their first UK #1 listing, where it stayed for four weeks from June-July 2003. The song also became the official theme for WWE No Way Out. The equally popular "My Immortal" peaked at #7 in the U.S. and UK charts, and both songs were featured in the soundtrack for the action movie Daredevil. "Bring Me to Life" garnered recognition for the band at the Grammy Awards of 2004, where the band won the Best Hard Rock Performance and Best New Artist awards and were nominated for two others. The two other singles off Fallen are "Going Under" (#5 US Modern Rock Tracks, #8 UK Charts) and "Everybody's Fool" (#36 US Modern Rock Tracks, #23 UK Charts); all were promoted by a music video.

 

 

Evanescence - October 2006

 

Evanescence - October 2006

 

 

Anywhere but Home

 

In 2004, Evanescence's new lineup released a DVD/CD compilation entitled Anywhere but Home. The DVD includes a concert in Paris, as well as behind-the-scenes features, including shots of the band backstage, signing autographs, and warming up. The CD contains a previously unreleased song entitled "Missing", which was internationally released as a single and reached #1 in Spain. Also on the CD are the live songs "Breathe No More" (from the Elektra movie soundtrack), "Farther Away", and the band's cover of Korn's "Thoughtless".

 

 

The Open Door

 

To promote the band's second album, The Open Door, Amy Lee and John LeCompt visited cities in Europe including London, England on September 6, 2006; Barcelona, Spain on September 8, 2006; and Paris, France on Monday, September 11, 2006. At the previews, the new album was played to fans who won various competitions, Lee and LeCompt answered questions and performed acoustic tracks from the album before signing autographs. On October 2, 2006, the day before the album was released in the United States, Evanescence appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and performed the song "Call Me When You're Sober". The band also spent time in New York City for press and a photo shoot for Metal Edge magazine.

 

The 13-track album was released in Canada and the United States on October 3, 2006; the United Kingdom on October 2, 2006; and Australia on September 30, 2006. The album sold 447,000 copies in the United States in its first week of sales and earned their first #1 ranking on the Billboard 200 album chart, becoming the 700th #1 album in Billboard since the chart became a weekly feature in 1956.

 

 

Evanescence performing at a concert in Brazil in 2007 Amy Lee

 

Evanescence performing at a concert in Brazil in 2007

 

 

The album progressed slowly for several reasons, including Amy Lee's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush production, other band members' side projects, guitarist Terry Balsamo's stroke, and the controversy surrounding the dismissal of their former manager. Although Lee stated on Evboard that Evanescence's new album would be completed in March 2006, the release was pushed to October 3, 2006, allegedly because "Wind-up Records...wanted to make a few changes to the upcoming single "Call Me When You're Sober", which hit modern rock and alternative rock radio on August 7, 2006. The music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was shot in Los Angeles and is based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. The Open Door became available for pre-order on the iTunes Music Store on August 15, 2006; the music video for Call Me When You're Sober was also available.

 

Lee claimed that she wrote a song for the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that it was rejected due to its dark sound. Lee went on to state that it was just "more great stuff for [The Open Door]". Another song supposedly written for Narnia was the Mozart-inspired "Lacrymosa". The producers of Narnia, however, refuted her claim, stating this information was "news to them" and that no Evanescence music had been planned for inclusion in the soundtrack.

 

The tour for The Open Door began on October 5, 2006 in Toronto and included locations in Canada, the U.S. and Europe during that year. This first tour continued on January 5, 2007 and included stops in Canada (alongside band Stone Sour), Japan and Australia (alongside band Shihad) and then returned to the US for a second tour in the spring (alongside bands Chevelle and Finger Eleven). As part of their tour, Evanescence performed on April 15, 2007 on the Argentinan festival Quilmes Rock 07 along with Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver and other famous local bands. Also, they will co-headline on the Family Values Tour 2007 along with Korn and other bands.

 

 

Lineup changes

 

On October 22, 2003, Moody left the band during the European tour for Fallen, reportedly because of creative differences. In an interview several months later, Amy Lee said: "...we'd gotten to a point that if something didn't change, we wouldn't have been able to make a second record." This became a point of confusion for some people, as Moody and Lee stated on the Fallen album cover that they were best friends. Since then, Lee has said it was almost a relief that he left because of tensions created within the band. Moody was replaced by Terry Balsamo from Cold.

 

On July 14, 2006, it was confirmed by a spokesperson for the band's label that bassist Will Boyd had left the band for "not wanting to do another big tour" and wanting "to be close to his family." Amy Lee originally broke the news to the fans in a post on an unofficial Evanescence site, EvBoard.com. In an interview with MTV, posted on their website on August 10, 2006, Lee announced that Tim McCord, former Revolution Smile guitarist, would switch instruments and play bass for the band.

 

On May 4, 2007, John LeCompt announced that he had been fired from Evanescence, and also stated that drummer Rocky Gray had decided to quit. Both musicians posted on their personal MySpace pages to confirm the news report, however, neither elaborated about the circumstances surrounding their departures. A statement has been posted on the Evanescence website on May 6, 2007 by the band to confirm the split of the two band members.

 

On his MySpace blog, LeCompt stated that Lee called his cellphone to fire him, and that no warning had previously been given nor were any negotiations made available. Gray later released a statement on his MySpace stating that he was served a gag order by label Wind-up which prevents him from discussing the reasons for his departure from the band. On the band's official website, Lee wrote that the band was still alive and that no tour events had been canceled or changed.

 

On May 17, 2007, Wind-up issued a press release stating that two Dark New Day members, drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn, would be joining the band to replace LeCompt and Gray. However, Lee wrote on the EvThreads.com message board that "We're just borrowing Will and Troy for a while" and that they would not be leaving Dark New Day. Hunt and McLawhorn will tour with Evanescence until at least September 2007 to finish the Family Values tour, though it is unknown if they will remain with the band beyond that time.

 

 

Evanescence - Fallen featuring Amy Lee

 

Evanescence - Fallen

 

 

Labeling controversy

 

Originally promoted in Christian stores, the band eventually made it clear they did not want to be considered as part of the Christian rock genre. Wind-up Records chairman Alan Meltzer issued a press release in April 2003 asking for the band's music to be removed from Christian retail outlets.

 

During a 2003 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ben Moody stated, "We're actually high on the Christian charts, and I'm like, What the f--k are we even doing there?" This seemed to go against earlier sentiments by Moody that "We hope to express in our music that Christianity is not a rigid list of rules to follow..." and also "The message we as a band want to convey more than anything is simple—God is Love." This has led to criticism of the band within the Christian community, even more so given that the band themselves approved of the plan to distribute Fallen to the Christian market. Terry Hemmings, CEO of Christian music distributor Provident, expressed puzzlement at the band's about-face, saying "They clearly understood the album would be sold in these [Christian music] channels." In the wake of the controversy, "Bring Me To Life" was shed by many Christian radio stations; the song was Top 5 on Radio & Records' Christian Rock Top 30 one week, and completely gone the next. Ex-vocalist and keyboardist David Hodges eventually left the band over the controversy, with other members stating that he had been pulling them in more of a Christian direction than Lee and Moody were comfortable with.

 

When asked by Billboard in 2006 if Evanescence was a "Christian band," Amy Lee responded, "Can we please skip the Christian thing? I'm so over it. It's the lamest thing. I fought that from the beginning; I never wanted to be associated with it. It was a Ben thing. It's over."

 

 

References in other media

 

In American military sci-fi author John Ringo's novel Cally's War, Evanescence and their debut album Fallen are mentioned twice, along with a brief consideration of writing styles and the impact the album had on youth in 2003.

 

Professional wrestler Christian Cage's current theme song is an instrumental version of "My Last Breath" by Evanescence covered by Dale Oliver entitled "Take Over". It is featured on the 3rd Degree Burns album.

 

On July 21, 2007, Evanescence won the seventh place in Jabra Music Contest as Best Band in the World. The contest was based in votings from all over the world.

 

Band members

 

Current

  • Amy Lee – lead vocals, piano, keyboard (co-founder, 1998–present)

  • Terry Balsamo – guitar (November 16, 2003–present)

  • Will Hunt – drums (May 17, 2007–present)

  • Tim McCord – bass guitar (August 10, 2006–present)

  • Troy McLawhorn – guitar (May 17, 2007–present)

 

Former

  • Will Boyd – bass guitar (June 2003–July 14, 2006)

  • Rocky Gray – drums (2002–May 4, 2007)

  • David Hodges – keyboard, piano, backing vocals (1999–December 19, 2002)

  • John LeCompt – guitar, vocals on live "Bring Me to Life" performances (2002–May 4, 2007)

  • Ben Moody – lead guitar (co-founder, 1998–October 22, 2003)

 

 

Amy Lee - full throttle on the mike, Evanescence

 

Amy Lee - full throttle on the mike

 

 

Discography

 

Title

Date of release (U.S.)

Record label

Evanescence EP

1998

Private release

Sound Asleep EP

1999

Origin

November 4, 2000

Bigwig Enterprises

Mystary EP

January 2003

Wind-up Records

Fallen

March 4, 2003

Anywhere but Home

November 23, 2004

The Open Door

October 3, 2006

 

 

LINKS and REFERENCE

  1. Berelian, Essi (2005-08-15). The Rough Guide to Heavy Metal. New York: Rough Guides, p. 115. ISBN 1-84353-415-0. OCLC 60560760. 

  2. Evanescence.com (2006-04-26). Evanescence steps through "The Open Door". Press release.

  3. D'Angelo, Joe. "Evanescence: The Split", MTV.com

  4. [V] Special: Evanescence: Anywhere But Home. Astro.com.my  Archived from the original

  5. Evanescence. Encyclopedia of Arkansas

  6. Evanescence EPs and pre-Fallen Material. EvanescenceReference.info

  7. Interview with DC101 radio on February 24, 2003. EvanescenceReference.info 

  8. Serra, Brian (2003-08-12). Evanescence, Nintendo Fusion Tour. ShowandTellOnline.com

  9. RIAA Certifications For September 2004. Billboard.biz (November 2004).

  10. Hasty, Katie. "Evanescence zooms by Killers to take #1", Billboard.com,

  11. Evanescence - Artist Chart History. Billboard.com. Billboard

  12. All The Number 1 Singles. The Official UK Charts Company

  13. 46th Annual Grammy Awards - 2004. RockOnTheNet.com

  14. Reesman, Bryan (November 2006). "The Essence of Evanescence". Metal Edge magazine 52 (11): 5–10. ISSN 1068-2872

  15. Harris, Chris. "Amy Lee says new Evanescence LP has more sensuality", MTV News via VH1.com

  16. Evanescence steps through 'The Open Door' - Amy Lee in love with new songs. Sony BMG Music Entertainment

  17. Evanescence - Bio. Evanescence.com.

  18. Lee, Amy (2006-01-20). EvBoard - i love my album :). EvBoard.com. Archived from the original

  19. Call Me When You're Sober. JB Hi-Fi. 

  20. Lee, Amy (2005-12-02). EvBoard - A Bunch Of Stuff!!!. EvBoard.com.

  21. "Wardrobe closed to Evanescence singer", The New Zealand Herald

  22. Official 2007 tour information. Evanescence.com

  23. Complete tour dates. EvanescenceTheOpenDoor.com. R

  24. Quilmes Rock 2007 (Spanish). VuenosAirez.com.

  25. Moss, Corey, Chris Harris. "Korn, Evanescence, Hellyeah Top Family Values Tour Bill", MTV News

  26. Family Values Tour Coming To A City Near You! - Evanescence News. Wind-up Records via Evanescence.com

  27. Fuoco, Christina. AllMusic (Evanescence > Biography). Allmusic. 

  28. Evanescence - Artist. Leading Edge Music.

  29. Bakker, Tiffany. "Moody Blues", Sydney Morning Herald

  30. D'Angelo, Joe. "Evanescence Name New Guitarist", MTV News via VH1

  31. Harris, Chris. "Evanescence Lose Bassist; Amy Lee Vows To Stay On Schedule", MTV News via VH1.com

  32. Harris, Chris. "Evanescence Set For Fall Tour; Amy Lee Reveals Inspiration Behind 'Sober'", MTV News via VH1.com

  33. Gittelson, Gerry. "Rock act Evanescence on the rocks", Los Angeles Daily News

  34. "Evanescence members exit band", NME.com

  35. "Ex-Evanescence drummer releases statement", NME.com

  36. Lee, Amy. "Statement from Amy Lee", Evanescence.com,

  37. Wind-up Records via Blabbermouth.net (2007-05-17). New Lineup Announced. Press release. 

  38. Hartzler, Amy (2007-05-18). i've got a new ring & now you've got the scoop. EvThreads.com

  39. Korn, Evanescence Backing Musicians Vow To Carry On With Dark New Day. Blabbermouth.net 

  40. Price, Deborah Evans. "Evanescence Set Pulled From Christian Distribution", Billboard.com news

  41. "Evanescence Interview Ignites Christian Music Controversy", Yahoo! Music

  42. Interview with Evanescence. StrangerThingsMag.net (September 2000).

  43. Parrish, Robin. "Evanescence ignites controversy with new interview; Wind-Up Records issues recall of product", Christian Music Central.com

  44. Kaufman, Gil. "Evanescence Fall From Grace", Rolling Stone 

  45. Conniff, Tamara. "Evanescence leader Lee unlocks 'Door'", Reuters/Billboard via Entertainment News,

  46. The Best Band in the World is Announced. Jabramusic.com 

 

Evanescence - Not for your ears album cover

 

Evanescence - Not for your ears

 

 

 

MUSIC INDEX A - Z

 

 

Abba

AC-DC

Aerosmith

A H Rahman

A-ha

Alabama

Alanis Morisette

Alison Kraus

All Saints

American Idol

American Music Awards

Amy Macdonald

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Annie Lennox

Aqua

Arctic Monkeys

Atomic Kitten

Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend

Bananarama

Band Aid

Backstreet Boys

Babra Streisand

Barry Manilow

Barry White

Bay City Rollers

Beach Boys

Beyonce

Billy Joel

Bing Crosby

Black Sabbath - Ozzy Osbourne

Blondie

Bob Dylan

Bob Geldof

Bob Marley & Wailers

Bon Jovi

Boney M

Boyz II Men

Brenda Lee

Britney Spears - Shaved

Bruce Springsteen

Bryan Adams

Bucks Fizz

Buddy Holly

B'z

Cascada

Celine Dion

Charles Aznavour

Charlotte Church

Chacago

Cheeky Girls

Chemical Brothers

Childrens Songs

Christina Aguilera - Basics

Christina Milian

Chuck Berry

Cindy Lauper

Cliff Richard

Coldplay

Comic Relief

David Bowie

Def Leoppard

Depeche Mode

Destiny's Child

Dire Straits

Dixie Chicks

Dolly Parton

Donna Summer

Duran Duran

Earth Wind and Fire

East Magazine - Eastbounre

Eddie Arnold

Elena Paparizou - Eurovision

Elkie Brooks

Elton John

Elvis Presley

Eminem

Enrique Iglesias

Enya

Eurovision Song Contest

Evanescence

Events - Tents - Moroccan

Fergie

Fleetwood Mac

Flipp's - Pop Funk collection

Foreigner

Frank Sinatra

Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Frankie Laine

Garth Brooks

Gary Numan

Genesis

George Michael

Geri Halliwell

Girl Bands

Girl Groups

Girls Aloud

Glade alternative music festival

Glastonbury

Gloria Estefan

Grace Jones

Grammy Awards

Grant Navy Fireman

Groove Armada

Guns and Roses

Gunther + Sunshine Girls

Gwen Stefani

Haircut 100

Hank Thompson

Hellogoodbye

Her Name in Blood

Hoosiers

Intraverse

Iron Maiden

James Blunt

James Morrison

Janet Jackson

Jean Michel Jarre

Jennifer Lopez

Jessica Simpson

Jethro Tull

Jimi Hendrix

Joel White

John Denver

Johnny Cash

Johnny Mathis

Joni James

Joss Stone

Journey

Juan Thyme

Julia Figueroa

Julio Iglesias

Justin Timberlake

Karaoke    A - Z of UK venues

Kate Bush

Kate Nash

Katie Melua

Kenny Rogers

Kristina Bradford

Kylie Minogue - cancer

Led Zeppelin

Lily Allen

Linda Ronstadt

Lionel Richie

Live Aid

Live Earth Concerts

Live 8

Louis Walsh

Luciano Pavarotti

KISS

Madonna - Films and Video

Mama Hoochie Bang

Mando - Manto

Mariah Carey

Marillion

Max Jasper - Mezzowave

McFly

Meatloaf

Metallica

Michael Bolton

Michael Jackson

Mireille Mathieu

Modern Talking

MTV

My Chemical Romance

Myspace.com - Networking

Nat King Cole

Natasha Bedingfield

National Anthems

Neil Diamond

Nelly Furtado

Nirvana

 

Oasis

Olivia Newton-John

Paris Hilton

Patti Page

Pearl Jam

Perry Como

Peter Waterman

Petition the Prime Minister

Petula Clarke

Phil Collins

Photography

Pink - Pink Orchid Ltd

Pink Floyd

Pop Idol

Pop Music

Prince

Queen

Reading Music Festival

Record Companies

Record Producers

Ricky Nelson

Rihanna

Robbie Williams

Rod Stewart

Roxette

Roxy Music

Rule Britannia

Santana

Shakira

Shania Twain

Sharon Osbourne

Simon Cowell

Simply Red

Snoop Dog

Songwriting

Spice Girls

Stars in Their Eyes

Steps

Stevie Wonder

Sting - The Police

Stock Aitken Waterman SAW

Sugababes

Terry Wogan

The Bangles

The Beatles

The Bee Gees

The Brit Awards

The Carpenters

The Clash

The Doobie Brothers

The Doors

The Eagles

The Jacksons

The Pussycat Dolls

The Ramones

The Rolling Stones

The Royal Canadians

The Seekers

The Sunshine Girls

The Ventures

The Who

The X Factor

The X Factor 2005

The X Factor 2006

Three Dog Night

Timbaland

Tina Turner

TOP TEN - FORTY CHARTS

Tupac

U2

UB40

USA For Africa

Van Halen

Vibes From the Vine - Concert 06

Vicky Leandros

Victoria Beckham

VW tour bus - Sunshine Girls

Wei Wei

Whitney Houston

Wicked New Year Party - Alps 07

Woodstock

World Idol

X Factor Battle of Stars

YouTube.com

ZZ Top

 

 

 

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