Alesana (pronounced /ˈælɨs ˈænə/ Alice-Anna) is an American Post-Hardcore band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Formed in 2004, the group is currently signed to Epitaph Records and have released one EP and
four full-length studio albums. The band gained a wide audience after their
debut, On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax was released, featuring a musical
style shifting between light and heavy sounds along with a wide influence
ranging to even classic rock bands such as The Beatles. Their band name is derived from street named Aliceanna St.,
which is located in Baltimore where the group originated.
Formation and Try This with Your Eyes Closed (2004–2005)
Although the band's members first began
playing together in Baltimore,[7] Maryland, Alesana officially formed in
October 2004 in Raleigh, North Carolina and was founded by Shawn
Milke, Patrick Thompson, Dennis Lee, Steven To many and Daniel Magnuson. The
name of the band is inspired from Aliceanna St., which Shawn Milke and Patrick
Thompson lived on when playing in Baltimore, MD. Aliceanna St. is located in
Fells Point, a neighborhood in Baltimore. Alesana was the first band to join
Tragic Hero Records in 2005, and their 3 demo songs titled
"Apology", "Beautiful in Blue" and "Goodbye, Goodnight
for Good" were featured on the compilation All The Tragedy Money Can
Buy.
In May 2005 they released their debut EP, Try
This With Your Eyes Closed. Alesana then toured across the United
States, including an appearance at the Cornerstone
Festival, despite not being a Christian band. In the same year,
founding drummer Daniel Magnuson was replaced by Will Anderson.
On Frail
Wings of Vanity and Wax (2006–2008)
In 2006 the group added a new drummer Jeremy Bryan to
replace Will Anderson and added guitarist/vocalist Adam Ferguson to their
lineup. They followed with a
full-length album, entitled On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax, produced by Kit Walters,
during the summer of 2006. In late 2006 Alesana signed to Fearless Records, which re-released their
LP in March 2007 to mixed reviews and released a music video for
"Ambrosia". In the same year, the song "Apology" in an
acoustic version was featured on the compilation release, Punk Goes
Acoustic 2. The group played the entire Warped Tour 2007, but following afterward, bassist
Steven Tomany left Alesana.
In early 2008, On
Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax charted
on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, peaking at #44.
Where Myth Fades to Legend (2008-2009)
In 2008, Alesana finished recording their second album, Where Myth Fades
to Legend. It was released on June 3, 2008, but was leaked on
popular torrent sites a month beforehand. Where
Myth Fades to Legend was also
the title of their headlining tour with Sky Eats Airplane, Our Last Night, Lovehatehero, and The Chariot that supported the album. At the time
of preparing for the record a year before, the band lacked an official bass
player. Shane Crump, who previously played in a band named Your Name in Vain
and originally a merchandise salesman for Alesana, was invited into the group
after an audition, thus making the record Crump's debut. The record is also the
first to feature Shawn Milke's sister, Mellissa, whom performs all female
vocals.
On the 2008 Warped Tour, Shane Crump briefly left due to
personal matters at home and Jake Campbell (Twelve Gauge
Valentineguitarist) became a temporary fill in-bassist. Upon Crump's
return, Adam Ferguson and the band parted ways and Cambell became rhythm
guitarist.
On January 20, 2009 the music video for
"Seduction" was officially released and on March 10, 2009 the album Punk Goes Pop 2 was released which includes Alesana's
cover of "What Goes Around...Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake.
Alesana's Where Myth Fades to
Legend has also charted on
the Billboard 200 at #96 and on the Billboard Hard Rock Album at #13.
The Emptiness (2009-2010)
In late February, Shawn Milke announced
Alesana had started writing new material for their upcoming album. They began
recording their third studio album, in July 2009, in Portland, Oregon, with
producer Kris Crummett. The album, according to Shawn Milke on The Rave TV,
would be entitled The Emptiness. The band has made their
progress in the studio viewable to fans through a Twitter account and an official
website run by the band themselves. Concluding the band's recording session,
which began on July 10, Alesana then set out for North Carolina to rest before
they began their Vs. tour, which they headlined and included the bands The Bled, Enter Shikari, Broadway, Madina Lake, and Asking Alexandria. On the Vs. tour,
Alesana's set included two new songs titled "To Be Scared By An Owl"
and "The Thespian". Soon after concluding their month long Vs. tour,
Alesana headlined the "You'd Be Way Cuter in a Coffin" Tour with From First to
Last, Asking Alexandria, The Word Alive andMemphis May Fire.
On October 15, Milke and Lee held a second
interview with The Rave, where they revealed that they were shooting a music
video in the fall for one song from The Emptiness. The two members went on
to tell Linda, the interviewer, that due to their large fan base in Mexicoand South America, they would be releasing a
Spanish version of 2 of their songs. Milke also revealed that the album, The Emptiness, was to be released on
January 26, 2010. On November 23, Alesana released their first
recorded work off of The Emptiness, "To Be Scared By An
Owl" and began to promote it as a single. The same week, they entered the
studio to begin filming their third video which according to their website, is
"The Thespian", the song was released on December 8, 2009. In 2009,
Alesana won the Best Hardcore/Screamo Band at the Rock
on Request Awards. The band were also invited to play "To
Be Scared by an Owl" live on The Daily Habit.
After the release of their music video for
"The Thespian" on March 17, the group became less active while
promoting the 2010 Warped Tour, which they took part in at
the end of June. Right before their first venue on the Warped
Tour, guitarist Jake Campbell left the band to be with his family, and Alex Torres of Greeley Estates took his place. Upon the release of The Emptiness, it debuted at #68 on the Billboard 200, which made it the best
selling release by the band during this period.
On July 22, 2010, Milke made a statement on
the official Revolver website, regarding his
constant desire to write scripts, stories and music; considering The
Emptiness his 'first printed story'. Milke went on to
say that he is constantly writing, and that new material for an Alesana
album—as well as material for Wake Me Up, Juliet and Tempting Paris—was already
being created. After The Emptiness's recording, the group
announced a headlining tour entitled: Two Frail Weeks of Vanity
and Wax,
in which they performedOn
Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax in its entirety on each
date of the tour, along with confirming that some songs would never be played
live again after these concerts. In November of 2010, Alesana departed from Fearless
and signed to Epitaph Records.
A Place
Where the Sun Is Silent (2011–present)
During the beginning of 2011, the band confirmed that
plans for a new record were already in the works. Alesana stated that chosen
VIP's were involved within the testing of new tracks that were prepared to be included
on their fourth studio album. These trackings were recorded during March 2011
with producer Kris Crummett. By
the beginning of that summer, Alesana completely finished the record's
recording sessions. Alex Torres, Shane Crump, and Dennis Lee shortly thereafter
confirmed that the mixing was finished as well and that they had the first
master copies published. The name of the album was then announced to be titled, A Place Where the Sun Is Silent, and was released on
October 18.
Before its release, promotion for the record was
supported by many magazines, websites and other publications. August 24, 2011
hadAlternative
Press premiere the
first leaked song from the album, entitled "A Gilded Masquerade". September 20th had Buzznetstreaming "A Forbidden Dance" on their
website as part of a contest for a lyric video.
The album thematizes Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem, Inferno. On December 20, 2011, the song
"Circle VII: Sins of the Lion" was voted the best song of 2011 by
readers of Revolver.
In May of 2012, Lee began a four-pierce side band named
Child of the Jackyl with members of the thrash metal band Vanisher. The band
confirmed later in the year that their fifth studio album is currently in its
pre works, but only in its writing stage so far. The band moved on without
guitarist Alex Torres on the evening of August 19, 2012 by
asking him to leave. Since then, Jake Campbell has returned to the band.
