Death by Stereo has released seven full-length studio albums and one live album.[1] Their most recent studio album, We're All Dying Just in Time, was released in 2020.
History
Beginnings (1998–1999)
The band was formed by Ian Fowles, Jarrod Alexander, Efrem Schulz, Paul Miner and Jim Miner out of what were the remnants of their former bands. Jarrod and Ian were from the band D-Cons, Efrem was from Clint and Paul and Jim, who are brothers, were from CleanX.[2][3] All five members had known each other long before Death by Stereo formed, as their former bands had toured and recorded together previously. Paul's record label Dental Records had released music by Clint and D-cons and would later go on to put out the first Death by Stereo release.
The five practiced in Jarrod's garage for a few months before recording a demo. They recorded five songs at For The Record Studios, where Paul worked. Out of the five songs, four of them went on to be re-recorded and included on their first album. On March 5, 1998, they played their first show, and soon after began playing more shows around Southern California. By late 1998, the band released their first official release Fooled by Your Smile7". Following this release, Ian decided to leave the band, and was replaced by Keith Barney.
In 1998, Death by Stereo was signed to Indecision Records, and released their first album-If Looks Could Kill, I'd Watch You Die- in the following year. Shortly after Jarrod moved to Boston to pursue music full-time at the Berklee School Of Music, and was replaced by Tim Bender. Keith also left the band, to pursue his other bands Throwdown and Eighteen Visions. He was replaced by Dan Palmer, formerly of the band Eyelid.[4] They toured for the rest of the year.
By 2002, Death by Stereo had become fairly popular, as evidenced by a spot on the Warped Tour for that year. During the tour however, there was some conflict between the band, and some of the behind the scenes crew. It was rumoured that one Death by Stereo's crew had assaulted someone, which forced the band to drop off the tour for a few dates, even though they denied the accusation. They returned to their tour nevertheless. Their 2003 album Into the Valley of Death contains a track called "I Wouldn't Piss in Your Ear if Your Brain Was on Fire", which Dan Palmer has said was written about their warped experience.
Increasing popularity (2002–2005)
In early 2003, during the recording of their third album, Jim Miner left the band. Tim "Tito" Owens replaced him during a European tour. They released Into the Valley of Death, which was mostly recorded while Jim was still in the band, later that year. It is for this reason, that the album's liner notes, still credit Jim and Dan as the band's guitarists. Tito was credited also, as 'additional guitars'.
On September 28, 2003, during a tour supporting Thursday, Death by Stereo played a solo show in Blacksburg, Virginia, at a venue called Solar Haus. During this show, a fault in the venue set up caused five people to be injured and one person to die. After this, Death by Stereo canceled the rest of their tour dates, and returned home. On October 29, 2003, they played a show to benefit the victims, at the Chain Reaction, in Anaheim, California. This show was recorded and given away for free, with 'Law of Inertia' magazine.
Death by Stereo resumed touring, and began writing their fourth album in late 2004. During early 2005, founding member Paul Miner left to pursue recording, producing and mixing. He has since worked with many big bands, including New Found Glory, Atreyu and Thrice. He was replaced by Tyler Rebbe from Pulley.
They recorded their fourth album in early 2005. Death for Life was released in June 2005.
In July 2005, Death by Stereo's guitarist Tito left the band. They played as a four-piece band up until late 2006. In December 2005, former guitarist Jim Miner returned to the band to play two shows, but he did not return to the band full-time. In addition, Efrem stated that they looked forward to collaborating with Jim, in the future.
Playing as a four-piece (2005–2008)
During the first half of 2006, Death by Stereo toured extensively despite having only one guitarist (Palmer). In February they played in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, for the first time, marking the beginning of their Death to the Third World tour. They also played their first shows in Venezuela, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico. They also played in New Zealand for the first time, during June 2006, and supported Strung Out later that month in an Australian tour. The second half of 2006 saw few shows, as they worked on their new album and faced changes to their lineup. They played in Ecuador at Quito Fest on December (2006).
In August 2006, drummer Todd Hennig left the band to play in Sex N Violence featuring Gene Bullets, Brent Clawson, and Kevin Besignano from Bullets and Octane, and the reality TV star/Criterion Records owner Jeremy Miller.[5] Todd was quickly replaced by Chris Dalley. Dalley's first live show with the band was in Colombia at Rock al Parque, performing in front of thousands of fans.
On January 23, 2006, which happened to be the fifth anniversary of their second album Day of the Death, frontman Efrem Schulz posted on his Myspace blog that saying that Death by Stereo will release a DVD that will contain "any footage". Bassist Tyler Rebbe stated on the band's message board that he is uncertain if it will be released any time soon.[permanent dead link].
In September 2006, it was announced that the band's former drummer Jarrod Alexander and guitarist Jim Miner would rejoin Death by Stereo to participate in the writing and recording of their upcoming album.[6] Since this time, Jim and Jarrod have participated in live shows and have assisted with writing songs. But have not rejoined the band full-time. Death by Stereo's touring lineup, from late 2006 until mid-2008 consisted of Schulz, Rebbe, Dalley and Palmer.
In 2006, it was also announced that Death by Stereo would release a split album with punk rock bank Love Equals Death. The album was to be titled Love Equals Death by Stereo. Love Equals Death subsequently disbanded in 2006, and this project was cancelled.[citation needed]
Rebbe left the band in mid-2008 to concentrate on his other projects. He was replaced by Jeff Clarke. Death by Stereo went into a period of relative inactivity after Rebbe's departure until the release of their fifth album.
Reverting as a five-piece band (2008–2014)
On October 28, 2008, in an interview with Rebeltheory.com [permanent dead link], it was announced their fifth studio would be titled Death Is My Only Friend.
In 2009, Death by Stereo signed with Serjical Strike Records and released their fifth studio album. It was recorded in mid-2008 by Schulz, Clarke, Dalley, Palmer with their new rhythm guitarist JP "The Kid" Gericke. It was produced by Jason Freese. The album was finally released after many months of delay on July 7, 2009. Shortly before its release, Chris Dalley and Death by Stereo parted ways due to internal friction. Chris has since been added as the new drummer for Voodoo Glow Skulls and Death by Stereo has taken on a new drummer Mike Cambra from the Los Angeles-based Cry Havoc.
In November 2009, Death by Stereo toured with Todd Hennig's new band; Nations Afire. The band also performed on the Persistence Tour in Europe in the winter of 2009. The band spent the first half of 2010 touring Europe, Japan and the U.S.
By September 2010, Death by Stereo had begun writing new material for their next album. On October 24, 2011, Death by Stereo released a preview of their upcoming album on their Facebook page. The new song is titled "WTF is Going on Around Here?". The band created a new street team to help promote the upcoming album and touring. The street team was created via Facebook and goes by the name of Death Squad. Currently there are two branches of this street team, US, and UK, with more to come in the future. As posted in the biography section on the band's Facebook page, they were signed to Viking Funeral Records, a label owned and operated by Fletcher Dragge of the band Pennywise. Their sixth studio album, Black Sheep of the American Dream, was released on April 24, 2012, on this label. The band toured relentlessly throughout 2012 and 2013 to support of Black Sheep of the American Dream.[7][8][9][10][11]
Recent events (2015–present)
In January 2015, Death by Stereo released their first song in two-and-a-half years, "Neverending", through online streaming outlets.[12] It also appeared as the opening track on their six-song EP, Just Like You'd Leave Us, We've Left You for Dead, which was released on October 28, 2016.[13] A world tour in support of the EP followed.
In a January 2020 interview with No Echo, Efrem Schulz revealed that Death by Stereo had been working on the follow-up to 2012's Black Sheep of the American Dream, and that it would be called We're All Dying Just in Time. He described the album's content as "an all out attack on this system we are all currently living in. I think it's got the best elements of everything we've done in the past but still moves forward. It's most definitely really fucking pissed off."[14]We're All Dying Just in Time was released on August 7, 2020, and is their first release on their original label Indecision Records in over 20 years.[15]
Death by Stereo's music blurs the lines between traditional, punk rock, hardcore, and metal. Their music mixes metal riffs, solos, melodies and hooks, and results in a sound that is noted for its originality, among a punk rock scene that some say has become stagnant in recent years. The music has evolved over time, mainly due to the unstable lineup, which has included five guitarists, two bassists, and four drummers. Their first album, If Looks Could Kill, I'd Watch You Die, was punk rock with a heavy influence of hardcore. Their later albums, especially Death for Life, are more heavy metal, with less punk rock and hardcore elements.
Band members
Current members
Efrem "The Bean" Schulz – lead vocals, additional guitars, keyboards, programming (1998–present)
Christian R&B artist J.R. released an album called Life by Stereo, a reversal of the band's name.
In the American TV series Drake & Josh the room of the protagonists features lots of Death by Stereo stickers over Drake's bed.
Related Research Articles
Day of the Death is the second album by American hardcore punk band Death by Stereo, released in 2001.
Voodoo Glow Skulls are an American ska punk band formed in 1988 in Riverside, California, by brothers Frank, Eddie, and Jorge Casillas and their longtime friend Jerry O'Neill. Voodoo Glow Skulls first played at backyard parties and later at Spanky's Café in their hometown of Riverside, where they played shows with the Angry Samoans, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Firehose, Murphy's Law, and The Dickies.
Tsunami Bomb is an American punk rock band from Petaluma, California. They were formed in 1998 by bassist Dominic Davi, with keyboardist/vocalist Oobliette Sparks and later joined by drummer Gabe Lindeman. With vocalist Emily Whitehurst aka "Agent M" they would become a staple of Warped Tour and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan, going through a number of lineup changes until they disbanded in 2005 after releasing two full length albums and a number of EP's. In 2015 the band reformed with new vocalist Kate Jacobi and later guitarist Andy Pohl and has remained active since, touring and appearing on a variety of festivals.
Death for Life is the fourth studio album by American hardcore punk band Death by Stereo, released on June 7, 2005.
Jarrod Fletcher Alexander is an American musician who has played with many hardcore punk bands. He has been a member of The Suicide File, A Static Lullaby, Dead Country, and more recently, My Chemical Romance, Alkaline Trio, Matt Skiba, Meg Myers, and Necessary Noise.
Zero Down was an American punk rock trio formed by former Strung Out bassist Jim Cherry, former Down by Law drummer Milo Todesco and former War Called Peace guitarist John McCree. Frontman Cherry enlisted the support of Fat Wreck Chords owner Fat Mike, who released the band's first album, With a Lifetime to Pay in 2001. The music was a throwback to mid-1990s melodic skate punk, and is still well received to this day. The band added a fourth member in August 2001, ex-Lagwagon guitarist Shawn Dewey.
Into the Valley of Death is the third studio album by American hardcore punk band Death by Stereo. It was released on April 22, 2003, as their second album on Epitaph Records. The enhanced CD version of this album has a video for "Wasted Words" included.
Last Night in Town is the first studio album by the American metalcore band Every Time I Die. After recording a demo, the band signed with the independent label Goodfellow Records in 2000 and released The Burial Plot Bidding War EP. The band signed to Ferret Music in mid-2000 and was planning to record its first album later in the year. After writing was completed in December of that year, the band went on several US tours until March 2001. In March and April, Last Night in Town was recorded with the Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts. Following recording, the band went on tour with Killswitch Engage and Santa Sangre.
If Looks Could Kill I'd Watch You Die is the first release by American hardcore punk band Death by Stereo, released in 1999 via Indecision Records. It is highly acclaimed in the hardcore community for its originality and raw sound, tight drumming, lightning fast guitars and tempo changes. The album is centred on the drums, much more so than their other releases. The introductory track is a sound-bite from the film The Lost Boys, of which the band's name is also derived.
Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses is the debut studio album by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was released on June 4, 2002, under Victory Records. The album featured re-worked versions of the songs "Living Each Day Like You're Already Dead", "Someone's Standing on My Chest" and "Tulips Are Better", which originally appeared on the band's 2001 EP, Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty. "Ain't Love Grand" and "Lip Gloss and Black" were released as singles and music videos were also made for these two songs. The latter video found significant airplay on Headbangers Ball and Uranium in the fall of 2003.
Pulley is an American, California-based punk rock band, formed in 1994. The band is known for straightforward, hard-edged melodic punk rock.
Only Crime is an American melodic hardcore group formed by Good Riddance singer Russ Rankin and Bane guitarist Aaron Dalbec in 2003. The band plays melodic but hard-hitting punk rock that borrows heavily from early-1980s hardcore bands such as Black Flag.
Efrem "The Bean" Schulz is an American punk rock singer of Mexican descent, best known for his work with Death by Stereo. As of Paul Miner's departure in 2005, he is the only remaining original member of the band. He took over as lead singer of Voodoo Glow Skulls following the departure of "Frank Voodoo" Casillas. Efrem is also the frontman for the Chicano-themed punk parody band Manic Hispanic and skacore supergroup Mutiny.
Jughead's Revenge is an American punk rock band. They originally formed in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1989. To date, Jughead's Revenge has released six studio albums. After 12 years of recording and touring extensively, Jughead's Revenge disbanded in 2001 due to a lawsuit with Archie Comics who owned the rights to fictional character Jughead Jones. The band reformed in 2009 and has continued to perform at a number of live shows since 2010, and as of 2018 the band is working on a new album.
Death Alive is a live album by American hardcore punk band Death by Stereo. The CD was recorded live at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California during the Into the Valley of the Death tour. It was originally to be recorded to be given away free with an issue of Law of Inertia Magazine. However, when the band realized that many of their fans did not have a copy of the CD, they decided to re-release it with Reignition Records on March 13, 2007.
Death Is My Only Friend is the fifth studio album by American hardcore punk band Death by Stereo, released in July 2009. It is their first album in four years, since the release of Death for Life in 2005, the longest gap between Death by Stereo's studio albums to date.
Antagonist is an American metalcore band from Whittier, California, formed in 1998. They released numerous EPs prior to being signed with Prosthetic Records. They have released two albums while under the Prosthetic Records banner, "Exist" and "World in Decline". In 2012, Antagonist once again became an independent band and released the five-song EP, “Antagonist” (2015). In 2019, Antagonist signed with independent label Infinite Strength Records and released a two-song EP “Human Failure” on July 19.
Love Equals Death was a punk rock band from Petaluma, California, whose music drew influence from classic rock and horror punk. The group formed in 2003 and released two EPs, one compilation album, and one studio album, 2006's Nightmerica. They toured the United States several times, but encountered problems when founding bassist Dominic Davi was arrested in March 2007 on allegations of rape and subsequently dismissed from the band. He was replaced by former Distillers and Angels & Airwaves bassist Ryan Sinn, and the band toured Europe and the United Kingdom. After Sinn left, a retooled Love Equals Death lineup performed on the 2008 Warped Tour and planned to record a second album, but disbanded after singer and founding member Chon Travis quit in January 2009. Travis reformed the band in 2019 and has since released new music on SBAM records.
Black Sheep of the American Dream is the sixth studio album by American hardcore punk band Death by Stereo, released in April 2012. It is their first album released on Viking Funeral Records.
I Rise is an American hardcore punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. They released an album, an EP, and a split EP on 1917 Records, and Eightfold Path Records, and toured extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
