Wayne Sermon

Last updated
Wayne Sermon
Wayne Sermon.jpg
Sermon performing in 2016
Background information
Birth nameDaniel Wayne Sermon
Born (1984-06-15) June 15, 1984 (age 39)
American Fork, Utah, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instrument(s)
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • mandolin
  • keyboards
Years active2009–present
Labels
Member of Imagine Dragons
Website imaginedragonsmusic.com
Sermon's voice
On the emotional effects of touring

Daniel Wayne Sermon (born June 15, 1984) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead guitarist for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.

Contents

Career

Wayne Sermon first met Dan Reynolds after hearing him perform at a club in Utah and approaching him afterwards about his musical interests. [1] [2] Reynolds invited him to join his band and move to Las Vegas. Sermon then invited Ben McKee to join the band on bass, and drummer Daniel Platzman, also a friend of Wayne from Berklee College of Music, became the last member to join the group. In Las Vegas, the band performed and honed their craft nearly nightly as a lounge act. [3] [4] [5] Vegas Music Summit Headliner 2010, [6] and more sent the band on a positive trajectory. In November 2011 they signed with Interscope Records and began working with producer Alex da Kid. [7]

In 2012 their debut album Night Visions brought the band mainstream success. It reached 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and won the Billboard Music Award for Best Rock Album (2014). Single "It's Time" became the band's first single reaching #15 Billboard Hot 100 and certified multi-platinum by the RIAA. Second single "Radioactive" reached #3 Billboard Hot 100 and was certified diamond by the RIAA, becoming the best selling rock song in the history of Nielsen SoundScan. Third single "Demons" reached #6 Billboard Hot 100 and was certified multi-platinum by the RIAA. Their album made the highest debut for a new rock band in six years (since 2006) and single Radioactive set a record for longest time atop the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart with 23 consecutive weeks. [8] Tracks from the album topped the Billboard Rock Songs, Billboard Alternative Songs, and Billboard Pop Songs charts. Radioactive was also nominated for two Grammy Awards, winning the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance. [9] Singles include "I Bet My Life" and "Shots". [10] [11]

Sermon has chronic insomnia and will often record songs during the middle of the night, sleeping only a couple of hours a day. [12]

Personal life

Sermon was born on June 15, 1984, in American Fork, Utah, to parents Jeff and Debbie Sermon. [13] He is one of five children and grew up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but has since left the church. [14]

As a youth, Sermon learned to play both cello and guitar. He was determined to be a guitarist even as a child. His father had an audio-phile quality amplifier, a record player, and all of The Beatles albums on vinyl, which Sermon enjoyed listening to. [15] He also loved the sounds of Tom Scholz (of Boston) and his approach to solos. [15] He attended Berklee College of Music where he double majored in guitar performance and composition, graduating in 2008. [16] While at Berklee he was part of a five-guitar jazz fusion ensemble called The Eclectic Electrics. [1] [2]

Equipment

Electric guitars

Acoustic guitars

Sound equipment

Playing style

Sermon has described his playing style as textural. [19]

Discography

Related Research Articles

The music in Nevada is often associated with the Rat Pack and lounge singers like Wayne Newton playing in Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City. However, Nevada has launched many other notable artists and bands from a variety of genres.

Music of Utah has long been influenced culturally by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The local music scene thrives. The musical history of Utah, and much of its current distinctiveness, is owed to artists from a variety of beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Reynolds</span> American singer, member of Imagine Dragons

Daniel Coulter Reynolds is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist of the pop rock band Imagine Dragons. Reynolds also released an EP in 2011, titled Egyptian – EP, as a duo with his then wife Aja Volkman under the moniker Egyptian. He is a recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imagine Dragons</span> American pop rock band

Imagine Dragons are an American pop rock band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and currently consists of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their single "It's Time", followed by their debut album Night Visions (2012), which resulted in the chart-topping singles "Radioactive" and "Demons". Rolling Stone named "Radioactive", which held the record for most weeks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the "biggest rock hit of the year". MTV called them "the year's biggest breakout band", and Billboard named them their "Breakthrough Band of 2013" and "Biggest Band of 2017", and placed them at the top of their "Year in Rock" rankings for 2013, 2017, and 2018. Imagine Dragons topped the Billboard Year-End "Top Artists – Duo/Group" category in 2018.

<i>Its Time</i> (EP) 2011 EP by Imagine Dragons

It's Time is the fourth extended play (EP) by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, released on March 12, 2011. It was recorded inside of Studio X at the Palms Hotel and Casino during the autumn of 2010. All songs were written and produced by Imagine Dragons and mixed by Grammy-nominated engineer Mark Needham.

<i>Continued Silence EP</i> 2012 EP by Imagine Dragons

Continued Silence EP is the fifth EP by American rock band Imagine Dragons, released on February 14, 2012 by KIDinaKORNER and Interscope Records. It was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios. All songs were written by Imagine Dragons and produced by Alex Da Kid, with mixing by engineer Manny Marroquin and engineer Rich Costey. The EP was mastered by mastering engineer Joe LaPorta. All of the songs on Continued Silence were featured on the band's debut album Night Visions except for "My Fault" and "Round and Round", which were later included on deluxe editions of Night Visions. Previous purchases of songs from the EP counted towards Night Visions and decreased its price.

<i>Hell and Silence</i> 2010 EP by Imagine Dragons

Hell and Silence is the third extended play (EP) by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, released on March 12, 2010. It was recorded at Battle Born Studios. All songs were written and produced by Imagine Dragons. "Hear Me" was remastered and included on the band's debut album Night Visions, while "I Don't Mind" and "Selene" were placed on deluxe editions.

<i>Imagine Dragons</i> (EP) 2009 EP by Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons is the eponymous second extended play (EP) by the American rock band of the same name, released on August 24, 2009. It was recorded at Battle Born Studios. All songs were written and produced by Imagine Dragons. Engineering was done by Robert Root. Tracks from the EP featured on Windows Media Player after the band won a competition on Reverbnation. The track "I Need a Minute" cracked the CMJ Radio 200. "Cover Up" appears on various deluxe editions of the band's debut album Night Visions.

<i>Night Visions</i> 2012 studio album by Imagine Dragons

Night Visions is the debut studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was released on September 4, 2012, through Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. The album was primarily produced by the band themselves, as well as English hip-hop producer Alex da Kid and Brandon Darner from the American indie rock group The Envy Corps. According to frontman Dan Reynolds, the album took three years to finish, with six of the album's tracks being previously released on multiple EPs. Musically, Night Visions exhibits influences of folk, hip hop and pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Time (song)</span> 2012 single by Imagine Dragons

"It's Time" is the debut single by American rock band Imagine Dragons, released on February 6, 2012, as the lead single from the band's first major label EP, Continued Silence. Later that year the song was included on the band's first full album Night Visions. The song had already been included on the band's independently released EP It's Time (2011), and it had been available on YouTube since 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radioactive (Imagine Dragons song)</span> 2012 single by Imagine Dragons

"Radioactive" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons from their major-label debut EP Continued Silence and later on their debut studio album, Night Visions (2012), as the opening track. It was first sent to modern rock radio on October 29, 2012, and then released to contemporary hit radio on April 9, 2013. Musically, "Radioactive" is an electronic rock and alternative rock song with elements of dubstep. In a 2021 podcast interview called The Turning Point, Dan Reynolds revealed that after almost a decade, he had realized that the lyrics were actually about him not giving up hope after losing faith in Mormonism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imagine Dragons discography</span>

The American pop rock band Imagine Dragons has released six studio albums, four live albums, one compilation album, ten extended plays, twenty-seven singles, six promotional singles and twenty-three music videos. According to Recording Industry Association of America, they have sold 74.5 million digital singles and 12 million albums in the US. Imagine Dragons has sold 46 million albums and 55 million singles worldwide, including 74 billion global career streams, making them among the best-selling rock bands in history. Billboard named them as the 29th Greatest Adult Alternative artist of all time, as well as the 13th Top Artist of 2010s in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demons (Imagine Dragons song)</span> 2013 song by Imagine Dragons

"Demons" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by Alex da Kid, Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Josh Mosser and produced by Alex da Kid. The song appears on their major-label debut extended play, Continued Silence, and also makes an appearance on their debut studio album, Night Visions, as the fourth track. "Demons" was solicited to American triple-A radio stations on January 28, 2013 and to modern rock stations two months later, on April 1, 2013. It serves as the album's overall fifth single and was released as the third single from Night Visions in the United States, later released to US contemporary hit radio stations on 17 September 2013 as an official single. The lyrics portray the protagonist warning the significant other of his or her flaws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben McKee</span> American musician

Benjamin Arthur McKee is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is the bassist for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.

<i>Night Visions Live</i> 2014 live album and Video by Imagine Dragons

Night Visions Live is the second live album by American rock band Imagine Dragons. Recorded during a live performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre on May 16, 2013, during the Night Visions Tour, the album was released by KIDinaKORNER and Interscope Records on February 25, 2014. Physical copies of the album and video include the 2012 documentary The Making of Night Visions, and the band's music videos produced during the Night Visions album cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle Cry (Imagine Dragons song)</span> 2014 single by Imagine Dragons

"Battle Cry" is a song by American rock band Imagine Dragons. It was released on June 2, 2014, as a single promoting Transformers: Age of Extinction, a 2014 science fiction action film based on the Transformers franchise. The song, which appears in the end credits of the film, was also included on the super deluxe version of the band’s second studio album, Smoke + Mirrors (2015). It is the first theme song in the live-action Transformers film franchise not to be performed by Linkin Park, though the latter's "Until It's Gone" is included on the accompanying video game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Platzman</span> American drummer and songwriter

Daniel James Platzman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and composer. He is the drummer for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.

<i>Smoke + Mirrors</i> 2015 studio album by Imagine Dragons

Smoke + Mirrors is the second studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The album was recorded during 2014 at the band's home studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Self-produced by members of the band along with English hip-hop producer Alex da Kid, the album was released by Interscope Records and Grant's Kidinakorner label on February 17, 2015, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shots (Imagine Dragons song)</span> 2015 single by Imagine Dragons

"Shots" is a song by American rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by band members Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon and released as the third and final single from their second studio album Smoke + Mirrors (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machine (Imagine Dragons song)</span> 2018 single by Imagine Dragons

"Machine" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, who co-wrote it with their producer Alex da Kid. It is the third single from the band's fourth studio album Origins.

References

  1. 1 2 "Imagine Dragons Interview With Guitarist Wayne Sermon | Interview | Music News | JAM Magazine Online | David Dunn | Chris Eason". jammagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  2. 1 2 "Imagine Dragons: "That arena sound excites us, we don't need to apologise for it"". fasterlouder.com.au. Archived from the original on 2014-12-16. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  3. ↑ "Imagine Dragons Talk New Album and Growing Up in Las Vegas". vegasmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
  4. ↑ Corlene Byrd (24 October 2013). "The Weekly chat: The Killers' Dave Keuning and Imagine Dragons' Wayne Sermon--together". LasVegasWeekly.com.
  5. ↑ "Hotonite!26". Archived from the original on 2013-01-27.
  6. ↑ [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ Plenke, Max (November 17, 2011). "Imagine Dragons scores major-label deal". Las Vegas CityLife. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Imagine Dragons Blaze Into #2 Spot On Billboard Chart - MTV". mtv.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  9. ↑ "Imagine Dragons pick up a pair of Grammy nominations - Las Vegas Weekly". lasvegasweekly.com. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  10. ↑ "Imagine Dragons Release Bombastic New Song From Upcoming Album". Spin. 2014-10-27.
  11. ↑ Brian Mansfield, USA TODAY (27 October 2014). "Song of the Week: Imagine Dragons' 'I Bet My Life'". USA TODAY.
  12. ↑ "Imagine Dragons - Night Sessions, Insomnia and Nightmares". redbullusa.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  13. ↑ Sermon, Wayne. "Imagine Dragons - Live From The ORIGINS Experience". Youtube. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  14. ↑ "1181-1185: Wayne and Alex Sermon - Our Journey with Imagine Dragons and Mormonism". Mormon Stories. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-12.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Imagine Dragons Guitarist Wayne Sermon on New Album, Influences and His Favorite Gibsons". gibson.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
  16. ↑ "Berklee College of Music". berklee.edu. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  17. 1 2 "FOH mixer Scott Eisenberg and monitor engineer Jared Swetnam discuss the details regarding Imagine Dragons' live setup | Mix talks to FOH mixer Scott Eisenberg and monitor engineer Jared Swetnam about the details behind Imagine Dragons' live setup, in the May 2013 issue of Mix". mixonline.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  18. ↑ "Rig Rundown: Imagine Dragons". premierguitar.com. 22 July 2015.
  19. 1 2 "ELIXIR Strings Catches Up with Wayne Sermon of Imagine Dragons - YouTube". youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
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