Senses Fail

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Senses Fail
Origin Bergen County, New Jersey
Genre(s) Post-Hardcore
Emo
Screamo
Years active 2002–Present
Label(s) Vagrant
Geffen, Inc. (Formerly)
Interscope (Formerly)
Drive-Thru (Formerly)
Website http://www.sensesfail.com/
Members
Buddy Nielsen
Garrett Zablocki
Dan Trapp
Heath Saraceno
Former members
Dave Miller
James Gill
Mike Glita

Senses Fail is a band based in Ridgewood, New Jersey, formed in 2003. Their music draws influence heavily from the Pop-punk, hardcore, and emo genres. Their main influences are Jimmy Eat World, Fairweather, Grade, The Promise Ring, Jawbreaker, Saves the Day, Thursday, and The Get Up Kids.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Formation and From the Depths of Dreams EP (2002 - 2003)

The formation of Senses Fail starts with Buddy Nielsen, who in 2002 started recruiting members through an advertisement on the Internet, a year before the formation of the band. Dan Trapp read the article and Trapp, who was only 15 at the time, brought his friend Dave Miller & Garrett Zablocki from a band he had played with previously. Later, the bass player Mike Glita, former drummer for Tokyo Rose joined the lineup.[2]

The band took their musical influences of punk, metal, and hardcore and mixed it with poetry, emotion, literature, religion, eastern philosophy and spirituality to create their own sound and image. [3] The name "Senses Fail" is derived from the Buddhist belief in Nirvana. Lead singer Nielsen explains, "In Buddhism, they believe that being alive is hell, and the only way to reach Nirvana is to ultimately have no attachments to anything. So, people go out and live in the middle of the woods and they don't eat and don't drink. They just meditate because they've reached such a high level where they're not attached to love, relationships or anything. And if you want to reach the highest level of being and see God, you have to have all your senses fail."[3]

The band began building a local fan base while playing any gig they could find from skate parks and clubs to churches[4], then soon entered the studio and started to record. Their first release, From the Depths of Dreams, was a six-track EP that was originally released on ECA Records on August 16, 2002. It originally started as two three-song demo CDs, but was later joined together to make one release by producer John Naclerio. The independent release did very well and caught the attention of some record labels. They signed to Drive-Thru Records, and reissued their EP April 29, 2003 with two extra tracks, better mixing and new cover art. This release saw much success, and sold enough copies to peak at #144 on the Billboard chart.[5] In support of the EP, Senses Fail toured with such bands as Finch, The Used, Millencolin, and The Starting Line.

[edit] Let It Enfold You (2004 - 2005)

Senses Fail started working on their debut album, Let It Enfold You in early 2004. During this time, lead singer and song writer Buddy Nielsen was 18[4]. They worked with producer Steve Evetts (Saves the Day, A Static Lullaby, Every Time I Die) on their new label Vagrant Records. The lyrics are derived from a wide variety of sources. The title of the album was taken from a poem written by Charles Bukowski, the song "The Irony of Dying on Your Birthday" is about the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, and parts of the song "Slow Dance" include lines of the Dao De Jing.[3] Nielsen stated that, "We just love making music and writing good songs. I feel like I've got a lot more to say and we've got a lot more to contribute. But even if things ended tomorrow, we've gotten 10 times further than we ever expected to get and that makes us feel like we've succeeded regardless of what happens from here on." Let It Enfold You was released on September 7, 2004 on Vagrant and Drive Thru Records[6]. The album has sold over 300,000 copies.[7]

Let It Enfold You saw the release of two singles: "Buried a Lie" and "Rum Is for Drinking, Not for Burning." The music video for "Buried a Lie" was filmed on the set of a soap opera called "The Guiding Light." Nielsen's mother shot the video and was also the link between Senses Fail and the soap as she used to act in the show.[4] The release of the video started attracting mainstream success for the band. During this time period Senses Fail could be found in magazines such as Kerrang!, Rolling Stone, Spin and were even featured on the cover of Alternative Press.[4]

The band toured extensively in support of the release. They were added to Warped Tour in 2004, 2005, and 2006[4]; and played on the main stage for the latter two editions of the tour. They were also included on the very first Taste of Chaos tour in 2005 with such notable acts as The Used, My Chemical Romance, and Killswitch Engage. They also headlined a few tours of their own during this time with The Early November from Drive Thru and Emanuel from Vagrant.

The album was reissued in November 2005 with bonus tracks and new album art. In addition to the original track listing, it featured acoustic versions of songs from the album, an unreleased track, and a cover of Suicidal Tendencies' Institutionalized.

In 2005, the band's web site announced the departure, by mutual agreement, of guitarist Dave Miller. He was replaced by Heath Saraceno, previously the guitarist/vocalist of the band Midtown. Subsequent interviews with band members have made it clear that Miller did not leave voluntarily.[citation needed] Miller started his own record label called DMI (Dave Miller Industries) in September 2006.[8]

[edit] Still Searching (2006 - 2007)

After taking a break off of touring, and acquiring a new lineup, Senses Fail began to write their second studio album. The new album, titled Still Searching was produced by Brian McTernan (Thrice, Cave In) and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge. This album eased up on the aggression on previous albums and showed more emotion. On the subject of the new songs, Nielson explained, "I like my lyrics to be open to interpretation, but I didn’t want to paint pictures of things no one was going to understand; I want our fans to be able to relate. At some point, we all start examining our lives. If you don’t, there’s something wrong with you."[4]

In support of the new album, the band toured on the Taste of Chaos again. In 2006 they toured with the Taste of Chaos International, and in 2007 Senses Fail returned to North America for the 2007 Taste of Chaos tour. In the summer of 2007 they also participated in a few dates of the Zumiez Couch Tour along side From Autumn to Ashes. They headlined in late 2006 with Saosin and Bleeding Through as supporters.[6] On October 5, 2007, Senses Fail began a 33-city co-headlining tour with New Found Glory which started in Las Vegas, Nevada. Also in the tour was Set Your Goals. The tour ended on November 24, 2007 in San Diego, California.

On November 13, 2007, Senses Fail released a deluxe version of Still Searching, which featured new art, behind-the-scenes DVD featuring footage from the band's headlining tour last fall, two additional previously digital-only songs, three new songs, and a cover of The Cranberries's song 'Salvation'.[9]

On December 8th, 2007, Senses Fail's bassist Mike Glita left the band to pursue his side project Knights in Paris.[10] He has announced, on Myspace, that he will join the band Vampire for Hire, now known as Love Automatic, and continue to pursue the side project.

[edit] Future plans and new album (2008 - present)

The band has started, and will continue writing for their follow-up album to Still Searching. They played one show on January 24, 2008 in New York at the Knitting Factory. Jason Black of Hot Water Music played bass as a replacement for Mike Glita. Senses Fail played the Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 4.

The band will begin recording their next album in April 2008 and are aiming for a September 2008 release date. Buddy recently talked about the direction of the new album.

"There is a real sense of urgency in the songs we’ve been writing," says singer James "Buddy" Nielsen. "We’re just now starting to find the direction for this record and you’re definitely going to hear a more aggressive side of Senses Fail. The songs have a lot of grit and power and remind me of how I felt when we wrote From The Depths of Dreams. We are all very excited to get in the studio with Brian again and make the best music we’ve ever made."

In the July 2008 issue of Alternative Press, it was stated that Jason Black, still dubbed temporary bassist, is filling that role during the recording of the new CD.[11] In the same article it said the band was aiming for a September release. Nielsen also stated:

"I'm not old, but I will be soon. I realized I need to reassess or audit myself — not like a Scientologist. [Laughs.] That's what this album is about: Letting go of the person you used to be and changing for the better. [...] Last time, we had kind of an idea of what we wanted to do. This time, we said 'Let's just write a bunch of songs and put 'em together and see what we have.' [...] We're really focused on what's going to sound good live. We wanted this to sound fresh — we're even doing some upbeat hardcore stuff that nobody plays anymore. [...] Everything we've written in the past has been about darkness and depression. The basic concept here is that you can change. So, overall, it's an uplifting, positive record."

[edit] Members

[edit] Former members
  • Dave Miller – Guitar (left and started his own record label, DMI)
  • James Gill – Bass Guitar (left to play in Amory)
  • Mike Glita – Bass Guitar, vocals (left to pursue his side project, Knights in Paris)

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Release date Title Label U.S. Billboard peak U.S. sales
August 13, 2002 From the Depths of Dreams EP ECA Records
Drive-Thru Records		 #144 280,000[citation needed]
September 7, 2004 Let It Enfold You Vagrant Records #34 360,000[citation needed]
October 10, 2006 Still Searching Vagrant Records #15 750,000[citation needed]

[edit] Singles

Year Title Album
2003 "Bloody Romance" From the Depths of Dreams
2004 "Buried a Lie" Let It Enfold You
2005 "Rum Is for Drinking, Not for Burning"
2006 "Calling All Cars" Still Searching
2007 "Can't Be Saved"
"The Priest and the Matador"

[edit] Non-album tracks

[edit] Trivia

  • The band is mentioned in MC Lars's song "Signing Emo."
  • The title of the song "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" is a reference to the title of an episode from the first season of Lost.
  • The song and album "Let It Enfold You" is named after a poem by Charles Bukowski.
  • The song "Institutionalized" is featured in the video games Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. It is a cover of the 1983 hit originally sung by Suicidal Tendencies.
  • Contrary to popular belief, the song "Rum is for Drinking, Not For Burning" is not a quote from, nor a reference to the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.[12] Buddy claimed at an acoustic performance in Warped Tour 2006 that it is a reference to his grandfather, who had a wooden leg, hence the pirate comparisons.
  • A poster of "Let It Enfold You's" CD cover can be seen in an episode of House
  • A poster of "Let It Enfold You's" CD cover can be seen inTransformers.
  • A poster of "Still Searching's" CD cover can be seen in License to Wed.
  • A poster of "Senses Fail" can be seen in Al Holden's room in an episode of One Life to Live.
  • A dance version of "Buried A Lie" is featured in Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party for the Wii console.
  • The song "Calling All Cars" can be heard in a Spanish advertisement.
  • The song "Calling All Cars" is featured in Burnout Dominator and Burnout Paradise.
  • The song "Can't Be Saved" is featured in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as a bonus track.
  • The song Bloody Romance is featured in Sammy Sosa's High Heat Baseball.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Senses Fail MySpace
  2. ^ Mindviz info
  3. ^ a b c Senses Fail on AbsolutePunk Retrieved on May 22, 2008
  4. ^ a b c d e f Senses Fail on Vagrant Retrieved on May 22, 2008
  5. ^ Senses Fail Charting on Allmusic Retrieved on May 22, 2008
  6. ^ a b Senses Fail Biography on Allmusic Retrieved on May 22, 2008
  7. ^ Senses Fail on DownloadPunk Retrieved on May 22, 2008
  8. ^ Dave Miller Starts New Label Retrieved on May 22, 2008
  9. ^ Still Searching Deluxe Edition track listing
  10. ^ Official Website Retrieved on May 22, 2008
  11. ^ Karen, Tim. "In the Studio". Alternative Press Issue 240, Page 38.
  12. ^ Mammoth Press
v • d • e
Senses Fail
Buddy Nielsen • Garrett Zablocki • Dan Trapp • Heath Saraceno
Dave Miller • James Gill • Mike Glita
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
Related