Awolnation is an American electro-rock band formed in 2010.
The group included the following musicians:
- Aaron Bruno (singer, music and lyrics writer, frontman and ideological inspirer);
- Christopher Thorn - guitar (2010-2011)
- Drew Stewart - guitar (2012-present)
- David Amezcua - bass, backing vocals (until 2013)
- Kenny Karkit - rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (first and now)
- Hayden Scott - drums
- Isaac Carpenter (2013 to present)
- Zack Irons (2015 to present)
In 2009, Aaron Bruno played in Home Town Hero and Under The Influence Of Giants. As a musician, he was experienced, besides, he had an outstanding magnetic appearance and mystery.
The owners of the Red Bull Records label, having seen a promising musician, signed a contract with Bruno in 2009. They gave him the Los Angeles CA studio.
So the first songs of the new band of Aaron Bruno appeared. The popular composition Sail appeared almost immediately in 2010. Four years have passed before the first studio album! Then the musicians immediately acquired the status of American rock veterans.
Aaron Bruno
The name Awolnation comes from Bruno's teenage school nickname. Awol is an abbreviation that stands for Absent Without Oordered Leave. Translated from English means "someone who is AWOL."
In the interview they say that Aaron as a child liked to leave his friends without saying goodbye, in English. And at the moment, the strange name of the group is not only taken from childhood, but also a great opportunity to show the independent and unauthorized creativity of the group.
Bruno, despite his penchant for experimentation even within the framework of one album, is very modest.
The musician claims that the glory that has befallen him is a joke of fate. And he himself could not even dream that someone above would dispose of his life in such a way.
He was born and raised in Los Angeles, the same city that made his favorite bands Linkin Park or Incubus successful.
At 30, he was an excellent musician, but for mysterious reasons he did not become famous. He "didn't grow up enough in writing genius tracks".
After the release of the track Sail, which was very popular among young people, Aaron could not believe that everything was really happening. He remained the same, and for him the reaction of the public was a surprise.
At first, when the beginning of the song was played, the crowd just started to go crazy. Bruno could not believe that from now on all the emotions of the public belong to him and his comrades.
Awolnation lead single
The band released their debut album on iTunes. The EP (2010) included the legendary composition Sail. It quickly became recognized as one of the band's biggest hits.
Live performances by Awolnation and Megalithic Symphony recordings (2011)
The next compilation, released in digital format, included 15 tracks. In addition to the re-recording of Sail, Not Your Fault and Kill Your Heroes were also included.
The song Sail broke records of popularity in the charts (the hit went platinum in the US, double platinum in Canada). And also in advertisements and as soundtracks. She is recognized as the background for Nokia Lumia and BMW advertisements. Also used in TV shows and movies 8 times.
Hundreds of amateur videos of extreme sportsmen were mounted under the song Sail. It is used as a bounce in sports matches.
Other compositions of the group also got into movies and TV shows: Burn it Down, All I Need.
Mini Album I've Been Dreaming (2012)
The album, which includes three tracks and live recordings, was released online and is available for free streaming.
Single for the film "Iron Man" (2013)
Two singles Some Kind of Joke and Thiskidsnotalright (2013) were doomed to success. The first became the soundtrack to the film "Iron Man 3". The second was recognizable from the game Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Thanks to musical experiments and style changes, even within the same album, the number of "fans" has increased for the group. Three years after the release of the first album, the group gave 306 concerts. Of these, 112 live performances took place in 2012.
Run and Fifty Shades of Gray (2014-2015)
The release of the new album Run was announced for 2014, but its release was delayed by almost a year. At one of the concerts a new song was performed. It became so successful that at the last moment it was decided to include it in the album.
One of the tracks in the album (a cover version of the song I'm On Fire) was included in the soundtracks for the film Fifty Shades of Grey. "Fans" created dozens of cuts of video from the film to the composition.
The single Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) and its video were posted on the YouTube channel of the band's record company.
Here Come the Runts (2018-2019)
The band is currently working on the Here Come the Runts album. The musicians reported that it would not be a perfectly polished studio recording, but a home one. The album appeared in Bruno's home studio, the house where he lives with his girlfriend Erin.
Recording in a home studio was created by the musicians for the first time. And today we can say that it turned out to be special. The atmosphere of the music was greatly influenced by the landscape, in the album it created the energy of the mountains.
The sad fate of the studio Awolnation
Six months ago, fires in California destroyed the studio where the musicians worked. Aaron courageously survived the incident, cheering subscribers on Instagram: “Music will be eternal! This will not stop us, on the contrary, it will become an impetus for further development at a fast pace of new music.”
Four months after the fire, fans of the band gave Aaron a surfboard. When it was created, the ashes from the burnt down studio were used for design and painting. Bruno was impressed by this act and could not find words of gratitude for the beautiful work of art.
