Evanescence's "Lost In Paradise" bows at #99. This is vying to become the group's fourth top 10 hit. The group's third album, Evanescence, enters The Billboard 200 at #1 this week. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Lost In Paradise" debuts at #53. "What You Want" bows at #118.
Source: music.yahoo.com
Evanescence's self-titled third album is in stores now.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Evanescence 'Thrilled' By #1 Billboard Debut
'We made an album we're really proud of and now we get to watch it fly,' Amy Lee tells MTV News.
On Wednesday (October 19), Evanescence officially completed their comeback when it was announced that their self-titled third album would top next week's Billboard albums chart, with sales of more than 127,000 copies.It's the band's second-consecutive #1 debut: As any Ev fan surely knows, their last was five years ago, when The Open Door bowed atop the charts in 2006.
And in the time since, they've shed members, gone on a hiatus and, as frontwoman Amy Lee told MTV News, very nearly called it quits entirely.
So you can certainly understand why Lee and her bandmates are feeling so happy today. In an e-mail to MTV News, the singer decided to share a bit of that happiness with us and with Evanescence's fanbase.
"What can I say, we're thrilled about it!" she wrote. "We made an album that we're really proud of and now we get to watch it fly. We weren't expecting this and we're just so grateful to our fans."
It's certainly been a long road back. After coming back together, Evanescence holed up with producer Nick Raskulinecz in Nashville and unveiled the fruits of that labor to MTV News in July. They then premiered the first single, "What You Want," live on MTV in August and played a raucous release-day show in Los Angeles last week.
They'll play a run of U.S. and U.K. shows until early November, and, armed with a #1 album, they're planning a full-blown Stateside tour in early January.
Source: mtv.com
Evanescence Nets Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart
Rock band Evanescence returns to the Billboard 200 chart, scoring its second No. 1 album, as its self-titled third set bows with 127,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. The act, led by singer Amy Lee, last released an album in 2006, when "The Open Door" debuted at No. 1 with 447,000.
The new set's first single, "What You Want," rises 15-13 on the Rock Songs airplay chart this week, while also holding a bullet at No. 17 on the Alternative Songs tally. The group's first album, 2003's "Fallen," spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hits "Bring Me To Life" (No. 5) and "My Immortal" (No. 7).
Source: billboard.com
The new set's first single, "What You Want," rises 15-13 on the Rock Songs airplay chart this week, while also holding a bullet at No. 17 on the Alternative Songs tally. The group's first album, 2003's "Fallen," spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hits "Bring Me To Life" (No. 5) and "My Immortal" (No. 7).
Source: billboard.com
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Taylor Momsen Calls Opening For Evanescence 'Surreal'
Pretty Reckless singer tells MTV News, 'Evanescence was one of the first shows I ever went to.'
"Evanescence was one of the first shows I ever went to," the singer and former "Gossip Girl" actress told MTV News last week, right before her band, the Pretty Reckless, opened for Evanescence at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.
"I'm a big fan of Evanescence, so it's really exciting to be opening for them," she told us.
The accolades went both ways: Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee had nothing but nice things to say about the young rocker.
"She's got a great voice; she's real sweet," Lee said with a smile, laughing that being one of Momsen's first concerts makes her feel "old, but very, very flattered."
The 18-year-old Momsen has been on tour since her band's debut album, Light Me Up, was released last year. "We've been touring a lot overseas lately, so it's definitely a lot of fun to be back in the States," she told us.
Describing her band's performance style, Momsen revealed, "We never really have a set list. We kind of go up and play whatever and work it out onstage. It keeps it exciting that it's different every night."
As far as writing material for a second album, she said, "We're always writing. We're just figuring out now how to write on the road, which is definitely a different type of process."
Source: mtv.com
Monday, October 17, 2011
Evanescence Discuss Gear and New Album
In 2007, after a five-year roller coaster that zipped out two multi-platinum studio albums, a live album, a string of tours and band lineup changes, Amy Lee decided to give her band, Evanescence, a break.
So for nearly three years, Lee spent time with her husband, Josh Hartzler, fixed up her New York home and experienced life.
“It was good, because I didn't make any kind of plan,” Lee told Guitar World while she was in San Francisco preparing to play the first U.S. date on the new tour. “I didn't think about what was next for Evanescence or me. I just thought if I get inspired, then I'll know.”
In 2009, Lee started writing and obsessing about music again.
“I started missing the band more and more,” she said. “I missed the guys and wanted to work together again.”
The result is the band's new self-titled album that was released in the U.S. on October 11. The album, produced by Steve Lillywhite and Nick Raskulinecz, wouldn't have sounded the same if it weren't for Lee's perfectionism and current band that includes lead guitarist Terry Balsamo, rhythm guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt.
Guitar World caught up with Lee, Balsamo and McLawhorn to discuss the break, the new album and guitars. During the interviews, Guitar World learned both Balsamo's and McLawhorn's early influence was Kiss. While Balsamo dug the flamboyant riffs of Ace Frehley, McLawhorn wanted to be drummer Peter Criss.
Lee, on the other hand dabbled in classical music and fell in love with the music climate of the 1990s. The new album reflects those influences, and brings Evanescence to a new level.
GUITAR WORLD: Who were the music heroes that made you want to play guitar?
Balsamo: The first thing musically that came into my life was Elton John, but guitar-wise it was Ace Frehley and then Angus Young.
McLawhorn: I'm not exactly sure. I started off wanting to be a drummer. I was a huge Peter Criss fan as a kid, but my dad and grandfather played acoustic guitar and there was always one laying around the house. I think I got more serious about the guitar when I was 10. We moved into a new neighborhood and this kid down the street who became my best friend throughout school was a really good drummer. He was eight years old and was already pounding the drums. So in an effort to jam, I started to pick up his dad's guitar and tried to learn "Crazy Train" or an AC/DC song. I joined Columbia House record club and got the first Van Halen album. Eddie was incredible and was a whole new level and a new ballgame. He's still one of my favorite guitar players. My top three guitarists are Eddie Van Halen, Billy Gibbons and Rick Nielsen.
As you started playing guitar more regularly, did it ever occur to you to play professionally?
Balsamo: It always seemed to me that something was going to come out of it. I felt that if I kept going after it, it would pay off. After I graduated high school, I asked (myself) if I wanted to keep doing it and then Pantera came along and that made me say, “Yes, by all means.”
McLawhorn: As a kid, you don't have a choice. You ask your parents and, if you're lucky, they'll buy you something. There was a little music store down the street and I saw this Lotus Explorer guitar. It was huge and I still have it.
What is your guitar of choice?
Balsamo: For many years it was my Ibanez and I still use Ibanez, but on this last recording, the producer kept asking me to use a Gibson. The Gibson was always something I would use while recording to get different tones, but I started playing it a little more live lately. I also love Charvel guitars. Every guitar we used on the song, we play live.
McLawhorn: If I had my choice, it would have been a Strat, Les Paul or an SG. For the past 10 years, I've been using PRS and Les Paul, exclusively. I also have a Fender Telecaster that I love, but I doesn't fit the music I play and I don't want to change out the pickups and get rid of that twangy sound and all that. On tour I'm using a PRS Baritone and a seven-string Gibson Flying V, they just came out with.
Tell us your experience making the new album.
Lee: We spent a lot of time together writing songs and we have tons of music. We have more than enough for the album and have a lot left for next time. We had a lot of writing sessions with me, Terry and Tim, this time. We also did a lot of writing as a whole band. All of us sat in a circle with our instruments and did jam sessions until we came up with a cool idea. Sometimes I come up with a start on my own and then we would collaborate, but it's awesome to have so many great musicians in the band. Sometimes I'll get an idea and not have that pressure to flesh the whole thing out by myself. There are four other people coming up with their own ideas, too.
Balsamo: We wrote a whole lot this time. There are two or three songs that we wrote together, things just flowed well. We were thinking the same thing, but we had to make sure we worked together, without us playing the exact same parts. So there is the same riff, but two things going on at the same time. During the recording process, we fed of each other and tried to make things really tight.
After taking that long break, did you feel the pressure as you began working on the new album?
Lee: There is always that pressure. I'm an obsessor. I want to make something great. We've already made two awesome records and I never want to put anything out that I think isn't better than what we last did. The challenge was finding the vision of what we wanted to do, because I felt a great sense of freedom creatively. After making those two albums, I felt like, "OK, I can do whatever I want, and if it is going to be a new Evanescence album, should it be a crazy departure?"
After a couple of years of writing and experimenting, we felt like we discovered the album.
Was there a question about you all playing together again?
Balsamo: I knew we would do it again, it was just a matter of when.
McLawhorn: After we finished the tour in 2007, we all went off and did other things. I didn't know what was going to happen. I had another band and assumed I was finished with Evanescence, but when things started going bad with the other band, I called Amy and she said she was ready to make another album and would love me to be a part of it.
guitarworld.com
So for nearly three years, Lee spent time with her husband, Josh Hartzler, fixed up her New York home and experienced life.
“It was good, because I didn't make any kind of plan,” Lee told Guitar World while she was in San Francisco preparing to play the first U.S. date on the new tour. “I didn't think about what was next for Evanescence or me. I just thought if I get inspired, then I'll know.”
In 2009, Lee started writing and obsessing about music again.
“I started missing the band more and more,” she said. “I missed the guys and wanted to work together again.”
The result is the band's new self-titled album that was released in the U.S. on October 11. The album, produced by Steve Lillywhite and Nick Raskulinecz, wouldn't have sounded the same if it weren't for Lee's perfectionism and current band that includes lead guitarist Terry Balsamo, rhythm guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt.
Guitar World caught up with Lee, Balsamo and McLawhorn to discuss the break, the new album and guitars. During the interviews, Guitar World learned both Balsamo's and McLawhorn's early influence was Kiss. While Balsamo dug the flamboyant riffs of Ace Frehley, McLawhorn wanted to be drummer Peter Criss.
Lee, on the other hand dabbled in classical music and fell in love with the music climate of the 1990s. The new album reflects those influences, and brings Evanescence to a new level.
GUITAR WORLD: Who were the music heroes that made you want to play guitar?
Balsamo: The first thing musically that came into my life was Elton John, but guitar-wise it was Ace Frehley and then Angus Young.
McLawhorn: I'm not exactly sure. I started off wanting to be a drummer. I was a huge Peter Criss fan as a kid, but my dad and grandfather played acoustic guitar and there was always one laying around the house. I think I got more serious about the guitar when I was 10. We moved into a new neighborhood and this kid down the street who became my best friend throughout school was a really good drummer. He was eight years old and was already pounding the drums. So in an effort to jam, I started to pick up his dad's guitar and tried to learn "Crazy Train" or an AC/DC song. I joined Columbia House record club and got the first Van Halen album. Eddie was incredible and was a whole new level and a new ballgame. He's still one of my favorite guitar players. My top three guitarists are Eddie Van Halen, Billy Gibbons and Rick Nielsen.
As you started playing guitar more regularly, did it ever occur to you to play professionally?
Balsamo: It always seemed to me that something was going to come out of it. I felt that if I kept going after it, it would pay off. After I graduated high school, I asked (myself) if I wanted to keep doing it and then Pantera came along and that made me say, “Yes, by all means.”
McLawhorn: As a kid, you don't have a choice. You ask your parents and, if you're lucky, they'll buy you something. There was a little music store down the street and I saw this Lotus Explorer guitar. It was huge and I still have it.
What is your guitar of choice?
Balsamo: For many years it was my Ibanez and I still use Ibanez, but on this last recording, the producer kept asking me to use a Gibson. The Gibson was always something I would use while recording to get different tones, but I started playing it a little more live lately. I also love Charvel guitars. Every guitar we used on the song, we play live.
McLawhorn: If I had my choice, it would have been a Strat, Les Paul or an SG. For the past 10 years, I've been using PRS and Les Paul, exclusively. I also have a Fender Telecaster that I love, but I doesn't fit the music I play and I don't want to change out the pickups and get rid of that twangy sound and all that. On tour I'm using a PRS Baritone and a seven-string Gibson Flying V, they just came out with.
Tell us your experience making the new album.
Lee: We spent a lot of time together writing songs and we have tons of music. We have more than enough for the album and have a lot left for next time. We had a lot of writing sessions with me, Terry and Tim, this time. We also did a lot of writing as a whole band. All of us sat in a circle with our instruments and did jam sessions until we came up with a cool idea. Sometimes I come up with a start on my own and then we would collaborate, but it's awesome to have so many great musicians in the band. Sometimes I'll get an idea and not have that pressure to flesh the whole thing out by myself. There are four other people coming up with their own ideas, too.
Balsamo: We wrote a whole lot this time. There are two or three songs that we wrote together, things just flowed well. We were thinking the same thing, but we had to make sure we worked together, without us playing the exact same parts. So there is the same riff, but two things going on at the same time. During the recording process, we fed of each other and tried to make things really tight.
After taking that long break, did you feel the pressure as you began working on the new album?
Lee: There is always that pressure. I'm an obsessor. I want to make something great. We've already made two awesome records and I never want to put anything out that I think isn't better than what we last did. The challenge was finding the vision of what we wanted to do, because I felt a great sense of freedom creatively. After making those two albums, I felt like, "OK, I can do whatever I want, and if it is going to be a new Evanescence album, should it be a crazy departure?"
After a couple of years of writing and experimenting, we felt like we discovered the album.
Was there a question about you all playing together again?
Balsamo: I knew we would do it again, it was just a matter of when.
McLawhorn: After we finished the tour in 2007, we all went off and did other things. I didn't know what was going to happen. I had another band and assumed I was finished with Evanescence, but when things started going bad with the other band, I called Amy and she said she was ready to make another album and would love me to be a part of it.
guitarworld.com
Amy Lee's Top 10 albums
Amy Lee, Evanescence:
1. Bjork – ‘Vespertine’
"Bjork is my idol. When I met her I could hardly speak, it was quite embarrassing. I’m always amazed that the rest of the world wasn’t able to catch up on how astounding 'Vespertine' actually is. Her art has inspired me so much."2. Adele – ‘21’
3. Deftones – ‘Around The Fur’
4. Tool – ‘Aenima’
5. Nine Inch Nails – ‘The Fragile’
6. Tori Amos – ‘Boys For Pele’
7. Portishead – ‘Portishead’
8. Tron Soundtrack - ‘Daft Punk’
9. John Mayer – ‘Continuum’
10. Garbage – ‘Garbage’
Source: nme.com
1. Bjork – ‘Vespertine’
"Bjork is my idol. When I met her I could hardly speak, it was quite embarrassing. I’m always amazed that the rest of the world wasn’t able to catch up on how astounding 'Vespertine' actually is. Her art has inspired me so much."2. Adele – ‘21’
3. Deftones – ‘Around The Fur’
4. Tool – ‘Aenima’
5. Nine Inch Nails – ‘The Fragile’
6. Tori Amos – ‘Boys For Pele’
7. Portishead – ‘Portishead’
8. Tron Soundtrack - ‘Daft Punk’
9. John Mayer – ‘Continuum’
10. Garbage – ‘Garbage’
Source: nme.com
Evanescence concert more the Amy Lee show at Comerica
The gloomy-goth-girl-not-getting-sex deal, the Addams Family-lettered logo, the videos and album covers drained of any hot reds and yellows. It was all there in 2003 when Evanescence hit the streets with "Fallen," an album that went on to sell more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone.Now, with a new album just out mere days ago, a self-titled effort more about branding the Evanescence name than exploding it into a bold new direction, one wondered if the fans would come out for yet another reheating of the formula.
One needn't have worried. Moms with teen daughters in slutty Beetlejuice outfits were there at Comerica Theatre on Friday, Oct. 14. So were a surprising number of dudes chanting "Amy! Amy!" like it was "The Jerry Springer Show" back from a commercial break. Also out in force were young women almost 10 years removed from the "Fallen" years, seemingly there more to relive a memory with an old friend who got them through a tough time than to make any new associations.
It's a tough tightrope to walk and Evanescence succeeded.
No matter how many times the name Evanescence flashed on the screen like a not-very-subtle subliminal message, this was the Amy Lee show beginning, middle and end. Consider that not one musician is afforded more than a few perfunctory seconds to show their mettle (or nu-metal, as it were) before Lee's operatic pipes intercede. Her voice is their sound and only trademarkable feature, whether it's juxtaposed against heavy metal riffing or standalone piano and she is singing virtually non-stop in this 16-song set.
The crowd matched her stamina, remaining on their feet through the whole show, even the balladeer junctures in the show where people who want to sit usually do.
Rocking a lot harder than you might expect, they opened boldly with the new headbanger of a single "What You Want," the first of eight songs from the new album (that's exactly half of the show for you mathematical slackers not keeping score).
The biggest shrieks came when the piano movers made their first appearance and wheeled a baby grand onstage for "Lost in Paradise."
"Thank you; we love you very much too," Lee answered, rather businesslike, as if she were Tracy Flick running for class president a third time. It's with this pianissimo material that you realize why the Goth girls and boys love Amy Lee - everything she sings is black and white with no grey areas of ambiguity, no shades of irony or off-colored humor. Really, when your heart is broken, you want a song that's as idea driven as "My Heart is Broken" to carry you through and that's what she delivers.
Not being a show where audience participation is necessary or even solicited from Lee, people worked out their own involvement, like the 30-ish woman a few rows ahead of me, contorting herself in order to sing "I know what's wrong with me" just like Lee.
"I hope everyone comes back from the bathroom in time," Lee joked when she returned alone onstage for the encores. No worries; Evanescence arrived just in time to supply the bombast when needed for "Your Star" and "My Immortal."
And then it was over. I can't recall ever seeing a concert audience disassemble out into the streets so quietly, not unlike a movie audience content to just let everything sink in.
In that quiet time, they might recall what they thought of The Pretty Reckless, the middle opener from New York City. The fact that it's 2011 and we no longer even talk about women in rock as being a novel thing went out the window during their prehistoric heavy metal set. And you've got to tip your hat to the fact that they have you thinking in those terms again. Part of you thinks this could be cool post-millennial hipster irony, that a female lead singer, Taylor Momsen of "Gossip Girl" fame, can come out dressed in lingerie like some Apollonia 6 escapee singing Pat Benatar sex-kitten songs and still expect to be taken seriously. The other part of you feels like you've been shoved into a time machine to the year 1981 and you're looking for a time portal somewhere so you don't have to spend the rest of the night listening to bands in spandex whose names end in double xx's and zz's.
Evanescence' Set List
"What You Want"
"Going Under"
"The Other Side"
"Weight of the World"
"The Change"
"Made of Stone"
"Lost in Paradise"
"My Heart Is Broken"
"Lithium"
"Sick"
"Oceans"
"Call Me When You're Sober"
"Imaginary"
"Bring Me to Life"
Encore:
"Your Star"
"My Immortal"
Source: azcentral.com
Friday, October 14, 2011
Evanescence shows change of pace on new record
Debuting with its album “Fallen” in March of 2003, Evanescence was off to what seemed like a strong start. Containing songs such as the hit “Bring Me To Life” the album was sure to set the band skyrocketing to success in the world of rock music. However, since 2006, the group has not released any new studio albums – until now.
The band’s newly released self-titled album is exactly what listeners expect to hear. The band prides itself on its rock and metal sound, and that is exactly what listeners are given with this album.
The album opens with the new popular single “What You Want.” The song is an instant blast into the band’s hopes for the future of the album and opens with a bang. Fans will surely be happy to hear singer Amy Lee and her vocals back in action, especially with alleged rumors of the band having a new lead singer. No need to fear, Lee is still Evanescence’s main woman. Carly Smithson, who was thought to be the new lead singer of the band, replacing Lee, is in fact in a band of her own. The confusion between the two was due not only to their similar looks, but also to the fact that Smithson’s band mates are actually former members of Evanescence as well.
Overall, Evanescence has stayed true to its originally intended style of a mix of rock metal and pop. This album, however, differs from the band’s first, in the sense that the album is actually a little more upbeat and “fun,” as Lee stated in an interview with Spin Magazine. If audiences can recall, the band’s first album – “Fallen” – can be described as anything but fun, filled with depressing, emotional lyrics and hard rock melodies, with a few melodramatic piano ballads tossed in between. As much as fans seemed to have enjoyed the past album, the band has seemed to want to take a new spin on things. Unlike “Fallen,” this self-titled album is what seems to be the band’s way of starting new, while keeping a little bit of what made the group what it is. The album does not have as many piano ballads as the band’s debut – one of the only ones being “Lost in Paradise,” which seems to be a growing favorite among listeners. Most of the songs are fast tempo and stick mainly to the rock style. In a way, the band’s sound seems to have changed its style, in the sense that the music is more of fast-paced rock songs rather than the typical piano ballad by Lee – always dealing with love, death or some other emotional issue. The lyrics and song titles are less gothic than previously and while the lyrics still tend to deal mostly with the darker side of love and life in general, the album’s overall tone is much less depressing than “Fallen.”
The new self-titled album can be described mostly as an explosion of emotion, possibly a reaction of the band’s pent up energy from its break in productivity. The album is nothing short of 12 songs, (16 in the deluxe version) filled with Lee’s vocals pounding away with the strong guitars and drumming. Possibly what made the band so highly noted upon its first debut, Lee’s vocals are most definitely one of the most known and favored aspects of the band. This being one of the reasons this new album will have so much success with its fans. Lee is possibly one of the defining aspects of this album – her vocals powering through each and every song, evoking deep emotion while providing great amounts of entertainment to listeners. Her voice matches the mood and feel of the band’s style perfectly. Low and rich, Lee’s vocals are really what make Evanescence such a distinguishable band, and there is no doubt it will do the same on this new album.
Evanescence fans everywhere finally have something to be excited about with the new release of the self-titled album. Released on Oct. 11, 2011, the album can be purchased on iTunes in two versions: original and deluxe. For fans that just can’t get enough, the deluxe version contains four bonus tracks, giving a total of 16 tracks altogether. Unlike some bonus tracks, which may stray from the album’s overall collective sound, the bonus tracks featured on the deluxe version will not disappoint fans who may be looking for a little something extra. “Secret Door,” already growing in popularity, gives fans a taste of Lee’s slower piano ballad, which they proved to love upon the band’s release of “Immortal” from its first album. Other bonus tracks include “New Way To Bleed,” “Say You Will” and “Disappear,” which all flow with the album’s overall theme of faster-paced rock songs. The comeback album is sure to please fans who have been patiently waiting for the band’s return.
Source: dailycollegian.com
The band’s newly released self-titled album is exactly what listeners expect to hear. The band prides itself on its rock and metal sound, and that is exactly what listeners are given with this album.
The album opens with the new popular single “What You Want.” The song is an instant blast into the band’s hopes for the future of the album and opens with a bang. Fans will surely be happy to hear singer Amy Lee and her vocals back in action, especially with alleged rumors of the band having a new lead singer. No need to fear, Lee is still Evanescence’s main woman. Carly Smithson, who was thought to be the new lead singer of the band, replacing Lee, is in fact in a band of her own. The confusion between the two was due not only to their similar looks, but also to the fact that Smithson’s band mates are actually former members of Evanescence as well.
Overall, Evanescence has stayed true to its originally intended style of a mix of rock metal and pop. This album, however, differs from the band’s first, in the sense that the album is actually a little more upbeat and “fun,” as Lee stated in an interview with Spin Magazine. If audiences can recall, the band’s first album – “Fallen” – can be described as anything but fun, filled with depressing, emotional lyrics and hard rock melodies, with a few melodramatic piano ballads tossed in between. As much as fans seemed to have enjoyed the past album, the band has seemed to want to take a new spin on things. Unlike “Fallen,” this self-titled album is what seems to be the band’s way of starting new, while keeping a little bit of what made the group what it is. The album does not have as many piano ballads as the band’s debut – one of the only ones being “Lost in Paradise,” which seems to be a growing favorite among listeners. Most of the songs are fast tempo and stick mainly to the rock style. In a way, the band’s sound seems to have changed its style, in the sense that the music is more of fast-paced rock songs rather than the typical piano ballad by Lee – always dealing with love, death or some other emotional issue. The lyrics and song titles are less gothic than previously and while the lyrics still tend to deal mostly with the darker side of love and life in general, the album’s overall tone is much less depressing than “Fallen.”
The new self-titled album can be described mostly as an explosion of emotion, possibly a reaction of the band’s pent up energy from its break in productivity. The album is nothing short of 12 songs, (16 in the deluxe version) filled with Lee’s vocals pounding away with the strong guitars and drumming. Possibly what made the band so highly noted upon its first debut, Lee’s vocals are most definitely one of the most known and favored aspects of the band. This being one of the reasons this new album will have so much success with its fans. Lee is possibly one of the defining aspects of this album – her vocals powering through each and every song, evoking deep emotion while providing great amounts of entertainment to listeners. Her voice matches the mood and feel of the band’s style perfectly. Low and rich, Lee’s vocals are really what make Evanescence such a distinguishable band, and there is no doubt it will do the same on this new album.
Evanescence fans everywhere finally have something to be excited about with the new release of the self-titled album. Released on Oct. 11, 2011, the album can be purchased on iTunes in two versions: original and deluxe. For fans that just can’t get enough, the deluxe version contains four bonus tracks, giving a total of 16 tracks altogether. Unlike some bonus tracks, which may stray from the album’s overall collective sound, the bonus tracks featured on the deluxe version will not disappoint fans who may be looking for a little something extra. “Secret Door,” already growing in popularity, gives fans a taste of Lee’s slower piano ballad, which they proved to love upon the band’s release of “Immortal” from its first album. Other bonus tracks include “New Way To Bleed,” “Say You Will” and “Disappear,” which all flow with the album’s overall theme of faster-paced rock songs. The comeback album is sure to please fans who have been patiently waiting for the band’s return.
Source: dailycollegian.com
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Review: All Music
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Difficult births are no stranger to Evanescence. Nothing ever quite seems to come easy for Amy Lee, yet the five years separating Evanescence’s 2006 sophomore effort The Open Door and its eponymous 2011 album were relatively quiet, the band undergoing some lineup changes -- not to mention a switch of producers, from Steve Lillywhite to Nick Raskulinecz -- but nothing comparable to the messy departure of Ben Moody between the group’s first two albums. Such comparative calm is reflected within the grooves of Evanescence, which is less tortured tonally even if it remains quite dramatic. Lee’s default mode is to sing to the rafters, her operatic bluster sometimes overbearing when her settings are gloomy, but Raskulinecz pulls off a nifty trick of brightening the murk, retaining all of the churning drama but lessening the oppression by brightening the colors and pushing the melody. While there’s hardly a danger of Amy Lee removing her thick mascara, she’s not pouting all the time; there’s some shade and light here, some variety of tempos, enough to give Evanescence the illusion of warmth, not to mention a fair share of crossover hooks. It’s aural candy for aging goths and tortured tweens alike.
Source: allmusic.com
Evanescence Finds A Good Place
Arkansas goth rocker Amy Lee had a smile in her voice when she described the scene outside her window at a concert stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last week.
Blue skies, warm breezes and the bluest ocean. Paradise.
"I'm hitting the beach as soon as we're done here," she said.
After years of tumult with her band Evanescence - a bad break with longtime friend and co-founder Ben Moody in 2003 and a revolving door of lineup changes in the years since - Lee is finally in a good place.
"This is the strongest lineup we've ever had. Will (Hunt) is the most amazing drummer in the world. He brings insane amount of punch to the band. I remember when he first joined it was like everything just jumped into 3-D all of a sudden," Lee said, then lavished praise on other band members.
"I guess part of this whole thing right now is we all like each other," she said, which was not the case for much of the band's early years.
Despite selling 17 million copies worldwide of their 2003 debut album "Fallen" and winning a pair of Grammys for the effort the following year, Lee and Evanescence were very much a dysfunctional family.
Even after Moody's abrupt departure midway through a European tour in 2003, the band struggled to regain its footing. The departure, ironically, led the band to pull out of its 2003 Tucson show with KFMA's Butter Ball - the second Tucson no-show for the band that year. The KFMA show was to have launched the band's U.S. tour.
On Tuesday, Evanescence released its third album, "Evanescence," a project that Lee believes puts the band back on track creatively.
"I definitely feel a great sense of teamwork, togetherness. We're in this thing together," the 29-year-old classically-trained pianist says. "I would never want to say that we weren't good before. We made a lot of amazing music. But we are in a place right now that is very significant. We wouldn't be calling the album 'Evanescence' if I wasn't ready to put that stamp in time."
The record comes five years after Evanescence's experimental multiplatinum sophomore album "The Open Door," an album Lee said was almost too dark. That's saying a lot for a woman who has built her reputation on solid goth credentials, from her often handmade Victorian-style clothing to her streaked black hair and tatts.
" 'Open Door' was, I think, very heavy, but also very dark and moody and almost slow and drudging in its heaviness," she said. "('Evanescence') has got a lot of energy. I think part of these songs with that energy and that speed and that intensity comes from working with the band and jamming together and working with the drummer sitting there. I think that the band really has a new tightness. I think all those things push it to a more energetic level."
The album's first single, "What You Want," already has gone to radio, where it was inching its way into Billboard's Top 10 on the rock charts. It was at No. 15 this week.
"I think the first single is a good representation. The music is dynamic. It's all over the place. When you get into it, you're going to hear the deep tracks. There's the epic heart-breaking moments and some things that I think are classics for this band in a way, but just stronger," she added.
Evanescence recorded the album in Nashville, Tenn., at Martina and John McBride's Blackbird Studio, which Lee said also contributed to its softer attitude.
"It felt like we were off the grid a little bit," Lee said of the six months the band spent in Music City, living in an apartment together and riding into the studio every day. "It felt like we could really just create. It made for a little bit of an escape, honestly."
Lee said she will play several cuts off the album alongside the band's early hits - including "Where Will You Go," "Imaginary," So Close," "Understanding," "Bring Me To Life," "Going Under" - at their long-awaited Tucson debut concert Saturday at Casino del Sol's AVA. The show will pay passing nods to the band's past as it introduces fans to its future.
"We just have fun out there. We get out there and leave it on the stage," Lee said. "There's a lot of energy in our show. It's the album on the next level."
Source: azstarnet.com
Blue skies, warm breezes and the bluest ocean. Paradise.
"I'm hitting the beach as soon as we're done here," she said.
After years of tumult with her band Evanescence - a bad break with longtime friend and co-founder Ben Moody in 2003 and a revolving door of lineup changes in the years since - Lee is finally in a good place.
"This is the strongest lineup we've ever had. Will (Hunt) is the most amazing drummer in the world. He brings insane amount of punch to the band. I remember when he first joined it was like everything just jumped into 3-D all of a sudden," Lee said, then lavished praise on other band members.
"I guess part of this whole thing right now is we all like each other," she said, which was not the case for much of the band's early years.
Despite selling 17 million copies worldwide of their 2003 debut album "Fallen" and winning a pair of Grammys for the effort the following year, Lee and Evanescence were very much a dysfunctional family.
Even after Moody's abrupt departure midway through a European tour in 2003, the band struggled to regain its footing. The departure, ironically, led the band to pull out of its 2003 Tucson show with KFMA's Butter Ball - the second Tucson no-show for the band that year. The KFMA show was to have launched the band's U.S. tour.
On Tuesday, Evanescence released its third album, "Evanescence," a project that Lee believes puts the band back on track creatively.
"I definitely feel a great sense of teamwork, togetherness. We're in this thing together," the 29-year-old classically-trained pianist says. "I would never want to say that we weren't good before. We made a lot of amazing music. But we are in a place right now that is very significant. We wouldn't be calling the album 'Evanescence' if I wasn't ready to put that stamp in time."
The record comes five years after Evanescence's experimental multiplatinum sophomore album "The Open Door," an album Lee said was almost too dark. That's saying a lot for a woman who has built her reputation on solid goth credentials, from her often handmade Victorian-style clothing to her streaked black hair and tatts.
" 'Open Door' was, I think, very heavy, but also very dark and moody and almost slow and drudging in its heaviness," she said. "('Evanescence') has got a lot of energy. I think part of these songs with that energy and that speed and that intensity comes from working with the band and jamming together and working with the drummer sitting there. I think that the band really has a new tightness. I think all those things push it to a more energetic level."
The album's first single, "What You Want," already has gone to radio, where it was inching its way into Billboard's Top 10 on the rock charts. It was at No. 15 this week.
"I think the first single is a good representation. The music is dynamic. It's all over the place. When you get into it, you're going to hear the deep tracks. There's the epic heart-breaking moments and some things that I think are classics for this band in a way, but just stronger," she added.
Evanescence recorded the album in Nashville, Tenn., at Martina and John McBride's Blackbird Studio, which Lee said also contributed to its softer attitude.
"It felt like we were off the grid a little bit," Lee said of the six months the band spent in Music City, living in an apartment together and riding into the studio every day. "It felt like we could really just create. It made for a little bit of an escape, honestly."
Lee said she will play several cuts off the album alongside the band's early hits - including "Where Will You Go," "Imaginary," So Close," "Understanding," "Bring Me To Life," "Going Under" - at their long-awaited Tucson debut concert Saturday at Casino del Sol's AVA. The show will pay passing nods to the band's past as it introduces fans to its future.
"We just have fun out there. We get out there and leave it on the stage," Lee said. "There's a lot of energy in our show. It's the album on the next level."
Source: azstarnet.com
‘Heavier’ Evanescence has a different edge
Amy Lee is a harp nerd. Or at least one in training.
“I’m a nerd in that I own and play the harp,” the Evanescence frontwoman says, laughing. “I think that’s enough.”
Adding to her instrumental repertoire is only one of many musical changes on the goth-tinged alt-rock band’s new self-titled album.
Lee, Evanescence’s sole remaining original member from the band’s 2003 breakthrough debut Fallen, has added more edge, synthesizers and programming to the rock mix, making “an even heavier version of Evanescence.” The singer had to learn “really hard” piano parts for the band’s just-launched U.S. tour that runs through Nov. 1 before heading to Europe.
“I always want to do something that’s bigger and better and more interesting than before,” Lee says “I guess partially, that’s just for my own indulgence. The vocals are higher and the piano parts are more complicated. So I’m doing my best! It’s like playing a harder level of a video game.”
Many of Evanescence’s fans have remained loyal to the group over the years, and Lee hears a lot from them on Twitter. What remains to be seen is how this new album will sell compared with the previous two.
Released when Lee was just 22, Fallen sold a healthy 17 million copies worldwide, buoyed by the hit single Bring Me to Life and two Grammy Awards, including best new artist. But Evanescence’s 2006 sophomore effort, The Open Door, sold only 6 million. All the while, Lee weathered a bandmate merry-go-round, the key loss being the resignation of fellow founding member and childhood friend Ben Moody.
Moody, who left the band after its debut album, released a solo effort in 2009 and founded We Are the Fallen with American Idol finalist Carly Smithson and two former Evanescence members. The current Evanescence lineup includes ex-Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo (who has been with the band since Moody’s departure), rhythm guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt.
Lee acknowledges struggling with the attention from media and fans. “It’s different than real life. You have to be really careful and sometimes it feels like you just can’t ever be alone. And other times, it feels like you can only be alone in a weird way.”
With her 30th birthday approaching in December, Lee looks back now with a healthy sense of humor, and even jokes about using dry ice, fan-powered wind whipping through her hair and “Michael Jackson smoke” in her new shows.
“You’re still figuring out who you are at that point, so I did a little bit of growing up in front of everybody, which is fine. I’m great with it now,” Lee says of the band’s early days in the spotlight. “I needed to be an adult without being onstage — I needed to just be Amy and not the lead singer of Evanescence for a little while, and want this and do this because I couldn’t help it and because I had music that I was so in love with that I couldn’t stand not to share with the whole world.”
Lee began working on new songs after Open Door, first just for fun and later deciding to turn them into a proper record. Some were acoustic and Neil Young-inspired, and then she moved into an electronic phase. On the new album, the song Swimming Home came out of that tinkering with ambience and different sounds and feelings, she says, while Made of Stone was a fully electronic song that Lee turned into a “big, rocking Evanescence song.”
Her personal life was changing in that time, too. Lee married Josh Hartzler, a New York therapist and “awesome dude,” in 2007, and she also started taking harp lessons on a lark. Lee liked it so much, she began using the instrument in her songwriting and played it on the new record.
“It is not easy,” she says. “I had a little head start because I could play the piano and they’re in the same family. It’s cool to have something different, though, when you’re writing. A different instrument will make you write a different way.”
Raised in Arkansas, Lee studied music theory and composition at Middle Tennessee State University before leaving to focus on Evanescence, but she’s maintained a love for learning, which crosses over into passions such as painting, cooking and being a harp master.
OK, well maybe not a master. “My instructor is incredible. I’m like a level 2 — she’s like a level 10,” Lee says.
“When I’m writing music, I like to sit at the piano and put my fingers on the keys and not think. Even though it’s difficult to execute perfectly, there’s still some cool freedom in just rocking the harp without a lot of thought going into it.”
Source: tucsoncitizen.com
Evanescence at the Palladium: Concert Review
The Bottom Line:Singer Amy Lee's commanding vocals had the audience at attention, but only partly engaged.
It wasn't a sold out performance at the Hollywood Palladium on Tuesday night, but for a band that hasn't released an album in five years, Evanescence drew a more than respectable crowd to the famed art deco venue, a staple of L.A.'s Sunset Blvd. since 1940.
In a way, the audience, like Evanescence's music, was hard to categorize. Among the sea of people straining for a glimpse of singer Amy Lee and bobbing toward the front of the stage were twenty-something punks with green hair, middle-aged men with moustaches and long ponytails, bleach-blonde ladies and pitch-black goths.
With that in mind, any attempt to generalize the night would be an exercise in futility, unless, of course, you're talking about opener Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. True to her eyebrow-raising form, the former Gossip Girl star paired raccoon eyes with provocative fish-nets, knee-high leather boots and an all black mini-dress, although surprisingly, for the earlier part of the evening, she covered up with an oversized flannel and black leather jacket, before peeling off the layers and writhing around on stage.
Momson has made plenty of headlines over the past year for her stage antics, but she kept it relatively tame for the Los Angeles audience, dropping a few F-bombs, but more importantly, delivering a slew of songs with power and conviction behind a gravelly voice that sounds like it belongs to an artist well beyond her 18 years. In return, the actress-turned-singer received a variety of adoring obscenities hurled from the audience -- to one, she responded, “I think you’re fucking sexy, too.”
Cheering Momson on was Gossip Girl co-star Connor Paolo (aka Eric Van Der Woodesen), who shouted words of encouragement from the VIP balcony then bolted before the headliner hit the stage. The Pretty Reckless set included a cover of Audioslave’s “Like a Stone," which received mixed reaction.
Evanescence took position promptly at 10:05, kicking off their set with "What You Want," the first single off their brand new self-titled album, which happened to drop on the same night as the show. Donning a black tanktop, black tulle skirt and red flannel embellishment around her waist, Lee then sauntered across the stage leading into "Going Under," from 2003's Fallen, to deafening applause.
But while Lee's hypnotizing voice sounded remarkably similar to her recordings, she bantered so little -- which is to say, hardly at all, unless it involved announcing the name of a new track or plugging the band's just-released album -- that it soon started to feel less like a concert experience and more like a singalong with the iPod on Evanescence shuffle and extra-loud.
Still, Lee delivered with high energy and an undeniably fierce vocal style, best demonstrated on the gut-wrenching ballads “My Heart is Broken,” “Lithium” and the night's closer, “My Immortal,” where she sat at a piano placed front and center. Leading into “Heart,” Lee even made a rare joke, telling the fans to be quiet so she could concentrate.
But at times throughout the band's set, the at attention audience seemed only partly engaged. With several cell phones and even some actual lighters in the air, about half of the crowd obliged to the singer’s requests for sing-a-longs. To their credit, that half gave it their all.
Set List:
What You Want
Going Under
The Other Side
Weight of the World
The Change
Made of Stone
Lost in Paradise
My Heart is Broken
Lithium
Sick
Oceans
Sober
Imaginary
Bring Me to Life
Encore:
Never Go Back
Your Star
My Immortal
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
In a way, the audience, like Evanescence's music, was hard to categorize. Among the sea of people straining for a glimpse of singer Amy Lee and bobbing toward the front of the stage were twenty-something punks with green hair, middle-aged men with moustaches and long ponytails, bleach-blonde ladies and pitch-black goths.
With that in mind, any attempt to generalize the night would be an exercise in futility, unless, of course, you're talking about opener Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. True to her eyebrow-raising form, the former Gossip Girl star paired raccoon eyes with provocative fish-nets, knee-high leather boots and an all black mini-dress, although surprisingly, for the earlier part of the evening, she covered up with an oversized flannel and black leather jacket, before peeling off the layers and writhing around on stage.
Momson has made plenty of headlines over the past year for her stage antics, but she kept it relatively tame for the Los Angeles audience, dropping a few F-bombs, but more importantly, delivering a slew of songs with power and conviction behind a gravelly voice that sounds like it belongs to an artist well beyond her 18 years. In return, the actress-turned-singer received a variety of adoring obscenities hurled from the audience -- to one, she responded, “I think you’re fucking sexy, too.”
Cheering Momson on was Gossip Girl co-star Connor Paolo (aka Eric Van Der Woodesen), who shouted words of encouragement from the VIP balcony then bolted before the headliner hit the stage. The Pretty Reckless set included a cover of Audioslave’s “Like a Stone," which received mixed reaction.
Evanescence took position promptly at 10:05, kicking off their set with "What You Want," the first single off their brand new self-titled album, which happened to drop on the same night as the show. Donning a black tanktop, black tulle skirt and red flannel embellishment around her waist, Lee then sauntered across the stage leading into "Going Under," from 2003's Fallen, to deafening applause.
But while Lee's hypnotizing voice sounded remarkably similar to her recordings, she bantered so little -- which is to say, hardly at all, unless it involved announcing the name of a new track or plugging the band's just-released album -- that it soon started to feel less like a concert experience and more like a singalong with the iPod on Evanescence shuffle and extra-loud.
Still, Lee delivered with high energy and an undeniably fierce vocal style, best demonstrated on the gut-wrenching ballads “My Heart is Broken,” “Lithium” and the night's closer, “My Immortal,” where she sat at a piano placed front and center. Leading into “Heart,” Lee even made a rare joke, telling the fans to be quiet so she could concentrate.
But at times throughout the band's set, the at attention audience seemed only partly engaged. With several cell phones and even some actual lighters in the air, about half of the crowd obliged to the singer’s requests for sing-a-longs. To their credit, that half gave it their all.
Set List:
What You Want
Going Under
The Other Side
Weight of the World
The Change
Made of Stone
Lost in Paradise
My Heart is Broken
Lithium
Sick
Oceans
Sober
Imaginary
Bring Me to Life
Encore:
Never Go Back
Your Star
My Immortal
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
Evanescence and Rihanna set to top the UK charts this weekend
Arkansas rockers' comeback album is currently heading for the top spot.
Evanescence are currently on course to go straight in at Number One with their new, self-titled album on Sunday (October 16).
The Arkansas rockers, who last released an album in 2006, are presently holding off competition from Steps in the race for the top spot. The reunited pop band are at Number Two with their new compilation 'The Ultimate Collection'.
Source: nme.com
Evanescence are currently on course to go straight in at Number One with their new, self-titled album on Sunday (October 16).
The Arkansas rockers, who last released an album in 2006, are presently holding off competition from Steps in the race for the top spot. The reunited pop band are at Number Two with their new compilation 'The Ultimate Collection'.
Source: nme.com
Evanescence album promising but lacks depth
Evanescence makes a strong comeback with their new self-titled album, surprising fans with a more upbeat attitude.
"What you Want," is a perfect showcase of the fun and catchy made-for-radio sound that can be heard throughout the album. Though it is unusual for a band like Evanescence to sound so sunny, they successfully capture the mood without sounding unnatural or betraying the expectations of their fan base.
While this lighthearted attitude is enjoyable, the album fails to capture the wide range of emotions expressed in their previous album, "The Open Door" and, instead is so intent on keeping it upbeat,that the band loses itself. It can even be said that the album is a little too cheerful at times—there are a few songs that are entirely forgettable due to their lack of passion.
The one song that should be the most passionate falls flat. "My Heart is Broken," with its cliché title lyrics, completely misses the mark despite starting in the right direction. For a song that should convey deep emotional pain, it is not nearly melancholy enough. "Erase This" is equally forgettable, but for different reasons, such as being too fast-paced and too passionless to draw interest.
Though there are a few songs that fail to please, the album, as a whole, is a delight to listen to. Fans will fall in love with "Lost in Paradise," "The Change," "Never Go Back" and "Made of Stone." "Sick" provides a nice respite from the fun with its edgy, angry sound and the contrast of the hopeful and the macabre in "The Other Side" is a breath of fresh air.
"Swimming Home" is perhaps the most captivating song on the entire album. Curious in its striking difference from the other songs, it can only be described as unique. Though the vocals are undeniably lead singer Amy Lee's, the lyrics are so strange and the sound is so eerily alien that it demands attention and defies comparison. The creepy atmosphere that it creates is so impressive that it cannot be missed.
"Evanescence" was released on Tuesday and is available in stores and on iTunes.
Source: thesetonian.com
"What you Want," is a perfect showcase of the fun and catchy made-for-radio sound that can be heard throughout the album. Though it is unusual for a band like Evanescence to sound so sunny, they successfully capture the mood without sounding unnatural or betraying the expectations of their fan base.
While this lighthearted attitude is enjoyable, the album fails to capture the wide range of emotions expressed in their previous album, "The Open Door" and, instead is so intent on keeping it upbeat,that the band loses itself. It can even be said that the album is a little too cheerful at times—there are a few songs that are entirely forgettable due to their lack of passion.
The one song that should be the most passionate falls flat. "My Heart is Broken," with its cliché title lyrics, completely misses the mark despite starting in the right direction. For a song that should convey deep emotional pain, it is not nearly melancholy enough. "Erase This" is equally forgettable, but for different reasons, such as being too fast-paced and too passionless to draw interest.
Though there are a few songs that fail to please, the album, as a whole, is a delight to listen to. Fans will fall in love with "Lost in Paradise," "The Change," "Never Go Back" and "Made of Stone." "Sick" provides a nice respite from the fun with its edgy, angry sound and the contrast of the hopeful and the macabre in "The Other Side" is a breath of fresh air.
"Swimming Home" is perhaps the most captivating song on the entire album. Curious in its striking difference from the other songs, it can only be described as unique. Though the vocals are undeniably lead singer Amy Lee's, the lyrics are so strange and the sound is so eerily alien that it demands attention and defies comparison. The creepy atmosphere that it creates is so impressive that it cannot be missed.
"Evanescence" was released on Tuesday and is available in stores and on iTunes.
Source: thesetonian.com
Evanescence Plan More U.S. Tour Dates For 2012
'We're gonna be all over the world,' frontwoman Amy Lee tells MTV News backstage at the Hollywood Palladium.
LOS ANGELES — Backstage at the historic Hollywood Palladium on Tuesday, Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee was beaming. She was just hours away from playing to an army of eager fans (who, by the way, started forming a line around the venue early in the day). And of course, her band released its long-awaited third album, Evanescence, on the same day."There's a big line out there for sure," Lee told MTV News. "I don't know what to say, it was really cute. I went and bought my album at Amoeba [Music] and then I was on my way back and I had my little album on my lap, and they were all looking at their albums too. I think they just came from there.
"We're really excited," Lee continued. "You know, we've been working on this record forever and today's the day that we've been looking forward to for a really long time. It's great to be in L.A. We're gonna play a great show and just have fun."
The show was just the second stop on the tour, which sees support from opening acts the Pretty Reckless (which Lee called "a great fit") and Rival Sons (whose sound she described as "that Zeppelin, trippy, awesome rock"). Both bands were handpicked by EV, no doubt due to their impressive live sets.
As far as what fans can expect from Evanescence's stage show, Lee promised plenty from the new LP.
"We're definitely focusing mainly on the new material," Lee said. "We're really excited about that music the most — obviously it's the newest — but of course we'll be playing some from both of our other albums too. I guess I'd say in general, our show's on the heavy-energy side, so we'll be running around singing a lot of fast songs." While it's been some time since fans have had a chance to see EV live, Lee hasn't forgotten her favorite thing about touring.
"I love the fans!" Lee said with a smile. "I think the shows — I guess that's a boring answer — but definitely the thing that we're looking forward to when we're on the road is the concerts. Seeing the fans — hopefully getting them to lose their minds."
Which is exactly what they did when the band took the stage later that night at the Palladium. A seeming sea of black shirts filled the venue to near capacity. Of course, the band echoed the same dark wardrobe, punctuated by a burst of plaid on Lee's dress. Capturing every moment were a throng of cell phones and cameras hoisted in the air. Oh, and plenty of devil horns.
The energetic L.A. show was one stop among a slew of U.S. cities that the band will hit from now until November 1. But if your hometown isn't on the current schedule, don't fret: EV is already planning the next leg of the Stateside tour.
"We're still booking it, but I think we're gonna be doing another U.S. run next January, late January, somewhere in there," Lee said. "That's kind of the plan. If not, it will be soon after. We're gonna be all over the world, so — we always tour the world, but this time we're making a point to try to hit a lot the countries that we've always wanted to go to and have never been to, or that we see fans tweeting us or whatever and saying, Why don't we come there? We've never been to Indonesia, or whatever. So yeah, we've got a big list of places that we're gonna be touring for the foreseeable future."
Souce: mtv.com
Amy's favorite Bjork songs
Evanescence, the band’s first album is five years, thankfully marks a return to their sinister chug and Amy Lee’s heavenly wail. But there’s a deeper focus on electronic textures thanks to the programming of Nine Inch Nail Chris Vrenna and the frontwoman’s deep, long-lasting love of artists like Portishead, Massive Attack, and Depeche Mode. Here Lee–who is featured on the cover of the new Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock issue–breaks down her four favorite songs by tireless Icelandic genre-hopper Björk, whose wild, carefree spirit lurks in Evanescence‘s darkest corners.
Crystalline
“Björk inspires me in a lot of ways. Her voice is one of the most amazing voices in the world. And she’ll just say whatever. The way she uses the English language, probably because it’s not her first language, she uses it for the way the words sound as much as what the words mean. That always inspired me. When I’m writing lyrics, I think that way, too. I want the meaning to matter, but the way they actually sound coming out your mouth matters, too. Smart girl, that one.
Army Of Me
“I know that’s everybody’s favorite, but it’s just so good. There’s a whole album of covers of that one song. If you go on iTunes, there’s an album that’s fully just that song 12 times by 10 different bands.”
Joga
“I’m probably pronouncing that one wrong. I love that song. [An MTV News reporter] was saying that [new song "Lost In Paradise"] reminds him of this song. That’s a song that inspired me from a long, long time ago. It definitely inspired me musically ages ago.”
Pagan Poetry
“That’s another great one that I listen to a lot. Man, the lyrics are so good. ‘On the surface simplicity/But the darkest pit in me/It’s pagan poetry’… I love that! Totally speaks to me, it’s so beautiful!”
Source: evthreads.com
Crystalline
“Björk inspires me in a lot of ways. Her voice is one of the most amazing voices in the world. And she’ll just say whatever. The way she uses the English language, probably because it’s not her first language, she uses it for the way the words sound as much as what the words mean. That always inspired me. When I’m writing lyrics, I think that way, too. I want the meaning to matter, but the way they actually sound coming out your mouth matters, too. Smart girl, that one.
Army Of Me
“I know that’s everybody’s favorite, but it’s just so good. There’s a whole album of covers of that one song. If you go on iTunes, there’s an album that’s fully just that song 12 times by 10 different bands.”
Joga
“I’m probably pronouncing that one wrong. I love that song. [An MTV News reporter] was saying that [new song "Lost In Paradise"] reminds him of this song. That’s a song that inspired me from a long, long time ago. It definitely inspired me musically ages ago.”
Pagan Poetry
“That’s another great one that I listen to a lot. Man, the lyrics are so good. ‘On the surface simplicity/But the darkest pit in me/It’s pagan poetry’… I love that! Totally speaks to me, it’s so beautiful!”
Source: evthreads.com
Evanescence & Five Finger Death Punch Eyeing Top Of Billboard 200 Chart
After a long five-year wait, Evanescence is back-and perhaps headed for its second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The band's new self-titled third studio release could sell around 110,000 to 125,000 copies by week's end on Sunday, Oct. 16--so say industry prognosticators.
While that is probably a big enough sales figure to secure a No. 1 arrival, don't count out the resilient Adele and her "21" album. It sold 112,000 this past week according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has been moving between 110,000 to 154,000 on a weekly basis for the past month-and-a-half. "21" rose a spot to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week and has never left the top four positions since it bowed at No. 1 on March 12.
Evanescence's new album, if it hits No. 1, will mark the Amy Lee-fronted group's second chart-topper, following "The Open Door" in 2006. That album bounded in with 447,000 copies sold. "Door" was the follow-up to the rock act's breakthrough debut, "Fallen," which spent 106 weeks on the Billboard 200 and has sold 7.6 million copies in the U.S.
Another rock band, Five Finger Death Punch, could be cruising to a top three debut on the Billboard 200 as its third album, "American Capitalist," may sell around 80,000 to 100,000. Its last release, 2009's "War Is the Answer," jumped in at No. 7 with a 44,000 launch. Its sales-to-date stand at 569,000.
2011 "American Idol" runner-up Lauren Alaina and Ryan Adams' "Ashes & Fire" could both start in the top 10 as well-shifting about 60,000 and 50,000 copies each, respectively. Country superstar Martina McBride's "Eleven" is flirting with a top 10 debut (perhaps 35,000) as is Joe Jonas' solo debut "Fastlife" (maybe 25,000).
Source: billboard.com
The band's new self-titled third studio release could sell around 110,000 to 125,000 copies by week's end on Sunday, Oct. 16--so say industry prognosticators.
While that is probably a big enough sales figure to secure a No. 1 arrival, don't count out the resilient Adele and her "21" album. It sold 112,000 this past week according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has been moving between 110,000 to 154,000 on a weekly basis for the past month-and-a-half. "21" rose a spot to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week and has never left the top four positions since it bowed at No. 1 on March 12.
Evanescence's new album, if it hits No. 1, will mark the Amy Lee-fronted group's second chart-topper, following "The Open Door" in 2006. That album bounded in with 447,000 copies sold. "Door" was the follow-up to the rock act's breakthrough debut, "Fallen," which spent 106 weeks on the Billboard 200 and has sold 7.6 million copies in the U.S.
Another rock band, Five Finger Death Punch, could be cruising to a top three debut on the Billboard 200 as its third album, "American Capitalist," may sell around 80,000 to 100,000. Its last release, 2009's "War Is the Answer," jumped in at No. 7 with a 44,000 launch. Its sales-to-date stand at 569,000.
2011 "American Idol" runner-up Lauren Alaina and Ryan Adams' "Ashes & Fire" could both start in the top 10 as well-shifting about 60,000 and 50,000 copies each, respectively. Country superstar Martina McBride's "Eleven" is flirting with a top 10 debut (perhaps 35,000) as is Joe Jonas' solo debut "Fastlife" (maybe 25,000).
Source: billboard.com
Review: IGN
Five years since the release of their sophomore album, Arkansas rockers Evanescence finally return with their third effort. A hiatus and scrapped sessions with producer Steve Lillywhite behind them, the quintet brought in Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones) to handle production duties. The result is an album that delivers on the orchestral-laced hard rock thrust and Amy Lee's soaring vocals fans have come to expect, with a few surprising experiments along the way.
Lee's skyward vocals suit the album's obsession with the emotional frustration and devastation of a break-up well, ripe with romantically longing tunes like gorgeous power ballad "Lost In Paradise", where her breathy vocals in the beginning awaken as she passionately apologizes for not sticking with the guy who believed in her. While there are moments of beauty, like the twinkling piano and classical strings wrestling with burly riffs on "The Change", there are plenty of tracks where the guitar assault does its best to smother the strings for a more direct hard rock sound, as with the thick slab of metal-kissed guitar shoving the orchestra to the background on "End Of The Dream".
Lee's alluring vocals hang over the rubbery thicket of guitars on "Made Of Stone", almost as if she is haunting the song. Their attempt to pretty up "Never Go Back" nearly derails the track, with guitar gnawing over a grumbling bass groove sounding great before they clumsily toss in a bit of unnecessary piano in the hook of what is otherwise an invigorating listen, as Lee desperately professes her love. For all the familiar cascading piano and grubby march of guitar and stomping drums on fiery "My Heart Is Broken", where Lee's siren-esque vocals shine, the band takes a few interesting chances late in the album.
A hazy synth hum and stuttering beat make for a head turning sonic shift on the excellent "Oceans", with plenty of guitar in the hook to make up for the neon fog in the verses. The icy chill of electo-pop ballad "Swimming Home" is a twitchy, sleepy experiment gone awry, and is enough of a sonic departure to be better served as a bonus track or b-side. The slamming beat and odd blend of twinkling piano and electro-pop dance elements toil with thrashing guitars for a cluttered, but uplifting listen as Lee pleads for freedom of expression on the oddly poppy vocal of "What You Want".
With a few tracks spreading their wings a bit and plenty of surefire fan favorites, like the dramatic roaring vocals and guitars sawing through piano on tense "Erase This", Evanescence's latest is great album that delivers the familiar while keeping an eye on the future.
8 out of 10
Source: ign.com
Lee's skyward vocals suit the album's obsession with the emotional frustration and devastation of a break-up well, ripe with romantically longing tunes like gorgeous power ballad "Lost In Paradise", where her breathy vocals in the beginning awaken as she passionately apologizes for not sticking with the guy who believed in her. While there are moments of beauty, like the twinkling piano and classical strings wrestling with burly riffs on "The Change", there are plenty of tracks where the guitar assault does its best to smother the strings for a more direct hard rock sound, as with the thick slab of metal-kissed guitar shoving the orchestra to the background on "End Of The Dream".
Lee's alluring vocals hang over the rubbery thicket of guitars on "Made Of Stone", almost as if she is haunting the song. Their attempt to pretty up "Never Go Back" nearly derails the track, with guitar gnawing over a grumbling bass groove sounding great before they clumsily toss in a bit of unnecessary piano in the hook of what is otherwise an invigorating listen, as Lee desperately professes her love. For all the familiar cascading piano and grubby march of guitar and stomping drums on fiery "My Heart Is Broken", where Lee's siren-esque vocals shine, the band takes a few interesting chances late in the album.
A hazy synth hum and stuttering beat make for a head turning sonic shift on the excellent "Oceans", with plenty of guitar in the hook to make up for the neon fog in the verses. The icy chill of electo-pop ballad "Swimming Home" is a twitchy, sleepy experiment gone awry, and is enough of a sonic departure to be better served as a bonus track or b-side. The slamming beat and odd blend of twinkling piano and electro-pop dance elements toil with thrashing guitars for a cluttered, but uplifting listen as Lee pleads for freedom of expression on the oddly poppy vocal of "What You Want".
With a few tracks spreading their wings a bit and plenty of surefire fan favorites, like the dramatic roaring vocals and guitars sawing through piano on tense "Erase This", Evanescence's latest is great album that delivers the familiar while keeping an eye on the future.
8 out of 10
Source: ign.com
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Evanescence Dazzle Hollywood Audience on Second Night of Their Tour
If anyone thought the several-year layoff of the multi-platinum and Grammy winning rock band Evanescence might result in a lackluster show at the start of a new tour, they would be sorely mistaken.
As the band proved at the Hollywood Palladium at tour stop last night, they are more than ready to play. Comprised today of Terry Balsamo (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Will Hunt (drums) and of course one of the most compelling front people of her generation, singer-pianist Amy Lee, Evanescence hit the stage promptly at 10:05PM and through the course of 17-songs took the tightly-packed house on a journey that focused heavily on their new album 'Evanescence ' (released the day of the show), while also delivering the anthemic hits.
Kicking off with the album's first single, 'What You Want,' it was clear from the outset that Lee's performing chops have only gotten stronger during her time away from the band. From the moment the purple and aqua lights washed over her, she was sashaying, swaying, and dancing with the flow of the music, letting her body flow freely against the muscular, brooding chords of the new music.
Dressed in a black sequined dress with a plaid wrap around her waist and knee-high boots, Lee evoked other classic female rockers from earlier eras, such as Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush. Still a gothy, raven haired beauty who understands how to sell a song onstage, Lee seemed thoroughly energized performing the new songs, girlishly chatting them up and then delivering them with the force of the gods.
Her full-bodied voice still soars when she wants it to, but it has also aged nicely and allows her to bring new earthy drama to her performance, in particular when she sits down at the Baldwin baby grand mid-set for several songs including the new 'My Heart is Broken' and 'Lithium,' from the band's second album, 2007's 'The Open Door.'
But for all the introspective grace and delicate, airy intensity she brings at the piano, it's when she's stalking the stage that Lee seems the most gripping, commanding and lusty. Although she has been out of the Evanescence limelight for a couple of years, Lee's sultry priestess of rock persona has evolved nicely. Physically throwing her self into the music as she does, she elevated the crowd numerous times over the course of the evening, pausing several times to revel in the moment of the new album's release.
But in the end, it's about the songs, and the new material melded strongly with the classics. This may not be an official 'comeback' but clearly this is a band that has picked up right where they left off, delivering smart, emotional, darkly catchy anthems to an audience whose appetite for the band seems only to have grown.
This was a triumphant night in Hollywood. Welcome back Evanescence. Welcome back, Amy Lee.
Setlist:
'What You Want'
'Going Under'
'The Other Side'
'Weight of the World'
'The Change'
'Made of Stone'
'Lost in Paradise'
'My Heart Is Broken'
'Lithium'
'Sick'
'Oceans'
'Call Me When You're Sober'
'Imaginary'
'Bring Me To Life'
Encore:
'Never Go Back'
'Your Star'
'My Immortal'
New York rock band The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons both delivered strong opening sets.
Tour Dates:
Oct 14 Phoenix Comerica Theatre
Oct 15 Tucson AVA Amphitheatre
Oct 18 San Antonio Sunken Gardens
Oct 19 Dallas Palladium
Oct 21 Milwaukee Eagles Ballroom
Oct 22 Chicago Congress Theatre
Oct 24 Detroit Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 25 Toronto The Sound Academy
Oct 27 Montreal Metropolis
Oct 28 Boston Palladium
Oct 30 Atlantic City Showboat - House of Blues
Nov 1 NYC Terminal 5
Source: noisecreep.com
As the band proved at the Hollywood Palladium at tour stop last night, they are more than ready to play. Comprised today of Terry Balsamo (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Will Hunt (drums) and of course one of the most compelling front people of her generation, singer-pianist Amy Lee, Evanescence hit the stage promptly at 10:05PM and through the course of 17-songs took the tightly-packed house on a journey that focused heavily on their new album 'Evanescence ' (released the day of the show), while also delivering the anthemic hits.
Kicking off with the album's first single, 'What You Want,' it was clear from the outset that Lee's performing chops have only gotten stronger during her time away from the band. From the moment the purple and aqua lights washed over her, she was sashaying, swaying, and dancing with the flow of the music, letting her body flow freely against the muscular, brooding chords of the new music.
Dressed in a black sequined dress with a plaid wrap around her waist and knee-high boots, Lee evoked other classic female rockers from earlier eras, such as Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush. Still a gothy, raven haired beauty who understands how to sell a song onstage, Lee seemed thoroughly energized performing the new songs, girlishly chatting them up and then delivering them with the force of the gods.
Her full-bodied voice still soars when she wants it to, but it has also aged nicely and allows her to bring new earthy drama to her performance, in particular when she sits down at the Baldwin baby grand mid-set for several songs including the new 'My Heart is Broken' and 'Lithium,' from the band's second album, 2007's 'The Open Door.'
But for all the introspective grace and delicate, airy intensity she brings at the piano, it's when she's stalking the stage that Lee seems the most gripping, commanding and lusty. Although she has been out of the Evanescence limelight for a couple of years, Lee's sultry priestess of rock persona has evolved nicely. Physically throwing her self into the music as she does, she elevated the crowd numerous times over the course of the evening, pausing several times to revel in the moment of the new album's release.
But in the end, it's about the songs, and the new material melded strongly with the classics. This may not be an official 'comeback' but clearly this is a band that has picked up right where they left off, delivering smart, emotional, darkly catchy anthems to an audience whose appetite for the band seems only to have grown.
This was a triumphant night in Hollywood. Welcome back Evanescence. Welcome back, Amy Lee.
Setlist:
'What You Want'
'Going Under'
'The Other Side'
'Weight of the World'
'The Change'
'Made of Stone'
'Lost in Paradise'
'My Heart Is Broken'
'Lithium'
'Sick'
'Oceans'
'Call Me When You're Sober'
'Imaginary'
'Bring Me To Life'
Encore:
'Never Go Back'
'Your Star'
'My Immortal'
New York rock band The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons both delivered strong opening sets.
Tour Dates:
Oct 14 Phoenix Comerica Theatre
Oct 15 Tucson AVA Amphitheatre
Oct 18 San Antonio Sunken Gardens
Oct 19 Dallas Palladium
Oct 21 Milwaukee Eagles Ballroom
Oct 22 Chicago Congress Theatre
Oct 24 Detroit Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 25 Toronto The Sound Academy
Oct 27 Montreal Metropolis
Oct 28 Boston Palladium
Oct 30 Atlantic City Showboat - House of Blues
Nov 1 NYC Terminal 5
Source: noisecreep.com
EVANESCENCE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH ROCK THE ONE-DAYS
Welcome back, Amy Lee. Where’ve ya been?
Evanescence, the band fronted by the sultry lead vocalist, returns to the charts next week with its self-titled third album—and first since 2006’s The Open Door—which is expected to do between 110-120k.
That will put it in a race with Adele for the top spot on next week’s chart, based on one-day sales reports from those retailers not participating in theOccupy Wall Street protest.
Prospect Park rockers Five Finger Death Punch’s third album, American Capitalist—not named after manager Jeff Kwatinetz, or maybe it is—will bow with between 85-90k in sales, which should be enough to make it Top Three on next week’s chart.
Source: hitsdailydouble.com
Evanescence, the band fronted by the sultry lead vocalist, returns to the charts next week with its self-titled third album—and first since 2006’s The Open Door—which is expected to do between 110-120k.
That will put it in a race with Adele for the top spot on next week’s chart, based on one-day sales reports from those retailers not participating in the
Prospect Park rockers Five Finger Death Punch’s third album, American Capitalist—not named after manager Jeff Kwatinetz, or maybe it is—will bow with between 85-90k in sales, which should be enough to make it Top Three on next week’s chart.
Source: hitsdailydouble.com
"Bigger Than The Sound"
Evanescence: Family Values
With the release of their new album, Evanescence have weathered the storm and emerged as a genuine family, in Bigger Than The Sound.
A few months ago, I was sitting in a bar in Nashville watching Amy Lee play Ping-Pong. This was amazing for several reasons, the least of which was the fact that she was actually pretty good.
Because while the image of Lee — frequently corseted dark princess of hard rock — clutching a tiny racquet certainly threw me for a loop, it was the action around her that really struck me. Her bandmates were sitting at a nearby table, cracking jokes with the road crew, cheering whenever she cracked a return volley over the net or caught the corner of the table with an arcing lob shot. Lee was laughing and taunting her opponent, who just so happened to be her husband, who could do nothing but smile and take a drink of beer. Everyone seemed to be happy, having a good time, very much enjoying their particular lots in life.
And that was important, because it basically flew in the face of everything I thought I knew about Evanescence, a band for which drama was about as common as a Drop D tuning.
Fans already know the backstory: the abrupt and acrimonious departure of co-founder Ben Moody and a sundry of other lineup changes (firings, etc.) that followed; Lee's no-apologies kiss off to former boyfriend Shaun Morgan, "Call Me When You're Sober"; and the lengthy hiatus that came at the conclusion of the tour behind 2006's The Open Door. Even the most casual of music fans was probably aware of Lee's reputation as a difficult, oft-domineering taskmaster (or, if they weren't, her former bandmates were more than happy to talk about it).
In short, being in Evanescence didn't seem like a whole lot of fun. And when I first spoke to Lee earlier this year, just as the band was putting the finishing touches on their third album, she admitted that all the Sturm und Drang of fronting the band had taken a toll on her — so much so that she thought about giving up altogether.
"There was drama. ... There's always freaking drama," she said. "So we get towards the end of [the Open Door Tour], and I was like, 'Guys, I don't know about this. I need a break.' I just wanted to be normal; I didn't want to think about the next thing for as long as it took."
But after reuniting her estranged mates for a warm-up in 2009, something changed. Lee told me that she fell back in love with "the Evanescence part" of her personality and, recharged, she and the band holed up in Nashville to record what would, rather tellingly, be their self-titled album. It was released on Monday, ending a five-year drought, and it is very much a band record, with Lee sharing writing credits on 11 of the 12 songs. It is, as she told me back in June: "About the band ... about falling back in love with this thing, with Evanescence, with what I've obsessed over for a decade, longer than that."
Of course, I nodded. But I wasn't sure if I believed her. After all, this was Evanescence. And that doubt only grew each subsequent shoot: In Nashville's Blackbird Studios, where Lee — and producer Nick Raskulinecz (and none of her bandmates) — played me songs from the new album. At a sweltering video shoot in Brooklyn, where, though she was surrounded by the rest of the band, Lee did most of the talking. And, finally, back in Nashville, were Evanescence premiered their comeback single, "What You Want."
But it was on that second trip to Nashville where I began to notice something about 2011 Evanescence. Namely, they genuinely seem to like each other — a whole lot. Sure, in interviews, Lee answers most of the questions, but that's only because the other guys in the band aren't exactly leaping at the chance to do so (except bassist Tim McCord; he's a funny dude). Man-mountain guitarist Terry Balsamo prefers to let his thundering chords do the talking, but behind the scenes, he'll light up if you mention his beloved Florida Gators. Troy McLawhorn, who left the band to join up with Lee's ex in Seether (but was welcomed back with open arms during the recording of Ev's new album), kids around with his mates and talks at length about his wife and son. And drummer Will Hunt is, like all good drummers should be, a bit of a wild man, a guy who enjoys nothing more than playing loud and fast (and living much the same way).
They each play a role, and they do so willingly, gladly even. They laugh and crack inside jokes (like the one about McCord, a fire alarm and a New York hotel — ask him about it sometime), they protect one another, and they keep the machine running, because they genuinely care about each other and their band.
In a lot of ways, through all the trials and tribulations, Evanescence have become more than a band; they have become a family, a collection of individuals as different as can be, yet united by a common love for one another. Their new album — and the lengthy road that led to its creation — is a testament to that fact. And that night in the bar, with Lee whipping forehands and her bandmates cheering her on, was proof. At least for me. It was the kind of camaraderie that cannot be forced; it must be forged. And Evanescence have definitely gone through their share of hardening. Now, finally, they can enjoy not only being a band, but a functioning (albeit nontraditional) familial unit. In the best scenarios, the two are usually one in the same.
Source: mtv.com
With the release of their new album, Evanescence have weathered the storm and emerged as a genuine family, in Bigger Than The Sound.
A few months ago, I was sitting in a bar in Nashville watching Amy Lee play Ping-Pong. This was amazing for several reasons, the least of which was the fact that she was actually pretty good.
Because while the image of Lee — frequently corseted dark princess of hard rock — clutching a tiny racquet certainly threw me for a loop, it was the action around her that really struck me. Her bandmates were sitting at a nearby table, cracking jokes with the road crew, cheering whenever she cracked a return volley over the net or caught the corner of the table with an arcing lob shot. Lee was laughing and taunting her opponent, who just so happened to be her husband, who could do nothing but smile and take a drink of beer. Everyone seemed to be happy, having a good time, very much enjoying their particular lots in life.
And that was important, because it basically flew in the face of everything I thought I knew about Evanescence, a band for which drama was about as common as a Drop D tuning.
Fans already know the backstory: the abrupt and acrimonious departure of co-founder Ben Moody and a sundry of other lineup changes (firings, etc.) that followed; Lee's no-apologies kiss off to former boyfriend Shaun Morgan, "Call Me When You're Sober"; and the lengthy hiatus that came at the conclusion of the tour behind 2006's The Open Door. Even the most casual of music fans was probably aware of Lee's reputation as a difficult, oft-domineering taskmaster (or, if they weren't, her former bandmates were more than happy to talk about it).
In short, being in Evanescence didn't seem like a whole lot of fun. And when I first spoke to Lee earlier this year, just as the band was putting the finishing touches on their third album, she admitted that all the Sturm und Drang of fronting the band had taken a toll on her — so much so that she thought about giving up altogether.
"There was drama. ... There's always freaking drama," she said. "So we get towards the end of [the Open Door Tour], and I was like, 'Guys, I don't know about this. I need a break.' I just wanted to be normal; I didn't want to think about the next thing for as long as it took."
But after reuniting her estranged mates for a warm-up in 2009, something changed. Lee told me that she fell back in love with "the Evanescence part" of her personality and, recharged, she and the band holed up in Nashville to record what would, rather tellingly, be their self-titled album. It was released on Monday, ending a five-year drought, and it is very much a band record, with Lee sharing writing credits on 11 of the 12 songs. It is, as she told me back in June: "About the band ... about falling back in love with this thing, with Evanescence, with what I've obsessed over for a decade, longer than that."
Of course, I nodded. But I wasn't sure if I believed her. After all, this was Evanescence. And that doubt only grew each subsequent shoot: In Nashville's Blackbird Studios, where Lee — and producer Nick Raskulinecz (and none of her bandmates) — played me songs from the new album. At a sweltering video shoot in Brooklyn, where, though she was surrounded by the rest of the band, Lee did most of the talking. And, finally, back in Nashville, were Evanescence premiered their comeback single, "What You Want."
But it was on that second trip to Nashville where I began to notice something about 2011 Evanescence. Namely, they genuinely seem to like each other — a whole lot. Sure, in interviews, Lee answers most of the questions, but that's only because the other guys in the band aren't exactly leaping at the chance to do so (except bassist Tim McCord; he's a funny dude). Man-mountain guitarist Terry Balsamo prefers to let his thundering chords do the talking, but behind the scenes, he'll light up if you mention his beloved Florida Gators. Troy McLawhorn, who left the band to join up with Lee's ex in Seether (but was welcomed back with open arms during the recording of Ev's new album), kids around with his mates and talks at length about his wife and son. And drummer Will Hunt is, like all good drummers should be, a bit of a wild man, a guy who enjoys nothing more than playing loud and fast (and living much the same way).
They each play a role, and they do so willingly, gladly even. They laugh and crack inside jokes (like the one about McCord, a fire alarm and a New York hotel — ask him about it sometime), they protect one another, and they keep the machine running, because they genuinely care about each other and their band.
In a lot of ways, through all the trials and tribulations, Evanescence have become more than a band; they have become a family, a collection of individuals as different as can be, yet united by a common love for one another. Their new album — and the lengthy road that led to its creation — is a testament to that fact. And that night in the bar, with Lee whipping forehands and her bandmates cheering her on, was proof. At least for me. It was the kind of camaraderie that cannot be forced; it must be forged. And Evanescence have definitely gone through their share of hardening. Now, finally, they can enjoy not only being a band, but a functioning (albeit nontraditional) familial unit. In the best scenarios, the two are usually one in the same.
Source: mtv.com
Troy McLawhorn on New Album and Rocking with Gibsons
In late July, goth-laced rock band Evanescence and their closest fans crowded into a scorching Brooklyn warehouse to film the video for “What You Want,” the debut single off their new, self-titled album, out this week on Wind-Up Records. If you ask guitarist Troy McLawhorn, the video was indicative of the larger picture: Evanescence were returning to their gritty roots and making straight-ahead rock music collectively.
“The video was shot in little club setting with a lot of people in there, and it was hot, but it reminds you of the days when you started out playing music and you’re playing these small clubs and that whole vibe,” he said. “Everybody is trading energy, and it’s a very cool thing. On the album, we wanted to keep the rawness of being onstage together, and I think it came across that way.”
A few days before the album’s release, McLawhorn checked in with Gibson.com to talk about his recent reunion with Evanescence and why Gibsons are “all-around good guitars for everything.”
You rejoined Evanescence this year after playing a while with Seether. What was the catalyst for your move to Evanescence?
Well, when I joined Evanescence for the first time, I was hired to finish a tour for them in 2007. I joined in with Will Hunt, who I played with in Dark New Day. So, Amy [Lee] called us to see if we could finish out the tour that year. When Evanescence took a hiatus, she wanted to take a break from touring, so I moved on and did some other things in the meantime. When we talked this year, she was ready to do another album, and I was excited to come back. When I came in, they had been writing a little beforehand, so some of the ideas were created in some writing sessions before we got together in the rehearsal space, but I got to be included in a lot of the overall creative process.
Listening to tracks on the new album, such as “Made of Stone” and “Never Go Back,” it seems this record went for a heavy, straight-ahead rock vibe. Would you agree?
Yeah, definitely. This record was made differently than rest of Evanescence’s records in that it was a band record. We put ourselves into a rehearsal room and hashed out these ideas we had and made them into songs, and I think the thing we wanted to keep was the rawness of being in a room together. I think it came across that way and in what the producer, Nick Raskulinecz, did for us. Amy says she’s never done an album like this; before, it was usually just her and one writing partner. But, this is how I’ve always done albums with bands, as a collaborative effort.
What are you most excited about, with this release?
It’s been quite a while since I’ve been on tour, so I’m excited to go on tour and play these songs. I think this album is a great live album. There’s a lot of up-tempo stuff on it, and like you said, it’s a little heavier and a little rawer, so it’s going to be a lot of fun to play live.
What Gibsons are currently in your rig?
I’ve been a Gibson fan for a long time, and I have a black Les Paul Custom, and it’s an ’85. I also have a white Les Paul custom that’s a ’90 or ’91, and a Flying-V 7-string I just got this year.
Did you use any Gibsons when recording the new album?
Actually, one of my main guitars for this album was a 1959 re-issue white Flying-V. I used that a lot, and Terry [Balsamo, Evanescence’s other guitarist] mostly used a 7-string Gibson Explorer. That combination sounded really good. We did a lot of rhythm tracks with those two guitars.
Do you find yourself using Gibsons especially for a particular function, such as soloing or rhythms?
Gibson is good for everything! I love Gibson guitars. I don’t really have a deal with Gibson; I’ve just always liked them and spent my money on them, because they’re awesome guitars. There are a few that I even leave at home, because they’re really great to write on. But Gibsons are great to play rhythm on and great to play country, bluegrass, rock, pop – whatever genre. Gibsons are all-around good guitars for everything.
Do you have any playing tips for our readers?
I’m self-taught, and the only tip I can think to give is to try to branch out as much as you can and learn from other guitar players. Practice – that’s the key. When I was starting out, I would practice seven hours a day. I would get home from school, lock myself in my bedroom and play guitar. I just loved it so much, and it was something in my heart to do, so I got lost in it every day.
Source: gibson.com
“The video was shot in little club setting with a lot of people in there, and it was hot, but it reminds you of the days when you started out playing music and you’re playing these small clubs and that whole vibe,” he said. “Everybody is trading energy, and it’s a very cool thing. On the album, we wanted to keep the rawness of being onstage together, and I think it came across that way.”
A few days before the album’s release, McLawhorn checked in with Gibson.com to talk about his recent reunion with Evanescence and why Gibsons are “all-around good guitars for everything.”
You rejoined Evanescence this year after playing a while with Seether. What was the catalyst for your move to Evanescence?
Well, when I joined Evanescence for the first time, I was hired to finish a tour for them in 2007. I joined in with Will Hunt, who I played with in Dark New Day. So, Amy [Lee] called us to see if we could finish out the tour that year. When Evanescence took a hiatus, she wanted to take a break from touring, so I moved on and did some other things in the meantime. When we talked this year, she was ready to do another album, and I was excited to come back. When I came in, they had been writing a little beforehand, so some of the ideas were created in some writing sessions before we got together in the rehearsal space, but I got to be included in a lot of the overall creative process.
Listening to tracks on the new album, such as “Made of Stone” and “Never Go Back,” it seems this record went for a heavy, straight-ahead rock vibe. Would you agree?
Yeah, definitely. This record was made differently than rest of Evanescence’s records in that it was a band record. We put ourselves into a rehearsal room and hashed out these ideas we had and made them into songs, and I think the thing we wanted to keep was the rawness of being in a room together. I think it came across that way and in what the producer, Nick Raskulinecz, did for us. Amy says she’s never done an album like this; before, it was usually just her and one writing partner. But, this is how I’ve always done albums with bands, as a collaborative effort.
What are you most excited about, with this release?
It’s been quite a while since I’ve been on tour, so I’m excited to go on tour and play these songs. I think this album is a great live album. There’s a lot of up-tempo stuff on it, and like you said, it’s a little heavier and a little rawer, so it’s going to be a lot of fun to play live.
What Gibsons are currently in your rig?
I’ve been a Gibson fan for a long time, and I have a black Les Paul Custom, and it’s an ’85. I also have a white Les Paul custom that’s a ’90 or ’91, and a Flying-V 7-string I just got this year.
Did you use any Gibsons when recording the new album?
Actually, one of my main guitars for this album was a 1959 re-issue white Flying-V. I used that a lot, and Terry [Balsamo, Evanescence’s other guitarist] mostly used a 7-string Gibson Explorer. That combination sounded really good. We did a lot of rhythm tracks with those two guitars.
Do you find yourself using Gibsons especially for a particular function, such as soloing or rhythms?
Gibson is good for everything! I love Gibson guitars. I don’t really have a deal with Gibson; I’ve just always liked them and spent my money on them, because they’re awesome guitars. There are a few that I even leave at home, because they’re really great to write on. But Gibsons are great to play rhythm on and great to play country, bluegrass, rock, pop – whatever genre. Gibsons are all-around good guitars for everything.
Do you have any playing tips for our readers?
I’m self-taught, and the only tip I can think to give is to try to branch out as much as you can and learn from other guitar players. Practice – that’s the key. When I was starting out, I would practice seven hours a day. I would get home from school, lock myself in my bedroom and play guitar. I just loved it so much, and it was something in my heart to do, so I got lost in it every day.
Source: gibson.com
Amy Lee Talks New Evanescence Album, Tour
On Oct. 11 Evanescence will release the band’s third studio album on Wind-Up Records, marking the band’s first album in five years. The band’s North American tour kicks off Oct. 10 as the group’s first full-fledged outing since 2007.
In other words, this is a big week for the Grammy Award-winning band that has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
I just wanted to say congratulations on the upcoming album and tour.
AL: Thank you. We’re really excited. It’s awesome after working on it for so long to finally hear it back. We’re so proud of it.
I’m sure the fans are really looking forward to it. I wanted to ask you a few questions about the hiatus you took following The Open Door tour. If you could talk a little bit about what you were up to during the break and the decision to go on hiatus.
AL: Well, as you said, we finished touring The Open Door at the end of 2007. I actually got married in 2007 and went straight back on tour so I really just wanted to be married. I live in New York with my husband and we worked on our place; I decorated my home. Just sort of being a normal person for a while.
My life had been all about Evanescence since I was a teenager, just jumping straight into the next thing every time. So it felt really good to step away and go, “You know, that was awesome; I think we’re going to do this again some day but I don’t know. But right now I need to just be Amy.” It was really good for me.
It’s funny. I really love music. I do. I can’t help but play music all the time. And that’s why I’m here again because as much as I stepped away I [was] still sitting down at the piano most days or at the harp – I started taking harp in the time off too. And that turns into songwriting. And more and more as I got to sort of find myself, I discovered, “Oh yeah, Evanescence is a huge part of me naturally. It’s not just this thing we invented. It’s not just a character. It’s really me.”
So, naturally, I just started writing again. And it eventually became an Evanescence record that we were making. We spent the last two years just working on the record. But before that I just did a lot of living – spending time with family, cooking with friends, listening to other bands perform. I went to Madison Square a lot. I saw an awesome Bjork show, I saw Neil Young play, I saw Deftones, Alice in Chains, all kind of stuff. Just pulling a little bit in, instead of always putting something out, artistically.
Did you always know that you’d return to Evanescence? Or is that something you discovered?
AL: No. I really have to wait for inspiration to come. I have to follow my heart. Sounds corny, but it’s really true. I didn’t know if that’s what I wanted to do anymore, for sure, at the end of The Open Door tour. I really needed to separate myself from it a little bit. But, we’re here because I love it and I missed it. And all those things started coming to life again in me.
In a previous interview that you did, I read that when you started working with the guys again, it became more of a group project. Can you expand on that a bit?
AL: Sure. I’m a very kind of intimate writer in the history of me working so usually the most common way that Evanescence works is with me and one other person, two max. Just sitting at the keyboard, with a guitar and Pro Tools, just creating.
With The Open Door it was Terry [Balsamo]. We wrote almost the entire record, just the two of us. This time I opened it up. I wrote with Tim [McCord], I wrote with Terry. I started writing with Tim and Terry. And then we brought Will [Hunt] into it and we actually wrote some songs just sitting at our instruments. It’s very different for Evanescence. And it worked because this is a live band that we had going on before, we know how to play together, they’re great musicians. And we just added creativity into that and it really worked. I feel like we’re at a place now where we know what Evanescence is and at the same time want to grow it, want to make it the next level.
And everybody’s head was just in that same spot so we did a lot of writing where it really worked for us to sit and jam. And that was an awesome experience for me. I feel like it made me a better musician. It definitely made us a better band.
When the band reunited for those two shows in November 2009, what was it like to get back on stage with the band?
AL: It was awesome. What can I say? I’m trying to think back now. I was a little bit nervous because I definitely was still in a place where I didn’t know what we were doing and we weren’t working on a new record yet really. I was just kind of writing aimlessly. And when we did that show, it felt so good. Honestly, that was a little bit of a turning point for me because remembering all those old songs and listening to them again and getting back up on stage and going, “Oh yeah, this is a really big part of me” made it become a little bit more like we were possibly working towards an album now, an Evanescence album.
What can fans expect from the new album?
AL: I think they can expect to like it a lot. We thought about the fans a lot. You know, it’s funny, as we were writing there were a lot of moments where we were like, “Oh man, the fans are going to love this song!” because we know our fans. At this point it’s not like we’re hoping that somebody will get it.
As always, I make music that I love. And my method is always that if we just make all the moves, no matter what they are, no matter if we’ve ever done them before, just make something that we love to listen to, somebody else will love to listen to it too. And we really just went by that same method. We wanted to make a record that was absolutely Evanescence and still made our fans happy, but at the same time push into a little bit of a new direction, a little bit of a new place.
I think the album is strong, dynamic, very heavy at times but also very vulnerable at times too. I hope that’s a good enough description. It’s hard to sum it up in just a couple of words.
What was behind the decision to give the album a self-titled name? I always find it interesting when bands give albums self-titled names further along in their career rather than their debut.
AL: Well, it really became a band-driven record. Even what we were just talking about, working like a band and having that really work – it felt more like a traditional band with the writing and everything. Everyone, every single member of the band, their style is coming across on the record. And their writing even. And I think it’s really great because it still absolutely works and it’s Evanescence. And it’s awesome. And it’s tight. And it’s driven by the band. But it is new. This is us now. This is this group.
The reason why it’s self-titled is because it’s a band driven record. You’re hearing the band, first and foremost. And then all the production elements are kind of going on top of that.
How do you feel about the comparisons between We Are The Fallen (which features former Evanescence members Ben Moody, John LeCompt and Rocky Gray) and Evanescence? And do you still keep in contact with your old bandmates?
AL: I’m going to skip the first part of that question if that’s OK with you. But, I do still keep in contact with some of them. Will Boyd and I have always remained friends. He was just actually hitting me up last week saying “Hey, are you in New York? My band’s coming to play a show. I want to see you.” But I wasn’t there. I was working, promoting the record. Yeah, we’re good. No beef.
What can fans expect from the live show?
AL: Oh, it’s going to be great. They can expect a little bit of all three records. Obviously we’re most excited about the new record so we’re going to be playing a lot of new stuff. But, of course, we’ll still be playing some songs from The Open Door and some songs from Fallen. It’s cool, we’re at a point now where we have so many songs it’s really hard to choose. We have a lot of options for our live set. Today’s actually our last day of rehearsal. We’ve spent the past week, week and a half, just kind of going through all of our songs and whittling down the setlist, mourning songs that we’re cutting at the moment.
It’s just going to be a great show. It’s definitely focused a little more on the heavy side, as our live shows usually are. Of course there’s moments with me at the piano and us playing some of our ballads too. It should be just the best show ever.
We start the tour in Brazil at a big, giant festival, Rock In Rio, on Oct. 2. And then we go to Puerto Rico, and the U.S., and then Europe. And we’re just going to be touring throughout the year.
And that’s not the end of it. We’re going to be touring all through next year, all around the world. We’ll be back to the U.S. a couple of times but we’re also going to Europe, Asia, south America, Africa. So just keep checking the website because there’s going to be new dates all the time.
Do you still do meet & greets? Or how do you interact with your fans?
AL: Yeah, we do. We’ll always do meet and greets and we sign for whoever we can. But, in addition to that, the Internet’s become more and more useful for us to interact with them. I use my Twitter right on my phone all the time. I’m able to communicate with fans, see what songs they like that we’ve played live so far. And sort of share a little bit behind the scenes with them in real time. It’s cool that now you don’t have to wait for a DVD to come out to see what happened the year before with the band. The day of the video shoot, I can tweet a picture of it.
I read that when you’d first started working on the new album, right before that you’d been recording songs possibly for a solo album. Do you think that you’d still record a solo album at some point down the line?
AL: Yeah, I think that’s definitely a possibility. It wasn’t that I was recording a solo album before. It’s just that we went into the studio to make an Evanescence record in 2010 but we just weren’t done. Like we went into the studio for a minute and then we stepped out and kept working, partially because I kind of realized that a lot of the music that I had was more focused on just me writing by myself; it didn’t really fit everything that I wanted for the record. For the first time I started to see that maybe Evanescence isn’t everything. Maybe there is actually some types of music that I write that doesn’t fit, that may need to be reserved for a solo project or something else later on. I don’t have a plan for that right now. I’m just fully stoked on Evanescence at the moment but I definitely think that is possible for the future.
You mentioned that you recently starting learning to play the harp. Is the harp featured on the new album or on tour?
AL: Not on tour, not right now anyway. Yeah, it’s very difficult to play. I started taking harp lessons in the time off and really focused on that for a while just because I love learning. I want to always improve myself as a musician. It felt really good to just learn a new instrument. It made me write some things in a way that I don’t think I would have if I was sitting at the piano.
On the deluxe [album] there’s three different songs that have a little bit of harp in them. On the standard, it’s just “Swimming Home,” the very last song that has harp. I used harp to write a couple of songs, which was really good. And then I ended up playing them on the piano later just because it worked better on the piano. But it’s a good writing tool.
I think that it’s really neat that even when you were taking a break that you were still learning, still growing, still focused on music.
AL: I hope to always do that. I just want to become a better and better person until the day I die.
Source: pollstar.com
In other words, this is a big week for the Grammy Award-winning band that has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.
I just wanted to say congratulations on the upcoming album and tour.
AL: Thank you. We’re really excited. It’s awesome after working on it for so long to finally hear it back. We’re so proud of it.
I’m sure the fans are really looking forward to it. I wanted to ask you a few questions about the hiatus you took following The Open Door tour. If you could talk a little bit about what you were up to during the break and the decision to go on hiatus.
AL: Well, as you said, we finished touring The Open Door at the end of 2007. I actually got married in 2007 and went straight back on tour so I really just wanted to be married. I live in New York with my husband and we worked on our place; I decorated my home. Just sort of being a normal person for a while.
My life had been all about Evanescence since I was a teenager, just jumping straight into the next thing every time. So it felt really good to step away and go, “You know, that was awesome; I think we’re going to do this again some day but I don’t know. But right now I need to just be Amy.” It was really good for me.
It’s funny. I really love music. I do. I can’t help but play music all the time. And that’s why I’m here again because as much as I stepped away I [was] still sitting down at the piano most days or at the harp – I started taking harp in the time off too. And that turns into songwriting. And more and more as I got to sort of find myself, I discovered, “Oh yeah, Evanescence is a huge part of me naturally. It’s not just this thing we invented. It’s not just a character. It’s really me.”
So, naturally, I just started writing again. And it eventually became an Evanescence record that we were making. We spent the last two years just working on the record. But before that I just did a lot of living – spending time with family, cooking with friends, listening to other bands perform. I went to Madison Square a lot. I saw an awesome Bjork show, I saw Neil Young play, I saw Deftones, Alice in Chains, all kind of stuff. Just pulling a little bit in, instead of always putting something out, artistically.
Did you always know that you’d return to Evanescence? Or is that something you discovered?
AL: No. I really have to wait for inspiration to come. I have to follow my heart. Sounds corny, but it’s really true. I didn’t know if that’s what I wanted to do anymore, for sure, at the end of The Open Door tour. I really needed to separate myself from it a little bit. But, we’re here because I love it and I missed it. And all those things started coming to life again in me.
In a previous interview that you did, I read that when you started working with the guys again, it became more of a group project. Can you expand on that a bit?
AL: Sure. I’m a very kind of intimate writer in the history of me working so usually the most common way that Evanescence works is with me and one other person, two max. Just sitting at the keyboard, with a guitar and Pro Tools, just creating.
With The Open Door it was Terry [Balsamo]. We wrote almost the entire record, just the two of us. This time I opened it up. I wrote with Tim [McCord], I wrote with Terry. I started writing with Tim and Terry. And then we brought Will [Hunt] into it and we actually wrote some songs just sitting at our instruments. It’s very different for Evanescence. And it worked because this is a live band that we had going on before, we know how to play together, they’re great musicians. And we just added creativity into that and it really worked. I feel like we’re at a place now where we know what Evanescence is and at the same time want to grow it, want to make it the next level.
And everybody’s head was just in that same spot so we did a lot of writing where it really worked for us to sit and jam. And that was an awesome experience for me. I feel like it made me a better musician. It definitely made us a better band.
When the band reunited for those two shows in November 2009, what was it like to get back on stage with the band?
AL: It was awesome. What can I say? I’m trying to think back now. I was a little bit nervous because I definitely was still in a place where I didn’t know what we were doing and we weren’t working on a new record yet really. I was just kind of writing aimlessly. And when we did that show, it felt so good. Honestly, that was a little bit of a turning point for me because remembering all those old songs and listening to them again and getting back up on stage and going, “Oh yeah, this is a really big part of me” made it become a little bit more like we were possibly working towards an album now, an Evanescence album.
What can fans expect from the new album?
AL: I think they can expect to like it a lot. We thought about the fans a lot. You know, it’s funny, as we were writing there were a lot of moments where we were like, “Oh man, the fans are going to love this song!” because we know our fans. At this point it’s not like we’re hoping that somebody will get it.
As always, I make music that I love. And my method is always that if we just make all the moves, no matter what they are, no matter if we’ve ever done them before, just make something that we love to listen to, somebody else will love to listen to it too. And we really just went by that same method. We wanted to make a record that was absolutely Evanescence and still made our fans happy, but at the same time push into a little bit of a new direction, a little bit of a new place.
I think the album is strong, dynamic, very heavy at times but also very vulnerable at times too. I hope that’s a good enough description. It’s hard to sum it up in just a couple of words.
What was behind the decision to give the album a self-titled name? I always find it interesting when bands give albums self-titled names further along in their career rather than their debut.
AL: Well, it really became a band-driven record. Even what we were just talking about, working like a band and having that really work – it felt more like a traditional band with the writing and everything. Everyone, every single member of the band, their style is coming across on the record. And their writing even. And I think it’s really great because it still absolutely works and it’s Evanescence. And it’s awesome. And it’s tight. And it’s driven by the band. But it is new. This is us now. This is this group.
The reason why it’s self-titled is because it’s a band driven record. You’re hearing the band, first and foremost. And then all the production elements are kind of going on top of that.
How do you feel about the comparisons between We Are The Fallen (which features former Evanescence members Ben Moody, John LeCompt and Rocky Gray) and Evanescence? And do you still keep in contact with your old bandmates?
AL: I’m going to skip the first part of that question if that’s OK with you. But, I do still keep in contact with some of them. Will Boyd and I have always remained friends. He was just actually hitting me up last week saying “Hey, are you in New York? My band’s coming to play a show. I want to see you.” But I wasn’t there. I was working, promoting the record. Yeah, we’re good. No beef.
What can fans expect from the live show?
AL: Oh, it’s going to be great. They can expect a little bit of all three records. Obviously we’re most excited about the new record so we’re going to be playing a lot of new stuff. But, of course, we’ll still be playing some songs from The Open Door and some songs from Fallen. It’s cool, we’re at a point now where we have so many songs it’s really hard to choose. We have a lot of options for our live set. Today’s actually our last day of rehearsal. We’ve spent the past week, week and a half, just kind of going through all of our songs and whittling down the setlist, mourning songs that we’re cutting at the moment.
It’s just going to be a great show. It’s definitely focused a little more on the heavy side, as our live shows usually are. Of course there’s moments with me at the piano and us playing some of our ballads too. It should be just the best show ever.
We start the tour in Brazil at a big, giant festival, Rock In Rio, on Oct. 2. And then we go to Puerto Rico, and the U.S., and then Europe. And we’re just going to be touring throughout the year.
And that’s not the end of it. We’re going to be touring all through next year, all around the world. We’ll be back to the U.S. a couple of times but we’re also going to Europe, Asia, south America, Africa. So just keep checking the website because there’s going to be new dates all the time.
Do you still do meet & greets? Or how do you interact with your fans?
AL: Yeah, we do. We’ll always do meet and greets and we sign for whoever we can. But, in addition to that, the Internet’s become more and more useful for us to interact with them. I use my Twitter right on my phone all the time. I’m able to communicate with fans, see what songs they like that we’ve played live so far. And sort of share a little bit behind the scenes with them in real time. It’s cool that now you don’t have to wait for a DVD to come out to see what happened the year before with the band. The day of the video shoot, I can tweet a picture of it.
I read that when you’d first started working on the new album, right before that you’d been recording songs possibly for a solo album. Do you think that you’d still record a solo album at some point down the line?
AL: Yeah, I think that’s definitely a possibility. It wasn’t that I was recording a solo album before. It’s just that we went into the studio to make an Evanescence record in 2010 but we just weren’t done. Like we went into the studio for a minute and then we stepped out and kept working, partially because I kind of realized that a lot of the music that I had was more focused on just me writing by myself; it didn’t really fit everything that I wanted for the record. For the first time I started to see that maybe Evanescence isn’t everything. Maybe there is actually some types of music that I write that doesn’t fit, that may need to be reserved for a solo project or something else later on. I don’t have a plan for that right now. I’m just fully stoked on Evanescence at the moment but I definitely think that is possible for the future.
You mentioned that you recently starting learning to play the harp. Is the harp featured on the new album or on tour?
AL: Not on tour, not right now anyway. Yeah, it’s very difficult to play. I started taking harp lessons in the time off and really focused on that for a while just because I love learning. I want to always improve myself as a musician. It felt really good to just learn a new instrument. It made me write some things in a way that I don’t think I would have if I was sitting at the piano.
On the deluxe [album] there’s three different songs that have a little bit of harp in them. On the standard, it’s just “Swimming Home,” the very last song that has harp. I used harp to write a couple of songs, which was really good. And then I ended up playing them on the piano later just because it worked better on the piano. But it’s a good writing tool.
I think that it’s really neat that even when you were taking a break that you were still learning, still growing, still focused on music.
AL: I hope to always do that. I just want to become a better and better person until the day I die.
Source: pollstar.com
Evanescence's Amy Lee on Her Obsessions, Taking Time Off and Touring Again
After a much-written about hiatus, Evanescence is finally back with its third studio album, 'Evanescence,' and a brand new tour, their first since 2007.
Led by founder and vocalist-pianist Amy Lee, the Grammy-winning band, which was formed in Arkansas back in 1995, has had several lineup changes over the years. But, as Lee told Noisecreep just hours before the first show of the 2011 tour, for her the current lineup - and the new album - are everything she's been waiting for.
As an artist, what sort of pressure is there in having so much attention paid to a new release?
Lots! I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel it personally feel lots of pressure. But that's okay. Right now I feel very confident in the music we made for this album, especially because it was so much more of a group effort than before. As a band, and I've been there since the start, I can honestly say this is as strong a unit as we have been and as we have sounded. Everything is very good right now and so even with all the attention, I'm having lots of fun talking about everything. Things are good.
In the time you've taken off from the band, was this always part of the plan - to come back strong?
No. I actually didn't have a plan. My thinking was to wait until the right ideas hit, if they hit me, and they finally did. I obsess over everything, too, which results in lots of time going by. I can't just write a song, I will obsess over and and over about it, what it sounds, what it means - and so when all that started happening again, all the inspiration, then I knew it was time for us to get back. As an artist I was more interested in waiting for the muse to hit rather than feel like we just had to do another album.
You said when announcing the hiatus that you wanted time to be home and be a wife.
Right. In the world I'm in it's so hard to have a normal relationship at home and I needed to do that. I'm so glad I did, too. It's always going to be hard on a relationship, being in a band, but my husband and I have really had a chance to build our life together and so now we're ready for everything that happens when I'm on the road. We live in New York and this album was done down in Nashville, but his schedule is flexible enough so that he could visit a lot. And now we'll just deal as a couple with this next chapter. He's amazing, though.
So many fans have waited for this return. When you were younger, what artist would you have been most excited about performing again?
I'd say Bjork. She was my idol growing up and I still love her. A close second would be Michael Jackson. We had so much great music back in the 1990s.
Have you been following the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor?
I haven't, no. I've been busy, and I hate all the media stuff that goes on around all of that. I'd rather remember the music and what a great performer he was.
Are you anxious to get back on stage?
I am but I get a little nervous. I wonder, will I still be able to get into the zone? Will I still be able to hit everything? But I can tell you that through rehearsals I am feeling very good about my voice.
Will you be playing a lot of material of the new album on this tour?
Lots. A heavy dose of the new album. But of course, there are songs your fans come to hear and not to worry, we're playing those, too. I think everyone will like this show. I hope so, anyway. I hear from so many fans all over the world and that's a big part of what pushes me and the band, too - this love we feel from fans.
Last year there were public comments from former band member Ben Moody about his feelings on Evanescence. That had nothing to do with me. I'm exactly where I want to be right now with this band and this album. We're really proud of it and excited for its release and to be able to go out and play a bunch of the songs, too.
Evanescence US tour dates:
Oct. 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
Oct. 14 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theater
Oct. 18 - San Antonio, TX - Sunken Gardens
Oct. 19 - Dallas, TX - Palladium
Oct. 21 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Oct. 22 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater
Oct. 24 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theater
Oct. 25 - Toronto, ON - The Sound Academy
Oct. 27 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Oct. 28 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Oct. 30 - Atlantic City, NJ - Showboat, House of Blues
Nov. 01 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
Source: noisecreep.com
Led by founder and vocalist-pianist Amy Lee, the Grammy-winning band, which was formed in Arkansas back in 1995, has had several lineup changes over the years. But, as Lee told Noisecreep just hours before the first show of the 2011 tour, for her the current lineup - and the new album - are everything she's been waiting for.
As an artist, what sort of pressure is there in having so much attention paid to a new release?
Lots! I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel it personally feel lots of pressure. But that's okay. Right now I feel very confident in the music we made for this album, especially because it was so much more of a group effort than before. As a band, and I've been there since the start, I can honestly say this is as strong a unit as we have been and as we have sounded. Everything is very good right now and so even with all the attention, I'm having lots of fun talking about everything. Things are good.
In the time you've taken off from the band, was this always part of the plan - to come back strong?
No. I actually didn't have a plan. My thinking was to wait until the right ideas hit, if they hit me, and they finally did. I obsess over everything, too, which results in lots of time going by. I can't just write a song, I will obsess over and and over about it, what it sounds, what it means - and so when all that started happening again, all the inspiration, then I knew it was time for us to get back. As an artist I was more interested in waiting for the muse to hit rather than feel like we just had to do another album.
You said when announcing the hiatus that you wanted time to be home and be a wife.
Right. In the world I'm in it's so hard to have a normal relationship at home and I needed to do that. I'm so glad I did, too. It's always going to be hard on a relationship, being in a band, but my husband and I have really had a chance to build our life together and so now we're ready for everything that happens when I'm on the road. We live in New York and this album was done down in Nashville, but his schedule is flexible enough so that he could visit a lot. And now we'll just deal as a couple with this next chapter. He's amazing, though.
So many fans have waited for this return. When you were younger, what artist would you have been most excited about performing again?
I'd say Bjork. She was my idol growing up and I still love her. A close second would be Michael Jackson. We had so much great music back in the 1990s.
Have you been following the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor?
I haven't, no. I've been busy, and I hate all the media stuff that goes on around all of that. I'd rather remember the music and what a great performer he was.
Are you anxious to get back on stage?
I am but I get a little nervous. I wonder, will I still be able to get into the zone? Will I still be able to hit everything? But I can tell you that through rehearsals I am feeling very good about my voice.
Will you be playing a lot of material of the new album on this tour?
Lots. A heavy dose of the new album. But of course, there are songs your fans come to hear and not to worry, we're playing those, too. I think everyone will like this show. I hope so, anyway. I hear from so many fans all over the world and that's a big part of what pushes me and the band, too - this love we feel from fans.
Last year there were public comments from former band member Ben Moody about his feelings on Evanescence. That had nothing to do with me. I'm exactly where I want to be right now with this band and this album. We're really proud of it and excited for its release and to be able to go out and play a bunch of the songs, too.
Evanescence US tour dates:
Oct. 11 - Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
Oct. 14 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theater
Oct. 18 - San Antonio, TX - Sunken Gardens
Oct. 19 - Dallas, TX - Palladium
Oct. 21 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Oct. 22 - Chicago, IL - Congress Theater
Oct. 24 - Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theater
Oct. 25 - Toronto, ON - The Sound Academy
Oct. 27 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
Oct. 28 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Oct. 30 - Atlantic City, NJ - Showboat, House of Blues
Nov. 01 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
Source: noisecreep.com
Buzznet: Evanescence's Amy Lee on the New Album
Evanescence's new album Evanescence is finally out TODAY, and we were lucky enough to chat with the band's co-founder and lead singer, Amy Lee about the writing process and inspiration behind the album that we've all been anticipating for years. Take a look at what Amy had to say and be sure to go enter the limited edition lithograph giveaway!
How was your approach different writing this new album vs. your earlier albums?
I usually write a record with one main collaborator. This time I wrote a lot with Terry and Tim, some with friend and programmer Will Hunt (same name, but not our drummer) and some with the whole band at once jam-session style. I really loved the collaborative spirit of this process.
How have you changed as a person since the last release? Is it reflected in this new project?
I'm always changing, and so is the music. I think you can hear our growth as a band on this record, me pushing myself vocally and confidence in our sound- which means knowing who we are enough to be able to play around it a little.
Where did the inspiration for the lyrics from? What would you say is your favorite?
Lyrics come from my heart, usually about my own experiences but there is some storytelling on this album too. I write about love and pain, life, death and dreams. I like my alone time, just thinking and processing- that's usually when I get inspired. And I can't pick a favorite! They're all different and special to me for different reasons.
This album has a small orchestra on it -- violins, cellos, violas, harps -- what were those recording sessions like and what was behind the decision for including those sounds?
String arrangements are a big part of our sound, the swooning emotion of a movie score intertwined with a heavy band. I don't think it would be an Evanescence record without that!
What are the core themes of the album?
Some themes are: Overcoming fear and the fight for freedom, love, loss, change, survival without bitterness, eternity, the ocean and life within dreams.
How much consideration goes into the order of the track listing?
Plenty. I was thinking about it the whole time we were recording. But at the end of the day, you just have to go with what feels right.
Why did you decided to make this album, your third-studio album, self-titled?
This is a band driven record. We're a tighter unit than Evanescence has ever been before and that core- the band- is the driving force of the songs and the sound.
Which track off the album are you most excited to start playing live? “Never Go Back” is the biggest challenge. We've only played it live once so far and it was an incredible experience to survive it! It's extremely difficult to sing and the piano part is no picnic either! But we all absolutely love the song so it's very gratifying. The challenge is part of the allure.
What’s planned for a tour?
We just started and plan to tour throughout next year at least. We have awesome fans all over the world and we want to reach all of them. Right now we're touring the U.S. and Canada and with The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons and then Europe with The Pretty Reckless and Fair to Midland.
What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
I'll probably go as the chick from Effervescence.
Who in music do you admire right now? Any favorite new bands/music/artists?
Lykke Li, MIA, Adele.
Be sure to pick up Evanescence in stores everywhere today, or click the album cover below to buy it on iTunes:
How was your approach different writing this new album vs. your earlier albums?
I usually write a record with one main collaborator. This time I wrote a lot with Terry and Tim, some with friend and programmer Will Hunt (same name, but not our drummer) and some with the whole band at once jam-session style. I really loved the collaborative spirit of this process.
How have you changed as a person since the last release? Is it reflected in this new project?
I'm always changing, and so is the music. I think you can hear our growth as a band on this record, me pushing myself vocally and confidence in our sound- which means knowing who we are enough to be able to play around it a little.
Where did the inspiration for the lyrics from? What would you say is your favorite?
Lyrics come from my heart, usually about my own experiences but there is some storytelling on this album too. I write about love and pain, life, death and dreams. I like my alone time, just thinking and processing- that's usually when I get inspired. And I can't pick a favorite! They're all different and special to me for different reasons.
This album has a small orchestra on it -- violins, cellos, violas, harps -- what were those recording sessions like and what was behind the decision for including those sounds?
String arrangements are a big part of our sound, the swooning emotion of a movie score intertwined with a heavy band. I don't think it would be an Evanescence record without that!
What are the core themes of the album?
Some themes are: Overcoming fear and the fight for freedom, love, loss, change, survival without bitterness, eternity, the ocean and life within dreams.
How much consideration goes into the order of the track listing?
Plenty. I was thinking about it the whole time we were recording. But at the end of the day, you just have to go with what feels right.
Why did you decided to make this album, your third-studio album, self-titled?
This is a band driven record. We're a tighter unit than Evanescence has ever been before and that core- the band- is the driving force of the songs and the sound.
Which track off the album are you most excited to start playing live? “Never Go Back” is the biggest challenge. We've only played it live once so far and it was an incredible experience to survive it! It's extremely difficult to sing and the piano part is no picnic either! But we all absolutely love the song so it's very gratifying. The challenge is part of the allure.
What’s planned for a tour?
We just started and plan to tour throughout next year at least. We have awesome fans all over the world and we want to reach all of them. Right now we're touring the U.S. and Canada and with The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons and then Europe with The Pretty Reckless and Fair to Midland.
What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
I'll probably go as the chick from Effervescence.
Who in music do you admire right now? Any favorite new bands/music/artists?
Lykke Li, MIA, Adele.
Be sure to pick up Evanescence in stores everywhere today, or click the album cover below to buy it on iTunes:
Evanescence Returns to an Altered Rock Landscape
It's a beautiful Friday afternoon in late August, but the mood in New York is somber. A few weeks before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the city is bracing for another possible catastrophe: Hurricane Irene is approaching-a Category 3 storm that could wreak massive devastation on the Big Apple.
On the streets, New Yorkers lament living in a mandatory evacuation zone and wonder how they'll get around once the subway shuts down. Amy Lee, who lives in Manhattan with her husband (he's out scavenging sandbags), is hoping her kitchen doesn't flood. Or her basement, where her stage clothes are stored. "We're pulling them up today and getting them out of there in case [it gets] full of water," she says.
Lee's fans would've been just as upset if her dresses had gotten waterlogged. The impending arrival of her band's third, self-titled album, Evanescence, is ending a five-year hiatus of new music since the band released The Open Door, which has sold 2.1 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and moved another 2 million internationally, according to Wind-up senior VP of marketing and sales Bill Richards. Lee, guitarists Terry Balsamo and Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt kicked off a two-month tour on Oct. 2 as a Rock in Rio festival co-headliner, followed by an Oct. 6 date in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with more shows this month in the United States and November shows in Europe. So, no, this wouldn't be a good time to lose her stage gear. "Just remembering what's important -- the show -- at the end of the day," she says with a laugh.
It's been eight years since the band's major-label debut, Fallen, broke with the 2003 hit "Bring Me to Life," selling more than 7 million copies in the United States, according to SoundScan, and another 8 million copies internationally, according to Wind-up. Much time has passed, but little has changed in terms of women's presence on Billboard's rock charts: The Donnas were the only female-centric act on those lists when "Life" introduced Evanescence's melodic, hard-rocking sound and dark, passionate lyrics anchored by Lee's soaring vocals; Paramore and Flyleaf are the only female-fronted bands to have made a consistent rock radio chart impact since Evanescence's arrival.
Wind-up Entertainment president/CEO Ed Vetri recalls one radio PD's reaction when the label was pushing "Life" to the airwaves: "'We don't play pianos and chicks on rock radio.' That was the quote."
Thanks to its inclusion in the movie "Daredevil," listeners demanded that radio play the song, launching Evanescence to stardom. "Life" reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by the No. 7-peaking ballad "My Immortal."
Evanescence now has the advantage of being an established act, but times are tough for rock. Avenues of exposure are diminished: Few magazines or video outlets remain dedicated to the genre, with rock webzines and touring picking up the slack for crucial exposure. Rock radio panels have also shrunk; this week in 2003 (Oct. 24), 90 stations reported to Billboard's Alternative chart and 106 to Mainstream Rock. Eight years later, the panel sizes are down to 54 and 75, respectively.
Though The Open Door's lead single, "Call Me When You're Sober," reached No. 25 on the Hot 100, subsequent tracks didn't cross over. While Fallen was a highly polished, hook-filled affair, Door was a far more nuanced, moody and richly textured effort. The latter album debuted at No. 1 the week of Oct. 21, 2006, with sales of 447,000, according to SoundScan. And though the follow-up singles "Lithium" and "Sweet Sacrifice" cracked the top 40 at rock radio, neither dented the Hot 100. Richards attributes the reduced airplay to Door not having "the hard rock [tracks] to solidify the base, and it wasn't melodic and poppy enough with big hooks to go to pop . . . and you know how finicky radio can be."
Nonetheless, Wind-up has enough faith in demand for Evanescence that radio remains a core part of the album campaign. A major indicator that fans are impatiently waiting is the band's Facebook page, which Richards says jumped from 7 million likes at the beginning of the year to more than 10 million before Wind-up had even sent lead single "What You Want" to radio in August. (The band now has more than 11 million likes.) The track is making headway: It reached No. 68 on the Hot 100 and is steadily climbing the rock charts toward the top 10.
Although pop music is dominated by women whose wildly elaborate and sexual costuming is as crucial to their success as their mass-appeal dance music-and Lee is a rocker whose gothic-inspired garb stands no threat of a wardrobe malfunction-Wind-up sees a chance for the band at top 40. "She has the appeal of a strong female demographic, which is pop radio," Vetri says.
Wind-up executive VP of promotion Shanna Fischer adds, "We have had a handful of stations ready to spike [the single]. Pop radio was definitely interested in hearing new Evanescence."
I'M WITH THE BAND
While Evanescence has fared better than others that have won the best new artist Grammy Award, the band has had its share of drama since winning the accolade in 2004. By then, co-founder Ben Moody had quit due to conflicts with Lee. A few years later, drummer Rocky Gray and guitarist John LeCompt also left. By the end of 2007, when she wrapped up touring for The Open Door, Lee wasn't sure if she wanted the band to continue.
"I'd never been an adult and not the chick from Evanescence, so it was cool to just be normal for a while and not be working on the next thing," she says. After about 18 months, she started writing again and ventured into the studio to work with producer Steve Lillywhite (Dave Matthews Band, U2). But when the sessions didn't jell, she realized that she missed her band.
"Me stepping away and needing to experiment and do something completely different and open my mind to the idea that we wouldn't have another record was so good for the end product, because what it ended up doing was make me miss it in a really awesome way," Lee says. "I came back to, 'OK, I do want to make another Evanescence record. I want this to be about the band.'
"[The band members] all bring something really good and talented to the table," she adds. "So for us to sit in a room and just write together, sitting on our instruments, was not only possible, it's a cool, really new experience for me. It's not the way I'm used to working."
Lee doesn't allude to past band troubles, but she is vocal about how this album emphasizes the group dynamic. She says that calling the album Evanescence underlines this point, and the cover also reflects this: The first two Evanescence records featured her alone on the cover; this one sports the band's logo.
When sessions reconvened with the band at Nashville's Blackbird Studio, producer Nick Raskulinecz (Alice in Chains, Stone Sour) took over the boards. The new album (which also comes in a deluxe version that has four bonus tracks) has an unmistakable vibrancy that Lee attributes to the group writing effort. The lyrical content is what fans have come to expect from Evanescence: "Life and relationships. Love. Death. Freedom. Brokenness, all the big emotions," as Lee puts it. "What You Want," for instance, is fierce and in your face, while the rock elements on "Made of Stone" are heavy enough to be called metal. And Lee's siren voice is as powerful and flexible as ever, as heard in her piercing wails on hit-in-waiting "My Heart Is Broken" and the deep croons that introduce "Lost in Paradise."
BRINGING IT TO LIFE
Evanescence has gotten a healthy boost for the album from a left-field source: MTV. Although the channel is largely pop- and hip-hop-focused, fan response to stories that MTV News senior writer James Montgomery posted about the band online led to the channel arranging for the group to debut "What You Want" worldwide on Aug. 8 as a live performance from Blackbird Studio, a first for the channel. The event was also streamed on MTV.com, followed by an hourlong Q&A with the band. Montgomery says that overwhelming fan response to the stories he posted is what inspired MTV to set up the premiere. "To see a band still draw this response from fans, even though they weren't active for five years, it's really kind of rare," he says. The premiere aligned with the commercial release of the song, which has sold 78,000 copies, according to SoundScan.
Social media was in its infancy when Fallen debuted, and Lee isn't an artist who lives for interacting on those platforms. But she started tweeting last year and quickly grew to love it. She now has more than 239,000 followers (@AmyLeeEv), and alerts fans to such items as behind-the-scenes photos posted on Facebook.
Press has been lined up with such outlets as Rolling Stone and Revolver (where Evanescence claims the November cover), and an Oct. 13 appearance is confirmed for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" However, touring is primary in Wind-up's campaign. As a seasoned international road act with pent-up demand for shows, Evanescence stands to do well on the road. The band took in $10.2 million from 60 shows and sold 265,000 tickets on its 2006-07 tour, according to Billboard Boxscore. Lee was initially nervous about returning to the stage; the MTV broadcast was the first time the band performed since a one-off concert in São Paulo in November 2009. Her trepidation vanished after a few shows in August. Like her love for Evanescence, singing for fans is a joy that doesn't fade.
"As soon as I stepped out onstage and the drums kicked in and we started playing and the fans were screaming, it was like, boom!, I'm back. I wasn't nervous anymore," she recalls. "Like riding a bike, it comes back to you."
Source: billboard.com
On the streets, New Yorkers lament living in a mandatory evacuation zone and wonder how they'll get around once the subway shuts down. Amy Lee, who lives in Manhattan with her husband (he's out scavenging sandbags), is hoping her kitchen doesn't flood. Or her basement, where her stage clothes are stored. "We're pulling them up today and getting them out of there in case [it gets] full of water," she says.
Lee's fans would've been just as upset if her dresses had gotten waterlogged. The impending arrival of her band's third, self-titled album, Evanescence, is ending a five-year hiatus of new music since the band released The Open Door, which has sold 2.1 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and moved another 2 million internationally, according to Wind-up senior VP of marketing and sales Bill Richards. Lee, guitarists Terry Balsamo and Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt kicked off a two-month tour on Oct. 2 as a Rock in Rio festival co-headliner, followed by an Oct. 6 date in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with more shows this month in the United States and November shows in Europe. So, no, this wouldn't be a good time to lose her stage gear. "Just remembering what's important -- the show -- at the end of the day," she says with a laugh.
It's been eight years since the band's major-label debut, Fallen, broke with the 2003 hit "Bring Me to Life," selling more than 7 million copies in the United States, according to SoundScan, and another 8 million copies internationally, according to Wind-up. Much time has passed, but little has changed in terms of women's presence on Billboard's rock charts: The Donnas were the only female-centric act on those lists when "Life" introduced Evanescence's melodic, hard-rocking sound and dark, passionate lyrics anchored by Lee's soaring vocals; Paramore and Flyleaf are the only female-fronted bands to have made a consistent rock radio chart impact since Evanescence's arrival.
Wind-up Entertainment president/CEO Ed Vetri recalls one radio PD's reaction when the label was pushing "Life" to the airwaves: "'We don't play pianos and chicks on rock radio.' That was the quote."
Thanks to its inclusion in the movie "Daredevil," listeners demanded that radio play the song, launching Evanescence to stardom. "Life" reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by the No. 7-peaking ballad "My Immortal."
Evanescence now has the advantage of being an established act, but times are tough for rock. Avenues of exposure are diminished: Few magazines or video outlets remain dedicated to the genre, with rock webzines and touring picking up the slack for crucial exposure. Rock radio panels have also shrunk; this week in 2003 (Oct. 24), 90 stations reported to Billboard's Alternative chart and 106 to Mainstream Rock. Eight years later, the panel sizes are down to 54 and 75, respectively.
Though The Open Door's lead single, "Call Me When You're Sober," reached No. 25 on the Hot 100, subsequent tracks didn't cross over. While Fallen was a highly polished, hook-filled affair, Door was a far more nuanced, moody and richly textured effort. The latter album debuted at No. 1 the week of Oct. 21, 2006, with sales of 447,000, according to SoundScan. And though the follow-up singles "Lithium" and "Sweet Sacrifice" cracked the top 40 at rock radio, neither dented the Hot 100. Richards attributes the reduced airplay to Door not having "the hard rock [tracks] to solidify the base, and it wasn't melodic and poppy enough with big hooks to go to pop . . . and you know how finicky radio can be."
Nonetheless, Wind-up has enough faith in demand for Evanescence that radio remains a core part of the album campaign. A major indicator that fans are impatiently waiting is the band's Facebook page, which Richards says jumped from 7 million likes at the beginning of the year to more than 10 million before Wind-up had even sent lead single "What You Want" to radio in August. (The band now has more than 11 million likes.) The track is making headway: It reached No. 68 on the Hot 100 and is steadily climbing the rock charts toward the top 10.
Although pop music is dominated by women whose wildly elaborate and sexual costuming is as crucial to their success as their mass-appeal dance music-and Lee is a rocker whose gothic-inspired garb stands no threat of a wardrobe malfunction-Wind-up sees a chance for the band at top 40. "She has the appeal of a strong female demographic, which is pop radio," Vetri says.
Wind-up executive VP of promotion Shanna Fischer adds, "We have had a handful of stations ready to spike [the single]. Pop radio was definitely interested in hearing new Evanescence."
I'M WITH THE BAND
While Evanescence has fared better than others that have won the best new artist Grammy Award, the band has had its share of drama since winning the accolade in 2004. By then, co-founder Ben Moody had quit due to conflicts with Lee. A few years later, drummer Rocky Gray and guitarist John LeCompt also left. By the end of 2007, when she wrapped up touring for The Open Door, Lee wasn't sure if she wanted the band to continue.
"I'd never been an adult and not the chick from Evanescence, so it was cool to just be normal for a while and not be working on the next thing," she says. After about 18 months, she started writing again and ventured into the studio to work with producer Steve Lillywhite (Dave Matthews Band, U2). But when the sessions didn't jell, she realized that she missed her band.
"Me stepping away and needing to experiment and do something completely different and open my mind to the idea that we wouldn't have another record was so good for the end product, because what it ended up doing was make me miss it in a really awesome way," Lee says. "I came back to, 'OK, I do want to make another Evanescence record. I want this to be about the band.'
"[The band members] all bring something really good and talented to the table," she adds. "So for us to sit in a room and just write together, sitting on our instruments, was not only possible, it's a cool, really new experience for me. It's not the way I'm used to working."
Lee doesn't allude to past band troubles, but she is vocal about how this album emphasizes the group dynamic. She says that calling the album Evanescence underlines this point, and the cover also reflects this: The first two Evanescence records featured her alone on the cover; this one sports the band's logo.
When sessions reconvened with the band at Nashville's Blackbird Studio, producer Nick Raskulinecz (Alice in Chains, Stone Sour) took over the boards. The new album (which also comes in a deluxe version that has four bonus tracks) has an unmistakable vibrancy that Lee attributes to the group writing effort. The lyrical content is what fans have come to expect from Evanescence: "Life and relationships. Love. Death. Freedom. Brokenness, all the big emotions," as Lee puts it. "What You Want," for instance, is fierce and in your face, while the rock elements on "Made of Stone" are heavy enough to be called metal. And Lee's siren voice is as powerful and flexible as ever, as heard in her piercing wails on hit-in-waiting "My Heart Is Broken" and the deep croons that introduce "Lost in Paradise."
BRINGING IT TO LIFE
Evanescence has gotten a healthy boost for the album from a left-field source: MTV. Although the channel is largely pop- and hip-hop-focused, fan response to stories that MTV News senior writer James Montgomery posted about the band online led to the channel arranging for the group to debut "What You Want" worldwide on Aug. 8 as a live performance from Blackbird Studio, a first for the channel. The event was also streamed on MTV.com, followed by an hourlong Q&A with the band. Montgomery says that overwhelming fan response to the stories he posted is what inspired MTV to set up the premiere. "To see a band still draw this response from fans, even though they weren't active for five years, it's really kind of rare," he says. The premiere aligned with the commercial release of the song, which has sold 78,000 copies, according to SoundScan.
Social media was in its infancy when Fallen debuted, and Lee isn't an artist who lives for interacting on those platforms. But she started tweeting last year and quickly grew to love it. She now has more than 239,000 followers (@AmyLeeEv), and alerts fans to such items as behind-the-scenes photos posted on Facebook.
Press has been lined up with such outlets as Rolling Stone and Revolver (where Evanescence claims the November cover), and an Oct. 13 appearance is confirmed for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" However, touring is primary in Wind-up's campaign. As a seasoned international road act with pent-up demand for shows, Evanescence stands to do well on the road. The band took in $10.2 million from 60 shows and sold 265,000 tickets on its 2006-07 tour, according to Billboard Boxscore. Lee was initially nervous about returning to the stage; the MTV broadcast was the first time the band performed since a one-off concert in São Paulo in November 2009. Her trepidation vanished after a few shows in August. Like her love for Evanescence, singing for fans is a joy that doesn't fade.
"As soon as I stepped out onstage and the drums kicked in and we started playing and the fans were screaming, it was like, boom!, I'm back. I wasn't nervous anymore," she recalls. "Like riding a bike, it comes back to you."
Source: billboard.com
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