AWOLNATION
Encyclopedia
AWOLNATION is an American
alternative pop band, and is the solo project of Aaron Bruno, formerly of Under the Influence of Giants
, Hometown Hero, and Insurgence. The band is signed to Red Bull Records
, and their first EP
, Back from Earth
, was released on iTunes
on May 18, 2010.
in 2009 asking if he wanted free use of the Red Bull recording studio in Los Angeles, Ca
. After a semi-successful career working with major labels, but ultimately being disappointed and released without any major hits, he decided it was time to go out on his own and write the songs that he felt he was meant to write. He recorded a few songs in the studio and ultimately signed with the label, calling it more of a "partnership," and was allowed to make the recordings that he wanted. Aaron writes all of his songs himself but confides in close friends and family or respected artists for guidance. The name AWOLNATION is derived from Aaron Bruno's high school nickname. In an interview with Kristin Houser of the LA Music Blog, he stated that he "would leave without saying goodbye because it was just easier, so that's where the name Awol came from."
", debuted at #30 on the U.S. Billboard. The song was written with a nod to the Styx
song "Come Sail Away
" as is evident in the video and lyrics, as Bruno talks of extraterrestrial beings coming for him. Aaron Bruno also referenced this influence in an interview with VH1 Alternative Songs chart on the chart week of February 10, 2011. The single got extra media attention when it was used under a video of the professional BASE jump
, skydiver
, and wingsuit flyer Jeb Corliss
. The song "Sail" has been featured in the episode "Whisky Tango Foxtrot" of CBS's television show The Good Wife and commercials for the Fox
television show House
. "Burn It Down" was played during Sons Of Anarchy Season 4 Episode "To Be, Act 1" on 11/29/2011. The band released their debut album Megalithic Symphony
digitally on March 15, 2011, and physically on March 29, 2011 on Red Bull Records. Megalithic Symphony features a total of 15 tracks, including "Kill Your Heroes," produced by Brian West
, and a bonus track that differs based on location of purchase, being either "Shoestring" or "Swinging from the Castles."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative pop band, and is the solo project of Aaron Bruno, formerly of Under the Influence of Giants
Under the Influence of Giants
Under the Influence of Giants is a musical group from Los Angeles, California. They released their major label debut album in August 2006, which was a number one hit on the Top Heatseekers chart. Among their influences are the Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees, Prince, WHAM!, Chicago...
, Hometown Hero, and Insurgence. The band is signed to Red Bull Records
Red Bull Records
Red Bull Records is a U.S. independent record label located in Culver City, California. It was launched in 2007 with Red Bull building a recording studio in Santa Monica, California and recording small indie bands for free....
, and their first EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Back from Earth
Back from Earth
Back from Earth is the debut extended play from American electronic rock band AWOLNATION. It was released digitally by Red Bull Records on May 18, 2010 for iTunes. "Sail", "Burn It Down" and "Guilty Filthy Soul" appear on Megalithic Symphony, the band's debut album.-Tracklisting:...
, was released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on May 18, 2010.
Creation, Back from Earth (2009-2010)
AWOLNATION began after Aaron Bruno was approached by Red Bull RecordsRed Bull Records
Red Bull Records is a U.S. independent record label located in Culver City, California. It was launched in 2007 with Red Bull building a recording studio in Santa Monica, California and recording small indie bands for free....
in 2009 asking if he wanted free use of the Red Bull recording studio in Los Angeles, Ca
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. After a semi-successful career working with major labels, but ultimately being disappointed and released without any major hits, he decided it was time to go out on his own and write the songs that he felt he was meant to write. He recorded a few songs in the studio and ultimately signed with the label, calling it more of a "partnership," and was allowed to make the recordings that he wanted. Aaron writes all of his songs himself but confides in close friends and family or respected artists for guidance. The name AWOLNATION is derived from Aaron Bruno's high school nickname. In an interview with Kristin Houser of the LA Music Blog, he stated that he "would leave without saying goodbye because it was just easier, so that's where the name Awol came from."
Megalithic Symphony (2011-present)
The band's first single, "SailSail (song)
Sail is a song by American electronic rock band AWOLNATION, taken from the band's debut EP Back from Earth and debut album Megalithic Symphony. The song reached #5 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and is the band's highest charting song to date.-Music video:The video starts with Aaron...
", debuted at #30 on the U.S. Billboard. The song was written with a nod to the Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
song "Come Sail Away
Come Sail Away
"Come Sail Away" is a song by American progressive rock group Styx, featured on the band's seventh album The Grand Illusion . Upon its release as the lead single from the album, "Come Sail Away" charted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, and helped The Grand Illusion achieve multi-platinum...
" as is evident in the video and lyrics, as Bruno talks of extraterrestrial beings coming for him. Aaron Bruno also referenced this influence in an interview with VH1 Alternative Songs chart on the chart week of February 10, 2011. The single got extra media attention when it was used under a video of the professional BASE jump
BASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
, skydiver
Skydiver
A skydiver is a person who engages in the sport of parachuting. It may also refer to:* SkyDiver a futuristic submarine featured in the TV series UFO* "Skydiver" a carnival ride produced by Chance Morgan...
, and wingsuit flyer Jeb Corliss
Jeb Corliss
Jeb Corliss is a professional BASE jumper, skydiver, and wingsuit flyer. He has jumped from sites including Paris' Eiffel Tower, Seattle's Space Needle, and the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia....
. The song "Sail" has been featured in the episode "Whisky Tango Foxtrot" of CBS's television show The Good Wife and commercials for the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
television show House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. "Burn It Down" was played during Sons Of Anarchy Season 4 Episode "To Be, Act 1" on 11/29/2011. The band released their debut album Megalithic Symphony
Megalithic Symphony
-AmazonMP3 and iTunes bonus track:...
digitally on March 15, 2011, and physically on March 29, 2011 on Red Bull Records. Megalithic Symphony features a total of 15 tracks, including "Kill Your Heroes," produced by Brian West
Brian West
Brian West may refer to:*Brian West , American soccer player*Brian West , Canadian musician*Brian West , British cinematographer-See also:*Bryan West , England rugby player...
, and a bonus track that differs based on location of purchase, being either "Shoestring" or "Swinging from the Castles."
Members
- Aaron Bruno - Vocals
- Christopher Thorn- Lead Guitar
- Kenny Carkeet - Rhythm guitar!, Keyboards, Backing vocals
- David Amezcua - Bass guitar, Backing vocals
- Hayden Scott - Drums
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US Heat |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
||
| 2011 | Megalithic Symphony Megalithic Symphony -AmazonMP3 and iTunes bonus track:...
|
112 | 1 | 15 |
Extended plays
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Back from Earth Back from Earth Back from Earth is the debut extended play from American electronic rock band AWOLNATION. It was released digitally by Red Bull Records on May 18, 2010 for iTunes. "Sail", "Burn It Down" and "Guilty Filthy Soul" appear on Megalithic Symphony, the band's debut album.-Tracklisting:...
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... |
Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Alt |
US Main. |
US Rock Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
CAN Alt Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
CAN Rock Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||||
| 2011 | "Sail Sail (song) Sail is a song by American electronic rock band AWOLNATION, taken from the band's debut EP Back from Earth and debut album Megalithic Symphony. The song reached #5 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, and is the band's highest charting song to date.-Music video:The video starts with Aaron... " |
82 | 5 | 33 | 10 | 48 | 3 | 15 | 195 |
|
Megalithic Symphony |
| "Burn It Down" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Not Your Fault" | — | 21 | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | |||||||||||