Deadsy
Encyclopedia
Deadsy is an American synth rock band from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. The band is known for its visual iconography and signature characteristics assigned to each band member. Each musician is identified by a specific color, stage name, and graphic tied into the band's theatrical nature. The band has released three studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

s, two of which under a major label. After independently releasing a self-titled debut
Deadsy (album)
-Personnel:* Elijah Blue: Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Synthesizers* Renn Hawkey: Synthesizers* Alec Puro: Drums...

 in 1996, the band garnered mainstream exposure with the support of alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...

 pioneers Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...

  and Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...

  who aided Deadsy on their long-awaited 2002 album Commencement
Commencement (album)
Commencement is the second studio album and major label debut by American rock band Deadsy, released on May 14, 2002. After initially being suspended upon distribution changes at Sire, the album was official released through DreamWorks under the Elementree sub-label. It includes the single "The Key...

. Throughout the 2000s, Deadsy toured across the United States, most notably performing on the Family Values Tour
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...

. The band released a second major label album, Phantasmagore, in 2006 before taking an indefinite hiatus in 2007.

Beginnings (1995–1996)

Deadsy began in 1995, when Elijah Blue Allman (son of Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...

 and Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman
Gregory Lenoir Allman , known as Gregg Allman, is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia...

), also known as Phillips Exeter Blue I, started recording a handful of demos (including Dear and a cover of Texas Never Whispers) with Alec Puro (Alec Pure) and later sent a Juno 106 keyboard to Renn Hawkey (Dr. Nner) as an invitation to join the band. The three members evolved their sound in the studio and sought out a record deal out of "adolescent necessity."

Sire years (1996–1999)

Deadsy was quickly signed to Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...

, and they got working on writing new songs. Because they had no bass player at the time Jay Gordon
Jay Gordon
Jay Paul Gordon is a producer, journalist and lead singer of rock alternative band Orgy- Early life :Originally from the Excelsior District of San Francisco, California, Gordon is the vocalist in the synth-industrial band Orgy, which rose to prominence through their signing to Korn's fledgling...

 (of Orgy
Orgy (band)
Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...

) was asked to play bass for their short self-titled album
Deadsy (album)
-Personnel:* Elijah Blue: Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Synthesizers* Renn Hawkey: Synthesizers* Alec Puro: Drums...

. After the album was recorded and released for promotion, the band temporarily relocated to NYC
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 where drummer/producer Marc Jordan joined the band for a brief spell. Craig Riker joined on bass as a full time member, and they were once again writing songs for the upcoming full length Commencement. Only a few songs were written for the new album as the band had planned to re-release most tracks from the self-titled album. A music video for "She Likes Big Words" was made at one of their early shows, also for promotion. With the album in the final stages of development, Sire parted ways with Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....

, and the release was pushed back to a later date. Soon after, Deadsy was dropped from the label entirely, ending the life of both the first and would-be second album, Commencement
Commencement (album)
Commencement is the second studio album and major label debut by American rock band Deadsy, released on May 14, 2002. After initially being suspended upon distribution changes at Sire, the album was official released through DreamWorks under the Elementree sub-label. It includes the single "The Key...

.

Dreamworks years (1999–2003)

While in the process of finding a new label, Carlton Bost was added on Z-Tar and guitar. Ashburn Miller replaced Craig on bass January 2002 after Craig and Deadsy parted ways. Soon after, Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Houseman Davis is the lead vocalist and frontman for the nu metal band Korn. Davis was ranked 16th on Hit Parader 's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".-Early life:...

 (of the band Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...

) signed Deadsy to the new record label Elementree Records and invited the band to join the 2001 Family Values Tour
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...

. Commencement
Commencement (album)
Commencement is the second studio album and major label debut by American rock band Deadsy, released on May 14, 2002. After initially being suspended upon distribution changes at Sire, the album was official released through DreamWorks under the Elementree sub-label. It includes the single "The Key...

was finally released in May 2002. Most of its tracks came from their self-titled album, but some were newly written for the album, including "The Key to Gramercy Park", for which a video was made, directed by friend and Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...

 frontman Fred Durst
Fred Durst
William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...

. This was Deadsy's second song with Jonathan Davis, following "Sleepy Hollow." A second video was filmed for their cover of Sebadoh
Sebadoh
Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...

's "Brand New Love." Amidst promoting Commencement Deadsy had already begun working on a follow-up album.

The support from successful nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...

 figures provided Deadsy their most prominent mainstream exposure and media coverage in 2002. However, despite this, neither single managed to chart, and Commencement failed to achieve expected sales. Elementree folded soon after. Nevertheless, Deadsy continued touring and focused on the development of their next record.

Phantasmagore (2003–2007)

Deadsy signed onto Immortal Records
Immortal Records
Immortal Records is an independent record label out of Los Angeles, California. Founded by Happy Walters in 1994, the label had helped launched the careers of such influential acts as Korn, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had also released soundtracks, including Judgment...

 to release Phantasmagore in 2006 . During the 4-year process of writing the album, Deadsy released clips and demos on their official website. Deadsy was asked back to the Family Values Tour
Family Values Tour
The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...

 in the summer of 2006, which was co-headlined by the Deftones
Deftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...

 and Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...

. Deadsy went on another tour with the Deftones that began in the fall.

In January 2007, Deadsy parted ways with bassist Ashburn Miller (also known as Creature), and added Jens Funke to the line up.

Hiatus (2007–)

In February 2007, a short statement from Elijah was posted on the band's message board "I am making a solo record." Recently, Carlton has joined The Dreaming
The Dreaming (US band)
The Dreaming is a rock band in the Hollywood area founded in 2002 by Johnny Haro and Christopher Hall, former lead singer of the band Stabbing Westward.-Biography:...

 full time. On April 16, 2007, a MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 bulletin was posted with a statement by Alec Püre who said "As you all know we are going to be taking a short break from Deadsy so Elijah can make a solo record and I can continue scoring projects I wasn't able to do from the road."

In early 2008, Elijah Blue and the Trapezoids
Elijah Blue Allman
Elijah Blue Allman, also known by his stage name Phillips Exeter Blue I, is the son of Cher and her second husband Gregg Allman and half brother of Chaz Bono, Delilah Allman, Michael Allman, Layla Allman and Devon Allman....

 was revealed as the name of Elijah's solo project.

On September 11, 2008, Renn Hawkey apparently left the band in order to concentrate on carpentry and family life. "It was too rough-and-tumble a lifestyle" said the man who has become Renn Hawkey again, full time.

As of February 2010 Elijah has claimed "Deadsy is sleeping at the moment" although the true state of the band is still questioned by many. In the mean time he is focusing on his art which was premiered at the Kantor Gallery on February 24, 2010.

Musical styles and themes

Elijah describes the band's low and dissonant style as Undercore. Elijah's baritone singing style, down-tuned guitars, Renn's synths and Carlton's Z-Tar all contribute to the band's sound.

"We wanted to make something that was transcendental, really rule-defying, and very against the grain and when people listened to it at first, it would just feel very like a sense of foreignness, almost like watching a David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...

 film." – Elijah Blue

The lyrics and imagery of the songs sometimes focus on many subjects in either sexual, religious, magical or popular culture contexts. Occasionally one notices obscure references to pedophilia, Secret Societies, The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book
The Urantia Book is a spiritual and philosophical book that discusses God, Jesus, science, cosmology, religion, history, and destiny. It originated in Chicago, Illinois, sometime between 1924 and 1955...

, Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

, the novel Dune
Dune (novel)
Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...

, by Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...

 and even Disney's
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...

 101 Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...

.

Many of the multi-color ideas were influenced directly from the 1955 film This Island Earth. Elijah has even stated he took his alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...

 name from one of the leading characters of the story, Exeter.

Visual appearance

Elijah has often called the band an "art project", or "art movement". Complete with a manifesto and visual iconography. Each band member represents one element or "entity" that drives human society. Each entity is also represented by their own color and unique appearance.

International Klein Blue
International Klein Blue
International Klein Blue is a deep blue hue first mixed by the French artist Yves Klein. IKB's visual impact comes from its heavy reliance on Ultramarine, as well as Klein's often thick and textured application of paint to canvas.- History :...

– Academia (Phillips Exeter Blue I)

Yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...

– Science / Medicine (Dr Nner)

Grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...

– War (Carlton Megalodon)

Red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...

– Horror (Jens Funke) (Creature) (The Beast)

Green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...

– Leisure (Alec Püre)

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions Sales
US
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...


US
Ind.
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...


1996 Deadsy
Deadsy (album)
-Personnel:* Elijah Blue: Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Synthesizers* Renn Hawkey: Synthesizers* Alec Puro: Drums...

  • Released: August 1, 1996
  • Label: Sire
    Sire Records
    Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...

     (62011)
  • Format: CD
    Compact Disc
    The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...

1999 Commencement (promotion)
  • Released: September 28, 1999
  • Label: Warner Bros.
    Warner Bros. Records
    Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...

     (9362475092)
  • Format: CD
  • 2002 Commencement
    Commencement (album)
    Commencement is the second studio album and major label debut by American rock band Deadsy, released on May 14, 2002. After initially being suspended upon distribution changes at Sire, the album was official released through DreamWorks under the Elementree sub-label. It includes the single "The Key...

  • Released: May 14, 2002
  • Label: Elementree/DreamWorks
    DreamWorks Records
    DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...

     (450301)
  • Format: CD
  • 100 US: 175,000
    2006 Phantasmagore
  • Released: August 22, 2006
  • Label: Immortal
    Immortal Records
    Immortal Records is an independent record label out of Los Angeles, California. Founded by Happy Walters in 1994, the label had helped launched the careers of such influential acts as Korn, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had also released soundtracks, including Judgment...

     (27)
  • Format: CD
  • 176 17
    "—" denotes a release that did not chart.

    Demo albums

    Year Album details
    1996 Demo
    • Released: 1996
    • Format: CD

    Singles

    Year Title Album
    2002 "The Key to Gramercy Park" Commencement
    "Brand New Love"
    2006 "Friends" Non-album single

    Extras

    • Asura (demo clip) (1:24)
    • Asura (demo) (3:27)
    • Babes In Abyss (demo) (3:23)
    • Better Than You Know (demo clip) (1:58)
    • Better Than You Know (unmastered) (6:14)
    • Book of Black Dreams (demo clip) (1:03)
    • Brand New Love (radio mix) (3:42)
    • Carrying Over (live) (4:24) from Family Values Tour
      Family Values Tour
      The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...

       compilation 2006
    • Colossus (demo) (4:25) made available to participants of a MySpace
      MySpace
      Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

       promotional effort
    • Crimson & Clover (3:37) song originally from the 1999 movie "A Walk on the Moon
      A Walk on the Moon
      A Walk On The Moon is a 1999 drama film starring Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber and Anna Paquin. The movie, which was set against the backdrop of the Woodstock festival of 1969 and the moon landing of that year, was distributed by Miramax Films.- Plot summary :Pearl Kantrowitz and her...

      " featuring his mother Cher
      Cher
      Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...

      .
    • Dreamcrusher (demo clip) (1:13)
    • Friends (3:58) available for purchase through 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....

    • Just Like Heaven (demo) (6:02) cover song originally by The Cure
      The Cure
      The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...

    • Key to Gramercy Park (demo) (3:11)
    • Mansion World (deepsky remix) (7:41)
    • My Only Friend (3:26) cover song originally from The Magnetic Fields
      The Magnetic Fields
      The Magnetic Fields is the principal creative outlet of singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt...

       for Winter Passing
      Winter Passing
      Winter Passing is a 2005 American drama film. It is the directorial debut of playwright Adam Rapp, also known for his work on the show The L Word. The film stars Zooey Deschanel and Ed Harris, with supporting performances by Will Ferrell and Amelia Warner...

       soundtrack
    • Replicas (5:12) was featured on a Gary Numan
      Gary Numan
      Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...

       tribute album in 1997
    • Strength of Mind (demo) (3:27) was made available by Immortal Records
      Immortal Records
      Immortal Records is an independent record label out of Los Angeles, California. Founded by Happy Walters in 1994, the label had helped launched the careers of such influential acts as Korn, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had also released soundtracks, including Judgment...

    • Texas Never Whispers (3:43) cover song by the band Pavement
      Pavement (band)
      Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...

    • Time (demo clip) (1:17)
    • Tom Sawyer (live) (4:11) from Family Values Tour
      Family Values Tour
      The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & rap tour.The tour began in 1998 and would take the year off in 2000, due to heavy competition from other tours, such as the Anger Management Tour and the Summer Sanitarium Tour. After a four year hiatus, the Family...

       compilation 2001

    Music videos

    Year Title Director(s)
    1999 "She Likes Big Words"
    2002 "The Key to Gramercy Park" Fred Durst
    Fred Durst
    William Frederick "Fred" Durst is an American musician, director, producer and actor, well known as the frontman of the band Limp Bizkit.-Early life:...

    "Brand New Love" Deadsy Legions
    2005 "Babes in Abyss"
    2006 "Razor Love"
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