Failure (band)
Encyclopedia
Failure was an American
rock band
(often also classified as alternative rock
and/or space rock
) that was active from 1990 to 1997, during which they recorded and released three critically acclaimed album
s. They are often compared to other hard rock
bands from that time that were similarly labeled as "alternative", such as Nirvana
, Soundgarden
, or Bush
, but are distinguished by their meticulous attention to textural
sonic detail, inventive use of guitar effects and signal processing
, and the overall expansive sound design
of their later albums.
with Slash Records
(an LA-based independent label
whose releases were manufactured and distributed by Warner Bros.
in the United States), and went to Minnesota
to record their debut album with notorious producer Steve Albini
at Pachyderm Studio
that summer. Comfort
was released in September 1992, and around this same time, they went on their first of several tours with Tool
.
Both the band and Albini were unsatisfied with the sound of Comfort, so when the band went back into the studio in 1993, Andrews and Edwards took on the role of producers themselves. Midway through these sessions, Gauss left the band, so Edwards played some drums himself, until a replacement was found in Kellii Scott. Their second album, Magnified
, was released in March 1994; a promotional video
(the band's first) was made for the single "Undone", but it received little airtime, if any, on any of the traditional music video outlets. Critics took note of the sonic and musical advances achieved on Magnified, and other more well-known musicians also began singing Failure's praises. That year, they again went on tour with Tool, and during Failure's set each night, Tool guitarist Adam Jones
came onstage to play rhythm guitar
on the Comfort track "Macaque".
Anxious to build on the momentum afforded to them by the relative success of Magnified, Andrews, Edwards, and Scott began recording again in 1995, this time in a rented home owned by Lita Ford
in the hills just outside of LA. With the band again producing themselves, and Andrews handling the lion's share of the engineering himself, the situation allowed the band to take far more time in recording than they ever had before, and follow their instincts as far as they chose without outside interference. As the recordings neared completion, they received word that their label's distribution deal with Warner had expired and would not be renewed. Since Failure was essentially sideline
d while the owners of Slash were trying to negotiate a new distribution deal, the band members kept themselves busy with outside projects: Andrews and Edwards (and friends) recorded an album of covers
under the name Replicants
; Andrews produced albums for Blinker the Star
and Molly McGuire (the Kansas City
-based rock band, not the LA-based singer-songwriter
); Scott did some session work. Meanwhile, the band continued to "unofficially" shop the record to other labels and industry personnel, while hoping that Warner would step up and release the album. In the spring of 1996, Warner did exactly that, agreeing to keep the Slash imprint one last time for Failure, and Fantastic Planet
was released that August. Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
, a friend and former bandmate of Scott's, joined Failure around the time of the album's release. The album's first single, "Stuck on You" (an ironically catchy mid-tempo
track that metaphor
ically compares heroin to a nagging tune stuck in one's head), became a minor alternative-radio hit and achieved light to medium rotation on MTV
, but failed to chart
significantly. The song peaked at #31 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #23 on the Modern Rock chart. Other songs, such as "Saturday Saviour" and "Pitiful", received some airplay from more adventurous-minded DJs
, but no more videos were made for any of the album's tracks, and due to the state of disarray at their label at that time, little effort was put into its promotion.
In 1997, the band were asked by friends in the industrial
rock band God Lives Underwater
to contribute a track for a Depeche Mode
tribute album
that they were assembling; Failure chose to cover the 1990 hit "Enjoy the Silence
", a worldwide smash and Depeche Mode's best-selling and most well-known single. The members of Depeche Mode were reportedly very pleased with the album, and with the Failure track particularly; Andrew Fletcher
said that he actually prefers their cover over his band's original version. That summer, Failure also joined the Lollapalooza
tour, during what became the last of that tour's travelling years. They were originally playing the side stage, but were promoted to the main stage to fill in for another band who had dropped out of the tour.
On November 19, 1997, Failure officially announced that they had disbanded, citing personal differences. In 2004, although the band had been inactive for many years, Andrews and Edwards got together to collaborate on a CD/DVD set entitled Golden, which collects demos, outtakes, touring footage, both of the band's videos
, and other rare material from the band's active period. Another posthumous compilation, a 2-CD set titled Essentials, was assembled for release in 2006; the first disc contains selected tracks from Failure's three studio albums, and the second disc features the first official CD release of all four songs from their two pre-Slash singles, and the complete demos for Magnified.
On June 8, 2010, Fantastic Planet was released on 2LP record set for the first time from Warner Bros.
Both Magnified and Comfort are to be released on LP record for the first time in the second half of 2011 by ORG Music.
, and has been involved in several different music projects. ON
(1999–2002) was more or less a solo project, and was not unlike Failure, in terms of songwriting, but the overall sound was more based on electronics
, with less emphasis on guitar
s and the typical heavy rock
sound. Year of the Rabbit (2002–2004) saw Andrews' return to the four-piece rock band format, alongside ON's touring drummer, Tim Dow, and former members of National Skyline
and Cupcakes; the harder-rocking sound of YotR is much closer to that of Failure, but the band lost momentum and eventually went on indefinite hiatus after their label, Elektra Records
, was ostensibly shut down by its parent company. Throughout all of this, Andrews has become increasingly sought-after for his production and mixing skills, and his résumé
has expanded to include work on albums by Pete Yorn
, Tenacious D
, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
, and Mae
, among many others. (Also notable is his participation in the production of "You Know My Name
", the theme for the 2006 James Bond
movie Casino Royale
, performed by ex-Soundgarden
/Audioslave
frontman Chris Cornell
.) Currently, Andrews is performing as a solo artist, as well as collaborating in a self-described "digital band" called Los Angeles Digital Noise Academy, whose loose membership also includes Brad Laner (Medicine
), Sharky Laguana (Creeper Lagoon
), Charlotte Martin
(whom Andrews married in 2005), and others. He has also started a label, Dinosaur Fight Records, which has released his solo album and Martin's, and has announced their intention to release the forthcoming LADNA album, as well.
Greg Edwards collaborated with fellow musicians Chris Pitman
, Brad Laner, and Paul D'Amour
in the psychedelic pop
outfit Lusk, releasing the album Free Mars
in 1997. In 2000, Edwards formed the band Autolux
in with vocalist/bassist Eugene Goreshter and former Ednaswap
drummer Carla Azar
. Their self-produced, self-released 2001 EP Demonstration brought them to the attention of legendary producer T Bone Burnett, who used his vanity label
DMZ to secure them a contract with Sony BMG Music Entertainment and produced their debut album, Future Perfect
, which was released in October 2004 to general critical praise. They were hand-picked by Trent Reznor
to open for Nine Inch Nails
' North America
n arena tour in the autumn of 2005, playing bottom of the bill before Queens of the Stone Age
. In 2006, they collaborated on a few tracks with the British musical outfit UNKLE
, for UNKLE's 2007 release, War Stories
. After various delays, Autolux released their second album, Transit Transit
, in 2010.
Kellii Scott joined Blinker the Star
after Failure's breakup, and then joined Campfire Girls
for their 2003 album, Tell Them Hi. As of 2005, he was playing drums for both Veruca Salt
and Enemy
. In 2008, Kellii's most recent band The Brontosaur released their self-titled album.
Troy Van Leeuwen
first resurfaced in the original lineup of A Perfect Circle
, appearing on their debut album, Mer De Noms
(2000), and on the subsequent tour. During the sessions for APC's second album, Van Leeuwen was extended an invitation to join Queens of the Stone Age
, which he accepted; he does appear on three tracks on the second APC album, Thirteenth Step
(2003), but the included cover of Failure's "The Nurse Who Loved Me" is not one of them. He has remained with QotSA since then, first appearing on the tour for their 2002 album, Songs for the Deaf
, but not on the album itself. Also, during this time, Van Leeuwen assembled the band Enemy
, a vehicle in which he is the frontman and guitarist; their debut album, Hooray for Dark Matter, was released in October 2005. And more recently forming the band Sweethead
along with vocalist Serrina Sims, who provided backing vocals on QOTSA album Era Vulgaris
, in 2008. The bands roster was rounded up with Norm Block formerly of Plexi
and Troy's former Enemy
bandmate Eddie Nappi.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
(often also classified as alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and/or space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
) that was active from 1990 to 1997, during which they recorded and released three critically acclaimed album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. They are often compared to other hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
bands from that time that were similarly labeled as "alternative", such as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, or Bush
Bush (band)
Bush are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub. Realising they shared a love for such diverse artists as the Pixies, Bob Marley, The Jesus Lizard, MC5, Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Big...
, but are distinguished by their meticulous attention to textural
Texture (music)
In music, texture is the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition , thus determining the overall quality of sound of a piece...
sonic detail, inventive use of guitar effects and signal processing
Signal processing
Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...
, and the overall expansive sound design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
of their later albums.
History
In 1992, Failure signedRecording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Slash Records
Slash Records
Slash Records is a record label in Los Angeles, originally specializing in local and punk rock bands.The label was formed in 1978 by Bob Biggs as an outgrowth of the Los Angeles-based fanzine, Slash. Biggs, a painter, initiated the label with a seven-inch single from The Germs in 1978. A full album...
(an LA-based independent label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
whose releases were manufactured and distributed by Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
in the United States), and went to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
to record their debut album with notorious producer Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
at Pachyderm Studio
Pachyderm Studio
Pachyderm Recording Studio is a residential recording studio located in rural Cannon Falls, Minnesota, United States, 35.8 mi southeast of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. It is located in a secluded old-growth forest with a vibrant trout stream. The studio was founded in 1988...
that summer. Comfort
Comfort (album)
Comfort is the first studio album by the American rock band Failure.-Track listing:All tracks by Ken Andrews#"Submission" – 3:23#"Macaque" – 4:59#"Something" – 2:53#"Screen Man" – 6:15#"Swallow" – 2:31#"Muffled Snaps" – 3:55#"Kindred" – 2:21...
was released in September 1992, and around this same time, they went on their first of several tours with Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
.
Both the band and Albini were unsatisfied with the sound of Comfort, so when the band went back into the studio in 1993, Andrews and Edwards took on the role of producers themselves. Midway through these sessions, Gauss left the band, so Edwards played some drums himself, until a replacement was found in Kellii Scott. Their second album, Magnified
Magnified
-Personnel:*Ken Andrews – vocals, guitar, bass*Greg Edwards – bass guitar, guitar, drums*John Dargahi - drums...
, was released in March 1994; a promotional video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
(the band's first) was made for the single "Undone", but it received little airtime, if any, on any of the traditional music video outlets. Critics took note of the sonic and musical advances achieved on Magnified, and other more well-known musicians also began singing Failure's praises. That year, they again went on tour with Tool, and during Failure's set each night, Tool guitarist Adam Jones
Adam Jones (musician)
Adam Thomas Jones is a three time Grammy Award-winning Welsh-American musician and visual artist, best known for his position as the guitarist for Grammy-Award winning band Tool. Jones has been rated the 75th Greatest Guitarist of all time by the Rolling Stone and placed 9th in Guitar World's Top...
came onstage to play rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
on the Comfort track "Macaque".
Anxious to build on the momentum afforded to them by the relative success of Magnified, Andrews, Edwards, and Scott began recording again in 1995, this time in a rented home owned by Lita Ford
Lita Ford
Lita Ford is a British-born, American rock musician and singer who was the lead guitarist for The Runaways and achieved popularity for her solo career between the 1980s and late 2000s.-Early life:...
in the hills just outside of LA. With the band again producing themselves, and Andrews handling the lion's share of the engineering himself, the situation allowed the band to take far more time in recording than they ever had before, and follow their instincts as far as they chose without outside interference. As the recordings neared completion, they received word that their label's distribution deal with Warner had expired and would not be renewed. Since Failure was essentially sideline
Sideline
Sideline may refer to:*Sidelines, lines which mark the outer boundaries of a sports field*Sideline reporter, sports term*"Sideline Ho," song by Monica...
d while the owners of Slash were trying to negotiate a new distribution deal, the band members kept themselves busy with outside projects: Andrews and Edwards (and friends) recorded an album of covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
under the name Replicants
Replicants (band)
Replicants was a four-piece band, consisting of Ken Andrews, Paul D'Amour, Greg Edwards, and Chris Pitman, which has been on hiatus since 1996. The group has only released one album, a self-titled cover album, in 1995...
; Andrews produced albums for Blinker the Star
Blinker the Star
Blinker the Star is a Canadian indie rock band, originally from Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. Band leader Jordon Zadorozny is known for having cowritten songs with Courtney Love...
and Molly McGuire (the Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
-based rock band, not the LA-based singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
); Scott did some session work. Meanwhile, the band continued to "unofficially" shop the record to other labels and industry personnel, while hoping that Warner would step up and release the album. In the spring of 1996, Warner did exactly that, agreeing to keep the Slash imprint one last time for Failure, and Fantastic Planet
Fantastic Planet (album)
Fantastic Planet is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Failure. It was the last album released on Slash Records as distributed by Warner Bros. The album failed to chart on Billboards Top 200 albums, but did produce a charting single with "Stuck on You", which reached #23 on...
was released that August. Guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
, a friend and former bandmate of Scott's, joined Failure around the time of the album's release. The album's first single, "Stuck on You" (an ironically catchy mid-tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
track that metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
ically compares heroin to a nagging tune stuck in one's head), became a minor alternative-radio hit and achieved light to medium rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, but failed to chart
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...
significantly. The song peaked at #31 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #23 on the Modern Rock chart. Other songs, such as "Saturday Saviour" and "Pitiful", received some airplay from more adventurous-minded DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, but no more videos were made for any of the album's tracks, and due to the state of disarray at their label at that time, little effort was put into its promotion.
In 1997, the band were asked by friends in the industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
rock band God Lives Underwater
God Lives Underwater
God Lives Underwater was an industrial rock band from rural Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania , formed in 1993 by band members David Reilly and Jeff Turzo. God Lives Underwater was originally signed to American Recordings after being discovered by Rick Rubin, who subsequently produced the band's first...
to contribute a track for a Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
tribute album
For the Masses
For the Masses is a 1998 tribute album to Depeche Mode, specifically the works of Martin Gore. The album charted in America and reached the Top 20 in Germany, making it the most successful Depeche Mode tribute album of all time....
that they were assembling; Failure chose to cover the 1990 hit "Enjoy the Silence
Enjoy the Silence
"Enjoy the Silence" is Depeche Mode's twenty-fourth UK single, released on 16 January 1990, and the second single from the then upcoming album Violator....
", a worldwide smash and Depeche Mode's best-selling and most well-known single. The members of Depeche Mode were reportedly very pleased with the album, and with the Failure track particularly; Andrew Fletcher
Andrew Fletcher (musician)
Andy Fletcher , known as "Fletch", is a co-founder and member of the English synth band Depeche Mode.-Depeche Mode:...
said that he actually prefers their cover over his band's original version. That summer, Failure also joined the Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
tour, during what became the last of that tour's travelling years. They were originally playing the side stage, but were promoted to the main stage to fill in for another band who had dropped out of the tour.
On November 19, 1997, Failure officially announced that they had disbanded, citing personal differences. In 2004, although the band had been inactive for many years, Andrews and Edwards got together to collaborate on a CD/DVD set entitled Golden, which collects demos, outtakes, touring footage, both of the band's videos
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, and other rare material from the band's active period. Another posthumous compilation, a 2-CD set titled Essentials, was assembled for release in 2006; the first disc contains selected tracks from Failure's three studio albums, and the second disc features the first official CD release of all four songs from their two pre-Slash singles, and the complete demos for Magnified.
On June 8, 2010, Fantastic Planet was released on 2LP record set for the first time from Warner Bros.
Both Magnified and Comfort are to be released on LP record for the first time in the second half of 2011 by ORG Music.
Discography
- ComfortComfort (album)Comfort is the first studio album by the American rock band Failure.-Track listing:All tracks by Ken Andrews#"Submission" – 3:23#"Macaque" – 4:59#"Something" – 2:53#"Screen Man" – 6:15#"Swallow" – 2:31#"Muffled Snaps" – 3:55#"Kindred" – 2:21...
(1992) - MagnifiedMagnified-Personnel:*Ken Andrews – vocals, guitar, bass*Greg Edwards – bass guitar, guitar, drums*John Dargahi - drums...
(1994) - Fantastic PlanetFantastic Planet (album)Fantastic Planet is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Failure. It was the last album released on Slash Records as distributed by Warner Bros. The album failed to chart on Billboards Top 200 albums, but did produce a charting single with "Stuck on You", which reached #23 on...
(1996) - Golden (2004)
- Essentials (2006)
Post-Failure projects
Ken Andrews has gone on to become a well-known producer, engineer, and mixerAudio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, and has been involved in several different music projects. ON
ON (music)
ON was a solo project of Ken Andrews, which he started after the breakup of his previous band, Failure. The music of ON was not unlike that of Failure, in terms of songwriting, but the overall sound was more based on electronics, with less emphasis on guitars and the typical heavy rock sound.ON...
(1999–2002) was more or less a solo project, and was not unlike Failure, in terms of songwriting, but the overall sound was more based on electronics
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, with less emphasis on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and the typical heavy rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
sound. Year of the Rabbit (2002–2004) saw Andrews' return to the four-piece rock band format, alongside ON's touring drummer, Tim Dow, and former members of National Skyline
National Skyline
National Skyline is a rock band formed in late 1996 by Jeff Dimpsey of Hum. Dimpsey originally formed the band in order to perform a 45-minute long song that he had written. They were initially an indie rock supergroup of sorts, with a rotating cast of prominent Champaign/Chicago area musicians...
and Cupcakes; the harder-rocking sound of YotR is much closer to that of Failure, but the band lost momentum and eventually went on indefinite hiatus after their label, 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....
, was ostensibly shut down by its parent company. Throughout all of this, Andrews has become increasingly sought-after for his production and mixing skills, and his résumé
Résumé
A résumé is a document used by individuals to present their background and skillsets. Résumés can be used for a variety of reasons but most often to secure new employment. A typical résumé contains a summary of relevant job experience and education...
has expanded to include work on albums by Pete Yorn
Pete Yorn
Peter Joseph Yorn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who first gained international recognition after his debut record, Musicforthemorningafter, was released to critical acclaim in 2001.-Early history:Yorn's father is a dentist and his mother is a former concert pianist who worked as a...
, Tenacious D
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. Composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jack Black and lead guitarist and vocalist Kyle Gass, the band has released two albums – Tenacious D and The Pick of Destiny...
, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, now based in Los Angeles. BRMC is known for their garage rock, blues, folk revival, neo-psychedelia sound. They are influenced by bands such as: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Verve, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, T...
, and Mae
Mae
Mae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....
, among many others. (Also notable is his participation in the production of "You Know My Name
You Know My Name
"You Know My Name," performed by Chris Cornell, is the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Cornell wrote it jointly with David Arnold, the soundtrack's composer. The film producers went after Cornell because they wanted a strong male singer...
", the theme for the 2006 James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie Casino Royale
Casino Royale (2006 film)
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
, performed by ex-Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
/Audioslave
Audioslave
Audioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
frontman Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
.) Currently, Andrews is performing as a solo artist, as well as collaborating in a self-described "digital band" called Los Angeles Digital Noise Academy, whose loose membership also includes Brad Laner (Medicine
Medicine (band)
Medicine is an alternative noise-pop/rock band from the San Fernando Valley, United States. They were formed in 1991 by guitarist Brad Laner and signed to Rick Rubin's American Recordings label the following year...
), Sharky Laguana (Creeper Lagoon
Creeper Lagoon
Creeper Lagoon is a San Francisco indie rock band originally started by Sharky Laguana as a solo project in 1991. They are currently on Sharky's digital record label, Neglektra.- History :...
), Charlotte Martin
Charlotte Martin
Charlotte Ann Martin is an American singer-songwriter, who performs predominantly on the piano. She has written several studio albums, two of which have received mainstream commercial releases, 2004's On Your Shore and 2006's Stromata...
(whom Andrews married in 2005), and others. He has also started a label, Dinosaur Fight Records, which has released his solo album and Martin's, and has announced their intention to release the forthcoming LADNA album, as well.
Greg Edwards collaborated with fellow musicians Chris Pitman
Chris Pitman
Chris Pitman is an American musician best known for his involvement with hard rock band Guns N' Roses. A multi-instrumentalist, Pitman is known to play keyboards, guitar and drums, in addition to his role as a lead or backing vocalist...
, Brad Laner, and Paul D'Amour
Paul d'Amour
Paul D'Amour was the original bass guitarist for Tool. His bass sound was recognized by the aggressive picked tone he developed with his Chris Squire Signature Rickenbacker 4001CS, which can clearly be heard on Tool's first full length album, Undertow.Originally a guitar player, D'Amour became...
in the psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
outfit Lusk, releasing the album Free Mars
Free Mars
Free Mars is the only album from the heavily experimental psychedelic pop band Lusk, released in 1997 in a Digipak-style case. The case and booklet list "The Hotel Family Affair" and "Black Sea Me" together as one track, but they are separate tracks on the disc itself. Despite this minor error, the...
in 1997. In 2000, Edwards formed the band Autolux
Autolux
Autolux is an avant-garde rock group consisting of Eugene Goreshter , Greg Edwards and Carla Azar...
in with vocalist/bassist Eugene Goreshter and former Ednaswap
Ednaswap
Ednaswap was an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, United States, that existed between 1993 and 1998.Over a span of five years, the band released four major label records on East West, Elektra Records and Island Records...
drummer Carla Azar
Carla Azar
Carla Azar is a musician and a member of the band Autolux. Azar is a multi-instrumentalist but is known primarily for playing the drums. She also plays glockenspiel, xylophone, mellotron, piano, and bass guitar.-Career:...
. Their self-produced, self-released 2001 EP Demonstration brought them to the attention of legendary producer T Bone Burnett, who used his vanity label
Vanity label
A vanity label is an informal name given sometimes to a record label founded as a wholly or partially owned subsidiary of another, larger and better established record label, where the subsidiary label is controlled by a successful recording artist, designed to allow this artist...
DMZ to secure them a contract with Sony BMG Music Entertainment and produced their debut album, Future Perfect
Future Perfect
-Album Credits:*Produced by T-Bone Burnett*All Songs Written by Autolux*Engineered by Mike Piersante*Mixed by Dave Sardy*Mastered by Stephen Marcussen *Artwork by Carla Azar-Vinyl releases:...
, which was released in October 2004 to general critical praise. They were hand-picked by Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
to open for Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
' North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n arena tour in the autumn of 2005, playing bottom of the bill before Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
. In 2006, they collaborated on a few tracks with the British musical outfit UNKLE
UNKLE
Unkle are a British musical outfit founded in 1994 by school friends James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy. Originally categorized as trip-hop, the group once included producer DJ Shadow and have employed a variety of guest artists and producers.-First incarnation :Lavelle and Goldsworthy were joined...
, for UNKLE's 2007 release, War Stories
War Stories (album)
War Stories is the third album from Unkle. The album was released in Japan on 20 June 2007 Europe and the UK on 9 July 2007, followed by a 24 July release date in North America. War Stories debuted at #58 in Australia. The album was promoted by three singles: "Burn My Shadow", "Hold My Hand" and...
. After various delays, Autolux released their second album, Transit Transit
Transit Transit
-External links:***...
, in 2010.
Kellii Scott joined Blinker the Star
Blinker the Star
Blinker the Star is a Canadian indie rock band, originally from Pembroke, Ontario, Canada. Band leader Jordon Zadorozny is known for having cowritten songs with Courtney Love...
after Failure's breakup, and then joined Campfire Girls
Campfire Girls (band)
Campfire Girls is a U.S. rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band formed in 1993.Less than a year after forming in Hollywood, CA, the band signed a Major Label deal with Interscope Records. This deal would lead to the release of only one album, the Mood Enhancer EP...
for their 2003 album, Tell Them Hi. As of 2005, he was playing drums for both Veruca Salt
Veruca Salt (band)
Veruca Salt is an alternative rock band founded in 1993 in Chicago, Illinois. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included vocalist-guitarist Louise Post. Guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick has been with the band since 1999 and drummer Kellii Scott has worked with the group on and off since 1999...
and Enemy
Enemy (band)
Enemy is an American band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Troy Van Leeuwen , with bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Kelli Scott . Former Quicksand drummer Alan Cage was a founding member before being replaced by Scott...
. In 2008, Kellii's most recent band The Brontosaur released their self-titled album.
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Van Leeuwen
Troy Dean Van Leeuwen is an American musician and producer. Van Leeuwen began playing music at young age and started playing guitar at age 13. Soon Van Leeuwen was playing in various local bands such as Jester, 60 Cycle and later Failure...
first resurfaced in the original lineup of A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
, appearing on their debut album, Mer De Noms
Mer de Noms
- Symbols :Inside the insert the track names appear to be randomly spelled out in symbols. One way to decipher the symbols is to match the song titles using the normal alphabet with the song titles inside the insert....
(2000), and on the subsequent tour. During the sessions for APC's second album, Van Leeuwen was extended an invitation to join Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, which he accepted; he does appear on three tracks on the second APC album, Thirteenth Step
Thirteenth Step
Thirteenth Step is the second studio album by American rock band A Perfect Circle, released under Compact Disc format on September 16, 2003. It was a major success reaching the #2 position on the Billboard 200 in its premiere week, selling over 231,000 copies and staying on the charts for 78 weeks....
(2003), but the included cover of Failure's "The Nurse Who Loved Me" is not one of them. He has remained with QotSA since then, first appearing on the tour for their 2002 album, Songs for the Deaf
Songs for the Deaf
-Production and release:In September 2002, Josh Homme explained the band's goals with the release of the album:In the same month, Nick Oliveri explained the band's aims in an interview with retail company HMV:...
, but not on the album itself. Also, during this time, Van Leeuwen assembled the band Enemy
Enemy (band)
Enemy is an American band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Troy Van Leeuwen , with bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Kelli Scott . Former Quicksand drummer Alan Cage was a founding member before being replaced by Scott...
, a vehicle in which he is the frontman and guitarist; their debut album, Hooray for Dark Matter, was released in October 2005. And more recently forming the band Sweethead
Sweethead
Sweethead is an American alternative rock group formed in 2008. The group's lineup consists of singer Serrina Sims, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen , bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Norm Block .To date, Sweethead have...
along with vocalist Serrina Sims, who provided backing vocals on QOTSA album Era Vulgaris
Era Vulgaris (album)
Era Vulgaris is the fifth full length studio album by American hard rock band Queens of the Stone Age. The album was completed in early April 2007 and released on June 8, 2007 in some countries, June 11, 2007 in the United Kingdom and June 12, 2007 in the United States...
, in 2008. The bands roster was rounded up with Norm Block formerly of Plexi
Plexi
Plexi was a gothic noise rock band consisting of Michael Angelos , Michael Barragan , and Norm Block . No other members were ever in the band, though they occasionally utilized a Moog player during live performances. Their original name was Godseed...
and Troy's former Enemy
Enemy (band)
Enemy is an American band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Troy Van Leeuwen , with bassist Eddie Nappi and drummer Kelli Scott . Former Quicksand drummer Alan Cage was a founding member before being replaced by Scott...
bandmate Eddie Nappi.