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Biography
Refimprove|date=April 2007Infobox musical artist | name = Agent 51| image = Agent 51 2012-01-20 03.jpg| caption = Left to right: Davis, Levinson, Armes, and Schneider in 2012| background = group_or_band| origin = Poway, California | genre = Punk rock | years_active = 1995–2005| label = Alphabet, Suburban Hooligans, Adeline Records|Adeline , Surfdog Records|Surfdog | associated_acts = 51 Guns, Arm the Angels, The Rattlesnake Aces, The Megas (band)|The Megas | website = http://www.myspace.com/agent51 myspace.com/agent51| current_members = Chris Armes Eric Davis Sean Scura Mikey Levinson| past_members = Jared Herndon Rob Hunter Greg Schneider Agent 51 was an American rock music|rock band from Poway, California , formed in 1995. They released three albums on various record labels before going on indefinite hiatus in 2005. Over the course of their career their music evolved from straightforward punk rock to incorporate aspects of classic rock and Heavy metal music|Heavy Metal . At various times during their career the band has maintained a mythology about their origins which purports them to be rogue secret agents, on the run from a clandestine government organization with ties to extraterrestrials .
Band history
Formation
Agent 51 formed in Poway, California in 1995 under the name Area 51. Initially the band were part of a thriving local punk rock movement that included other groups such as Blink-182 and Unwritten Law . Founding member Chris Armes had attended Poway High School with Blink-182 member Tom DeLonge , and Armes' previous band Openfast had played as openers for Blink-182 on several occasions. This experience contributed to the impetus for forming Area 51.
The band's original lineup consisted of Chris Armes on guitar and vocals, Jared Herndon on bass guitar , and Eric "Airwick" Davis on Drum kit|drums . Herndon soon left and was replaced by Greg Schneider, while Davis moved to second guitar and Rob Hunter joined as drummer. Shortly before releasing their first album the group changed their name to Agent 51 because there were already several bands in existence using the name Area 51.
Early albums and mythology
Their first album, Red Alert (album)|Red Alert , was released in 1998 by local label Alphabet Records . The album gained them notoriety in the local punk rock scene,Citation needed|date=February 2009 and an independent music video was filmed for the title track. Armes took the stage name "Broken Armes" at this time due to an injury he suffered in 1997 which left his arm in a cast. In order to record his guitar parts on Red Alert he removed the cast himself and recorded while still injured.Citation needed|date=February 2009 Around this time the band began disseminating the mythos that they were rogue secret agents on the run from the government due to their knowledge of secrets related to Extraterrestrial life in popular culture|extraterrestrial life. To match this theme the band wore matching black suits while performing. It also became common for the band to cover songs from the classic rock and 1970s metal genres in concert, such as AC/DC 's "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Highway to Hell." Or|date=February 2009 By the recording of their second album in 2000, Hunter had been replaced on drums by Mike "Mikey L" Levinson. The album, '' Just Keep Runnin' '', was released that year on the band's own label Suburban Hooligans Records . The music was faster and slightly less punk-based than Red Alert , and included several songs which had become favorites in the band's live set over the last few years such as "Who's Gunna Riot? " and "The Last Pirate Standing."Or|date=February 2009 The album's artwork and liner notes greatly expanded on their secret agent mythos by describing each member as a rogue agent enhanced with super powers through extraterrestrial DNA and technology, as well as detailing their struggle against a secret government organization called "The Agency."Or|date=February 2009 The band played on the Warped Tour that summer on the Ernie Ball side stage, winning Ernie Ball's Battle of the Bands competition.Citation needed|date=February 2009 They also recorded the theme song for the short-lived San Diego public-access television cable TV show "Radiation Nation." The song was later included on the 2001 Warped Tour compilation.Citation needed|date=February 2009 Just Keep Runnin ' caught the attention of Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day and his label Adeline Records , who re-released it in 2001 with 2 bonus tracks recorded with new bassist Sean Scura, as Schneider had by then left the group. The band continued to tour, playing at San Diego's Street Scene (San Diego music festival)|Street Scene and other festivals.
Success and break-up
Agent 51's next album was 2003's The Red & the Black , released on southern California label Surfdog Records . With it the band moved towards a sound more reminiscent of classic rock and Heavy metal music|Heavy Metal bands such as AC/DC, Motörhead and Def Leppard . They also distanced themselves from their secret agent mythos by not mentioning extraterrestrials or conspiracies, and by ceasing to wear their matching suits in concert.Or|date=February 2009 The song "She's My Heroine" received airplay on local rock radio station 91X , while "American Rock n Roll" was used in the opening episode of MTV 's The Real World: San Diego and "Air Raid" was later used in the video game Big Mutha Truckers 2 .Citation needed|date=February 2009 The album was nominated in several categories at the 2003 San Diego Music Awards and won for "best punk album."Citation needed|date=February 2009 Despite their growing popularity,Citation needed|date=February 2009 however, Armes announced that he was leaving the band due to musical and financial pressures. Davis and Levinson formed 51 Guns in the summer of 2004, along with drummer Adam Rapps of Pivit . Agent 51 remained inactive until June 2005.
Infobox Artist Discography| Artist = Agent 51 | Image = | Image size = 250px | Caption = | Studio = 3 | Studio link = Studio albums | Music videos = 1 | MV link = Music videos | EP = 1 | EP link = Extended plays | Option = 1 | Option name = Demos | Option link = Demos | Option color = lightgreen | 1Option = 6 | 1Option name = Other appearances | 1Option link = Other appearances | 1Option color = mediumaquamarine
The discography of Agent 51 consists of three studio album s, one extended play|EP , one demo (music)|demo , and one music video .
The Red & the Black cite web>title = The Red & the Black
Released: April 22, 2003
Label: Surfdog Records|Surfdog
Format: CD
note|Just Keep Runnin' I ''Just Keep Runnin' was re-released in 2001 by Adeline Records .
Extended plays
Year
Album details
2003
ref label>Agent 51
Released: 2003
Label: Surfdog
Format: CD
note|Agent 51 I Agent 51 is a pre-release teaser with four songs from The Red & the Black .
Extended plays
Year
Album details
2012
Operation Panther E.P.
Released: 2012
Label: Suburban Hooligans
Format: download
Demos
Year
Album details
1998
ref label>demo
Released: 1998
Label: MP3.com
Format: CD, music download
note|demo I Demos and More consists of demo (music)|demo s and finished tracks for Red Alert .
Music videos
Year
Song
Director
Album
1998
"Red Alert"
Red Alert
Year2000
SongRadiation Nation
DirectorFlax Glor
AlbumWarped Tour 2000 - Compilation
1999
"Radiation Nation"
Radiation Nation
Other appearances
The following Agent 51 songs were released on compilation albums and as music download s. This is not an exhaustive list; songs that were first released on the band's albums are not included.
Year
Release details
Track
1998
'Pete's Comp: Kids in America
Released: 1998
Label: Alphabet
Format: Compact disc|CD
" (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)|Fight for Your Right " (originally performed by the Beastie Boys )
1999
Released: 1999
Label: none
Format: music download|download
"Hardcore Hooligan"
2001
Warped Tour 2001 Tour Compilation cite web>last = Griffith
Released: June 19, 2001
Label: SideOneDummy Records|SideOneDummy
Format: CD
"Radiation Nation"ref label|Radiation Nation|I|
2002
cite web>title = ''Every Dog Will Have It's (sic) Day, Vol. 2
Released: June 25, 2002
Label: Adeline Records|Adeline
Format: CD
"Wrecking Ball"ref label|Wrecking Ball|II|
2005
91X Loudspeaker
Released: 2005
Label: Budweiser True Music
Format: CD
"Sandra Dee"
2006
Released: 2006
Label: none
Format: download
"Automatic Addicts" (demo)
note|Radiation Nation I "Radiation Nation" was originally recorded as the theme song for a local San Diego punk rock television show. note|Wrecking Ball II This is an early version of "Wrecking Ball"; the song was re-recorded for The Red & the Black .
References
Reflist
External links
Commons category
http://www.facebook.com/TheRattlesnakeAces Official Rattlesnake Aces Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Agent-51-Official/174726769204907 Agent 51 Official Facebook Page
http://www.myspace.com/agent51 Official Myspace profile
http://www.veerob.com/agent51.com/ Just Keep Runnin -era official site
http://www.myspace.com/51guns 51 Guns official Myspace profile
Category:American punk rock groups Category:Musical groups from California Category:Musical groups from San Diego, California
Copyright Citations
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