Chevelle

Chevelle playing at MyCokeFest, Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta, Georgia, United States in 2007.
Background information
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, USA
Genre(s)	Post-Grunge Alternative metal Hard rock
Years active	1994 – present
Label(s)	SonyBMG/Epic
Website	http://www.chevelleinc.com/
Members
Pete Loeffler Dean Bernardini Sam Loeffler
Former members
Joe Loeffler Geno Lenardo Matt Scott

For information about the car of this name, see Chevrolet Chevelle.

Chevelle (pronounced shuh-VELL) is a rock/alternative metal/hard rock band from Chicago, Illinois founded in 1994 by brothers Pete and Sam Loeffler with the later addition of Joe Loeffler in 1996 (who was replaced by the Loeffler's brother-in-law, Dean Bernardini). The band's name refers to the Loeffler brothers' father's favorite car.

History

Point #1

Collaborating with producer Steve Albini, Chevelle released their debut album Point#1 through Steve Taylor's Squint Entertainment in May 1999. Though the album was criticised for its repetitive song structures,^[1] it was generally well received.^[2][3] During this time the band was marketed as a Christian band.^[4] The title track "Point#1" as well as "MIA" were released as singles. Music videos were made for both songs, and each took a Dove Award for "Hard Music Song": "Mia" in 2000 and "Point #1" the following year.^[5] The album also took the award for "Hard Music Album" in 2000.^[6]

Wonder What's Next

They broke out in 2002 with their major label debut album Wonder What's Next. The band chose to sign with Epic records after hearing Mudvayne's album L.D. 50. Wonder What's Next spawned the hit singles "The Red", "Closure," and "Send the Pain Below", which topped both mainstream rock and modern rock charts. The album was eventually certified Platinum in June. The band's success resulted in their co-headlining Ozzfest and embarking on a tour in Europe with Audioslave.

This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)

Their third album, This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) was released in September 2004 and produced three hit singles, "Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)," "The Clincher," and "Panic Prone." Vitamin R (Leading Us Along) reached the #1 spot on the Mainstream Rock Chart and received heavy airplay on MTV and MTV2. "The Clincher" was featured in the game Madden NFL 2005. The album was soon certified Gold by the RIAA. The band supported the album with a headlining tour that included Taproot and 30 Seconds to Mars as opening acts. Chevelle ended the year with an arena tour opening for Nickelback.

Vena Sera

Chevelle's fourth album, Vena Sera was released on April 3rd, 2007 and sold 62,000 copies during its first week of release, debuting at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart. "Well Enough Alone" was the first single and enjoyed moderate radio success. The band also filmed in Los Angeles a video for the song which earned significant rotation on MTV and MTV2 due to winning a battle of the bands contest. Chevelle toured with Evanescence, Finger Eleven, and Strata during March and April 2007, followed by a headlining tour with the latter two bands in May and June. As of late June 2007, Vena Sera has sold 160,000 copies. The second single from the album, "I Get It" was released on June 12, 2007. The band spent July 2007 touring Australia as a supporting band for The Butterfly Effect.

Stolen Gear

On May 9, 2007, during a show in Dallas, Texas, Chevelle's trailer, which contained all of their equipment (drums, guitars, sound equipment), was stolen from the hotel they were staying at. The band posted a notice saying

Most items are labeled "Chevelle" and if you notice anything suspicious on ebay or other online resellers selling "authentic" Chevelle items...guitar, basses, drums amplifiers, risers, backdrops, tee shirts... please call the police...

Here is a list of most of the gear stolen:

-6 PRS Guitars "2 White ONE OF A KIND that say " Custom Built For Pete Loefler" on the back...One Has the Red Chevelle Crosses on the neck......
-6 Gibson ThunderBird Basses 3 Black,2 White,One Sunburst.....
-3 Mesa Boogie Cabinets In Cases that read CHEVELLE.."ALL WHITE GRILL CLOTHES"
-3 Mesa Boogie BASS CABINETS...PERMANENT CASES THAT READ CHEVELLE ALL WHITE GRILL CLOTHES
-2 Mesa Mark 4 Heads
-2 Mesa Big Block Heads
-Black 6 Piece Pearl Masters Custom Drum Kit....With a bald picture of Britney Spears on the Kick Drum Head..

On June 14, in an interview found on Blabbermouth.net, drummer Sam Loeffler stated, "Of the 14 guitars, we got two of 'em, and then we got some amplifiers back and our monitor system. So it's really, I mean it's cool because it's kind of like Christmas, only really weird. People have been calling us and saying, 'Hey, I bought this or that,'and you know, we're just doing our best to buy it back from them. And certainly the issue is not a money issue, it's about having the pieces of gear that you did all your records with."^[7]

Discography

See: Chevelle discography

Members

Changes

While the band had featured the three Loeffler brothers, Joe Loeffler was relieved of his duties as bassist July 10, 2005 due to "irreconcilable differences." He was replaced by Geno Lenardo, also a one-time remix producer for the band, for the rest of the 2005 summer tour. On August 20, 2005, Lenardo was replaced on bass by Dean Bernadini, the brother-in-law to the Loeffler brothers. See the Joe Loeffler entry for more information.

Current

• Pete Loeffler – vocals, guitar (1994–present)
• Sam Loeffler – drums (1994–present)
• Dean Bernardini – bass (2005–present)

Past

• Matt Scott – bass (1994–1996)
• Joe Loeffler – bass (1996–2005)
• Geno Lenardo – bass (2005)

References

Further reading

• (May / June 1999) "Chevelle". 7ball Magazine (24). 

External links

• Official Website
• Chevelle Fan Site
• Chevelle at MySpace
• Last.FM Website most recent played songs..

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