The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is an American alternative rock band that formed in 2001 in Middleburg, Florida.
History
Early years (2001-2005)
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus started out as a local band in Middleburg, Florida according to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' official website. The band was officially started by Ronnie Winter and Duke Kitchens in 2001 after they had played together doing Blink-182 cover songs in AP music theory. For 18 months they wrote and rehearsed with no real intention of playing shows or recording an album. When some friends who heard them jam suggested they play out, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus started booking gigs and were immediately embraced by the local scene. “We played this place called The Art Bar twice, and the second time we played it, we sold it out,” Winter says.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus released an untitled demo with three songs in mid 2004, using it to promote themselves wherever they could – online and at local concerts, high schools, colleges, malls, beaches and other locations across Florida. Immediately after they followed up with their first EP, and by the end of 2004, they added songs to their EP to complete a 12 song LP which is self-titled.
Although the local reaction was undeniable, the industry wheels didn’t start turning right away. The band showcased for several labels to no avail, leading to discouragement between members, some of which left or were removed from the band. Their fan base continued to build to an almost unheard-of level for a local band, in-turn attracting New York-based A&R/Management executive Steve Tramposch. Just a few months later, following a flurry of industry attention, the band signed with Virgin Records after Tramposch accepted a Senior A&R title there.
Don't You Fake It (2005-2007)
In 2006, they released their first LP, Don't You Fake It with the singles "Face Down", "False Pretense", "Your Guardian Angel", and "Damn Regret".
“Face Down” blends propulsive, chugging guitars, a steady beat and yearning pop vocals and climaxes in a detonation of dissonance and a volley of screams. “In Fate’s Hands” starts with plangent acoustic strumming then abruptly shifts into overdrive with start-stop guitars, tumbling drums and a chorus as angry as it is infectious. And “Cat and Mouse” is a melancholy ballad anchored by a repeating delicate piano line that surfaced as if by magic.
“We were at a showcase for a record label, and we were pretty sure we weren’t ready, so everyone was on edge,” recalls Winter. “So, to calm his nerves, Duke sat down with his guitar and just started playing. I walked up to him and said, “’Dude what is that?’ And he said, ‘I just came up with it.’ So I said, ‘Keep playing it. Don’t stop.’ And I made him play for two hours straight while we wrote the entire song all the way through.’”
The cantankerous “Seventeen Ain’t So Sweet” addresses a female friend who has an amazing voice but has been unable to make a dent in the music industry because she doesn’t look like a plastic pop idol, and the reflective, flowing “Your Guardian Angel” shows Winters letting down his guard and trying to express what it really feels like to be in love. But it’s “Face Down,” a scathing indictment of domestic abuse, which hit hardest.
“Where I come from, you see it when you go to the store, you see it when you stop for a smoke, you see it all the time,” Winter says. “It’s something everybody sees and doesn’t do anything about because they’re just so accustomed to it. I was the same way and I was a victim of it. So the best way I could think of to get people to not make the same mistake I did was to write about it.”
The album was certified gold on November 27, 2006 by the RIAA for sales shipments exceeding 500,000 copies.[1] In February 2007, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus headlined the US Take Action Tour organized for the prevention of youth suicide, along with bands such as My Chemical Romance and Rise Against.[2] Their song "In Fate's Hands" is featured in the video game Madden NFL 07, their song "Face Down" is featured in the video games Saints Row 2 and MX vs. ATV: Untamed, and their song "False Pretense" is featured in the movie Never Back Down (2008)
From 2006-2008 the band did several headliner and supporting shows with bands like Madina Lake, The Audition, Saosin, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Taking Back Sunday, Lorene Drive, The Used, Monty Are I, Amber Pacific, Boys Like Girls, Halifax, Emery, A Static Lullaby, and So They Say.
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Don't You Fake It Deluxe Edition (CD/DVD) was released on February 23, 2007. The CD features the album and two exclusive songs, an acoustic version of "Face Down" and a never released out of Australia bonus track "Disconnected".
On May 3, 2007, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus performed on Fort Rucker, Alabama to help benefit the rebuilding of Enterprise High School after it was destroyed by a tornado on March 1, 2007.
Also, in May 2007, the band's single, "Face Down", was featured in the movie Georgia Rule.
In a 2007 interview with the Florida Entertainment Scene, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus teamed up with Virgin Records to raise funds for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. They also headlined the Take Action! Tour which sponsors awareness against teen suicide and against animal cruelty.
"In Fate's Hands" was used in Madden NFL 07 as well as the 2007 EVER OSL Starleague (Ongamenet). Additional songs used during that OSL season were "Waiting" and "Atrophy".
Lonely Road (2008-present)
In June 2007, according to Billboard.com, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus began to work on their second album, Lonely Road, that had "a tentative release date being summer 2008."[3] The band was then pulled out of their confirmed appearances at the Australian Soundwave festival tour 2008, after their label president promised to pay money that was owed and have the band in the studio, but instead didn't pull through.[citation needed]
In April 2008, the band began an acoustic tour on the east coast in various locations with the group Amaru, who is from the same home town. Ronnie said that the tour felt like they were "Getting back where we all started."
After pulling out of the 2008 Soundwave festival, the band took part in the line-up for 2009.
On September 30, 2008, the band announced in a MySpace blog that on October 3, they would be premiering a demo version of a song from the upcoming album. The song was to be available a day earlier for members of the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus "Alliance" fan group. However, the studio of the song "Pen and Paper" was released to members of the "Alliance" fan group on October 9, and was released on the band's MySpace the following day. Another song, "You Better Pray," the first single off of "Lonely Road", was premiered worldwide on PlanetRadio1073.com[1] for free listening beginning on October 21 and began streaming the next day on the band's MySpace page.
Their second studio album, titled Lonely Road,[4] was released on February 3, debuting in the fourteenth spot in The Billboard 200, and was produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Daughtry, Less Than Jake, Hoobastank, P.O.D., All-American Rejects, Seether).
Beginning in October 2008, Matt Carter had replaced the former guitar player , Carter was seen working as a tech for the band in the winter and spring of 2008. He had previously jammed with the band before, but decided to pursue something else. Matt was asked to take his spot and has agreed to play with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. In an interview with a Jacksonville newspaper, Ronnie was asked whether or not Matt was officially in the band, to which he responded, "I don't know. I guess he's in the band. We're taking it slow."[5] Matt has had very little time to learn all of their songs before heading out on tour with them.
In support of this album the band has done many tours in the Winter of 08/09 and the Spring of 2009 with bands such as Shinedown, Framing Hanley, Tickle Me Pink, and more.
On March 20, 2009, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus released an EP titled Shock Session, featuring acoustic versions of "Pen & Paper", "You Better Pray", and "Face Down".
At the end of May 2009, they announced along with Hollywood Undead, Mest, and The Sleeping that they would be doing a summer tour for the months of June and July, playing mostly club and small venue shows. They will be rejoining Monty Are I for an August 2009 tour throughout Canada and California.[citation needed]
Band members
- Current members
- Former members
- Thomas Amason - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2001–2005)
- Thomas Wurth - bass (2001–2005)
- Dan Wagler - drums, percussion, backing vocals (2001–2005)
- Elias Reidy - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2005–2008)
Line-up history
Original members- Ronnie Winter, Duke Kithcens, Brent Kumba, James Gumbs, Thomas Amason
Current members-Ronnie Winter, Duke Kitchens, Matt Carter, Joey Westwood, Jon Wilkes
Additional Past members- Dan Wagler, Tom Wurth, Elias Reidy
Discography
Demo
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
References
External links
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The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus |
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Ronnie Winter · Duke Kitchens · Joey Westwood · Jon Wilkes · Matt Carter
Elias Reidy |
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| Singles |
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