| abstract | - This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. Benzos Background information Origin New York, New York, United States Genre(s) Indie rock, electronica, ambient Years active 2003—present Label(s) Stinky Records Website www.benzosmusic.comhttp://www.benzosmusic.com Members Christian Celaya Brian Joyce Eiko Peck Steve Bryant Former members Mike Ortega Matt Ortega Eric Helmuth Benzos are an American indie rock band from New York, New York. Contents 1 History 2 Discography 2.1 Albums 2.2 Singles and EPs 2.3 Compilations 3 External links History Growing up in a musical family on the outskirts of New York City, Celaya and Ortega started playing together in an indie rock band in their early teens. After breaking up their band to attend college, Celaya and Ortega ended up taking somewhat divergent musical paths. Ortega abandoned rock music altogether for the New York underground drum n’ bass scene. Celaya, on the other hand, continued playing in rock bands. At the same time, however, Celaya was developing an interest in house music and rave culture. Sharing Celaya’s deepening fascination with the house music scene was Brian Joyce, a New School jazz program graduate and brother of one of Celaya’s band mates in a rock outfit in which Celaya was then playing. In the course of collaborating on house tracks and hitting up raves together, Celaya and Joyce conceived of a musical project that would combine a DJ element of cross-fading pieces of music with more traditional rock musical forms, to create a more viscerally powerful rock experience. Celaya co-opted Ortega, at a family Thanksgiving dinner, for this new musical enterprise, and, in early 2003, Celaya, Joyce and Ortega holed up in Ortega’s Tribeca apartment for six months to record an initial collection of demo recordings, with the assistance of their friend and Celaya’s former music conservatory professor Eric Helmuth. The trio dubbed their embryonic project "Benzos", perceiving in the name a fitting evocation of both the euphoria and urban paranoia that the band’s music conjures. With their initial round of demos in the can, Celaya, Joyce and Ortega embarked on the challenge of finding the ideal rhythm section to realize Benzos’ complex musical vision. Enter Steve Bryant, a drum n’ bass-obsessed jazz drummer who had attended music conservatory with Celaya, and Eiko Peck, another music conservatory classmate who was then playing in a drum n’ bass-cum-jazz improv band with Bryant. With this formidable line-up of accomplished musicians in place, Benzos quickly began to cultivate a devoted following in New York City, playing to consistently sold out houses at premiere venues, including with such venerable acts as Blonde Redhead, Phoenix, The Dears and Elefant. In addition, Benzos already have garnered radio play on commercial rock stations such as 92.3 KRock New York and Q101 Chicago. Morning Stanzas will be released on Stinky Records in May of 2005, with extensive touring planned around the album’s release. At the start of touring nationally in support of "Morning Stanzas", co-founder/singer Mike Ortega, decided to leave the band to pursue other projects. This left the band no choice, but to continue on without him. With Christian Celaya covering all the lead vocals and synth parts, and Brian Joyce helping out on harmonies, Benzos toured the entire country for the next 2 years with bands such as Lake Trout, She Wants Revenge, Mellowdrone, Benevento/Russo Duo, Margot and the Nuclear So & So's, The Cloud Room, and so on. During that time they had begun writing new material and tested it out while on the road. While opening for Lake Trout, the band had connected with singer/guitarist/songwriter/producer, Woody Ranere. Plans of having him lead the ship at his studio Wrightway Studios, in Baltimore, had materialized and so the band spent the summer of 2006 holed up there creating their next effort, "Branches". The band had decided to go back to their roots of a heavily electronic sound meshed and masked with the live performance aspect. Hence, it is no surprise that their sophomore album, "Branches", seamlessly blends the ambience and rhythm of early underground dance and experimental electronic music with lush, rock-based guitars and soaring vocals. On "Branches", Benzos’ Christian Celaya (guitar/synth/vocals), Brian Joyce (guitar/vocals), Eiko Peck (bass) and Steve Bryant (drums/sampling) capture the melodic allure of Doves, the sprawling dynamics of Explosions In The Sky and the minimalistic yet intense complexity of Aphex Twin, to develop a unique blend of ambient, emotionally resonant guitar and synth instrumentation, “mashed up” with tight, bottom-heavy, intensely funky rhythm section grooves. Recorded in the Summer of 2006 with Anthony “Woody” Ranere (Lake Trout) and Steve Wright, "Branches" marks a return to Christian and Brian’s early influences of rave and house music and culture (and all the trouble you can imagine they got into), as well as a deepening emphasis on the hip hop and drum and bass sound that Eiko and Steve have long cultivated. The result of the band members’ experimentation with different moods and textures in their songwriting is a sound that melds each of their respective styles into a cohesive unit that is greater than the sum of its parts. Having undergone early changes in personnel and instrumentation, Benzos have overcome these obstacles by honing their creative vision to incorporate a heavily improvisational element, which they refer to as “live remixing” and which has become a hallmark of the band’s live shows. From the drum and bass overtones of “Hurt Everybody” to the infectious melodies of “Phase 2” to the dynamic vehemence of “Crooked Hands,” "Branches" engrosses you with transcendent emotions and complex, highly danceable rhythms that leave you wanting more. With "Branches" now released, the band hit the road again, this time venturing into Canada to play a handful of shows with Mute Math. Spending the next 6 months trying to break "Branches" with the masses proved to be overwhelming and the band had decided to take a break. With some leftover cuts from the Wrightway sessions, some remixes and a brand new song, "Coup d'etat" being recorded at Christian's home studio, the band participated in a free holiday giveaway of these tunes to "clean out the vault". They received some favorable reviews to the giveaway, as well as a large amount of downloads through their website. Once the new year began, the Benzos camp had been silent, with no gigs scheduled. It wasn't until March of '08 that the band posted an announcement on their site and MySpace page declaring an "indefinite hiatus". Each member has embarked on new projects (Steve has a solo gig as CruJonezhttp://www.myspace.com/crujonezbeats, Christian joined forces with Woody Ranere in With Lions http://www.myspace.com/withlionsmusic, and Eiko focusing on his solo career as Elco Deck http://www.myspace.com/elcodeck ). Discography Albums Morning Stanzas (2005, Stinky Records) Branches (2007, Stinky Records) Singles and EPs Bedroom EP (2003, self-released) Coup D'etat (2008) Compilations Public Display of Affection: The Sound of Independent Radio (2004, Nettwerk Records) song: "All The King's Men" Benzos official websitehttp://www.benzosmusic.com Benzos at MySpacehttp://www.myspace.com/benzos Stinky Recordshttp://www.stinkyrecords.com
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