Breaking Benjamin
Background information
Origin Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
Genre(s) Alternative metal
Post-grunge
Years active 1998 - present
Label(s) Hollywood Records
Website Official Site
Members
Benjamin Burnley - Vocals, Guitar
Aaron Fink - Guitar
Mark Klepaski - Bass
Chad Szeliga - Drums
Former members
Jeremy Hummel - Drums
Jonathan Price - Bass
BC Vaught - Drums
Kevin Soffera - Drums
Breaking Benjamin is an American alternative metal band from Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania.
Band History
Early years
Formed in 1998 by vocalist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel,
Breaking Benjamin quickly garnered a strong local following. The name
"Breaking Benjamin" comes from Benjamin Burnley's early solo experience.
Burnley was covering a Nirvana song during an open-mic night at a club when
he dropped the microphone to the ground, breaking it. The person who owned
the microphone came on stage and said, 'Thanks to Benjamin for breaking my
fucking mic.' In 1999, the band briefly renamed themselves "Plan 9." In late
2000, after various line-up changes, the band changed its name back to
"Breaking Benjamin" and two friends of Burnley, Aaron Fink and Mark Klepaski,
left their previous band, Lifer, and joined the ranks of Breaking Benjamin
as guitarist and bassist, respectively. Lifer was a band that gained brief
mainstream attention because of their part in an MTV cover band contest that
resulted in a record deal with Universal Records.
Saturate
The band signed to Hollywood Records in 2001 after the success of an
independently-released, self-titled EP, which sold all 2,000 copies that
were manufactured. Hollywood Records released their full-length, major-label
debut, Saturate, on August 27, 2002. The album's first single, "Polyamorous",
received a fair amount of radio play, although it failed to reach mainstream
audiences. A video was released in two different versions for Polyamorous:
one that had all live-action footage, and one that had footage of the video
game Run Like Hell. The following single "Skin" was also released from
Saturate, although it fared worse than "Polyamorous" and received even less
airplay."Skin" was also performed live on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.
"Medicate" was also released as a single, to little commercial success and
airplay. Saturate has gone on to sell over 300,000 copies.
We Are Not Alone
Breaking Benjamin released their second album, We Are Not Alone, on June 29,
2004. The album featured the lead off single "So Cold", which reached number
two on the United States Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The band had two
music videos made for the song, one of which was a promotional video made
for the movie Hellboy. The commercial success of "So Cold" led to We Are Not
Alone achieving platinum status in late 2005. Also released as singles from
the album were "Sooner or Later" and a re- recorded version of "Rain", which
was featured on later pressings of the album. While the former again got the
band as high as number two on the Mainstream Rock chart and featured a music
video, the latter garnered little radio play and had no video created for
it. Another song off of "We Are Not Alone", "Sooner or Later", had a video
created for it and got a fair amount of radio play. Later in 2004, the band
released the So Cold EP. The EP contained live recordings of We Are Not
Alone's "So Cold" (an acoustic recording), "Breakdown", and "Away", as well
as studio recordings of "Blow Me Away", a song that was featured in Bungie's
video game Halo 2, and "Lady Bug", an early fan favorite of the band's.
In September of 2004, drummer, and founding member of Breaking Benjamin,
Jeremy Hummel was relieved of his duties in the band. Subsequently, on
September 28, 2005, Hummel filed a federal lawsuit against the remaining
members of Breaking Benjamin, as well as its management, claiming he was not
paid for songs he helped write. Hummel's lawsuit asked for more than $8
million in damages. A message was released October 25, 2006 on the bands
official website stating that the band and Hummel had come to agreement on
the lawsuit.
Phobia
In the fall of 2006 the band began a tour opening for Godsmack for the IV
tour, hitting up mostly eastern and Ohio Valley venues, and soon moving out
west, still in support of the Phobia album. Several of the shows had been
canceled, or turned into Breaking Benjamin headliners due to scheduling
conflicts. Many of Breaking Benjamin's tour dates from December 3rd have
been rescheduled due to illness in the band's ranks. All dates were
rescheduled as the band announced another headlining leg before going on a
nationwide tour with Three Days Grace and Nickelback.
On March 4, 2007, HDNet premiered a one-hour show of the Breaking Benjamin
concert in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at Stabler Arena. This is also the
concert that was included on the Phobia re-release DVD in April of 2007,
advertised as "The Homecoming". Footage of the band's live Stabler Arena
performance of "Breath" comprises the song's music video[1].
On April 17, 2007, Breaking Benjamin re-released the album Phobia. The album
featured a DVD with about an hour of their Stabler Arena concert footage.
The band recently obtained their first number 1 billboard single with
"Breath".
They are currently touring in the United States with Three Days Grace, Sick
Puppies, Red and Puddle of Mudd.
On June 29, 2007, the band appeared on Jay Leno and they performed "Breath".
On July 6, 2007, the band performed "Breath" again on Craig Ferguson.
The band did not perform as scheduled on July 9, 2007 at the Tabernacle in
Atlanta due to an illness that Ben had. Angry fans reportedly threw
refreshments at the road crew, hitting one in the head with a full water
bottle. No injuries, however, were reported.
Two other concerts wrapping up their tour (in Myrtle Beach, SC on July 10
and Greensboro, NC on July 11) were canceled as well. On their website, they
announced that Burnley was ill and unable to perform in Atlanta and at the
two remaining shows. Rumors that the band was breaking up turned out to be
false, as the band announced a 36-date fall 2007 tour with Three Days Grace
and Seether.
On July 10 2007 the band posted their newest single Until the End on their
Myspace page.
EPs
* Breaking Benjamin EP (2001)
* Live EP (2004)
* So Cold EP (2004)
Singles
Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US Mainstream Rock US Modern Rock US Pop 100 US Digital Tracks
2002 "Polyamorous" - #19 #31 - - Saturate
2003 "Skin" - #24 #37 - - Saturate
2003 "Medicate" - #28 #44 - - Saturate
2004 "So Cold" #76 #2 #3 - - We Are Not Alone
2005 "Sooner or Later" #99 #2 #7 - - We Are Not Alone
2005 "Rain" (2005) - #23 - - - We Are Not Alone
2006 "Diary of Jane" #50 #2 #4 #46 #34 Phobia
2007 "Breath" #84 #1 #3 - - Phobia
2007 "Until the End" - - - - - Phobia
Trivia
* According to the band, the Breaking Benjamin logo, a Celtic knot, was
found in a tattoo book.
* During live shows, the band has been known to frequently cover Nirvana,
Tool, and on more recent tours Deftones, and Nine Inch Nails songs.
* The first single from the band's second release We Are Not Alone, "So
Cold", spent 37 weeks in the top 20 of the Billboard charts (as of February
3, 2005).
* Breaking Benjamin had written 2 other songs before they were finally
combined to become So Cold. The first was Inertia, then Always. Both were
never released, but have been played live.
* Aaron Fink pointed out that his father joined the band on tour, and that
his father's music collection is what originally sparked his interest in
music. Gary Fincke is a professor at Susquehanna University and wrote Amp'd:
A Father's Backstage Pass about his travels with the band.
* The band created an original cut for the immensely popular video game Halo
2 entitled "Blow Me Away", which can be heard on the So Cold EP & the Halo 2
Original Soundtrack: Volume One. The band frequently plays "Blow me Away" at
their live shows.
* Breaking Benjamin contributed a cover of Queen's "Who Wants to Live
Forever" to Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen.
* The band never travels outside of the U.S. and Canada due to Ben Burnley's
fear of flying (though he said he would love to play outside the states and
will go as far as a boat will take him). This is referenced in the song
"Break My Fall" off of We Are Not Alone
* At live performances, Breaking Benjamin often plays a brief sound clip of
the Wicked Witch of the West prior to playing Home, which has its lyrics
largely influenced by The Wizard of Oz (1939 film).
* Singer Ben Burnley says he taught himself to play guitar by listening to
Nirvana's Nevermind.
* The band was planning on releasing a studio version of their cover of
"Enjoy the Silence" along with "Ladybug" on the European version of
Saturate. However, the European version was never released.
* Ben Burnley has consistently stated that although originally from PA, St.
Louis, MO is their "home away from home". He has called the city the band's
second home and continues to draw incredible amounts of support from the
fans there.
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