American Hi-Fi is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
in 1998.
[ The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist ]Stacy Jones
Stacy Glen Jones (born December 19, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is currently the musical director and drummer for Miley Cyrus and Life of Dillon, and is also known for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, a ...
, lead guitarist Jamie Arentzen
Jamie Arentzen (born November 22, 1970) is a member of the alternative rock band American Hi-Fi and lead guitarist for Miley Cyrus. In the spring of 2009, he also played with Butch Walker's band, Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites.
Life ...
, bassist and backing vocalist Drew Parsons, and drummer Brian Nolan. Prior to the group's formation, Stacy Jones
Stacy Glen Jones (born December 19, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is currently the musical director and drummer for Miley Cyrus and Life of Dillon, and is also known for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, a ...
was well known for being a drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...
in the successful alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
bands Veruca Salt
Veruca Salt is an American alternative rock band founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1992 by vocalist-guitarists Nina Gordon and Louise Post, drummer Jim Shapiro and bassist Steve Lack. They are best known for their first single, " Seether", that ...
and Letters to Cleo
Letters to Cleo is an American alternative rock band originating from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for the 1994 single, "Here & Now", from their full-length debut album, '' Aurora Gory Alice''. The band's members are Kay Hanley, Greg McKe ...
.[ American Hi-Fi has a close relationship with ]Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
, whose band shares two members with American Hi-Fi. The group has a mixed musical style that includes influences from pop punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
, and power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
.[
The group released its eponymous debut album in 2001, and this led to their hit ]single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
"Flavor of the Weak
"Flavor of the Weak" is a song by American rock band American Hi-Fi. The song was released as the first single from their self-titled debut album on December 22, 2000. To date, this song is their highest-charting single, reaching number 41 on t ...
" and the band was awarded as the "Rising Star" from the Boston Music Awards
Founded in 1987, the Boston Music Awards are a set of music awards given annually that showcase talent in the Boston, Massachusetts, area.
Past shows have featured such notable talent as Aerosmith, Paula Cole, Esperanza Spalding, Boston, Rubyhor ...
, 2001. '' The Art of Losing'' followed in 2003 with the singles " The Art of Losing" and "The Breakup Song". After this, the group was dropped from their label, Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
, and moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to remake their production and sound. Working with veteran music producer Butch Walker, they released ''Hearts on Parade
''Hearts on Parade'' is the third studio album by American rock band American Hi-Fi. It was released on April 12, 2005, through Maverick Records. The album peaked at #129 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. ''Hearts on Parade'' received a nomination ...
'' in 2005. The band then toured to a widespread fan-base in Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.[ Finally the band came back after five years, releasing their fourth studio album '' Fight the Frequency'' in August 2010. The band released their fifth album '' Blood & Lemonade'' on September 9, 2014 worldwide via the independent label ]Rude Records
Rude Records is an independent and international record label founded in 2000 and based in Milan, Italy. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-hardcore, and alternative rock. Over the ...
. Most recently, the band released the ''Anywhere Else but Here'' EP on August 7, 2020. They retain their original lineup of members.
History
1998–2003: Formation, ''American Hi-Fi'' and ''The Art of Losing''
American Hi-Fi initially formed under the name BMX Girl, and Jones
Jones may refer to:
People
*Jones (surname), a common Welsh and English surname
*List of people with surname Jones
* Jones (singer), a British singer-songwriter
Arts and entertainment
* Jones (''Animal Farm''), a human character in George Orwell ...
changed to a name personally suggested to him by Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
.[
American Hi-Fi's released self-titled debut album through ]Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
on February 27, 2001 which was produced by Bob Rock (Aerosmith, Metallica). It was an AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
'Album Pick'. Critic Mario Mesquita Borges praised it and stated that " e future of rock & roll is surely guaranteed with acts such as American Hi-Fi." The album reached No. 81 on the ''Billboard'' 200 list and No. 1 on the Heatseekers
Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is radi ...
list. The band also achieved a commercial breakthrough through their debut single, "Flavor of the Weak
"Flavor of the Weak" is a song by American rock band American Hi-Fi. The song was released as the first single from their self-titled debut album on December 22, 2000. To date, this song is their highest-charting single, reaching number 41 on t ...
", which ran up the Hot Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
, the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and other charts followed by Another Perfect Day which peaked 33 in Modern Rock Charts.
In February 2003, the band released their second studio album, '' The Art of Losing''. The album peaked at number eighty on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album featured the successful singles " The Art of Losing" and " The Breakup Song." The album was produced by producer Nick Launay
Nicolas Launay is an English record producer, composer and recording engineer. He is one of the most sought after record producers in the world due to his success with recent albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Anna Calvi, IDLES, Black Reb ...
, who worked with such artists as Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talkin ...](_blank)
, Public Image Ltd.
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...
and Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...
. ''The Art of Losing'' failed to reach the success of the band's debut album, leading the band to be dropped by Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
.
2004–06: ''Hearts on Parade''
In early 2004 and without a backing label, the band headed to Los Angeles, to begin work on a new album with producer Butch Walker
Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker (born November 14, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s as well as the lead vocalist ...
. The album, ''Hearts on Parade
''Hearts on Parade'' is the third studio album by American rock band American Hi-Fi. It was released on April 12, 2005, through Maverick Records. The album peaked at #129 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. ''Hearts on Parade'' received a nomination ...
'', was released in Japan on July 14, 2004. Around this time, Nolan had quit the band to focus on being a father, and was replaced by Jason Sutter
Jason Sutter is an American musician and drummer based in Los Angeles, California. He is currently the drummer for Cher.
A well versed drummer, having studied and performed extensively across multiple genres, Sutter is most widely recognized wit ...
.
In 2005, American Hi-Fi were signed by Maverick Records
Maverick was an American entertainment company founded in 1992 by Madonna, Frederick DeMann, and Veronica "Ronnie" Dashev, and formerly owned and operated by Warner Music Group. It included a record label (Maverick Records), a film production ...
, a division of Island. Maverick helped promote the lead single from ''Hearts on Parade'', "The Geeks Get the Girls", releasing it as a single for radio airplay and following with a music video in February 2005. After repeated delays, ''Hearts on Parade'' was released in the United States on April 12, 2005, almost a year after the initial release in Japan. Neither single released with the album broke into the ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Modern Rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
charts. Maverick dropped the band in the fall of 2005 citing poor record sales.
In the winter of 2005, Playtone Records began seeking submissions for the ''Superman Returns
''Superman Returns'' is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris (screenwriter), Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris based on the DC Comics character Superman. I ...
'' soundtrack. The band submitted a demo, "The Rescue", which had been recorded for ''Hearts on Parade'' but was cut from the album. "The Rescue" was selected for the soundtrack and ran in promotions for the film. "The Rescue" also received frequent radio airplay into the spring of 2006, but did not result in a new record contract for the band.
2007–11: ''Fight the Frequency''
In December 2006, Parsons and Jones met for plans for a follow-up album, the plans were put on hold due to Jones' busy schedule and Arentzen's plans to join Butch Walker's touring band in Spring 2007.
In April 2007, American Hi-Fi announced that the band would record their fourth record in May 2007. Soon after, former drummer Brian Nolan re-joined the band.
On January 8, 2008, American Hi-Fi released two new tracks on their Myspace page, both unfinished mixes off their upcoming fourth album. "Keep It Like a Secret" was the first track released followed by "A Taste for Crime". Frontman Stacy Jones described the new album as sounding "...a little like Elliott Smith
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...
partying with the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
at a kegger with My Bloody Valentine and Superdrag
Superdrag is an American alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. They are best known for their 1996 single, " Sucked Out", off their album ''Regretfully Yours'', for which a video was played on MTV. The original lineup r ...
". The band also released eight demos, a few of which were recorded live in the studio sans overdubs on their MySpace page including "Fight the Frequency", "Frat Chump", "Acetate", "Bullet", "This Is a Low", "Recover the Stars", "Lost" and "Where Love Is a Lie".
On December 4, 2008, Drew Parsons was interviewed about the band and its upcoming fourth record. Parsons talked about the struggles with their past two labels; Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
and Maverick Records. He also pointed out that they had signed with Original Sound
Original Sound is a Los Angeles, California-based record label. It was founded in the early 1950s by KTNQ, KPOP deejay Art Laboe. It began as a small label that specialized in compiling and re-releasing "oldies" R&B and rock 'n' roll songs.
Histor ...
records and would be releasing a new record in April/May 2009. "The record is complete," says Parsons, "but now it comes down to selecting the songs that will make it on the record". However, later in the year, the band had decided not to go through with plans on Original Sound.
The record was released on August 17, 2010.
According to Stacy Jones in a recent interview, the band created their own record label "Hi-Fi Killers/The Ascot Club" (through Megaforce/RED/Sony) as a means of the band owning their music and to have more input and control for the overall direction and promotion of the band's releases.
In July 2010 the band released a new music video for the new single "Lost" as well as an EP on iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
containing four songs, "Lost", "This Is a Low", "Where Love Is a Lie" and "A Taste for Crime". As well as a new fully developed website. The album '' Fight the Frequency'' was released on August 17, 2010, but had very little touring to support the effort.
2012–15: ''Blood & Lemonade''
According to a post on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
on the band's page, the group announced that they would be recording a new album as a follow-up to ''Fight the Frequency''. The band had signed with Goomba Music for the release. The album is said to be produced by the band and John Fields and recorded at Stacy Jones' studio, The Deathstar.
The recording started around February, vocals done on march and the band stated recording was done. It was now for the mixing given to Paul David Hager. Plans were slowed down as Stacy Jones joined Matchbox Twenty for tour as the drummer. On August 1, the band tweeted that their new album will be coming out soon and posted a new track in their website "Killing Time", followed by a second new track "Wake Up" in September. American Hi-Fi did a one off sold-out show in London on May 7, 2014 and announced their new album will be titled ''Blood & Lemonade'' and released on September 9, 2014 via independent label Rude Records
Rude Records is an independent and international record label founded in 2000 and based in Milan, Italy. The label's artists are generally considered to fall under the genres of punk rock, pop punk, post-hardcore, and alternative rock. Over the ...
with a new single released on iTunes "Allison". On July 15, the band released the second single "Golden State" as an instant grat alongside the album pre-order. On August 19, American Hi-Fi released a music video for their single "Golden State".
The band joined Summerland Tour 2015 with Everclear, Fuel
A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...
, and Toadies
Toadies are an American rock band formed in 1989 in Fort Worth, Texas, best known for the song " Possum Kingdom". The band's classic lineup consisted of Vaden Todd Lewis (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Lisa Umbarger (bass guitar), Darrel Herb ...
.
2016: ''American Hi-Fi Acoustic''
In February 2016, the band announced they were re-recording an acoustic version of their self-titled debut album to be released on Rude Records on April 29, 2016. Stacy Jones said they were initially not interested in the idea, but thought it would be an interesting challenge and recorded it live at Sunset Sounds with minimal overdubs. To go along with the announcement, the band released the music video for "Flavor of the Weak
"Flavor of the Weak" is a song by American rock band American Hi-Fi. The song was released as the first single from their self-titled debut album on December 22, 2000. To date, this song is their highest-charting single, reaching number 41 on t ...
" Acoustic on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
2020: ''Anywhere Else but Here EP''
Most recently, the band released an EP of cover songs on August 7, 2020 titled ''Anywhere Else but Here''.
Band members
Current members
* Stacy Jones
Stacy Glen Jones (born December 19, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is currently the musical director and drummer for Miley Cyrus and Life of Dillon, and is also known for being the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, a ...
– lead vocals, rhythm guitar, occasional drums (1998–present)
* Jamie Arentzen
Jamie Arentzen (born November 22, 1970) is a member of the alternative rock band American Hi-Fi and lead guitarist for Miley Cyrus. In the spring of 2009, he also played with Butch Walker's band, Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites.
Life ...
– lead guitar, backing vocals (1998–present)
* Drew Parsons – bass, backing vocals (1998–present)
* Brian Nolan – drums, backing vocals (1998–2004, 2007–present)
Former members
* Jason Sutter
Jason Sutter is an American musician and drummer based in Los Angeles, California. He is currently the drummer for Cher.
A well versed drummer, having studied and performed extensively across multiple genres, Sutter is most widely recognized wit ...
– drums (2004–2007)
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Singles
Music videos
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Alternative rock groups from Massachusetts
Musical groups from Boston
Pop punk groups from Massachusetts
American power pop groups
Musical groups established in 1998