PAX217 is an American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band from Orange County, California. The band's music gained popularity in the Christian rock scene in the early 2000s. PAX217's lineup consists of David Tosti on vocals, Jesse Craig on guitar, Josh Auer on bass, Joey Marchiano on drums, Chris "Tito" Duran on keyboards, and Bobby "Bobbito the Chef" Duran on turntables. Former members include Ethan Luck on guitar, Dan Sessum on guitar, and David Tosti's younger brother Aaron "Skwid" Tosti, who later played in Hawk Nelson, on drums. The band began in 1994 and broke up in 2005, but reunited in 2010.

Name origin

The name comes from "Pax" which is Latin for "peace" and the Bible verse Ephesians 2:17.

Musical styles

The band's style is a mix of punk rock and rap with some reggae influences, and has been compared to

311 311 may refer to: * 311 (number), a natural number * AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD * 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 311 (band), an American band ** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...

, Skindred,

P.O.D. P.O.D., an initialism for Payable on Death, is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of drummer and rhythm guitarist Wuv Bernardo, vocalist Sonny Sandoval, bassist Traa ...

, and Earthsuit.

Career

PAX217 was formed in 1994 in Orange County, CA by Dave Tosti, Ethan Luck (who was replaced by Dan Sessum, Thaddeus Williams, and later by Jesse Craig), Josh Auer, and Dave's younger brother Aaron Tosti. They recorded a demo tape and months later signed with Forefront Records. On August 2000, Aaron left the band and was replaced by Joey Marchiano. Brothers Chris and Bobby Duran later joined the band on percussion and turntables, respectively. With Forefront, they released two albums: Twoseventeen on March 2, 2000, which featured ''No Place Like Home'' and ''AM'' (which was included on the soundtrack of the film Extreme Days), and ''Engage'' on May 21, 2002. They released an independent EP titled ''Check Your Pulse'' in Summer 2004. The same year, Chris and Bobby Duran left the band. PAX217 held their last concert on October 21, 2005 in Chino, CA. The band reunited nearly five years later on July 2, 2010. They also played a one-off reunion show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA on February 18, 2013. On February 17, 2017, the band announced another reunion show. This was confirmed on March 11, 2017, when

The O.C. Supertones The Orange County Supertones (a.k.a. The O.C. Supertones, or simply The Supertones) were a Christian ska band from Orange County, California. The band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records and its imprint, BEC Recordings, before becoming an indepen ...

announced on Facebook Live that PAX217 would be the special guest for the 20th anniversary of Supertones Strike Back Celebration. The concert was held on June 3, 2017 at Shoreline Church in San Clemente, CA. PAX217 released an album of this performance, along with a previously unreleased track, in February 2018.

Related acts

AVNER

AVNER was a short-lived pop punk band formed by bassist and vocalist Josh Auer and drummer Joey Marchiano after the breakup of PAX217. Todd Cooper played lead guitar and sang background vocals for the group. Jesse Craig joined the group as a 2nd guitarist for a few months before moving on. They were best known for their comical stage demeanor and lively commercials/promotions/interactions with fans. AVNER broke up shortly after Marchiano signed on to tour as a roadie with some large-name acts and Cooper married Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek in 2008.

Members

;Current members * Dave Tosti - lead vocals, guitar, keyboards (1994-2005, 2010–present) * Jesse Craig - lead guitar (1997-2005, 2010–present) * Josh Auer - bass guitar, backing vocals (1994-2005, 2010–present) * Bobby Duran - turntables, sampler, programming, backing vocals (2000-2004, 2010–present) * Chris "Tito" Duran - percussion (2000-2004, 2010–present) * Aaron Tosti - drums, backing vocals (1994-2000, 2010–present) ;Former members * Ethan Luck - lead guitar (1994-1996) *Thaddeus Williams - rhythm guitar (1997-1998) * Dan Sessum - lead guitar (1996-1997) * Joey Marchiano - drums, percussion (2000-2005, 2010) Timeline

Discography

*'' Twoseventeen'', 2000 (

ForeFront ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divi ...

) *''

Engage Engage or ''variation'', may refer to: * Engagement in preparation for marriage * Engagé, 18th-19th century engaged contract workers * Engage (organisation), a UK-based political organization * Engage (visual arts), the UK National Association ...

'', 2002 (

) U.S. No. 191 *''Check Your Pulse EP'', 2004 (independent) *''Live Album 6.3.17'', 2018

Music videos

*"Prism" (from '' Twoseventeen'') *"A.M." (from '' Twoseventeen'') *"No Place Like Home" (from '' Twoseventeen'')

References

;Footnotes ;Sources *

External links

PAX217's Official Page

Avner's MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pax217 Alternative rock groups from California Christian rock groups from California Musical groups from Orange County, California Musical groups established in 1995