Letlive, stylized letlive., was 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 from

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' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The band's final lineup consisted of

lead vocalist The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

Jason Aalon Butler Jason Aalon Butler (born July 17, 1986) is an American musician and political activist from Inglewood, California. He is best known as the former lead singer of the post-hardcore band Letlive. He is currently part of the rapcore band Fever 333 an ...

(son of Aalon Butler, vocalist and guitarist of the soul group

Aalon Aalon is an American soul group from Los Angeles formed by lead singer and guitarist Aalon Butler. Butler played guitar for Eric Burdon in the 1970s prior to forming the band Aalon, which signed to Arista Records in 1977. Their debut album, ''Cream ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Jeff Sahyoun,

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

Ryan Jay Johnson and

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 ...

Loniel Robinson. Butler was the band's only constant member. The band has released four full-length albums and one EP, with their final album ''

If I'm the Devil ''If I'm the Devil...'' is the fourth and final studio album by American rock band Letlive, released globally through Epitaph Records on June 10, 2016. Recorded throughout 2015, it is their first album since the departure of guitarist and percus ...

'' being released on June 10, 2016. The band was last signed to

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

. Letlive released their first EP ''Exhaustion, Salt Water, and Everything in Between'' in 2003 and their first LP ''

Speak Like You Talk ''Speak Like You Talk'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Letlive. Even though there are 12 songs on the album, there at 69 tracks in total. Of these tracks, eight are individual full-length songs, 3 tracks make up the collective s ...

'' in 2005. Their second album, ''

Fake History ''Fake History'' is the second studio album by American rock band Letlive and the first written and recorded with Jason Aalon Butler (vocals), Jean Nascimento (guitar), Jeff Sahyoun (guitar), Ryan Jay Johnson (bass guitar) and Anthony Rivera (drum ...

'' was released in 2010. Upon its re-release on Epitaph in 2011, the album received critical praise and was also added to ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...

s ''101 Modern Classics''. Their third album, entitled ''

The Blackest Beautiful ''The Blackest Beautiful'' is the third studio album by American rock band Letlive. It was released by Epitaph Records on July 9, 2013. Recorded between June 2012 and January 2013, the album used four drum sessions, and went through ten recordin ...

'' was released on July 9, 2013 and on June 17 was streamed on Epitaph Records' YouTube channel.letlive. Hit The Cover Of Rock Sound Magazine, Out Wednesday June 19th! , News , Rock Sound
Rocksound.tv. Retrieved on August 6, 2013. On April 28, 2017, the band announced via social media that they had broken up.

Biography

Early years (2002–2009)

Letlive was formed in Los Angeles in 2002 by vocalist

, drummer Alex Haythorn, guitarist Ben Sharp and bassist Christian Johansen. In 2003, the band's debut EP ''Exhaustion, Salt Water, and Everything in Between'' was released on at One Records. After a line-up change (with only Butler and Sharp remaining), their first album ''

'' was released in 2005, also on at One Records. Bassist Ryan Jay Johnson joined the band before the release, but did not perform on the album. In 2007 Ben Sharp left the band and the band was plagued by subsequent line-up changes and a scrapped album.

''Fake History'' (2009–2013)

After establishing a first stable lineup with guitarists Jean Nascimento and Ryan Johnson, and drummer Anthony Rivera accompanying Butler and Johnson, letlive. toured extensively throughout the US and Canada and gained momentum. The band signed with

Tragic Hero Records Tragic Hero Records is an independent record label founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, in March 2005 to represent the growing metalcore and post-hardcore scene of North Carolina. The label was founded by Tommy LaCombe, David Varnedoe, and Jason G ...

in 2009 and released their second album titled ''

'' the next year. The band continued touring and after signing with

in February 2011, undertook a brief European tour. They were signed to Epitaph after

Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon (often abbreviated as BMTH) are a British rock band formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group consists of lead vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardist Jordan Fis ...

frontman

Oliver Sykes Oliver Scott Sykes (born 20 November 1986) is a British singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Bring Me the Horizon. He also founded the apparel company Drop Dead Clothing, and created a graphic novel. Early l ...

contacted label owner

Brett Gurewitz Brett W. Gurewitz (born May 12, 1962), nicknamed Mr. Brett, is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and a number of sister labels. He has produced albums f ...

after watching them perform at a single gig in 2008. Epitaph re-released ''

'' in April 2011 with three additional tracks, including two B-sides and one new song produced by Brett Gurewitz. The re-release has been the subject of several favorable reviews from

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 ...

Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...

, the

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and ''

''. Starting in June 2011, the band undertook more extensive touring, including appearances at

Download Festival Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...

and

Leeds Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...

, supporting

Enter Shikari Enter Shikari (stylised as enter: shikari and occasionally as ΣΠΤΣ℞ SΗΦΚ∆℞Φ) are a British rock band formed in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and drum ...

and

Your Demise Your Demise were a British hardcore punk band from St Albans, England, formed in 2003. They shared stages and toured worldwide with the likes of Comeback Kid, Basement, Trapped Under Ice, Man Overboard, Enter Shikari, Parkway Drive, A Day to ...

on their mainland European tour, and, in the United States, supporting

Underoath Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional member ...

and

August Burns Red August Burns Red is an American metalcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, formed in 2003. The band's current lineup consists of lead guitarist John Benjamin "JB" Brubaker, rhythm guitarist Brent Rambler, drummer Matt Greiner, lead vocalist Ja ...

. In February 2012, letlive. toured again with Enter Shikari and Your Demise for their first time around Australia as a part of the 2012 Soundwave Festival. Butler also featured on track ''Tangled in the Great Escape'' from Pierce the Veil's album ''

Collide with the Sky ''Collide with the Sky'' is the third studio album by American rock band Pierce the Veil, released on July 17, 2012. Composition According to vocalist/rhythm guitarist Vic Fuentes, "King for a Day" is about "standing up to the people who think t ...

''. In October 2012, the band announced they had parted ways with drummer Anthony Rivera.

''The Blackest Beautiful'' and ''If I'm the Devil...'' (2013–2017)

On June 4, the single "Banshee (Ghost Fame)" was released. On June 17, the full album was streamed on the ''Rock Sound'' website, three weeks before the scheduled release. ''

'' was released on July 9, 2013 to positive critical reception. The writing process surfaced many creative tensions amongst the band members, about which Butler stated, "We set the bar high and everything needed to be approved by everybody else. Eventually we had to become very transparent with each other and just say 'look, I just don't like this' or 'this isn't working for me.'". In an interview with

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

, released on July 16, it was confirmed that Loniel Robinson, their touring drummer, as well as drum tech for Of Mice & Men, would become a permanent member. The album debuted in the United States at number 74 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number six on

Hard Rock Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

, selling nearly five thousand copies. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number 62. A music video for the song "Younger" was released on September 26, 2013. On January 23, letlive. revealed that they would be releasing "renditions" of songs from The Blackest Beautiful, featuring various artists on remade versions of the songs. The first "rendition" released was a new version of "27 Club", featuring

Keith Buckley Keith Buckley (born November 19, 1979) is an American singer, best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the now defunct hardcore punk band Every Time I Die and the heavy metal supergroup The Damned Things. He is also a published author. Earl ...

Every Time I Die Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams wi ...

. On April 23, their second "rendition" released was a new version of "The Dope Beat", featuring Dan "Soupy" Campbell of

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age story, coming-of-age situation comedy, comedy/Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol L. Black, Carol Black. It ran on American Broadcasting Company ...

. On February 10, 2015, Jean Nascimento left the band for unknown reasons. In light of his departure, Kenji Chan, former live guitarist for

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical s ...

and former member of Ryan and Jeff's previous band, Best Interest, acted as the band's touring guitarist. On September 25, 2015, the band posted a tweet confirming that they had completed their fourth album and that it would be released in 2016. On the same day, they also confirmed that further additions to their 'Renditions' project/album would be put on hold to focus on new music. On November 3, 2015, in a Revolver Magazine online article, letlive. disclosed that their fourth studio album would be entitled ''

...''.

Split (2017)

On April 28, 2017, the band announced that after 15 years together as a band, "there will be no further activity for the foreseeable future." In June and July 2017, Butler, former The Chariot guitarist Stephen "Stevis" Harrison, and

Night Verses Night Verses are an American post-rock band from Fullerton, California. The group consists of guitarist Nick DePirro, bassist Reilly Herrera and drummer Aric Improta. The band has four releases to date and is currently signed to Graphic Nature/Equ ...

drummer Aric Improta began teasing a new project called

The Fever 333 Fever 333 (or the Fever 333) is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, United States, in July 2017. The three-piece band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former the Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison a ...

(later shortened to Fever 333). The band performed their first show together out of the back of U-Haul truck in the parking lot of Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California.

''Fake History'' 10th anniversary (2020)

On April 13, 2020, the band started using their Instagram account again and teased fans with a 10th anniversary release of ''Fake History'' complete with unreleased songs and demo

Musical style

letlive.'s musical style has been described as

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

as well as

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

art punk Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirit ...

and

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

. Remfry Dedman, writing for

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

, described letlive.'s sound as "harnessing the severe, frenetic power of Black Flag and marrying it to the melodic, infectious soul of Michael Jackson" In a 2011 interview with ''

'', frontman Jason Butler stated that they "want to show people American punk rock

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

is very much well and alive". Typical aspects of the band's music include Butler's emotive vocal delivery, duelling guitars and introspective lyrics that cover topics such as

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riva ...

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as Social status, status, or Power (social and politica ...

and

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

Members

Final line-up *

– lead vocals (2002–2017) (

Fever 333 Fever 333 (or the Fever 333) is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, United States, in July 2017. The three-piece band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former the Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison ...

) * Ryan Jay Johnson – bass, backing vocals (2005–2017) * Jeff Sahyoun – guitars, vocals (2009–2017), keyboards (2015–2017) * Loniel Robinson – drums, percussion (2013–2017)Melody in the Chaos: Letlive.'s Jason Butler on His Troubled Youth and 'The Blackest Beautiful' - Fuse
Fuse.tv (June 20, 2013). Retrieved on 2013-08-06. Former members * Keeyan Majdi – rhythm guitar (2002–2003) * Alex Haythorn – drums, percussion (2002–2004) * Christian Johansen – bass (2002–2005) * Ben Sharp – lead guitar (2002–2007) * Craig Sanchez – rhythm guitar (2003–2005) * Adam Castle – drums, percussion (2004–2007) * Omid Majdi – rhythm guitar (2005–2007) * Brenden Russel – lead guitar (2007–2009) * Anthony Paul Rivera – drums, percussion (2007–2012) * Jean Francisco Nascimento – guitars, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals (2007–2014) Former touring musicians * Aric Improta (of

) – drums, percussion (2012–2013) * Kenji Chan – guitar, backing vocals (2015) * Nick DePirro (of Night Verses) – guitar (2015–2016) * Mishka Bier – guitar (2016–2017) Former studio musicians * Chelsea Warlick – additional vocals (on ''

'') * Christopher Crandall – drums, percussion (on ''

'')

Timeline

Discography

;Studio albums * ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2013) * '' If I'm the Devil...'' (2016)

Tours

Supporting

*2015

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...

North American Summer Tour With

Killswitch Engage Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbanding of Overcast (band), Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Jesse Leach, guitarists Joe ...

: The tour begins in Chicago, IL at the FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island on July 17 & is scheduled to wrap with a concert in Denver, CO at the Fillmore Auditorium on August 16.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control American post-hardcore musical groups American experimental rock groups Metalcore musical groups from California Hardcore punk groups from California Rock music groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles 2002 establishments in California Musical groups established in 2002 2017 disestablishments in California Musical groups disestablished in 2017 Epitaph Records artists Tragic Hero Records artists Musical quartets Musical quintets