The Audition (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2003 in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States |
| Founder | Ryan O'Connor, Joe Lussa, Bob Morris |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois , United States |
| Products | Albums, EPs, music videos |
The Audition was a rock ensemble originating from Chicago, Illinois, featuring vocalist Danny Stevens, drummer Ryan O'Connor, guitarists Seth Johnson and Timmy Klepek, alongside bassist Joe Lussa. Their initial output was a six-song EP titled All in Your Head. In early 2005, they secured a contract with Victory Records and launched their debut studio album, Controversy Loves Company. Their sophomore album, Champion, was released in January 2008. The group’s third album, Self-titled Album, came out on April 28, 2009. Their most recent full-length release, Great Danger, debuted on March 16, 2010.
On February 14, 2012, The Audition unveiled the EP Chapter II, marking their first project following their departure from Victory Records. The original lineup reunited in 2018 for three festival appearances in the UK at Slam Dunk.
Formation and debut album (2003–2007)
The band was established in Elmhurst, Illinois in 2003 by drummer Ryan O'Connor and bassist Joe Lussa, alongside former guitarist and songwriter Bob Morris. Initial releases included the EPs "Every Scar Tells A Story" and "All in Your Head" before Danny Stevens (initially brought on as a guitarist), Seth Johnson, and Timmy Klepek joined the roster. After signing with Victory Records, they embarked on national tours and released their first full-length album, Controversy Loves Company, in September 2005 to mixed critical reception. At this stage, the lineup consisted of O'Connor, Lussa, Johnson, Klepek, and Stevens.
Notable tours involved supporting Silverstein and Spitalfield in early 2006, followed by joint tours with Mae and Lovedrug. During the summer of 2006, they joined 30 Seconds to Mars on tour. Early 2007 saw them opening for Head Automatica and Jack's Mannequin on the West Coast Winter Tour including Canadian dates. Shortly thereafter, they supported New Found Glory on their Australian tour in April 2007 before headlining a nationwide tour with support from Monty Are I, New Atlantic, and The Graduate. Additional national touring included opening for Rock Kills Kid.
They appeared on the lineup for the Warped Tour during both 2006 and 2007. In late 2007, they supported Boys Like Girls on the Tourzilla tour alongside acts such as All Time Low, We the Kings, and Valencia. After performing at Austin's SXSW festival, they completed a comprehensive US tour with Hit The Lights, playing at both east and west coast editions of Bamboozle. Their UK festival appearances included Reading and Leeds Festivals. In May 2008, they participated fully in the Van's Warped Tour and returned to Australia to support Story of the Year.
Later developments (2008–present)
January 2008 marked the release of their second studio album Champion, which garnered more favorable reviews and achieved their first Billboard 200 chart entry at No. 157. In early 2009, they took part in the Soundwave festival. Their third album, titled Self-Titled Album, was released on April 28, 2009; prior to this release, three tracks were previewed via their MySpace page. On January 28 of that year, founding bassist Joe Lussa exited the band; bass responsibilities were temporarily assumed by Klepek as the group continued as a quartet.
In 2009, The Audition stepped in for Kill Hannah on Madina Lake’s UK tour and later toured with All Time Low and Cobra Starship. During spring 2010, they joined the 'Bout Damn Time tour alongside This Providence and Anarbor. By July that year, it was announced that they had parted ways with Victory Records; subsequently in September they toured Australia with You Me At Six.
Following this tour cycle, the band began crafting new material and shared a snippet of an upcoming track on Facebook in November. Early in 2011, they announced plans for new music slated for spring release. On September 21, original bassist Joe Lussa returned while founding guitarist Seth Johnson departed; his replacement was Jimmy Lopez. On February 14, 2012, they issued a six-track EP entitled Chapter II - EP and supported Every Avenue along with We Are the In Crowd during their US co-headlining tour. In spring of that year, The Audition toured with Eve 6 to promote recent releases.
By July 2014, indications emerged that a new album was underway with Seth Johnson rejoining the band. In May 2018, The Audition reunited for performances at the Slam Dunk Festival held in the United Kingdom.
Members
- Danny Stevens – vocals (lead), guitar, keyboard, piano (2005–2012, 2018–present)
- Timothy Klepek – guitar, backing vocals (2004–2012, 2018–present)
- Ryan O'Connor – drums, percussion (2003–2012, 2018–present)
- Seth Johnson – lead guitar (2004–2011, 2017–present)
- Joe Lussa – bass guitar (2003–2012, 2018–present)
Former members
- Robert "Bob" Morris – guitar (2003–2005)
- Evo Soria – lead vocals (2003–2005)
- Patrick Fanella (2003–2005)
- Tom Bahri – guitar (2004)
- Jimmy Lopez – rhythm guitar (2011–2012)
Albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 |
US Heatseekers |
US Independent | ||
| Controversy Loves Company |
|
— | — | — |
| Champion |
|
157 | 5 | 20 |
| Self-titled Album |
|
— | 7 | 28 |
| Great Danger |
|
— | 17 | — |
| "—" indicates the release did not chart or was unavailable in that category. | ||||
EPs
| EP Title | Release Details |
|---|---|
| All in Your Head |
|
| Chapter II |
|
Music videos
- "Dance Dance Revolution (Dance Halls Turn to Ghost Towns)" (2004)
- "You've Made Us Conscious" (2006)
- "Approach the Bench" (2005)
- "Don't Be So Hard" (2005)
- "Warm Me Up" (2008)
- "Make It Rain" (2008)
- "My Temperature's Rising" (2009)
- "You Ruined This" (2010)
- "You Make Me Sick" (2012)
Other appearances
| Song Title | Year Released | Compilation Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Summer" (demo) | 2003 | Get Around Records & Friends 2003 Summer Sampler |
| "You've Made Us Conscious" (demo) | 2004 | Victory Records Spring Sampler |
| "Don't Be So Hard" (acoustic version) | 2007 | Punk Goes Acoustic 2 |
| "Livin' on a Prayer" (cover of Bon Jovi) | Higher Voltage – Another Brief History of Rock |