Evanescence

Evanescence is a band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas by Amy Lee and Ben Moody in 1994. The band currently consists of: Amy Lee (vocals, piano), Terry Balsamo (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (bass) and Will Hunt (drums). Former members include: Ben Moody (guitar), David Hodges (keyboards), Will Boyd (bass), Rocky Gray (drums) and John LeCompt (guitar).

Lee and Moody met at a youth camp when they were young teenagers. After discovering that they had similar interests and musical tastes, they decided to form a band. At first they thought up the names Stricken and Childish Intentions, but eventually they decided upon the name Evanescence. After recording several demos throughout 1997 and 1998, they released their first self-titled E.P. in January of 1999, of which only 100 copies were made. Shortly after, they released their second E.P. entitled 'Sound Asleep' in August of 1999, of which only 50 copies were made. Afterwards, Hodges joined the band and they released a collection of demos in November of 2000, entitled 'Origin'. Only 2500 copies of 'Origin' are known to have been released.

In several interviews Amy has said that 'Origin' was not an album, it was merely meant to be a demo. While appearing to be an official CD, it was never meant to be officially released. According to Amy Lee "Origin is not an album. Should I say that clearer? 'Origin' is not an album. We recorded its demos, we recorded it a long time ago, in Ben's apartment or in my parent's attic with an 8-track recorder that cost $300. It sounds like crap. Don't feel bad that you don't have it, just download it. It looks kind of like an album because we had an artist make us this cool album cover because we were shopping it to record labels. We put everything we had on there, and some songs that are on there are on 'Fallen', just done right". The video of this interview can be seen here.

The band sent 'Origin' to several record labels, and eventually Wind-Up Records signed them. The band then recorded a large collection of demos throughout 2001 and 2002. Afterwards, the band began work on their second full-length album. However, after the album had been finished, Hodges left the band in December of 2002.

The album, entitled 'Fallen', was then released in March of 2003. It brought the band international fame, selling millions of copies worldwide. 'Fallen' has since gone 6 times platinum in the U.S. and has sold more than 15 million copies altogether worldwide.

However, shortly after, Moody left the band on October 22 of 2003 due to internal struggles with the band members. He was then replaced by guitarist Terry Balsamo from the band Cold. Before Moody's departure, Gray, LeCompt and Boyd had been session members, but afterwards they became full-time members.

At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Evanescence won Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for their single "Bring Me to Life", known worldwide from the Daredevil O.S.T. That same year, the band released a live CD/DVD entitled 'Anywhere But Home', which also sold millions of copies worldwide and has since gone platinum in the U.S.

Afterwards, the band began work on their next release. Many things set the release back, including the health problems of Terry. He was unfortunately affected by a stroke, but is recovering successfully. Amy also fired their old manager which they had relations with during 'Fallen', and brought him to court. In 2006, they finished recording their second album, titled 'The Open Door', as well as shooting a video for the single "Call Me When You're Sober". On July 13th, 2006, Lee announced through Evanescence's online message board that bassist Boyd has decided to leave the band in order to make time for his personal life and family. Tim McCord was announced as Will Boyd's replacement in August 2006.

'The Open Door' debuted at number 1 in Australia, the U.S., Greece, Germany and Switzerland. It sold over 1 million copies worldwide within the first week of its release.

The second single of 'The Open Door' was "Lithium". A video was shot for the single - directed by Paul Fedor (who has worked with Marilyn Manson, Seether, Deftones). It took 2 days to film, October 31 and November 1, 2006.

The third single off 'The Open Door' was "Sweet Sacrifice". The label, Wind-Up, had originally chosen "All That I'm Living For" to be the third single, but was met with opposition from the fans. The video was shot on March 9th and 10th, 2007. Directed by Paul Brown.

On May 4, 2007, John LeCompt announced that he had been fired from Evanescence, and also stated that drummer Rocky Gray had decided to quit as well. Both musicians posted on their personal MySpace pages to confirm the news report, however, neither elaborated about the circumstances surrounding their departures, and no official statement has yet been released by the band or label.

On his MySpace blog, LeCompt stated that Lee called his cellphone to fire him, and that no warning had previously been given nor were any negotiations made available. No replacements have been named as of yet, but Evanescence says they will continue touring and producing music.

Lee revealed during the taping of MuchMusic's January 9, 2007 episode of Live @ Much that she had become engaged the previous evening. She later confirmed on EvThreads.com that she was proposed to by Josh Hartzler, a 29-year-old therapist and long time friend. She noted in an interview that the songs "Good Enough" and "Bring Me To Life" were inspired by him. The couple were married on May 6, 2007, and honeymooned near The Bahamas. She has posted on EvThreads that she is "now officially Mrs. Amy Hartzler."

Evanescence Albums:
Fallen - Anywhere But Home - The Open Door