Part of the fertile Southern California music scene, Alan Oakes and Chad Kulengosky both grew up with a love and fascination with 80's Metal (Guns N' Roses, Metallica, AC/DC, etc.) and So Cal Skater Punk Rock (NO/FX, Strung Out, Pennywise, etc...). Destiny called and fate brought their paths togther via old school chum Michael Narlinger, (Narlinger is Executive Producer of "Lost In Aurora" and CEO of Read The Footnotes Productions). Narlinger approached Oakes to put together a "dream band", which would be given the time and necessities to make the ultimate great rock act. And so the search began...
Kulengosky, known for his fiery soaring guitar solos and hooky charts, joined forces as second guitarist, and vocalist, in addition to veteran Orange County drummer, Justin McCarthy, and bassist Jason Nelson. Together, the four members co write all their songs as a collaborative unit, with Oakes contributing the lyrics, and the trio writing the powerful hooky arrangements.
Rounding out the quartet is drummer Justin McCarthy, whose credits include moonlighting as the drummer for MTV's Laguna Beach cast member Alex M's band, and being one of the most "in demand" session drummers in Orange County, CA. Known for being a multi-instrumentalist (besides drums, McCarthy also plays guitars and most musical instruments within his reach), he's also known as the band's huge video game fanatic.
Cohesively as a unit, the band takes the best elements of EMO/Alternative/and Pop Punk rock and they make it their own sound. Oakes' heartfelt vocals will remind you of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, while Kulengosky's soaring guitar leads pay homage to greats like U2's The Edge, Steve Vai, and Eddie Van Halen. Add in the powerful rhythm section of McCarthy and Nelson, and you've got THE APPEARANCE.
THE APPEARANCE entered the studio (Stone Temple Pilot's Eric Kretz' Studios) to record their debut album with veteran Producer/Engineer CHRIS FUDURICH (AFI, Jimmy Eat World, Nada Surf, Armor For Sleep, RX Bandits, Matthew Sweet, The Outline, Fielding, Finch), and Executive Producer MICHAEL NARLINGER. The end result is the amazing 12 track "LOST IN AURORA" debut album, set for April 2007 release, via The Adrenaline Music Group (ADA/WEA Distribution) and Read The Footnotes Productions. The first single, "Lost In Aurora" is available now via i-Tunes Music Store. Look for the band to tour this spring in support of the album release in May 2007.