Biography/History of Armor For Sleep
“It’s been a total reality change.” That’s what singer Ben Jorgenson of
Armor For Sleep said from their tour van shortly before his cell phone
cut out somewhere outside of St. Louis.
And who can blame him. In 2003, Armor For Sleep signed onto Equal Vision
Records with a five-song demo and a chance to be the best new band in
the world. After extensive touring in support of their debut Equal
Vision release, Dream To Make Believe, and the two years on the road
slashing up the States from coast to coast, they found themselves back
in New Jersey armed with the material necessary to blow out the
over-the-top sophomore release that would solidify their band in that
very important genre of music they themselves have grown up listening
to.
Not that it was easy. Sophomore records are hard to make. There’s a lot
of pressure and always the anxiety about how a band’s already
established audience will accept their new release. In 2005, Armor For
Sleep shattered that adage with the much-anticipated release of What To
Do When You Are Dead.
And what if you did take their album as an instruction manual for death?
Look forward to it. What has happened since then has been nothing less
than surreal.
“The CD changed a lot of things for us,” Jorgensen said.
The welcome and support that What To Do When You Are Dead received after
its release and the subsequent tours in support of The All American
Rejects, summer Warped Tour dates and their first headlining tour in
2006 along with a partial tour of Europe has been a big and
life-changing alteration for the band from Teaneck, New Jersey.
Pulling into a venue to see lines of kids circling the block just for
them, to have fans singing every night every word of the songs they
wrote and expressing their true love for the music they make, Armor For
Sleep feels they have finally been vindicated and are bringing that
support back to their fans with honesty and immediacy.
“We’ve always sort of felt like the underdog,” Jorgensen said. “So we’re
still getting used to this.”
The best part about being on tour, they say, is seeing their hard work
pay off. And that is exactly what it’s been doing.
In the first eight months touring in support of What To Do When You Are
Dead, Armor For Sleep sold over 160,000 copies of the new record and won
Fuse TV’s Oven Fresh award for their video “The Truth About Heaven”
(beating out bands such as Green Day, The Dandy Warhols, System of A
Down and Straylight Run). They also headlined their first U.S. tour,
selling out 90 percent of the dates, and in November, MTVU held an
awards show with “The Truth About Heaven” playing on the Big Screen
along with having the band host T-Minus Rock on MTV-2 for a week. Armor
For Sleep was also prominently featured on the network’s 10 Spot Drop in
January and had them perform at MTV’s Spring Break 2006.
While on the road playing shows every night, even during the downtime
Armor For Sleep is still at work, most notably completing a
Comprehensive Guide to Touring DVD released in November of last year.
“It’s a no holds barred tour of who we are,” Jorgensen said. Being in a
band, there is always a separation between the musicians and the fans,
and Armor For Sleep believes that shouldn’t be the case. And never a
band to tolerate those borders, their DVD shows their major belief in
knocking down those walls.
“It’s our way of connecting with our fans,” Jorgensen says about the DVD
and of each new face they meet every night on tour and the people that
have been with them since they started.
Anybody who has seen Armor For Sleep’s live show can attest to the fact
that though there may be a stage and a dance floor, there is no
uncross-able line between their band and their fans.
“[In the DVD] We’re bringing our fans on tour with us – this is who we
are,” Jorgensen said. “Our fans rule… they’re so serious about the band.
And they genuinely love us…It’s a mutual thing. And it’s awesome.”
Pre-order the album now and get a
signed lithograph from the band!
http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/click/click.php?id=261 |
Listen to Music
"Williamsburg"
Windows
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Quicktime
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"Smile For The Camera"
Windows
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Quicktime
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Videos
"Williamsburg"
YouTube
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"Armor for Sleep" – 0:45
"Dream to Make Believe" – 3:01
"All Warm" – 2:47
"Being Your Walls" – 3:44
"My Town" – 3:32
"The Wanderers Guild" – 4:13
"Frost And Front Steps" – 3:39
"Phantoms Now" – 4:24
"Raindrops" – 4:54
"Kind Of Perfect" – 4:16
"Slip Like Space" – 3:50 |
[ ]. "One Last Regret" (Hidden Track) 1:17
1. "Car Underwater" – 3:48
2. "The Truth about Heaven" – 3:30
3. "Remember to Feel Real" – 3:21
4. "Awkward Last Words" – 3:46
5. "Stay on the Ground" – 4:30
6. "A Quick Little Flight" – 2:12
7. "The More You Talk the Less I Hear" – 4:04
8. "Basement Ghost Singing" – 4:36
9. "Walking at Night, Alone" – 4:14
10. "I Have Been Right All Along" – 3:46
11. "The End of a Fraud" – 5:11
12. "Very Invisible" (iTunes Bonus Track) - 4:22 |
"Smile For The Camera" - 3:34
"Williamsburg" - 3:42
"Somebody Else's Arms" - 4:22
"Hold The Door" - 5:34
"Run Right Back In" - 3:22
"Snow Globe" - 1:48
"End Of The World" - 4:10
"Stars in Your Eyes" - 4:02
"Lullaby" - 4:09
"Chemicals" - 4:22
"My Saving Grace" - 4:19
"Stand In The Spotlight" - 4:05 |
Track Listing |
|
Sep 14 Vancouver, BC - Croatian Cultual
Centre
Sep 15 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Sep 16 Seattle, WA - Showbox Showroom
Sep 18 Sacramento, CA - Empire Event Center
Sep 19 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
Sep 20 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern LG
Sep 22 Bakersfield, CA - Studio 99
Sep 22 Del Mar, CA - Del Mar Racetrack
Sep 23 Las Vegas, NV - Jillians of Las Vegas
Sep 25 Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
Sep 26 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre |
Sep 27 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine
Theatre
Sep 28 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
Sep 29 Dallas, TX - House of Blues - Dallas
Sep 30 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
Oct 2 San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
Oct 3 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
Oct 4 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues - New Orleans
Oct 5 Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theatre
Oct 6 Kansas, MO - Beaumont Club
Oct 16 Orlando, FL - House of Blues - Orlando
Oct 17 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
Oct 18 St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
Oct 19 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Oct 20 Charlotte, NC - Amos'
Southend |
Oct 21 Norfolk, VA - Norva Theater
Oct 23 Baltimore, MD - Sonar
Oct 24 Washington, DC - 930 Club
Oct 25 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre Times Square
Oct 26 Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Oct 28 Lancaster, PA - Chameleon
Oct 30 Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
Oct 31 Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre
Nov 1 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory Ballroom
Nov 2 Providence, RI - Lupo's
Heartbreak Hotel
Nov 3 Hampton Beach, NC - Hampton Beach Ballroom
Nov 4 Clifton Park, NY - Northern
Lights
Nov 6 Farmingdale, NY - Crazy Donkey
Nov 7 Worcester, MA - The Palladium |
Nov 9 Toronto, ON - The Guvernment
Nov 10 Buffalo, NY - Evolution
Nov 11 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Zoo
Nov 13 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club
Nov 15 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
Nov 16 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
Nov 17 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues - Cleveland
Nov 18 Pontiac, MI - Clutch Cargo
Nov 20 Nashville, Tennessee - Rocketown
Nov 21 Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room/Murat Center
Nov 23 Sauget, IL - Pop's
Nov 24 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre |
