A local teen’s band has won a coveted spot performing for a
crowd of 10,000 next weekend. Drummer Eric Martin, 19, and his
five-member alternative rock band I Am Empire won the 2009 Taste of
Chaos contest and will perform crowdpleasers like
”
Lung Capacity
”
and
”
You’re a Fake
”
to the crowd at the San Jose Civic Auditorium Feb. 15.
A local teen’s band has won a coveted spot performing for a crowd of 10,000 next weekend.
Drummer Eric Martin, 19, and his five-member alternative rock band I Am Empire won the 2009 Taste of Chaos contest and will perform crowdpleasers like “Lung Capacity” and “You’re a Fake” to the crowd at the San Jose Civic Auditorium Feb. 15. Last year’s event sold out, Martin said.
I Am Empire sang two unreleased songs from their new as-yet-unnamed album, during an online competition involving 400 San Jose area bands, Martin said.
Martin said I Am Empire’s songs are “very heavy, but also catchy and radio.”
“We appeal to a much wider crowd than the whole screamer thing,” he said. The band’s major influences include Jimmy Eat World, Anberlin and Thrice, he said.
Martin said he’s been playing “seriously” in bands since he was 15.
“I’ve come to the realization that it’s my passion,” he said. “I hope to be able to play music for a living.”
Martin said Morgan Hill produced a group of young musicians that were tight-knit and created an artistic community to grow in. Most of the group has moved on since his high school years, though, he said.
“Being a small town, you got to know all of the local musicians. For a while, there was this community of kids who all went out to shows all the time and would see all the bands all the time. It’s sad to see that died down.”
Martin said the competition created a buzz, and he hoped the Taste of Chaos triumph is talked about amongst record labels.
I Am Empire has performances coming up in Hollywood’s The Knitting Factory and will embark on a tour of western states in July.
Also, he’s excited to perform for so many people. His band’s promotion efforts pull together between 50 and 100 people per performance, he said.
“We’re all really confident that we’ll do really well, and impress these kids enough that they’ll want to see us more often,” he said.
Martin shares the stage with vocalist Austin Lyons, 21; lead guitarist Andrew Stanton, 20; bassist Josh Case, 23; and rhythm guitarist Dan Otis, 21. The other four live in South San Jose.
I Am Empire practices at Cabinet Outlet in Morgan Hill.
Details: Visit myspace.com/iamempirerock or battleofthebands.com.
