J-14 is scouting out the hottest bands around... and this week's pick is The Audition!
Here are five things you need to know about The Audition, whose new album, Great Danger, drops March 16!
1. Drummer Ryan O'Connor was a founding member of Chicago-based The Audition back in 2003. After a few changes, the band is now made up of Ryan, lead singer Danny Stevens (who originally joined the band to play guitar!), guitarist Seth Johnson, and bassist Tim Klepek. Ryan says their name comes from playing live shows. "It's basically an audition for people to enjoy our music or fall in love with the band," he explains. "It kind of fit what we're doing."
2. The Audition is currently on the road with The Dangerous Summer, Sparks The Rescue, and The Right Coast as part of The Revolutions and Resolutions tour. The shows run through February 19.
3. "You Ruined This" is the first single off Great Danger. "It's the story of a girl not being fully honest and hiding things," Ryan tells J-14. "It destroyed the relationship in the end because she was too scared to tell the truth."
4. Think The Audition only listens to fellow rockers? Sure, Ryan tweeted that he was listening to Motion City Soundtrack, but he's also got Ke$ha's debut album on repeat and the band hung out with rapper DMX in North Carolina!
5. The guys are majorly crushing right now! Ryan loves Natalie Portman, Danny's into Taylor Swift, Seth's gossiping about Michelle Trachtenberg, and Tim's waiting for Valentine's Day so he can see his crush, Jessica Alba.
Check out The Audition here and on tour!
Let us know what you think of The Audition!
Photo: Courtesy of Victory Records
