Aaron Bruno

Aaron Bruno

Aaron Bruno (foreground) performing at The Library Institute Birmingham in 2014
Background information
Birth name Aaron Richard Bruno
Also known as AWOL
Born (1978-11-11) November 11, 1978
Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
  • guitarist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • keyboard
  • synthesizer
  • drums
  • percussion
  • bass
Years active 1999–present
Labels
Associated acts

Aaron Richard Bruno[1] (born November 11, 1978) is an American rock musician who is best known as the founder and lead singer of Awolnation.[2][3] He is a former member of the post-grunge band Home Town Hero, the indie-pop group Under the Influence of Giants, and Insurgence.[4]

Early life

Bruno was born and raised in Westlake Village, a city just north of Los Angeles.[4] He started playing guitar before he was 10 years old.[5] He was diagnosed with Attention deficit disorder in high school.[6] During high school Bruno was nicknamed "AWOL" for leaving parties early and used this nickname in rap battles.[7][8] He briefly attended Moorpark Community College but dropped out after taking only two classes.[4]

Career

Insurgence

Bruno was a member of the punk band Ice Monkeys with Drew Stewart while in sixth grade.[9] Stewart and Bruno later formed Insurgence, a punk band, when Bruno was in high school.[10][9]

Home Town Hero

Bruno and Stewart formed the punk band Home Town Hero with Todd Burnes and Ray Blanco and signed with Maverick Records in 2001.[9] The band toured with several acts, including Stone Temple Pilots and Linkin Park,[9] before they were dropped by their label after trashing a stage[4] and after Bruno refused to shoot a video with a label-provided director.[10] Home Town Hero disbanded in 2004.

Under the Influence of Giants

After Home Town Hero disbanded, Bruno formed Under the Influence of Giants and signed with Island Def Jam.[4]

AWOLNATION

Bruno continued to write music. He created the song "Sail" in 2010 as part of AWOLNATION's first EP, Back From Earth.[11] "Sail" would hit #5 on the U.S Billboard Alternative Songs chart, going sextuple platinum in America and double platinum in Canada. In 2011 the album Megalithic Symphony was released. In March 2015, AWOLNATION released their second album, entitled "Run". Bruno, with some help from his engineer, recorded the entirety of the new album by himself, doing not only the vocals but also the instrumentals and the writing for the new release.[5]

Vocal and Musical Style

Bruno's vocal styling is a combination of a screamed aggressive style with some elements of falsetto to a lower belted out vocal. Being in many different bands of different genres, Bruno says he really put his voice through the ringer trying to find a vocal style that fit him. In his earlier bands, Bruno used screamed vocals usually found in the hardcore punk genre. While this style has somewhat made its way into Bruno's current project AWOLNATION, he doesn't use the technique as often. Bruno mentions: "The first time i tried to scream it was bad, you know, anyone can scream right? If there is a burglar in your house, you're probably going to scream. It takes a while to find a way to do it without losing your voice completely. I'm not the master of every sort of singing, but i really came into my own around AWOLNATION's first record."

Asked if he would ever return to his hardcore punk roots and create more of that sort of music, Bruno mentioned that many songs he has created with AWOLNATION are reminiscent of the hardcore music he grew up listening too. "I don't know. I love singing. I can't imagine me doing something where i'm just screaming. I don't believe in limitations or walls or boundaries so whatever it is to make the song sound best, maybe a 2 minute song thats just a blast of energy, but i can't imagine a full punk rock record. You never know though."

Influence

Aside from his upbringing in the hardcore punk rock scene, some of Bruno's influence and inspiration comes from artists such as Micheal Jackson and Prince. Speaking on albums that he loves, Aaron mentions that Radioheads "OK Computer" especially influenced him. "Although i would skip a few songs now, when that (OK Computer) came out it was a great example of a record that took me on this beautiful journey that meant a lot to me." Bruno also cites albums like The Flaming Lips "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots", Alt-j's "An Awesome Wave", and Mini Mansions self titled debut as albums he can listen to back to front. [12]

Discography

Insurgence

Home Town Hero

Under the Influence of Giants

Awolnation

Personal life

Bruno married his wife in October 2015 in Southern California. His wife is from a Portland, Oregon suburb. Bruno is an avid surfer.[8][13]

According to an interview with Los Angeles Magazine, a little known fact about Aaron is that he is 80% deaf in his left ear: "I’m 80 percent deaf in my left ear. People trip out on that. I was born that way, so I just roll with it. But if you listen to the records in your headphones or your car stereo, I tend to pan my favorite instruments to the right because that’s what I can hear. When I walk into a theater, I always sit just off to the left so I can hear more with my good ear. It’s funny, though, my wife still talks into my left ear. When I go to sleep with my right ear to the pillow, I can’t hear anything. It’s like having an earplug. So, if someone is talking to me and I don’t care what they’re saying, I can just sit with my left ear to them [laughs]." [14]

References

  1. Bruno, Aaron Richard. "Songwriter/Composer: BRUNO AARON RICHARD". Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  2. Podplesky, Azaria (4 December 2012). "AWOLNATION Teaches Kids to Head-Bang in 'Kill Your Heroes'". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  3. Schreurs, Jason (16 March 2015). "AWOLNATION’s Aaron Bruno talks that crucial sophomore album". Alternative Press. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Palmer, Chris (April 2015). "The secret of Awolnation's success". The Red Bulletin. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 Jeffers, Tessa (26 March 2015). "Aaron Bruno’s Brutal Breakdowns". Premier Guitar. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  6. Bentley, Tiffany (23 November 2011). "Awolnation frontman Aaron Bruno explains dark song themes mixed with positive beats". Lehigh Valley Live. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  7. Schott, Samantha (22 July 2011). "On the Verge: AWOLNATION". USA Today. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  8. 1 2 Kang, Grace (5 March 2013). "Q&A with Aaron Bruno of AWOLNATION". Highlander News. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Vanhorn, Teri (13 September 2002). "With Any Luck, Incubus Won’t Kick Home Town Hero Off Tour". MTV. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  10. 1 2 Fortunato, John (29 June 2011). "Interview with Aaron Bruno from AWOLNATION: Serenades". The Aquarian. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  11. Cridlin, Jay (29 November 2011). "AWOLNATION'S Aaron Bruno talks 'Sail,' electronic influences and the art of melding genres". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmKAEB7nJTI
  13. Wilkie, Jim (20 October 2011). "AWOLNATION a part of Raiders Nation". ESPN. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  14. http://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/awolnations-aaron-bruno-solves-some-of-christmas-most-puzzling-problems/
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