Armor for Sleep
Encyclopedia
Armor for Sleep was an American rock
band from New Jersey
, formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2009. The final lineup consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Ben Jorgensen
, lead guitarist PJ DeCicco, bassist Anthony DiIonno and drummer Nash Breen.
After initial demos had been distributed, New York-based independent label Equal Vision Records
signed the band and went on to release the concept-based
albums, Dream to Make Believe
(2003) and What to Do When You Are Dead
(2005). The following year they signed to Sire Records
/Warner Bros.
and released their last album Smile for Them
(2007). They announced their disbandment in October 2009.
During their recording career, the band were renowned for their blend of alternative rock
to atmospheric emo
and dream pop
.
in 2001, in New Jersey. Nash Breen and PJ Decicco later joined Armor for Sleep after leaving fellow New Jersey band Prevent Falls, whose singer in turn went on to form The New Self Defense. Jorgensen stated the name of the band, Armor for Sleep, comes from his early experiences of writing music and not being able to sleep. As he recalls, "I guess when I started the band I was kind of, like, retreating in my room and I kind of couldn't really fall asleep, so I started playing music. I just thought of the name Armor for Sleep, because it was really, the music was keeping me from passing out! Which was something I was procrastinating on."
The band originally signed to Equal Vision Records
and released their first two albums, Dream to Make Believe
in 2003 and What to Do When You Are Dead
in 2005, with the label. Armor for Sleep signed to Warner Brothers/Sire Records
in 2006 to release their third record, explaining it was "time for a change".
A Machine Shop
remix of their track "Remember to Feel Real" was featured on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack in August 2006.
The band had a new track entitled "End of the World" on soundtrack for the 2007 film Transformers.
Their third full-length album Smile for Them
was released on October 30, 2007.
On August 20, 2008, a blog entry on the band's website announced an extended play (EP), entitled The Way Out Is Broken. Armor for Sleep announced a recent unreleased track of theirs on their official website entitled, "Chameleons". The track was posted onto Supload.com to download.
Ben also has a solo project.
PJ DeCicco has also moved on playing in Love Automatic with former Senses Fail bassist Mike Glita.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, formed in 2001 and disbanded in 2009. The final lineup consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Ben Jorgensen
Ben Jorgensen
Ben "Slork" Jorgensen was the lead singer and guitarist of the New Jersey band Armor for Sleep. He wrote the first Armor for Sleep songs during the summer after his first year in college, and recorded them as a demo cd for $100 at a local recording studio, playing all the instruments himself. He...
, lead guitarist PJ DeCicco, bassist Anthony DiIonno and drummer Nash Breen.
After initial demos had been distributed, New York-based independent label Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
signed the band and went on to release the concept-based
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
albums, Dream to Make Believe
Dream to Make Believe
Dream to Make Believe is the debut studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released June 3, 2003 on Equal Vision Records.Like the album's successor, What to Do When You Are Dead , Dream to Make Believe is a concept album...
(2003) and What to Do When You Are Dead
What to Do When You Are Dead
What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released February 22, 2005 on Equal Vision Records...
(2005). The following year they signed to Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
/Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
and released their last album Smile for Them
Smile for Them
Smile for Them is the third and final album by the American rock band Armor for Sleep. The album was released through Sire Records on October 30, 2007....
(2007). They announced their disbandment in October 2009.
During their recording career, the band were renowned for their blend of alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
to atmospheric emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
and dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
.
History
The band was founded by Ben JorgensenBen Jorgensen
Ben "Slork" Jorgensen was the lead singer and guitarist of the New Jersey band Armor for Sleep. He wrote the first Armor for Sleep songs during the summer after his first year in college, and recorded them as a demo cd for $100 at a local recording studio, playing all the instruments himself. He...
in 2001, in New Jersey. Nash Breen and PJ Decicco later joined Armor for Sleep after leaving fellow New Jersey band Prevent Falls, whose singer in turn went on to form The New Self Defense. Jorgensen stated the name of the band, Armor for Sleep, comes from his early experiences of writing music and not being able to sleep. As he recalls, "I guess when I started the band I was kind of, like, retreating in my room and I kind of couldn't really fall asleep, so I started playing music. I just thought of the name Armor for Sleep, because it was really, the music was keeping me from passing out! Which was something I was procrastinating on."
The band originally signed to Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records is a record label based in Albany, New York, which has a focus in metal or punk-based rock genres. Equal Vision Records was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo ....
and released their first two albums, Dream to Make Believe
Dream to Make Believe
Dream to Make Believe is the debut studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released June 3, 2003 on Equal Vision Records.Like the album's successor, What to Do When You Are Dead , Dream to Make Believe is a concept album...
in 2003 and What to Do When You Are Dead
What to Do When You Are Dead
What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released February 22, 2005 on Equal Vision Records...
in 2005, with the label. Armor for Sleep signed to Warner Brothers/Sire Records
Sire Records
Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
in 2006 to release their third record, explaining it was "time for a change".
A Machine Shop
Machine Shop Recordings
Machine Shop Recordings is a record label founded by Linkin Park bandmembers Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda. The label was originally known as "The Shinoda Imprint", named after Mike Shinoda, but was changed in 2002 when other Linkin Park members became more involved. Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson run...
remix of their track "Remember to Feel Real" was featured on the Snakes on a Plane soundtrack in August 2006.
The band had a new track entitled "End of the World" on soundtrack for the 2007 film Transformers.
Their third full-length album Smile for Them
Smile for Them
Smile for Them is the third and final album by the American rock band Armor for Sleep. The album was released through Sire Records on October 30, 2007....
was released on October 30, 2007.
On August 20, 2008, a blog entry on the band's website announced an extended play (EP), entitled The Way Out Is Broken. Armor for Sleep announced a recent unreleased track of theirs on their official website entitled, "Chameleons". The track was posted onto Supload.com to download.
Disbandment
On October 28, 2009 it was officially announced that the band would be parting ways. Frontman Ben Jorgensen released a statement informing fans of the inevitable, after the band had been inactive, not undertaking a tour for over a year.Current projects
Ben Jorgensen is currently doing vocals for God Loves a Challenge alongside Sierra Shardae.Ben also has a solo project.
PJ DeCicco has also moved on playing in Love Automatic with former Senses Fail bassist Mike Glita.
Final line-up
- Ben JorgensenBen JorgensenBen "Slork" Jorgensen was the lead singer and guitarist of the New Jersey band Armor for Sleep. He wrote the first Armor for Sleep songs during the summer after his first year in college, and recorded them as a demo cd for $100 at a local recording studio, playing all the instruments himself. He...
- vocals, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, lyricistSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer... - PJ DeCicco - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Anthony DiIonno - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Nash Breen - drums, percussion
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
US Heat. Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| 2003 | Dream to Make Believe Dream to Make Believe Dream to Make Believe is the debut studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released June 3, 2003 on Equal Vision Records.Like the album's successor, What to Do When You Are Dead , Dream to Make Believe is a concept album...
|
— | — | — |
| 2005 | What to Do When You Are Dead What to Do When You Are Dead What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released February 22, 2005 on Equal Vision Records... |
101 | 8 | 1 |
| 2007 | Smile for Them Smile for Them Smile for Them is the third and final album by the American rock band Armor for Sleep. The album was released through Sire Records on October 30, 2007.... Sire Records Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a... |
93 | — | — |
| a "—" denotes an album did not chart | ||||
Extended plays
| Year | EP details |
|---|---|
| 2008 | The Way Out Is Broken The Way Out Is Broken The Way Out Is Broken is the fourth and final release from New Jersey band Armor for Sleep. It is exclusively a digital download EP, and has not been released on a physical medium. The EP features b-sides and new songs that would have been on their follow up to Smile for Them... |
Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Dream to Make Believe" | Dream to Make Believe Dream to Make Believe Dream to Make Believe is the debut studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released June 3, 2003 on Equal Vision Records.Like the album's successor, What to Do When You Are Dead , Dream to Make Believe is a concept album... |
| 2004 | "My Town" | |
| 2005 | "Car Underwater" | What to Do When You Are Dead What to Do When You Are Dead What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep, released February 22, 2005 on Equal Vision Records... |
| "The Truth About Heaven" | ||
| 2006 | "Remember to Feel Real" | |
| 2007 | "Williamsburg Williamsburg (song) "Williamsburg" is the first single from American band Armor for Sleep's third album, Smile for Them.- Music video :The music video shows the band apparently getting in trouble in the principal's office. The principal gets called out of the room and the band begin to play their instruments, with... " |
Smile for Them Smile for Them Smile for Them is the third and final album by the American rock band Armor for Sleep. The album was released through Sire Records on October 30, 2007.... |
| 2008 | "Hold the Door" |
DVDs
- Armor for Sleep released a limited number of DVDs with their second CD 'What to Do When You Are Dead' documenting how the record was made.
- The video for "Dream to Make Believe" is featured on the Homesick DVD that was released on September 7, 2004.
- A Comprehensive Guide To Touring was released on November 15, 2005.
- Armor for Sleep's song "End of the World" was featured on the movie Transformers.
- Armor for Sleep's song "Very Invisible" was featured on the soundtrack to the "Masters of Horror" series.