The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Biography

Sprinkling their impassioned brand of alternative rock with touches of screamo, pop-punk, and metal, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was originally born in 2003 in Middleburg, Florida. After writing and rehearsing for 18 months with no real intentions of either performing or recording, the bandmembers were urged by several friends to pursue their music seriously. This encouragement led the guys to book themselves several local shows, much to the quick embracement of their hometown scene. As the buzz grew, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus recorded their first EP and began relentlessly spreading their name around Florida. Despite a rapidly developing fan base, several subsequent label showcases amounted to nothing and various bandmembers either exited or were asked to leave the group.

Undeterred, the band's remaining core — vocalist Ronnie Winter and guitarist Duke Kitchens — began to rebuild the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Soon completing the quintet were guitarist/vocalist Elias Reidy, bassist Joey Westwood, and drummer Jon Wilkes; childhood friends Reidy and Westwood had also previously played together in a metal band called In Fate's Hands. A few months after the lineup was solidified, the guys inked a deal with Virgin. Entering the studio with David Bendeth (Hawthorne Heights, Breaking Benjamin) in 2005, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus began crafting their full-length debut. The resulting Don't You Fake It appeared in July 2006, and part of that summer was spent on the Warped Tour; the album was certified gold by the year's end, propelled by the success of the Top 40 single "Face Down." The band also contributed a track to the video game soundtrack for Madden NFL 2007. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus set to work on a follow-up album in 2007, taking a brief break in early 2008 to launch an acoustic tour of the eastern seaboard. Lonely Road was then released in February 2009, three months after the announcement that guitarist Reidy had exited the band's lineup.