Home / Events / Emily's Army - Hero For Today

Lineup: Emily's Army"Don't Be a Dick!" Words of wisdom from the mouth of new teenage pop punk band Emily's Army. Influenced by the rich East Bay music scene, Gilman Street, classic power pop, and garage rock, Emily's Army craft heartfelt teenage anthems dealing in cautionary tales, politics, and the pressures of adolescence. The band members have known each other for most of their lives and discovered their passion for music together. From four year olds hitting piñatas to little league baseball to surfing to collecting punk rock records; Max, Cole, and Joey formed the band in 2004 as Raining Souls. The name didn't stick but it wasn't long before inspiration arrived for one that would. Brothers Max and Cole's 15-year-old cousin Emily was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis in 1998 and has suffered from the disease her entire life. In tribute, the band adopted the name Emily's Army, which also happens to be the moniker for a fundraising organization in their cousin's honor. The prolific song-writing brothers Max and Cole Becker write songs and play guitar as if it was attached to them at birth. Travis, who joined the band in 2009, brings forth a guitar swagger that compliments the Becker boys and can serve as an anchor to the tumultuous brotherhood of the band. Joey hammers the drums with such energy; you'll rarely find him sitting on his drum stool. Teenage anger bleeds through the album in songs like "Broadcast This" and "Gutter". Injustice is tackled in the track "Bad Cop" which sheds light on corrupt Bart police. Max wears his heart on his sleeve with songs like "Strictly For The Birds" (an ode to Catcher in the Rye) and "Burn Apollo", which proclaims with pure honesty "I Wanna Be Remembered" (dedicated to his cousin Emily). The songs overflow with angst and honest, but they're also catchy – sure to leave a memorable impact on any listener. The dynamic of the brother's songwriting allow them to distinguish themselves – but this also compliments and adds to the chemistry of their sound. The band has been playing clubs and all ages shows up and down the California coast for 2 years—even getting a chance to open a gig at the infamous Bowery Electric in New York City. The boys hit the studio in November 2010 at Jingletown Recordings in Oakland, with engineer Chris Dugan and producer Billie Joe Armstrong. The entire album was recorded and mixed in 4 days…capturing the spirit and passion of a teenage rock n roll machine! More recently, the band has contributed a new song, "Good Looks," to the highly anticipated Adeline Records Compilation The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore. The comp features 16 underground pop-punk bands hailing from various parts of North America hand picked by the legendary Lookout Records (Green Day, Rancid, Operation Ivy) founder Larry Livermore. This summer the band will be embarking on their second trek of the East Coast as a part of the annual Vans Warped Tour and several headlines shows in between. The tour can't come soon enough—at a time when young bands are homogenized and tailor made for consumption and eventual regurgitation, Emily's Army is a breath of fresh air – rocking out together for the pure fact that they love playing music and they love playing together. From piñatas to punk rock, Don't Be A Dick by Emily's Army is the sound of the torchbearers to come.

Hero For Today is a high-energy Pop/Rock band from Orange County, California that epitomizes the Southern California lifestyle. They've written and recorded some incredibly catchy songs with inspirational lyrics that kids today really relate to - but what really sets this band apart from all others are the melodic, powerful, complex guitar harmonies and solos. Rocko, Sam, Eric and John, the four members of Hero For Today, continue to attract loyal new fans show after show. They are four talented, dedicated and very hard working teenagers with big dreams and an incredibly bright future - and they're fortunate to have the support of some the biggest names in the music business. THE H.F.T. TEAM. Both of Hero For Today's records have been produced by Bobby Alt (leader of the ground breaking drum/percussion group Street Drum Corps), engineered by Chris Baseford (renowned Canadian born engineer/mixer who routinely works with some of the top names in the rock music world, including Motley Crue, Avril Lavigne, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd), and recorded at the state of the art Atrium Studio (located in the Calabasas home of legendary Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee). The band's latest record was mixed by the amazing Ryan Williams (30 Seconds to Mars, P!nk, Rage Against the Machine, Train). THE MUSIC. Hero For Today - EP 2013. Hero For Today released their self-titled debut EP in 2013. The record included four tracks mastered at the Grammy award winning Masterpiece London Studios - and they were instantly very well received. Hero For Today spent the past year playing venues and music festivals all across Southern California in support of their first record, including the Whisky-A-Go-Go, House of Blues (San Diego and Anaheim), the Glass House, Coach House, Chain Reaction, Queen Bees, Wild Wild Fest, Ranchofest, Rocktoberfest and many others). Hero for Today has built a great fan base and a reputation for playing super fun, energetic shows. Rocko, Sam, Eric and John want each of their fans to have the time of their life every time they come to a Hero For Today concert. All You Wanted - EP 2014. Over the past year, the boys kept writing and working on new material and they couldn't wait to get back into the studio to record some new songs! Hero For Today's new record has now been completed and is ready for release at this time. "This is the best music we've written and sonically the best music we've recorded. We are all very proud of these new songs and can't wait to release them to the world - and to take this band to next level!" -Hero For Today