It seems there was no beginning to most Aztek Trip fans. To many, including myself, Aztek Trip just kind of crept into my long list of bands. But of course, like all bands, there was a beginning.
It started at Parkland Jr. High in detention where Matt Parker and Darryl Rosenberger became fast friends. They agreed that being in a band sounded better than any of the dreary stuff being offered up on career day, so Parker went out and bought a guitar and dared Darryl to follow suit. The next step was a drummer. After countless drummers that just didn't work out, Matt Freeh came along.
The next two years were spent learning how to play their instruments, and more importantly how to craft songs. According to Parker, Loads of people can shred on their guitars, but for us the songwriting part of being in a band has always been most important. Most of their time during these years was spent in an old decrepit warehouse which served as their place to practice, write songs, hang out, and put on underground shows which would attract hundreds of local kids who identified with their music.
Aztek Trip continued to grow. By the end of 1998, the band snagged a record deal. The lucky label happened to be Iguana Records. By June 1999, the "lost & Found" EP was released. The band has played with many great bands including 311, Local H, Jimmies Chicken Shack, The Goo Goo Dolls, Everclear, Chevelle, and Blink 182. To this day I remember Aztek Trip playing with Slack Season and Subrosa in Gainesville, Florida at "The Covered Dish".
Their single Beautiful debuted on Album Networks most added chart for the modern rock and active rock formats and received over 3,000 spins. The band performed twice on the nationally syndicated Jenny Jones show, and their web site has become a hub of activity for AT fans, registering 500,000 hits in the last year. To date, Lost and Found has sold 10,000 copies.
By December of 1999 Aztek Trip was back in to the studio to record their first full length album, Average Day. This ten song album was released in July of 2000. Mature song crafting and musicianship is clearly demonstrated with powerful modern rock songs and soulful emotional ballads, that shows a continuing upward progression from the band. |
