Sean - Guitar/Vocals, Chris - Guitar/Vocals, Kevin - Drums/Doo-wops. Clay - Bass It all started on a dark and stormy night quite like this one. The year was 2000 bell-bottoms were in, man had just stepped foot on the moon, the Union had won the Civil War, and a then unnamed band had begun to form. Two lads by the name of Sean and Kevin (being from Georgia and New York, respectively) met by way of fate after stumbling into the Marine Corps. It was a lesson in 18 year olds knowing nothing about who they are (i.e. Kevin getting a Metallica tattoo on his chest… surely he’d never regret that.). After writing several songs by, they realized they weren't good enough yet to make their dream of being a great band a reality. Sean went into seclusion in Djibouti Africa for three months in 2004, and practiced sweeping arpeggios on an old acoustic guitar. He returned with much more musical wisdom, and the skill to achieve shredding perfection. Kevin had been going to bars and "hanging out" the entire time, and thus grew only a musical inch in ability. He’d grow a whopping musical 10” with time (a size many musicians are still known to laugh at when in the musical locker room of the renowned Music Gym). Nevertheless, a band called Horrible Idea was born (circa 2004). The band’s name came from their friend Randy Bruffy (who, if the band ever gets a tour bus, is promised the job of bus driver), who always dubbed stupid, drunken exploits “horrible ideas”. Therefore, his oft spoken phrase of “that’s a horrible idea” was directly responsible for the band’s name. The duo continued jamming and writing songs until their daring escape from the Marine Corps in 2004. The military had radically changed their views toward governments, war, and violence in general. Seeing the world and being a begrudged part of the fraudulent and illegal war in Iraq, they were much more peace-oriented and politically observant. The Marine Corps was hell at times, but the experiences and friendships formed were well worth the hardships. Shortly after moving to northern Georgia where Sean was eligible for the Hope Scholarship, they played their first show at the Masquerade in late 2004. BJ from an Atlanta band called Social Awareness helped on bass. He would become their bassist for two years before leaving the band. Horrible Idea’s first performance was terrible, but the awesome feeling of playing in front of an audience; feeling their energy mix with the band’s own, was like a drug they couldn’t get enough of. The band recruited Chris in early 2005. He was a long time friend of Kevin’s from his hometown in western New York. He and Kevin had jammed together in High School, and Chris’ guitar shredding and musical abilities made him a perfect match for Horrible Idea. He moved to Georgia, and Horrible Idea became a quartet of musical destruction, or something of that nature. The fact of the matter is, they became better musicians together, and wrote better songs. They were ready to conquer that mythological beast know to most pin-heads as “The Road”. For three weeks in May and June 2005, Horrible Idea toured from Georgia to California. They didn’t even come close to making back their gas, food, and merch money, but they didn’t care. It honestly has never been about making money, just the music for Horrible Idea (they often leave venues after their shows forgetting to pick up their earned cash. Alcohol may be a factor in this). The tour was insane; at times wonderful, amazing, terrible, maddening, and all around a life changing experience. There were some incredible shows such as New Mexico and Salt Lake City, and there were terrible shows such as Long Beach and Hollywood. The band also toured the east coast in spring of 2006 and had some good shows, and great times. Overall, Horrible Idea learned a lot about touring, performing, and songwriting, and had a blast doing it. This all culminated in the late 2005 recording of their first full length album: “Unnamed Album #1” (also known as “Threat of Normalcy”). Horrible Idea put a lot of work into the album, but their inability to care about business matters resulted in the album being available only online or on burned CD’s handed out at shows (Note: you can download the entire album on the band’s website, horribleidea.com). After the album, the tours, through the many years, shows, and some lineup changes; Horrible Idea continues to make music and write new material. By 2010, their abilities have grown, and the band’s sound has expanded and changed; becoming slightly more experimental and epic. They have always been interested in creating fast, powerful, and triumphant aspects in their music, and they are coming close to perfecting that sound in their upcoming album. The band recently found Matt while recording in Atlanta at Wizkid Sound Studios. He is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist, his amazing skills on bass and Viking warfare compliment Horrible Idea’s new sound perfectly. Horrible Idea’s upcoming 2010 album is going swimmingly, with 15 songs close to finished, and several more in the works. Rob and Dan from Wizkid Sound have been invaluable throughout the recording process. They have acted as producers, technicians, babysitters (for band members, not actual babies), psychologists, and anything else the band has required throughout the year long spectacle of their album-making. The Wizkids have helped Horrible Idea reach new levels of musicality, and the new album is going to be incredible because of this team. Horrible Idea plans to spread their music, play amazing hilarious shows, and continues to work hard to get their music heard in Atlanta, Athens, and the entire known Universe. They will create and play music until their hands become too crippled with arthritis to hold an instrument. Drawing from experiences in life, literature, and imagination; Horrible Idea’s lyrics vary from seething political rant, to songs about mushroom trips. A mix of punk, ska, metal, and miscellaneous influences from each of the band members hopefully ensures that the band's music will never dull. Pair that with their drive to constantly improve as musicians and songwriters, and hopefully they’ve got a winning combination. Of course, there are no winners or losers when it comes to making art, as long as you're passionate about it. Horrible Idea has passion in truckloads. Perhaps boatloads. No.... Uber-Passion.