A Birdsong Valentine

A Birdsong Valentine is a hardcore rock band from Chicago, IL. Formed in 2006, their music combines several styles including rock, hardcore, and blues.

A Birdsong Valentine was formed in February 2006 by vocalist Brian Bender and bassist Chris "Masta" Shen. Guitarist Oscar Diaz, a former bandmate of Bender's in the funk rock band Who Did Bender, joined shortly after. Drummer Dan Macias, an old high school classmate of Bender's, completed the lineup in April 2006. At that time the group was writing more funk, reggae and ska-influenced rock, influenced by bands such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and 311. Plans were made to start recording their self-financed debut album, "Giving In Again", however, Macias left the band prior to the recording. Drummer Marty Kane, who played with Shen in the female-fronted pop-rock band MariZen joined the band in October 2006. At this time the music took a turn away from ska, reggae and funk and moved towards the heavier sound of bands like Deftones, Rage against the Machine, Staind and System Of A Down. At this point in time Bender also started incorporating screaming into his vocals, reminiscent of Phil Anselmo from Pantera.

"Giving In Again" was recorded in March 2007 with Emmy award-winning producer Freddy Briteburg. The band planned to release the album in June of 2007, but right before the release and subsequent tour Kane quit the band due to differences in musical direction. The band decided to delay the release of the album (which was eventually released online in December 2007) and cancel the tour until a permanent drummer could be found. After an eight month search for a drummer, Nate Bauman joined the band in February 2008.

The band started work on new material and in September 2008 recorded the "Sink or Swim" EP with Supermercado frontman Matt Mercado serving as engineer and producer. The album is scheduled for a late October 2008 release.

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