We Are The Emergency

We Are The Emergency is an Australian band from Perth, Western Australia.
History
Formation
We Are The Emergency, or 'WATE' as they are commonly known, formed in 2007 through the popular social networking site Myspace. The band originally consisted of vocalist/guitarist James Harris, scream vocalist Sam Hart, bass guitarist Robbie Jones, keyboardist Sophie Rodgers and then guitarist Craig Makepeace. The original name of the band was 'Roses For The Dead' until they changed it to 'We Are The Emergency' in late 2007. When the band first started, they lacked a full time drummer, so paid session drummers Elliot Smith and Glenn Rhys to play live with them. Founding member Craig Makepeace quit the band in September 2007 and was replaced briefly by Ryan Morehead. Fraser Cringle joined the band in early 2008 to fill the drumming position and Ryan Morehead was replaced by current guitarist Bailey Black. Ryan Lake took over Sam Hart's position as scream vocalist in mid 2008 and Sam became rhythm guitarist which solidified the lineup. This allowed the rock outfit to adapt to multiple music styles, which created the opportunity for the band to expand their sound to reach fans with different tastes in music genres.
The band merged through musicians from various bands in Perth who felt the need to play a style of music that they enjoyed and felt had yet to be done justice in their fare city. As vocalist James Harris explains, the band does it for the feeling they get from the music that they write and play live.
Final Lineup Changes
During the band's trip to record at Interlace Audio Recording Studio in Portland, Oregon for their debut EP, they made the decision that Sam Hart should play rhythm guitar and that their good friend Ryan Lake, from Perth band Reaching Koda, should take over as scream vocalist. They then flew Lake over and recorded his vocals onto the unfinished tracks to complete the EP.
Live Shows
We Are The Emergency have played a string of shows with renowned national and international acts. One of the most notable shows they have played to date was gaining a position on the 2007 Taste of Chaos Tour, playing with big acts such as The Used, Rise Against, The Bled, and Gallows. WATE got the opportunity to support Escape The Fate on the Perth leg of their Australian Tour in 2008 and Bleeding Through on their 2009 Australian Tour. On top of this, they have also played shows with The Amity Affliction, Shihad, The Hot Lies and The Getaway Plan.
EP Launch Shows
The band's debut EP Seizure was released on Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of January 2009. Their first launch show, which was an over 18's event, was held at the Amplifier Bar with support acts Ryan & Isaac from fellow Perth band Elora Danan, New Norcia and Into The Sea. Their second launch show, which was an all ages event, was held at HQ, Leederville with support acts Ryan & Isaac (Elora Danan), New Norcia and Reaching Koda.
The fans, ranging from new to old showed extreme crowd participation and a large show of support as they sang along to every word while the band performed. Many fans wore the band's merchandise in support, and a majority bought the Seizure EP before leaving the venues.
Myspace Page Hack
The bands myspace account had been hacked in January of 2009 and many of their friends were deleted. The culprit also deleted all of the songs on the profile which resulted in the loss of 165,000+ plays.
For unknown reasons, the account was also deleted on the 8th of February 2009 in which all of the bands songs, photographs, comments, messages of support, biography, professional layout and close to 15,000 friends were lost. The band released a statement on a new profile under the same url name that same day.
Media Attention
We Are The Emergency have had a rise in media attention since their formation in early 2007. A majority of media interest came from the result of the popularity of their Debut EP Seizure, as the band's reputation continues to grow. They have been interviewed live on Perth Radio Station Twin Cities 87.9fm show 'Anarchy On-Air', which is hosted by Benjamin Steele and Joshua Craike and have also been featured in Perth Music Magazine in a full page article spread.
Press Reviews
"Very cool indeed. Switches nicely from melodic vocals to brutal screams without sounding too contrived." -
Leigh Pengelly, HORSELL COMMON [http://www.triplejunearthed.com/Reviews/Reviewer.aspx?username=Horsell+Common]
"A must see live. With intense stage presence and a voice that really cuts through. One of the main things that shows live is the amount of fun they are having on stage. Go see them. Do it! -
Flea, REVERT ENTERTAINMENT
"As usual, the highlight of the set was James Harris' soaring and impeccable vocals... Expect these guys to do big things when their US recording makes its way home." -
George Green, XPRESS MAGAZINE
Releases
We Are The Emergency have released 1 demo and 1 Debut EP titled Seizure. Before the release of Seizure, 2 demo tracks were recorded at local Perth studio Soundbaker Studio in 2007. The band then changed their name to We Are The Emergency, and released a two track untitled demo. They later went back to Soundbaker to record 2 more demo tracks that weren't put to disc. Two of these tracks were re-recorded for the 2009 Seizure EP release.
A previously unreleased track was also re-recorded on the band's trip to Interlace Audio Recording Studio in Oregon under the title "Sorry Honey, This City Has A Limit" - 4:27, which was from the Soundbaker demo, but was not put on the EP Release for the following reason
The Seizure EP was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Interlace Audio Recording Studio in Portland, Oregon by producer/engineer Kris Crummett in August of 2008. Currently, all of the songs from the Seizure EP, "We Can't All Be Ninjas", and the unreleased track "Sorry Honey, This City Has A Limit", are apart of the band's live setlist.
Second Recording
The band plans to travel back to America in November 2009 to record their debut album with Kris Crummett.
Members
Current members
* James Harris - Lead Vocals
* Ryan Lake - Scream Vocals
* Bailey Black - Lead Guitar
* Sam Hart - Rhythm Guitar
* Robbie Jones - Bass Guitar
* Sophie Rodgers - Keys and Backing Vocals
* Fraser Cringle - Drums
Past members
* Craig Makepeace - Guitar
* Ryan Morehead - Guitar
Discography
* Soundbaker Demo (October/December 2007)
* Seizure (EP) (January, 2009)

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