Agent 51 (band)

Agent 51
Left to right: Davis, Levinson, Armes, and Schneider in 2012
Background information
Origin	Poway, California
Genres	Punk rock, pop punk, rock and roll
Years active	1995–2005 2008 2012 2015
Labels	Alphabet, Suburban Hooligans, Adeline, Surfdog
Associated acts	51 Guns, Arm the Angels, The Rattlesnake Aces, The Megas
Website	myspace.com/agent51
Members	Chris Armes Eric Davis Sean Scura Mikey Levinson
Past members	Jered Herndon Rob Hunter Greg Schneider

Agent 51 was an American punk rock band from Poway, California, formed in 1995. They released three albums on various record labels before going on indefinite hiatus in 2005. Over the course of their career their music evolved from straightforward punk rock to incorporate aspects of classic rock and Heavy Metal. At various times during their career the band has maintained a mythology about their origins which purports them to be rogue secret agents, on the run from a clandestine government organization with ties to extraterrestrials.

Agent 51 formed in Poway, California in 1995 under the name Area 51. Initially the band were part of a thriving local punk rock movement that included other groups such as Blink-182 and Unwritten Law. Founding members Chris Armes, Jered Herndon, and Eric Davis had attended Poway High School with Blink-182 member Tom DeLonge, and Armes' previous band Openfast had played as openers for Blink-182 on several occasions. This experience contributed to the impetus for forming Area 51.

The band's original lineup consisted of Chris Armes on guitar and vocals, Jered Herndon on bass guitar and vocals, and Eric "Airwick" Davis on drums. Herndon and Armes met in kindergarten and first started playing music together at age 13. After the breakup of Openfast, the two began Area 51 together, writing the bands first songs. Eric Davis joined the group shortly after, and the three collaborated on a core of tunes for their eponymous demo, including "Chuck", "Designed", "Runnin' Outta Luck", and "Homecoming Queen"; songs that remain fan favorites to this day. Area 51 began to grow a following with the demo release, but personal issues would lead Herndon to leave the band in 1997. The band had previously discussed changing their name due to the number of other groups calling themselves Area 51. Herndon suggested "Agent 51", so that they could continue to use the "neighborhood watch" character Armes had designed, and the name stuck. Herndon was replaced by Greg Schneider, while Davis moved to second guitar and Rob Hunter joined as drummer. Later, the band would re-record the songs from the original demo along with new material and release it under the title Red Alert.