The Amygdaloids

The Amygdaloids, an American rock band from New York City, are four New York University scientists: Joseph LeDoux, vocals and guitar, Tyler Volk, lead guitar and vocals, Nina Curley, Bass, and Daniela Schiller, drums. LeDoux is a professor of neuroscience and Volk a professor of biology. Curley is a graduate student and Schiller a postdoctoral researcher in cognitive neuroscience. Their name is a reference to the amygdala in the brain.

The band’s first gig was on November 1, 2006 when they formed to play a set in conjunction with a lecture given by LeDoux about his research on fear and the brain. They played a number of rock cover songs with mind and brain themes, including: "Manic Depression", "19th Nervous Breakdown", and "Mother's Little Helper". They also performed several original songs about mind and brain and mental disorders. With each gig during the following spring, they included more original material.

In May, 2007, they played to 10,000 people in Madison Square Garden for NYU’s College of Arts and Science graduation. The audience of students and their families did “the wave” during their set which was captured on video and posted on YouTube, giving them a PR boost.

The Amygdaloids recorded their debut CD in June 2007, Heavy Mental, at Axis Sound in New York (Jeff Peretz, producer; Steve Rossiter, engineer). The CD contained 8 original songs, 7 written by LeDoux and one by Volk. It was released in October 2007, around the same time as an article about LeDoux was published on Salon by rock interviewer, Jonathan Cott, (Rolling Stone, "Essential Interviews"). The interview led to an invitation to play at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Since then the group has had a steady flow of invitations to play in NYC clubs, art venues and museums.

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