The Calling
| The Calling | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Post-grunge,alternative rock |
| Years active | 1999–2005, 2013 |
| Labels | SonyBMG/RCA |
| Past members |
Alex Band Sean Kipe Erick John Jake Fehres Art Pacheco Aaron Kamin Nate Wood Billy Mohler Sean Woolstenhulme Dino Meneghin |
The Calling was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for its hit single, "Wherever You Will Go". The group formed in 1999 and released two albums, Camino Palmero and Two, before going on an indefinite "hiatus" since 2005. Lead singer Alex Band reformed The Calling in 2013 with a new lineup that performed live but made no new recordings before again going on hiatus.
The band was formed by Alex Band (vocals) and Aaron Kamin (guitar) when Kamin was dating Band's sister. Kamin and Band initially began jamming and writing songs as far back as 1996, and began gigging under the band name "Generation Gap" with a drummer that was twice their age. At this stage, the band also had saxophonist, Benny Golbin, giving the songs a more jazzy sound reminiscent of Dave Matthews Band. Eventually, Band and Kamin ditched the "Gap" lineup, and briefly switched their name to "Next Door", which itself was a nod to Ron Fair, a veteran music business executive and Band's neighbor.
Kamin and Band began focusing on songwriting more, and as Band's signature baritone voice began to mature, the duo began leaving demo tapes of new songs and ideas for Fair in his mailbox. They quickly found a similar sound amongst such ready-for-radio rock acts of the early 21st century as Matchbox Twenty, Third Eye Blind, Train, and Fastball. By 1999, Fair was impressed enough by the demos to sign them to a record deal with RCA. They changed their name to "The Calling", which reflected the band's renewed sense of purpose.
While the RCA deal was a huge boost, it also created a new problem for Band and Kamin: they had no solid band and, thus, had hardly toured and built a fanbase. Rather than putting them out on the road and building regional support, Fair worked intensely with Band and Kamin for over two years perfecting the debut album. The Calling's first album was recorded from 1999–2001, largely with studio musicians. As the band advanced, Sean Woolstenhulme (formerly with Lifehouse) (guitars), Billy Mohler (bass), and Nate Wood (drums) were added in 2001 as extra musicians/touring musicians, and a few of the songs were re-recorded. The Calling's first album, Camino Palmero, was issued in July 2001 and quickly became a hit due to the strength of its single, "Wherever You Will Go." The song was featured prominently in the television series Smallville's first-season episode "Metamorphosis". It was also featured in the 2000 film Coyote Ugly with the group performing in the background in the first club scene, and in early trailers in 2001 for the Star Trek prequel series Enterprise. In an episode of the CBS television drama Cold Case, "Frank's Best", the song is played at the end of the episode. Camino Palmero ultimately sold more than five million copies worldwide and was certified gold in the United States.
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