Originally rising from the ashes of established local bands, and with a hefty buzz and press already generated before their first show, The Pretty Black Chains made their live debut in February 2009. The foundational period of the band was marked by a mixture of bands such as The Strokes, Mondo Diao, Arctic Monkeys, The Cribs, and a bit of early Beatles and The Who. The band spent their first year and a half with this type of sound, and became renown for their energetic and often hazardous live performances. After wrapping up the recording of their debut album "Ceremonies" in November of 2009, the band took a long songwriting break, re-evaluated, and began writing songs again in the early summer of 2010. This songwriting period saw a drastic change in style, swapping The Stooges for Led Zeppelin per se', with a heavy emphasis on massive guitar riffs, a nod to the 60's and 70's sound, and even a little bit of 90's grunge, while still retaining the pop-oriented elements and energy the band is known for. During the summer of 2010, while awaiting the release of "Ceremonies" the band recorded a new 5 song demo that better represented where they are currently at musically, and included it freely with the purchase of "Ceremonies." TPBC entered the studio again shortly after and completed the recording of their next album "Awakening" in December of 2010 in Oklahoma City, with the official release slated for May 14th, 2011. Kellen McGugan - Vocals/Guitar Jonathan Chuck Martin - Bass/Vocals Derek Knowlton - Guitars/Vocals Kurt Freudenberger - Drums/Vocals Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.