The Calling

The Calling biography

The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go". The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite "hiatus" since 2005, leaving most fans to conclude that they have broken up permanently.

Band history

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 a saxophonist, giving the songs a more jazzy Dave Matthews-ish sound. Eventually, Band and Kamin ditched the "Gap" lineup, and briefly switched their name to "Next Door", which itself was a nod to veteran music business executive and Band's neighbor on Camino Palmero, Ron Fair.

Band's biggest musical influences were Pearl Jam (which was made clear in his vocal style, that is very similar to front man Eddie Vedder, certain songs from The Calling's first album, Camino Palmero carried grunge influence sounds.), Bon Jovi (Band's fashion sense was quite possibly inspired by frontman Jon Bon Jovi) and U2 (especially in their later work, their instrumentation and the atmosphere of their music on their second album Two was similar to U2), and elements of each band's sound, lyrical style, and even appearance were crucial in fine tuning his musical direction for the band. 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. 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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