Breaking Benjamin

Artist Image: Breaking Benjamin
Attribution
Image Credit: Jim Conners - 27K Photography (Jim Conners - 27K Photography as posted on A Music Blog, Yea? (unedited version sent via email)), CC BY-SA 4.0

Biography

Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due to frontman Benjamin Burnley's recurring illnesses and inability to tour in mid-2010. Further complications arose in August 2011, when it was revealed that members Mark Klepaski and Aaron Fink had been fired from the band. Breaking Benjamin has sold over five million albums in the US alone. In 1998, Burnley, guitarist Aaron Fink, Nick Hoover and Chris Lightcap formed Breaking Benjamin. Burnley later moved to California to experiment musically. When he moved back to Pennsylvania, he started a band called "Plan 9", playing guitar and singing alongside drummer Jeremy Hummel and bassist, Andy Seal, which was subsequently replaced by Jason Davoli in 2000, and Jonathan "Bug" Price in 2001. Plan 9 occasionally opened for Lifer at home shows. During one show, Burnley said, “Thank you, we’re Breaking Benjamin”, reclaiming the name from earlier in 1998. After a successful independently-released self-titled EP (which sold all 2,000 printed copies), Breaking Benjamin signed with Hollywood Records in early 2002. They then released their full-length major-label debut, Saturate, on August 27, 2002. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart, and at #136 on the Billboard Top 200. Its first single, "Polyamorous", received moderate radio play but failed to reach mainstream audiences. Three versions of a video for "Polyamorous" were released: one purely live-action footage, one with footage of the video game Run Like Hell and one a variation of the second, but with the Run Like Hell scenes replaced by scenes of people in flirtatious acts. This song was featured on the game WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw and also featured on WWE Day of Reckoning. The second single was "Skin", which fared worse than "Polyamorous". Burnley has stated his disdain for the song during performances, and encourages the crowd to sing while the band plays. The disdain is because Hollywood Records chose it as the main single instead of the band's choice, "Medicate". They planned on releasing a studio version of their cover of "Enjoy the Silence" (along with "Lady Bug") on the European version of Saturate, but this version was never released. "Lady Bug" was later released on the So Cold EP, and on the Japanese version of We Are Not Alone. "Wish I May" is played during the closing credits of the 2003 horror film, Wrong Turn.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1998
Number of Albums 19
Record Label Hollywood Records
Website www.shallowbay.com
Wikipedia Breaking Benjamin on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

When was Breaking Benjamin founded?

1999

...amin is an American rock band from WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania, founded in 1999 by lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel....
Who is the lead singer and guitarist of Breaking Ben?

Benjamin Burnley

...sBarre, Pennsylvania, founded in 1999 by lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel. The first lineup of the band also inclu...
Who replaced Hummel in 2005?

Chad Szeliga

...te (2002) and We Are Not Alone (2004), before Hummel was replaced by Chad Szeliga in 2005. The band released two more studio albums, Phobia (2006) and...
What was the name of the compilation album released during the hiatus?

Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin

.... The release of a compilation album amid the hiatus, Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin (2011), unauthorized by Burnley, brought about legal ...
What year did Szeliga leave the band?

2013

...dismissal of Fink and Klepaski. Szeliga later announced his departure in 2013 citing creative differences. Burnley remained the sole member of the ban...
What year was the current lineup announced?

2014

...ive differences. Burnley remained the sole member of the band until late 2014 , when the current lineup was announced, including bassist and backing vo...
Breaking Benjamin was a hard rock band from what state?

Pennsylvania

... Pennsylvania hard rock outfit Breaking Benjamin debuted with a brand of metaltinged alternative that came to define the sound of mainstream rock in th...
How many albums have been certified platinum in the U.S. since 2004?

three

... developed into a more arenafriendly act by the late 2000s. In addition, three of their albums 2004's We Are Not Alone, 2006's Phobia, and 2009's Dear...
What was the name of the local radio DJ who played at the WilkesBarre gigs in 2001?

Freddie Fabbri

...n's WilkesBarre gigs caught the attention of a local radio DJ named Freddie Fabbri , who was an onair personality at altrock station WBSXFM. Fabbri put...
What radio station did Freddie Fabri work for?

WBSXFM

...J named Freddie Fabbri, who was an onair personality at altrock station WBSXFM . Fabbri put their song Polyamorous in rotation, later financing the rec...
Who produced We Are Not Alone?

David Bendeth

...ion, later financing the recording of their selftitled debut EP. The David Bendeth produced We Are Not Alone followed two years later, complete with a...
Where was the band founded?

1998

...runge alternative metal band Formed in WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania, USA in 1998 by vocalist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel, Breaking Benjami...
How many different versions of Polyamorous were released?

two

...although it failed to reach mainstream audiences. A video was released in two different versions for Polyamorous: one that had all liveaction footage,...
What was the name of the single released from Saturate?

Polyamorous

...rlabel debut, Saturate, on August 27, 2002. The album's first single, Polyamorous , received a fair amount of radio play, although it failed to reach m...
The single Skin was released from what company?

Saturate

...o game Run Like Hell. The following single Skin was also released from Saturate , although it fared worse than Polyamorous and received even less airpl...
Which single was released as a single?

Medicate

...s airplay. Skin was also performed live on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show. Medicate was also released as a single, to little commercial success and airpla...
When did Breaking Benjamin release their second album, We Are Not Alone?

June 29, 2004

... sell over 300,000 copies. 2nd Studio Album (2004) We Are Not Alone Breaking Benjamin released their second album, We Are Not Alone, on June 29, 2004 ....
What was the name of the first lineup of the band?

Plan 9

...Background information Also known as Plan 9 Origin WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania, U.S. The first lineup of the band also included guitarist Aaron Fink and...
When was Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin released?

2011

...ease of a compilation album, Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin ( 2011 ), unauthorized by Burnley, brought about legal trouble within the band r...
Who was the sole member of the band until late 2014?

Burnley

...liga later announced his departure in 2013 citing creative differences. Burnley remained the sole member of the band until late 2014, when the current...
Which two albums did the band release?

Saturate (2002) and We Are Not Alone (2004),

...sist Mark Klepaski. This lineup released two albums, Saturate (2002) and We Are Not Alone (2004), before Hummel was replaced by Chad Szeliga in 2005. ...
When did Burnley drop out of high school?

18

...At 18 , he dropped out of high school and moved to WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania, where he became a roommate of former Breaking Benjamin bass player Jonath...
Where did he move to?

WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania

...At 18, he dropped out of high school and moved to WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania , where he became a roommate of former Breaking Benjamin bass player Jonath...
What former Breaking Benjamin bass player was Burnley a roommate with?

Jonathan Price

... where he became a roommate of former Breaking Benjamin bass player Jonathan Price . Before Breaking Benjamin was formed, Burnley earned money playing ...
Before Breaking Ben was formed, Burnley earned money playing cover songs in what?

various coffee houses

...Benjamin was formed, Burnley earned money playing cover songs in various coffee houses as a solo artist. It was during this era that his band got its ...
What country did Burnley go to to try out new material?

California

... Eventually Burnley wanted to try something different and went out to California to try some new material. The other three members went on to form the...
Who was the drummer of Plan 9?

Jeremy Hummel

... back to Pennsylvania, and started a band called Plan 9 with drummer Jeremy Hummel . The lineup consisted of Burnley on vocals and guitar, Hummel on dr...
What year was Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV born?

1978

...Benjamin Jackson Burnley IV (born March 10, 1978 ) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the founder and fron...
How many albums has Burnley composed under the name Breaking Benjamin?

six

... 1999. Since signing with Hollywood Records in 2002, Burnley has composed six studio albums under the name Breaking Benjamin, three of which have reac...
When did Hollywood Records sign Burnley?

2002

...ist since its inception in 1999. Since signing with Hollywood Records in 2002 , Burnley has composed six studio albums under the name Breaking Benjamin...
What type of guitars does Burnley use?

baritone

...ng between contemplative subjectivity and growling anger. Burnley uses baritone guitars and drop tunings to get a heavier sound in his music. Life and...
What city was Burnley born in?

Atlantic City

...areer edit Early life and career beginnings edit Burnley was born in Atlantic City , New Jersey, and grew up in Ocean City, New Jersey, before moving w...