Draft:AVOID (band)

AVOID, are an American rock band from Seattle, WA, formed in 2012. Their lineup currently consists of Benny Scholl (Vocals), Nick Olson (Guitar), Paul Jaton (Drums), and Chris Echols (Guitar). .

Early days (2012–2017)
The band was formed by Benny Scholl (Vocals) and Nick Olson (Guitar) over the summer of 2012, before their Freshman & Sophomore years of High School. After finding other like minded friends/musicians in David Dusseault (Drums) and Luke Ryder (Guitar) from their school & local scene, they quickly took on playing iconic Seattle music clubs such as El Corazon, Studio 7, The Crocodile, Chop Suey, The Vera Project, and many more.

AVOID (2017–present)
In 2017, the band, now full of teenagers that had just graduated High School, decided to rebrand to simply AVOID for a fresh start to take on the music industry. Quickly after this, the band signed their first record deal to Revival Recordings (an indie label owned by Shawn Milke, Vocalist of legendary post-hardcore band Alesana).

The band really saw their first bit of commercial success with the 2020 release of their EP “The Burner”. Their single “Song About James” was a hit on Sirius XM: Octane, being in their Big Uns Countdown for 10 weeks straight, and a part of their 2020 Songs of the year. They also landed singles “Song About James” and “HEAT” in the soundtrack of the video game NASCAR: Heat 5

The band was then the first signing to Bob Becker’s (founder of Fearless Records) new label, Thriller Records. They followed up “The Burner” with their Sophomore full length album “Cult Mentality”, and the band has been on the road since supporting acts such as Bad Omens, Fit For A King, The Plot In You, Pop Evil, Wage War, The Devil Wears Prada, Counterparts & more.

Alone (2018–2019)

 * Released: August 30, 2018 on Revival Recordings (now on Thriller Records)
 * Recorded: Oct 2017 - May 2018 in Everett, WA
 * Written by: Benny Scholl, Nick Ol son, Jason Daggett & David Dusseault
 * Produced by: Benny Scholl, Nick Olson & Jason Daggett
 * Recorded by: Benny Scholl, Nick Olson & Jason Daggett
 * Engineered by: Benny Scholl, Nick Olson & Jason Daggett
 * Mixed by: Nick Olson &  Jason Daggett
 * Mastered by: Kris Crummett

Alone, is a 10 song LP featuring 3 singles "End of an Era", "Thoughts of You", and "Shapes" each with music video treatment.

The Burner (2020)
The Burner, is a 5 song EP featuring singles "Flashbang!", "HostAge At A BeAch House PArty", "Song About James", "HEAT", and "Finish Line 2: Electric Boogaloo" each with music video treatment. "Song About James" and "HEAT" appeared on the NASCAR Heat 5 video game released July 7th, 2020.
 * Released November 5, 2020 on Revival Recordings (now on Thriller Records)
 * Recorded: August 2019 in Phoenix, AZ
 * Written by: Benny Scholl, Nick Olson & Hiram Hernandez
 * Produced by: Benny Scholl, Nick Olson & Hiram Hernandez
 * Recorded by: Benny Scholl, Nick Olson, Luke Ryder, Paul Jaton & Hiram Hernandez
 * Engineered by: Hiram Hernandez
 * Mixed by: Taylor Larson (Flashbang & HEAT), Matt Good (HostAge At A BeAch House PArty & Song About James), Hiram Hernandez (Finish Line 2: Electric Boogaloo)
 * Mastered by: Mike Kalajian

Cult Mentality (2022–present)

 * Released Nov 4, 2022 on Thriller Records
 * Recorded December 2021 in Los Angeles, CA
 * Written by: Benny Scholl, Nick Olson, Chris Echols, Paul Jaton, Hiram Hernandez, Josh Strock (Blast Off!, COWABUNGA, Split & Whatever) & Joey Bradford (B0RED)
 * Produced by: Hiram Hernandez
 * Engineered by: Hiram Hernandez
 * Mixed by: Hiram Hernandez
 * Mastered by: Mike Kalajian

Cult Mentality, is a 10 song LP featuring 5 singles "Whatever", "Can't Take This Away", "BORED", "Split (Kill It)", and "Cowabunga" each with music video treatment.

Musical style and Influences
Fast, fun, energetic, and aggressive. The band has been mainly categorized as Rock, Hard Rock, Metalcore, Post-Hardcore. AVOID have also been described as Djent, Pop-punk, and Alternative Metal. AVOID cite Green Day, Foo Fighters, Slipknot, Pierce the Veil, Bring Me The Horizon, The White Stripes, Meshuggah, the "Seattle Sound", and many more as their influences

Band members

 * Current members
 * Benny Scholl – Vocals (2012–present)
 * Nick Olson – Guitars (2012–present)
 * Paul Jaton – Drums (2018–present)
 * Chris Echols – Guitars (2020–present), Bass (2019–2020)


 * Former members
 * David Dusseault – Drums (2012–2018)
 * Jason Daggett – Bass (2015–2019)
 * Brandon Parker – Guitar (2017–2018)
 * Luke Ryder – Bass (2020–2022), Guitar (2014–2017) (2018-2020)

Discography

 * Studio albums


 * Alone (2018)
 * The Burner (2020)
 * Cult Mentality (2022)