User:18cwirth/sandbox

= Ruined Life 2.0 = "Often imitated, never duplicated," - Mentor Mike"Not to be confused with Ruined Life, a garage death-rock band from the late 1980's and early 1990's"Ruined Life 2.0 is an American rock band that hails from Scotch Plains, New Jersey. Ruined Life 2.0 (colloquially known simply as "Ruined Life") was formed in 2014 by four high-school friends and musicians, Matthew Lozito, Joseph Evelyn Varela, Connor and Karl Wirth

History
All four members of Ruined Life 2.0 are New Jersey residents, and were born in New Jersey. Band members Connor and Karl Wirth are first cousins. Ruined Life (2.0) was formed as a direct continuation of the legacy set by Ruined Life (est. 1989). That band consisted of three members, Michael Lozito, Chris Sarpa, and Ed Ruzicka. That band came to end in 1994 due to Chris moving to North Carolina. Lead guitarist of Ruined Life, Michael Lozito, had a son in 2000 named Matthew Lozito, who went on to start the band 14 years later. Mike Lozito would go on to become Ruined Life 2.0's most prominent advisor, giving him the nick-name "Mentor Mike" by the band members.

Ruined Life 2.0 has played two shows publicly, both in 2017: a Battle of the Bands event at their high-school, in which they placed 3rd out of four bands, and a beachfront concert in Lavallette, New Jersey. Both concerts have been free to attend. The school event drew a crowd of around 200 people, while the beach show brought in about 100 fans.

Ruined Life is a band that covers music that spans across various rock sub-genres, all of which influences their original music. Some of the members' favorite bands are Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, The Police, Judas Priest, Nirvana, Blink-182, and Neil Diamond. Some of their best cover performances have been "Surrender" by Cheap Trick, "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC, "Iris" by the Goo-Goo Dolls, and "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Additionally, Ruined Life 2.0 has been known to include some original compositions in their shows; instant crowd-hits like "Perfect Storm" and "Two For Tuesday" are pre-released singles.

Ruined Life 2.0's introductory speech before their Battle of the Bands show in 2017: "The year’s 1989. Three college dudes with general compatibility decided to link up and make use of all their musical talents and form a band; a band which proved to be a never-before-heard combination of charismatic, violent, and outright insane ideas that came together onto a single album. The band was appropriately deemed Ruined Life. Jump forward to 2014. A Ruined Life band member’s son, after listening to his father’s astounding soundtrack, had the longing to continue the instrumental legacy that was Ruined Life, and what better time to do it than during the band’s 25th anniversary; that year, Ruined Life 2.0 was born.  After 2 years of practice and hard work, the band is finally stepping out of their underground bunker onto the stage.  With their debut performance tonight, here they are, Ruined Life 2.0!"

Current

 * Joseph "Joey" Varela - lead vocalist
 * Matthew "Big Matt" Lozito - lead guitarist
 * Connor "Stoner" Wirth - rhythm guitarist
 * Karl "Balloon-Head" Wirth - percussionist

Former

 * Michael "Mike" Rinaldi - percussionist

Current

 * Michael Rinaldi - band manager
 * Michael "Mentor Mike" Lozito - musical advisor
 * David Chango - PR coordinator

Former

 * Declan Costello - band manager

Singles

 * Perfect Storm (2014), first song ever written by Ruined Life 2.0
 * Bomb The Post Office (2014), contains vocals from ex-band member Mike Rinaldi
 * Two For Tuesday (2016)
 * Fists Of Rage (2017)
 * Warrior Song (2017)

Albums/LPs
- None yet, but a fully-fledged album dubbed "The Next Generation" is on track to be released in the spring of 2018

Controversy/Internal Issues
Ruined Life 2.0 has dealt with many haters and rivalries from the start of their inception. They like to call their haters "non-believers." Many individuals in the school all four band members collectively attended have found issue with Ruined Life 2.0's presence. Also, an aggressive rivalry exists between Ruined Life 2.0 and up-and-coming rapper Slim Moses. When it comes to internal affairs, the band has a saga of crises. Many times, the band members admitted in a local interview, they have been on the brink of ending the band, but just barely persevered. Additionally, heavy drug use in the band (such as alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana) has led to many incidents of disapproval, but no legal repercussions.