| Many people do not know that Attila and the Huns started out as a cover band. Kevin and
Andrew had already been part of a cover band called "Legacy 6" (rumors that it was actually called
"The Six Offenders" is a blatant, but hilarious, lie). Legacy 6 broke up because several of the members
got too old to remember what instruments they played. or that they were in a band at all. So the two
decided to form their own band. Needing at least another member, the duo began auditioning musicians.
When the best they could find was the rough equivalent of David Lee Roth on a 2 week bender (or it might really
have been Diamond Dave himself, hard to tell), they
were about to give up when they realized that the answer lay right under their noses. Or, at least, in
the same house.
Their younger brothers Matt and Phil had begun learning the bass and guitar, respectively, and had quickly become
the logical choices to round out the group. After a couple months of practices, the unnamed band
played its first cover gig at a county fair. Video from that fateful day exists, and can be found on the
"videos" page, but below you can hear a rough demo of one of their more energetic covers from that era. In the Year 2525 (Zager/Evans) - 4 Track Demo circa November 2003 TRIVIA: The very first song played publically by the band was a cover of Sugar Ray's "Fly". They picked that as the first song in the set because Phil started the song on guitar, and they wanted to be sure everyone knew that the little guy was really playing! |
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| Playing covers was a lot of fun, but it did not take the lads long to figure out that their future lay in original
music. Of course, they needed a name, and after numerous suggestions "Attila and the Huns" barely beat out "Genghis and the
Khans". The guys went to work and the 1st three Attila and the Huns songs popped into being like a set of overdue triplets.
Kevin's "Fast Food", Andrew's "Fremont Street" and Matt's perplexing "Trapped in Paradise" became staples of early
live shows, as did the following Quentin Tarantino-inspired instrumental. We think this is the first time this
recording has ever been available online.
A Band Apart (Kevin O'Donnell) - 4 Track Demo circa February 2004 TRIVIA: While searching for a name, the band was known for a short time as "Red Dawn". | |||||||||
| Attila and the Huns was signed for the first time in early 2005 by Orlando-based "Street Corner Records".
Dennis, the owner of the predominatly hip-hop label, saw great potential in the guys, and had the vision to see a future
where rock and hip-hop collaborations would be common. He got them into a real studio for the first time, and
set them on the path for their first full CD. Alas, the label ran into troubles and went kerplunk later in 2005. But
as the first industry "insider" who believed in them, they still give Dennis a lot of credit for their early progress.
It was in this year that the band released its first demo EP, "There's more sand here than we thought". In the fall, the
band played its first show in Melbourne, which quickly found their largest and most fervent local fan base.
In December, the band recorded a Punk cover of the humorous Christmas Song "RamaHanuKwanzMas", written by Talk Radio star Glenn Beck. Glenn played the song for an estimated 8 million people in his audience and uttered the immortal words, "Is Nothing Sacred?" You can listen to a new remix of "She Rocks My World", one of the first two songs recorded at Phat Planet under Dennis's watchful eye. This song was also a staple of the band's early shows. She Rocks My World (Attila and the Huns) - recorded 7/2005, remixed 3/2008 TRIVIA: The very 1st original song for which Attila and the Huns created a demo, "Fremont Street", will finally be released on an EP this summer. |
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| 2006 arrived with a nearly completed CD but no record company (due to the demise of Street Corner, you were reading above, right?)
The band was invited to play at a label showcase at the storied Bloomfield Cafe in New Jersey, and were offered a record contract with
Dreamscape Records in New York. This enabled the band to complete the CD (albeit on their own dime) and gave them a distribution outlet for it.
The self-titled CD was decidedly a Pop/Punk flavored release, with one exception that pointed to things to come. The band members had all discovered a love
for Ska music, some through traditional bands like Toots and the Maytells and others through the more modern Rock/Ska blend of Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake.
The guys learned to play new instruments - trombone, trumpet, and sax - and began integrating them into their music. Kevin wrote "My Band Sucks", a light-hearted,
self-deprecating Ska piece that to this day is still the band's show closer. That song appeared on the first CD. . Soon, additional Ska-flavored
songs like "Brand New Suit", "There's No I in Sammy Davis, Jr" and "A Better Life" began popping into their live shows. As fall 2006 came around, the band
headed back into the studio to put their new sound to the test.
In 2006, Matt penned a song about a local radio celebrity that provided the band with local radio airplay. A new remix of "Anchorwoman, the Legend of Michelle Wargo", can be exclusively heard here: While never placed on a CD, the band still loves to do it live. Anchorwoman, the Legend of Michelle Wargo (Matt O'Donnell) - 4 Track Demo, early 2006 But wait, there's more! Andrew wrote this song after a local radio personality mentioned on the air that the band's music sounded like "Surf Grunge". Surf Grunge (Andrew O'Donnell) - Mid 2006 TRIVIA: The original title of the first CD was "Hair by Monkeys", a name the band was talked out of by the label, something the band regrets to this very day. The artwork for that title still exists. TRIVIA: The hidden track on the 1st CD, "Here comes the Frog", uses over 20 different instruments and took a week to record. |
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| 2007 brought a new CD, lovingly mixed by Andy King and mastered by Sean Shannon at Orlando's The Red Room studios. The band actually
recorded about 30 tracks over a four month period, and fifteen of them made the cut to go onto the controversially-titled "Good Teenagers Take Off Their Clothes".
The band did not feel the Disney inspired (yeah, look it up) title and artwork would be all that controversial, but it was in some circles. The CD was extremely
Ska-influenced from the first track ("Hidden Room in a Haunted House") to the last (the fan favorite "Brian Peppers is in My Closet"). It also inclluded several strong
power-pop songs, including Andrew's "Its Called a Cut and Run" and Matt's "Coffee Shop Queen". The band also dumped Dreamscape Records (they have always been taught that
if you don't have anything nice to say about someone, then don't say anything at all. So...) Here you can listen to an oft-overlooked track from the CD, Kevin's Pop-Culture nightmare which is "Jump the Shark". An autographed copy of the CD goes to the first person who correctly identifies the "When Ben Affleck killed Michael Vaughn" reference! Jump the Shark (Kevin O'Donnell), from "Good Teenagers Take off their Clothes" In Summer, 2007, AATH released two more of the songs from the "Red Room" sessions as a single, "Westboro" and "Reunion". Westboro was incredibly well received, peaking in the top 25 of Clear Channel's "New Music" online chart (and the top band or song from the Southeast USA). The immense popularity of Westboro (whose brooding, apocalyptic tone is a break from the band's normal optimistic attitude) overshadowed Reunion a bit, and to remedy that, you can listen to it here: Reunion (Matthew O'Donnell), "Westboro" B-Side Each song written by the band showcases a mix of the writer's individual influences... never has the band set out to copy any one particular band or style... except for this song, written for one of their fan's birthdays. Jill was and is a huge Less Than Jake fan, so Andrew wrote "Wrecking Ball" for her with an intentional "PezCore" feel,, and the guys did a quick four track demo of it. Wrecking Ball, Ms. Jill Majkiewicz (Andrew O'Donnell) - Four Track Demo The guys were not done there, In September they decided to self-produce a full-length Christmas CD. They wrote three all-new songs and arranged nine of their favorites in styles which included Punk, Ska, Rockabilly, Jazz and even Classical. Against overwhelming odds and hardware breakdowns, the CD was ready by the target date of December and was extremely well received by their fans and their critics alike. They released the CD as a "pay what it's worth" download, and as a result of the response, "Christmas Socks" became the best-selling Attila and the Huns CD to date. The CD had one additional track from the download, Andrew's take on the classic "Sleigh Ride". For those of you who missed it, here it is: Sleigh Ride (Anderson, arr. Andrew O'Donnell), from "Christmas Socks" TRIVIA: Brian Peppers is a real guy. Google him. But not too hard. TRIVIA: One of the horns utilized on "Westboro" is a nearly hundred year old "E Horn", owned and played by J.D. Chase, the band's music director. TRIVIA: "Good Teenagers Take Off Their Clothes" and "Christmas Socks" were both released under the band's private label, Chaostrophy Records. |
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| So what's to come in 2008? More shows and more songs. The band has announced a year-long theme for their touring in 2008,
"Pillage Your Village 2008", and if things go as planned, that will be a lot of villages. The guys have already laid down four brand new songs destined for a new CD release,
and are currently in the planning stages on three music videos. One of them is for the song "Rock and Roll, the Song", from "Good Teenagers", and to get ready
the song received a remix/master. Until the video, this is the only place you will be able to hear it:
Rock and Roll, the Song (Kevin O'Donnell) Remixed 3/1/2008 | |||||||||