Chevelle (band)


Chevelle is an American rock band formed in Grayslake, Illinois, in 1995. The band was originally composed of two brothers, Pete Loeffler and Sam Loeffler, along with Matt Scott. Scott was replaced by Sam and Pete's brother, Joe Loeffler, in 1996. When Joe left the band in 2005, Geno Lenardo subbed in as the touring bassist until he was replaced by Pete and Sam's brother-in-law, Dean Bernardini. Bernardini departed from the band in 2019, and in 2021, Kemble Walters joined the band as a touring bassist.
The band's first studio album, Point #1, was released on a small record label called Squint Entertainment. Chevelle's second album, Wonder What's Next, was certified double platinum by the RIAA after a debut at No. 14 on the United States albums chart, Billboard 200. This Type of Thinking , the band's third album debuted at No. 8 and has been certified platinum. Chevelle has since released seven more albums: Vena Sera, Sci-Fi Crimes, Hats Off to the Bull, La Gárgola, The North Corridor, NIRATIAS, and Bright as Blasphemy. Other releases from Chevelle include two live albums, two DVDs, and two compilation albums. As of 2022, the band has sold over 6 million records.

History

Formation, ''Point #1'', and ''Wonder What's Next'' (1995–2003)

Chevelle formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, when brothers Pete Loeffler and Sam Loeffler started enjoying and learning to play music. Pete started playing guitar and singing while Sam began playing drums in their parents' garage. Bassist Matt Scott was also in the band until 1996. Their youngest brother Joe Loeffler joined the band replacing Scott. Each of the band members were self-taught musicians. The name Chevelle came from the Chevrolet Chevelle, a car popular in the Midwestern hot rod scene around which the Loeffler brothers grew up. The band started playing small outdoor concerts and clubs around Chicago, Illinois, with Joe being only 14 years old.
Chevelle recorded a seven-track demo known as The Blue Album, released in 1998. The band played small concerts for the next three years until they were signed on to Steve Taylor's Squint Entertainment, a contemporary Christian music label. The band recorded with Steve Albini for 17 days in Electrical Audio studios and released its first full-length album, Point #1 in 1999. Two singles were released from the album with accompanying music videos, "Point #1" and "Mia". The songs received GMA Dove Awards in 2000 and "Point #1" in 2001. The album received an award for "Hard Music Album" in 2000 by the Dove Awards. The album was well received by Phantom Tollbooth and HM Magazine, yet was criticized for its repetitive song structures by Jesus Freak Hideout, a Christian music website. The band's label at the time was going through legal troubles as Word Records was attempting to wrest control of Squint from Taylor. This caused uncertainty with the band's future. Discussing the legal battle, bassist Joe Loeffler stated "we weren't sure if anything was going to happen after that, it was pretty crazy."
Chevelle toured as support to bands such as Sevendust, Machine Head, Filter, and Powerman 5000 in this period. Squint Entertainment closed down in 2001 and the band signed with Epic Records in 2002. In 2002 Chevelle released its second studio album Wonder What's Next on Epic Records. The band released the single "The Red", which reached No. 3 on the Mainstream rock charts, and the video was played in regular rotation on MTV. Wonder What's Next soon peaked at No. 14 on the United States Billboard 200 album chart. Brian O'Neil of AllMusic stated the album "offers uniqueness not often heard in more commercial fare, no mean feat." Chevelle released two more singles from the album, "Closure", and "Send the Pain Below", the latter of which reached the No. 1 position on both of the mainstream rock and modern rock charts. Wonder What's Next was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA with excess sales of one million copies sold in the United States alone in 2003. Chevelle was nominated for three awards at the 2003 Billboard Music Awards. One as a band and two for their song "Send the Pain Below". The categories they were nominated for were Modern Rock Artist, Modern Rock Track, and Top Rock Song.
In 2003, Chevelle performed at Ozzfest, where the band recorded and later released its first live album, Live from the Road, and a live DVD, Live from the Norva on October 14, 2003. In 2003, the band was featured on the Music as a Weapon II tour with Disturbed. On the tour with Disturbed, Chevelle appeared on the tour compilation album, titled Music as a Weapon II, featuring the songs "The Red" and "Forfeit". Keith Miller of EvangelSociety.org was critical of Chevelle for touring with Ozzfest with bands such as Cradle of Filth, who he claimed incorporated strong Satanic and anti-Christian themes into their lyrics. Chevelle held their first major headlining tour, from November 1 to December 17, 2003. The tour started in Cleveland and ended in Chicago.
In 2004, Sam Loeffler said, "It's something that's probably going to follow us around forever and that's fine. It's pretty simple. We originally signed with a record company that was backed by Word, so was in Christian bookstores. It was really an accidental thing". Sam also told the Chicago Tribune, "Our faith is still extremely important to us, but it's also very personal. None of us feels being a rock band on stage should be a pedestal for preaching".

Line-up changes, ''This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In)'', and ''Vena Sera'' (2004–2008)

This Type of Thinking was recorded in early 2004 and was released on September 21, 2004. The album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA six weeks later. Johnny Loftus of AllMusic described the songs on the album as "strong dynamically, but sound predetermined — they don't separate from the general loud rock malaise." The song "Vitamin R " was released as the first single from the album and reached the No. 1 position on the Mainstream Rock chart. Two other singles were released from the album, the titles of which are "The Clincher" peaking at No. 3 on the Mainstream rock chart, and "Panic Prone" which peaked at No. 26 on the same chart. The band's song "The Clincher" was featured in the video games Madden NFL 2005 and NASCAR 25.
After the release of the album, the youngest of the brothers, Joe Loeffler, was dismissed from Chevelle. Due to different stories from the band members, it is unclear whether he was fired or left the band of his own accord. Pete and Sam stated the following on the band's official website: "After three years of non-stop touring and recording, Joe is taking a break to be home with family. We'll miss having him on the road with us, but as his brothers and bandmates we respect his decision and are looking forward to getting out there and playing for the fans. See you on tour." However, according to Ultimate Guitar Archive, Joe said he was fired.
The band supported This Type of Thinking with a headlining tour that included opening acts such as Taproot and Thirty Seconds to Mars, and continued playing small tours in 2005 with Geno Lenardo from the band Filter. In August 2005, the Loeffler brothers' brother-in-law and longtime friend, Dean Bernardini joined the band as their newest bassist. In 2006 Chevelle supported Nickelback for an arena tour across the United States.
In 2006, the band recorded their fourth studio album titled Vena Sera. The album was the first album Chevelle recorded with Bernardini. Vena Sera was released on April 3, 2007, debuting at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, and sold 62,000 copies during its first week of release. The title of the album translates to "vein liquid" in Latin, representing the blood Chevelle put into making the album, according to Pete.
Corey Apar of AllMusic states that "Vena Sera probably won't disappoint fans, and it didn't, if for the sole fact that it basically sounds just like Chevelle's other albums". He noted that the song "I Get It" "has a relatively lighter underbelly than the rest, which is a nice change of pace, but it's ultimately too little, too late". "Well Enough Alone", the first single from the album, was written about the departure of Joe Loeffler, and reached No. 4 on the Mainstream rock charts. Chevelle toured with Evanescence and Finger Eleven during March and April 2007, followed by a headlining tour with Finger Eleven and Strata in May and June. The second single from the album, "I Get It", was released on June 12, 2007, and a video for the song debuted on MTV on November 27, 2007. In July of the same year, Chevelle toured Australia as a supporting act for the band The Butterfly Effect. On the tour in Australia, Chevelle's band manager Rose died of cancer, much to the distress of the band.
On May 9, 2007, during a show in Fort Worth, Texas Chevelle's trailer containing all of the band's equipment was stolen from the hotel at which the members were staying. The band posted a notice saying, "Most items are labeled 'Chevelle' and if you notice anything suspicious on eBay or other online resellers selling 'authentic' Chevelle items... guitar, basses, drums, amplifiers, risers, backdrops, tee shirts... please call the police..." A month later in an interview, Sam Loeffler stated, "Of the 14 guitars, we got two of 'em, and then we got some amplifiers back and our monitor system. So it's really, I mean it's cool because it's kind of like Christmas, only really weird. People have been calling us and saying, 'Hey, I bought this or that', and you know, we're just doing our best to buy it back from them. And certainly the issue is not a money issue, it's about having the pieces of gear that you did all your records with."