The R.I.P. - Centox

Centox came together in the spring of 2006 when founding members Cesar "237" and Steve Hart began to write songs at a local studio in their hometown of San Pedro, CA. Quickly eager to begin playing shows and recording, the two hired Daniel Gomez for guitar duties, and Glenn Ellis on bass, both of whom had been in bands with the founding members prior to the formation of Centox. The band came together quickly but were hard pressed to find a singer, In May, the group turned to Rene Araujo for the part and the line-up was complete. Centox spent the summer writing songs and played their first show in August 2006 at a local venue near their hometown, soon thereafter the band quickly sparked local intereset and became a fixture in small venues across the south bay. In the Fall of that year a 6 track EP was recorded and released to local fans. The EP contains three tracks that were later re-written for their debut album including "Above Them All". The group spent years playing the Los Angeles Club Circuit with new up-and-coming artists, and playing alongside bands such as Saosin, Strung Out and Daughters Of Mara. By 2009 the band decided it was time to record an album and in the summer the tracking sessions had begun. The album was near completion when in September, due to creative and personal differences, the band parted ways with Rene and Steve. The band, who at that point scrapped the original record, was pushed back to the drawing board. it wasn't long before new vocalist Steven Pedersen was hired after sending in a set of vocal tracks recorded over the original songs. with a new breath of life, and eager to get back in the game, the band started to re-record the album with friend and fellow musician Shawn Zuzek. The band made a come back in the summer of 2010 playing their first show with the new line-up alongside Boyhitscar in Hermosa Beach. Shortly after the that, the band landed a spot opening for Taproot at the Whisky a Go-Go in Hollywood. With the eve of the album's release nearing the corner, the band was not at a loss for words when it came to it's fruition.

" This album has been without doubt the longest labor of love we have ever invested in, it is the product of years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the line-up changes, the show cancellations, the half-assed sound engineers, the shark managers and promoters who trade and traffic in false hope and dreams for cash, and the overall frustration that comes with this line of work.But on the other hand, it is also the product of all the support, the encouragement, the love, the good times, and the personal growth that we have experienced both collectively and individually, and it is those experiences that we encounter that make the other one's tolerable."

After it's release, the band plans to start touring and play their music for everyone who's willing to hear it, and on that note, keep your ears to the ground and check back here for more Centox. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.