Hollywood Undead is an American rap rock band from Los Angeles, California. They released their debut album, Swan Songs, on September 2, 2008, and their live CD/DVD Desperate Measures, on November 10, 2009. All of the band members use pseudonyms and wear their own unique mask, most of which are based on the common hockey goaltender design. The band members currently consist of Charlie Scene, Da Kurlzz, Funny Man, J-Dog, and Johnny 3 Tears.
The band originated in 2005 from a song titled "The Kids" that Jorel Decker (J-Dog) and former member Aron Erlichman (Deuce) posted on the band's MySpace profile to positive reviews, leading them to form the group Hollywood Undead with their friends "Shady" Jeff Philips, George Ragan (Johnny 3 Tears), Jordon Terrell (Charlie Scene), Dylan Alvarez (Funny Man), and Matthew St. Claire (Da Kurlzz). In an interview with Shave magazine, J-Dog explained that when forming the band "Whoever was in the room at the time and played an instrument was in the band."
The band only took one year working on their debut album, Swan Songs. The other two years were spent looking for a company that wouldn't try to censor the album. They first signed a record contract with MySpace Records in 2005 but they left the label after the label tried to censor their first album. They then signed a contract with A&M/Octone Records and their first album, Swan Songs was released on September 2, 2008 and reached #22 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, selling 21,000 copies; which was later on released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2009 with two bonus tracks. On June 23, 2009, Hollywood Undead released Swan Songs B-Sides EP through iTunes.
The band released a CD/DVD set entitled Desperate Measures on November 10, 2009. The set includes a CD of previously unreleased six new songs, three of which being cover songs, as well a previously unreleased remix of "Everywhere I Go", and six live recordings of songs from Swan Songs, and a DVD of a full live performance by the band.
Recently, the band has been writing material for their 2nd studio album. On April 1 2010, the band started its own iheartradio station, with horror and thriller tales. In recent interviews, the band has stated intentions to record their second album in summer 2010 and release it in the fall. James Diener, head of the band's record label, confirmed the next album for a fall 2010 release and believes that it will launch the band into more mainstream success, making it a "big next step" for the group. The band has also confirmed that producer Don Gilmore, who also worked on their debut album, has returned to produce the new album.
The song "Undead" is featured in the video games Madden NFL 09 and UFC 2009 Undisputed. The song "Young" is featured as downloadable content for Rock Band 2. An instrumental version of "Undead" is featured in a trailer for the film, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Also, an instrumental version of their song "Young" is featured in the trailer for the video game, Velvet Assassin. Their song "California" was used in a TV spot for "Law & Order: Los Angeles."
Band members
Current members:
• Charlie Scene – vocals, lead guitar (since 2005)
• Da Kurlzz – drums, percussion, vocals (since 2005)
• Funny Man – vocals (since 2005)
• J-Dog – rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, vocals (since 2005)
• Johnny 3 Tears – vocals (since 2005)
Former members:
• Shady Jeff – vocals, band manager (2005–2007)
• Deuce - clean vocals, bass, lyrics, production (since 2005)
Official Website: http://www.hollywoodundead.com/
My Space page: http://www.myspace.com/hollywoodundead