American Werewolf Academy was formed as a garage-y school yard rebellion band in 2003 when drummer Tony Harper answered singer Aaron Thedford's advert in a bar bathroom. In order to keep up with Tony's pounding drums Aaron replaced his British Invasion guitar sound for a Les Paul crunch and the band evolved into a full-tilt anthemic rock outfit resembling The Replacements mashed up with the erratic attention span of Robert Pollard.
They found a life friend in producer Matt Barnhart ( The New Pornographers Bedhead, The Gotobeds, Metz, Superchunk) who has recorded all their records with a distinctive 100% analog approach. Matt's brother, Jake Barnhart has played bass with the band for the last decade. Jon Binford came on board in 2013 and has supplied the band with heavy doses of shoegaze pedal steel and serious lead guitaring. The band has toured overseas and played throughout the south with the likes of Mike Watt, Shonen Knife, Tommy Stinson, and Wussy to name a few.
AWA's latest record, Dead Without Dying & Gleefully Detached finds AWA crafting some of their most raw and melodic material to date, exploring such themes as mortality, unearthly beasts, Armageddon, and the wisdom that comes with age, all inside layers of Cheap Trick Trick-era power chord hooks and the wild absurdity of Roky Erickson, resulting in a blend of sing-able, anthemic rock.
