Xenon

Try searching myspace.com for the Xenon. What did you find? 7 or 8 bands with the same name. Well welcome to the ORIGINAL Xenon's space! Xenon began in 1983, much like any other band in New Jersey, playing covers of NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal---I always loved that term!) bands. We played three sets of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Saxon, Ozzy, and the like. In 1985, Xenon's first demo, entitled "Cry in the Night" was released. The three song cassette caught the attention of local college radio. The tape sold over two thousand copies and developed the core of Xenon's fan base. In 1987, Xenon signed a management deal with AMI Productions. Under AMI's direction, Xenon showcased before such record industry notables as Geffen's John Kalodner, CBS's John Mrvos, and Atlantic's Jason Flomm. The showcases were approached from a "music first---image last" standpoint (no stage clothes, makeup, blow dryers allowed)...bad move. Bands like Poison, Brittany Fox, and Cinderella were getting signed and we weren't. We continued to showcase for labels, steadfast in the opinion that good music was all that mattered. We were told that if we "kicked out the girl" we could have our record deal. We refused emphatically. Sick of major label ignorance, in 1989 we decided to record and release "America's New Design". The self-financed full-length CD and cassette sold over 20,000 units, even though it was sold in just 20 stores and at out live shows. We saw this as definitive proof that Xenon was and is, a viable, sellable product even though we didn't compromise our disdain for bleached hair and lipstick. We were visited by Columbia's Dave Novick at a gig one night and he was impressed enough to give us seed money to record three more songs ("China Sky", "After Tonight", and "Perfect"). He loved them. They set up a private showcase for ten execs at New York City's Marquee Club, then at New Jersey's Club Bene. More love. There's talk of marketing strategies, publishing interests, and career goals---a happy ending? Nope. Novick was fired and disappeared for two years. Many people have speculated why the deal didn't fly. This is the music biz...speculation is depressing. In the fall of 1995, Xenon released "Simple. The critics around the world have proclaimed that if there is indeed a resurgence of Hard Rock, Xenon should very well be in the forefront of that movement. The reviews that followed have echoed that sentiment. Kerrang 4K's, Frontiers 10/10, Hard Rocks 10/10, Burrn! 85/100. Xenon spent a good part of 1996 playing gigs around the New Jersey Club Circuit, and working dilligently in the studio to finish the final songs for the full length version of "Simple" which was released as "Defying Gravity". The following is growing with every gig and the new material is a natural progression towards more interesting songwriting and arrangements. This has introduced yet another facet of the band's appeal. Xenon continues to receive countless awards from magazines both on the internet and on paper. In January 1996, Xenon received the "Most Promising Unsigned Act" award from UK based magazine Frontiers. SFK on-line magazine has named "China Sky" the "Best AOR Ballad of All Time". In 2003, after a 6 year break, Xenon is back together playing live and writing new music with the goal of a 4th release. It is very unusual to find a group of people that after 20 years, still enjoy each other and still remain a tight knit family. MyGen Profile Generator