An exciting band is headed to Austin; one with an even more exciting story! Spiritbox is a heavy metal band from Canada that got their start from a married couple searching for creative freedom in the music industry. They will be coming to Austin for their first ever headlining tour! Join Spiritbox and their special guests, After The Burial and Intervals, at Emo’s Austin on April 22nd!
From lovers to stardom, the two founders of Spiritbox, Mike Stringer and Courtney LaPlante, have faced many hardships and setbacks to get where they are today. In 2015, the two made the decision to leave their former band and explore their own creative ideas. They tied the knot in 2016 and two weeks after their wedding, they invested all of their finances into recording songs that felt right for them. They recorded their first self-titled EP in their home studio and officially launched Spiritbox as a band in October of 1017. Touring is expensive, and the duo saw the potential their band had to grow by interacting with fans on the internet and social media. Even with new music, Spiritbox did not tour for 2 years in hopes that their fan base would grow. With this idea came success and Spiritbox was able to release a five-song EP titled Singles Collection to a magnitude of new fans in April of 2019.
Their growth didn’t stop there. Their next big break came when they released the single, “Holy Roller” in July of 2020. The single debuted at Number 25 on Billboard’s list of Hot Hard Rock Songs. The song was even deemed “Best Song of 2020” by the listeners of Sirius XM Liquid Metal radio station! They had many hit songs they were ready to perform live, but sadly COVID-19 setback any ideas of a tour in the near future. In better news, the single gained public anticipation for their album, Eternal Blue. It was even deemed the “most anticipated debut album of 2021” by well established magazines such as Alternative Press, Kerrang! and Metal Hammer.
Before the official release of Eternal Blue, Spiritbox had already released 5 singles from the album that got fans excited for the album in its entirety. “Holy Roller” was the first to be released and the single, “Constance,” was released soon after. “Constance” is about personal experiences with dementia and is close to the band’s heart. The next single, “Circle With Me,” was released in April of 2021 and single, “Secret Garden,” came out just 2 months later in June. Lastly, they released “Hurt You” in August of 2021 as their final push before the new album came out. Due to the buzz from these songs, the band had already gained 80 million streams before the album was even released. Finally, Eternal Blue was released on September 17th, 2021. LaPlante has mentioned in many interviews that this album is where she feels like she has finally found her true voice within the music industry.
To fans’ surprise, right before the album was released, the duo announced that drummer Zev Rose had been a part of the band since early 2020! Due to COVID-19, the three were never able to meet in person, therefore never had the chance to be photographed together for the public. They only met him 2 days before going on tour! Josh Gilbert also joins the band on tour to give their performances a live bass sound.
In most recent news, the band has released Rotoscope EP in June of 2022. Spiritbox has many hits and has overcome so many challenges, so their first headlining tour is a great accomplishment. Come see the 2021 Heavy Music Award winners at Emo’s Austin on April 22nd! Tickets are available on SeatGeek and other ticket sales sites.
When? April 22nd, 2023
Where? Emo’s Austin (2015 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78741)
Time? Doors open at 6:00 pm CT & concert starts at 7:00 pm CT
Ages? All Ages welcome
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