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Biography (courtesy of Columbia/BMG/Sony Records)

For most bands, choosing the perfect name is a decision that is agonized over and endlessly dissected. It has to be something that is original, memorable, agreed upon by everyone in the band and, more importantly, a name that no other band has.

Some bands choose great names; others—like the Southern California quintet April Sixth—have great names chosen for them. For April Sixth, the date of their first big show was a date with destiny. “We needed to print up flyers for our show, but we didn’t have a name yet,” explains songwriter and singer Christopher Wade. “Instead of coming up with something at the last second that we would regret, we just wrote down the date of the show. The name April Sixth stuck—fate I guess—so we decided to keep it.”

But nothing was left to chance on the band’s debut — IN MEMORY. Recorded in Los Angeles last fall and produced by Howard Benson (Hoobastank, My Chemical Romance), the album forges a meticulously crafted mix of progressive and melodic rock sound.

The band—Wade, co-songwriter and guitarist Robert Geiser, guitarist Brian Marquez, bassist Scott Sorenson and drummer Matt Conley — credits Benson with helping expand their sound. “When we started recording this album, all we wanted to do was dial in the meanest guitar tones, rock out and call it a day. Howard showed us a different way to make music. We stayed true to our original ideas for the songs, but Howard helped us make a more dynamic record by adding different elements to each song.”

The adrenaline rush of “Livin’ a Lie,” “Roses,” and “Bring Me Down” prove April Sixth can write tightly-wound guitar rockers reinforced with soaring melodic choruses, while restrained acoustic moments like “Foster” and “Dear Angel” reveal the band’s introspective side.

The first single, “Dear Angel” manages to bring all of the band’s diverse musical styles into sharp focus. “If you want to know what we are all about, this is the song to hear,” says Geiser. “All the different places we go musically on this album creep into this song. This is who we are.”

For Wade—who wrote the song when he was a teenager—the song represents both beginnings and endings. “Brian, Robert and I started the band right after they heard me play this song at a coffee shop,” he explains. “It’s kind of funny, I wrote this song as a way of getting some closure on an intense relationship that ended badly, but I’m still playing the song. It’s lasted longer than the relationship.”

While many of the lyrics on IN MEMORY describe people dealing with and overcoming adversity, no song does so as poignantly as “Foster.” Inspired by a fan Wade befriended on the road, the song talks about a girl struggling to fit in with her foster parents. “I had these really intense conversations with this girl about her life that really effected me,” Wade says. “I put myself in her shoes to write this particular song, but I think a lot of the songs on this album, in one way or another, are about how we all struggle against pain and insanity to find hope and peace.”

For the members of April Sixth, the album’s title represents a turning point. “We wanted to dedicate this album to all of the steps we took to get where we are,” Wade explains. “We wanted to dedicate this album in memory to all of the good times and bad times, the years of hard work, the things we gave up and struggles we overcame. It’s about honoring the past, and moving forward.”

BRIEF HISTORY

April Sixth got its start on the local music scene in Riverside, California. Wade was playing a solo, acoustic show in 2001 when he had a chance meeting with Marquez and Geiser. “They were walking past the coffee shop after an argument with a friend, and decided to stop in,” Wade recalls. “When I finished my set, they came up to me and asked me to join a band they were forming. When I said yes, they asked me if I could give them a ride home too.”

The trio spent several months writing songs and rehearsing in a barn at Robert’s house. After recruiting a bassist and drummer, the band tested their new songs at a few gigs at local high schools before booking their first club gig.

At one show, the band caught the attention of Dan Estrin, guitarist of Hoobastank. Dan passed their demo to Benson, who like the band so much that he began working with them in 2003. A year later, the band signed with Columbia Records and began recording IN MEMORY.

April Sixth will be on the road this summer in support of IN MEMORY.