blessthefall Artistfacts

2003-
Jared WarthBass, unclean vocals
Matt TraynorDrums
Eric LambertGuitar, backing vocals2005-
Beau BokanLead vocals2008-
Elliot GruenbergRhythm guitar2011-
Craig MabbittLead vocals2003-2007
In the middle of a 2007 European tour, then-singer Craig Mabbitt temporarily left the band to spend time with his family. When he tried to return, the band wouldn't take him back. Despite Mabbitt posting a bulletin expressing his willingness to rejoin, the band stuck by their decision and began the search for a new singer. Meanwhile Beau Bokan's original band, Take the Crown, had broken up. He received a demo from Blessthefall wondering if he could audition by writing lyrics for it. The verse and chorus he sent back impressed the band so much that they not only did they invite him to join the band after a trial session, but the song was eventually released as "Hey Baby Here's That Song You Wanted" on their 2009 album, Witness.
Beau Bokan is strong in his Christian faith but, he assured Songfacts, he's not going to stand onstage and tell people they're going to hell if they don't believe in God. Instead, the Blessthefall front man shares his beliefs through Heartsupport.com, a non-profit organization that seeks to encourage and inspire youth.

"Kids come there and talk about their problems, the issues and their faith or their non faith. Or whatever it may be. And I just recently did a couple for blogs for them. I did an interview and I did a blog on forgiveness. And so now more fans are finding out more about my faith, because I can share it on this forum rather than on stage just kind of shouting out to the kids," Bokan said.
While all the members of the band are Christian, they don't want to pegged as a Christian band. "We try to live good lives," Beau Bokan said in an interview with Shotmonster, "but it's not my place to tell people want to think." However, Bokan does expect fans to respect each other. Once, when a fight broke out in the pit, Bokan intervened and instructed the two fans to hug.
Despite Blessthefall's aggressive hardcore sound, Bokan admits that his favorite band is classic pop-punk act blink-182, and that the rest of the band are also huge fans. While this may not be immediately apparent in their music, Bokan explains that a lot of Blink's influence comes out in Blessthefall's live performances, which are heavily inspired by Blink's infamous over-the-top stage theatrics. Additionally, there are a few Blessthefall songs that are written in a pop-punk style.
When jokingly asked about who would play each member of the band in a Blessthefall movie, Bokan actually had an answer, albeit a tongue-in-cheek one. For himself, Johnny Depp. Jared, the bassist, would be played by Tom Hardy, while Justin Bieber would take on the role of Elliot Gruenberg, rhythm guitarist. Drummer Matt Traynor would be played by Mark Wahlberg, while Brad Pitt would round off the cast as bassist Jared Warth.
Blessthefall enjoys ghost hunting. The band research interesting abandoned warehouses or mental institutions, then drive out to the place in question and explore with flashlights. Beau Bokan says that this results in a lot more of the band terrifying each other than discovering ghosts, but that it's still a blast. A video on their Bangover Tour tour blog reveals a merch guy crying from being prank-scared.
The tattoo around Beau Bokan's neck says "We are loyal like brothers." This is a line from "Red Letter Day," a song by The Get Up Kids, who are one of Bokan's favorite bands. Several of his close friends have an identical tattoo.
Beau Bokan married Canadian electro-pop singer Lights on May 12, 2012. Their first child, Rocket Wild Bokan, was born on February 15, 2014. Rocket was named after a structure at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver where Lights played the night she told her band that she was pregnant.
Asked during a Reddit AMA what her favorite songs from Blessthefall are, Lights replied: "'Promised One's' is in my head a lot. And '40 Days...!' And 'Open Water.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Rock And RollLed Zeppelin

According to Jason Bonham, who has filled in for his father on Led Zeppelin reunions, "Rock And Roll" is the hardest Led Zep song to play on drums.

A key line in "Africa" is "I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become," which is about drifting away from what you really want in life. Toto keyboard player David Paich, who wrote the song, felt his work was consuming him.

Personal JesusDepeche Mode

"Personal Jesus," a song about "being a Jesus for somebody else," was inspired by Elvis and Priscilla Presley.

Blowin' In The WindBob Dylan

Bob Dylan was little known when he released "Blowin' In The Wind" so the cover versions - especially by Peter, Paul and Mary and Stan Getz - were much more popular at the time.

Where It's AtBeck

Beck's "Where It's At" is a nod to the early years of hip-hop when DJs would use two turntables to loop drum breaks, and a microphone to hype the crowd ("two turntables and a microphone...").