Audra & The Antidote :: Biography About Us Information

About

Short And Sweet...

Self-described as "Neo-New Wave" or "Pop Deco", Audra & the Antidote have been called everything from "a cross between early Blondie and 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'" to "Three rock chicks and one punk dude who offer up pop-trash kicks while dressed like extras from a John Hughes teen love pic". Whatever the case may be, it stands that Audra & the Antidote are out to find the perfect blend of good music and an exciting and entertaining show.

April 2002 Music Row Magazine named Audra & the Antidote as one of the top 3 unsigned bands in Nashville. Here's why:

Fall of 2001 Audra & the Antidote were among the top 10 bands chosen to perform at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC participating in "The American Music Awards Presents the Coca-Cola New Music Award" in conjunction with CMJ and Dick Clark Productions.
Spring of 2000 Audra & the Antidote performed "Jenny's Got A Boyfriend" on Farmclub.com TV with Creed and Godsmack. The show aired several times on USA Network and Much Music garnering the band national attention.
They've been considered twice for VH1's Bands on the Run.
They've been nominated twice for Sensored Magazine's Best Band
Nashville music critics John Hood and Charles Earle have declared Audra & the Antidote one of the top bands in Nashville.
They've performed played many high profile showcases around the southeast.
Summer of 2001 the band was mentioned in Southwest Airline's onboard magazine, Spirit, regarding new music and the internet.

The Long Version

Officially established by Audra in the summer of 1996 in Nashville, TN, this quirky and sometimes outlandish original pop/rock/new wave band have never quite blended in to the local scene. Unique stage antics (such as Audra standing on her hands while the band plays a classical number behind her) and props (such as the now famous red telephone microphone) easily catch an audience's eye. Catchy hook laden songs influenced by such artists as The Beatles, The B-52's, The Cure, and The Go-Go's leave you humming when you wake up the next morning. You either hate them or love them, but anyone who's ever seen Audra & the Antidote definitely has an opinion!

Together with a member of her previous band, Merry Madness (who actually appeared on the first episode of the last season of Star Search), Audra began Audra & the...well...the name was a bit of a problem. "At first it was Audra & the Incantations, then I found a band named The Incantations at Tower. I then changed it to Audra & the Mystery Machine for one show until I found a band named The Mystery Machine. So... changed it to Audra & the Antidote after one of our songs. I did find a couple bands named the Antidote or Antidote, but I was tired of changing it at that point. I never got around to changing it again."

Audra & her band floundered around with various bassists for about a year until Audra met Edwin Benson while they both worked at Sony Tree Publishing in Nashville. "I felt like we hit the jackpot when we found Edwin," Audra confessed. "He was a great bassist, he could sing, AND he was cute. The only problem was he kept trying to quit the band." He finally did after three years and after his wife, Kim, joined in on keyboards.

"I knew Kim in college - we both went to Belmont. I didn't think she liked me. I kept trying to be her friend and I thought she never really responded so I gave up. Later I found out that she thought I hated her." Audra invited Kim to join the band since they needed another female voice for harmonies and a keyboard to add to the sound. Though Kim had never been in a rock band (she was classically trained) she put aside her inhabitions and tried a more "commercial" style.

Edwin finally quit the band for good on his third attempt. This was sealed once and for all when Emmy Davies answered the flyer Audra hung around Nashville musician hang-outs. "We really really wanted a female bassist. Kim and I had been dreaming about it for years. When Emmy answered the ad we just knew she wouldn't work. She was too perfect. Come to find out she is a terrific bassist and a terrific person as well."