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“A musical journey of epic proportions” is one of many ways to describe the project known to the underworld as The Accident Experiment, aka “AX”. Formed in late 2002 by chief songwriters Marcos Curiel (ex/founding member of P.O.D.) handling guitar duties and Pete Stewart (ex/founding member of Grammatrain) on vocals, AX challenges the boundaries of music and artistry. After recruiting Tony DeLocht (bass) and Ernie Longoria (drums) to round out the line up, Curiel and Stewart knew they had the necessary elements to deliver the AX vision. Curiel notes, “I wanted to form a project that, musically, was larger than any one member; something that could be an experience in the truest sense of the word.”

Curiel and Stewart first met in 1997 when their former bands shared a stage in Portland. The two immediately clicked and spent hours chatting about musical influences, goals and philosophies. Both became increasingly busy with their respective projects and ultimately lost touch.

Fast-forward five years. With a handful of songs written and recorded, Curiel was in need of a singer that could vocally and lyrically meet the challenges he had personally set for his new project. Stewart was the first to come to mind. “I tracked him down, sent him some of the songs and just asked him to see what he could do with them,” comments Curiel. “When I got the music, I was blown away with how ‘big’ it sounded. I had never written to music that was already finished and recorded before so it was a new challenge for me, but one that was inspiring,” adds Stewart. After hearing the lyrics and melodies that had been put to his music, Curiel knew his forethoughts of what AX was to be were not only complete, but were shared by Stewart.

The Curiel/Stewart writing team wasted no time in bringing their vision of the AX experience to life. In five short months, the duo wrote and recorded over twenty songs. “It sounds cliché, but a lot of these songs really just came out and wrote themselves,” offers Stewart. Curiel and Stewart write from a “place” or “state of mind”, rather than apply the formulated approach often found within mainstream music. “This isn’t mainstream. This isn’t what you hear hour after hour on the radio. AX isn’t predictable, that’s what makes it an experience for us and the fans. There’s more to it than just us, the band members,” states Curiel.

Effortlessly, AX guides the listener through his or her own mind by challenging the thoughts and perceptions often associated with such concepts as human emotions, dreams, deceit, mind control, love, hate, depression and manipulation. “Seeds of Black”, “Scream to Breathe” and “Song for You” are but a few of the songs that lead the listener down the uncertain and unpredictable road of interpretation. “Songs are identifiable to anyone and can be interpreted in a vast number of ways. In our music, we try to take it to another level. We want to offer the opportunity to really think about, and question, what is being said lyrically and musically. If a fan wants substance, it’s there. If it’s just about the rock, there’s plenty of that as well,” comments Curiel.

Not many bands can truly build on, and fuse, their influences. From the journeys of Pink Floyd and Rush to the bruised tones of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, AX tastefully progresses the direction such artists established. The diversity of these influences can be found in the many moods and emotive illustrations created, developed and performed by AX.