About Emanuel

There are at least two bands called Emanuel. 1. Christian rock band from Croatia. 2. Four-piece rock band from Louisville Kentucky, United States. 1. Emanuel Group is one of the most popular groups in Croatia, spiritual music scene. They come from Velika Gorica, where the group gathered in 2001. They have three albums, on which the record of cooperation with domestic and foreign musicians. Their song "Best Friend" 2009. won first prize in Uskrsfest, the oldest Croatian Festival of spiritual songs. With their music, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit, they celebrate the glory of Jesus Christ, spreading the Word of God and witness to the faith among young people from all Croatian regions. 2. The roots of the band Emanuel go back to Jeffersonville, Indiana, a town located just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. After 14-year-old high school students Matt Breen and Bryan Whiteman met Anthony Brock and Mat Barber (who attended a rivalling school in their hometown) at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, the quartet decided to form the garage band Emanuel Nice in 1998. They recorded their rather inept eight-song debut EP Hi-Skool Trivia in December 1998. The CD was issued the following year through the German underground record label Roddog Records, which was run by friends of the band. In the following years, while still in high school, Emanuel Nice appeared on two split records -- one with New Jersey's already renowned Lanemeyer, another with the German punk band Colourbone -- before recording their second EP, Wait, in 2002. However, none of the releases triggered the desired local stardom. In 2004, Emanuel shortened their band name, in conjunction with the musical renovation they underwent. Even though their line-up never changed throughout the six years since the band's formation, their sound evolved drastically from "poppy and terrible, it's kind of embarrassing", as singer/guitarist Breen put it,[1] to a darker, more mature blend of indie and emo genres. With cynical lyrics and aggressive guitar melodies, the band's new sound landed them a record deal with Vagrant Records, who released their debut album Soundtrack to a Headrush in March 2005. In March 2006, Emanuel played an arena tour of the US supporting 30 Seconds to Mars with Aiden and Keating. In January 2007, the band entered the studio to begin recording the follow-up to Soundtrack to a Headrush, titled Black Earth Tiger. The album was released on the 28th of August, 2007. The band declined the rumors circulating that they were breaking up recently in a Myspace bulletin. Breen was originally going to be the singer for Brian Deneeve, former guitarist of From Autumn To Ashes' new project called Summer Law, but the project has since been scrapped. After many problems such as debt, band tension, lack of promotion/record sales and other problems, Matt Breen has stated that he is 'writing a lot' for a future Emanuel release. He also mentioned in a myspace blog that the band has their tour banner and equipment set up in a basement and they rehearse occasionally. The band is generally assumed by fans to be on indefinite hiatus though. It is rumored that Matt Breen and musician Devin Triplett are working on a new musical project. The bands website, Thisisemanuel.com, is shut down and is no longer a working website.