Merry Christmas 51 Family, Friends, and Fans!!

Please enjoy our Christmas Music Video!!

Area 51-Christmas Music Video 2008

It is with heavy hearts that we extend a loving farewell to our good friend, Erika Ann Madden. Erika could be found at many of our gigs with her usual partners in crime, Kat and Andrea. I never heard her say a negative word about anyone. She always had a smile and a hug to offer no matter how the day had gone, and her support of the band and friendship to it’s members will be deeply missed and impossible to duplicate. How ironic and profoundly sad that such a completely wonderful person would be taken from us so soon - in the prime of her life, but her memories and spirit will live on in all of us. Remember Erika and her family in your thoughts and prayers, and let us all be absoluetly certain that she will be looking down on us at the next gathering...still smiling and making Heaven a better place to be. All our love, Erika. You are missed but never forgotten. Rico, Gary & Timmy

Hello friends!

Well, I'd like to start off by extending our heart-felt thanks to those several hundred of you who made the trek to Coral Lanes last night to come help raise money for the Marathon County Humane Society and the 4th annual Hard Rockin' For Pets! It was an amazing turnout! Courtney does a wonderful job of organizing the event every year, and both we and Coral Lanes are honored to be a part of it!

We'd also like to offer our appreciation for your support and patience as we worked feverishly to iron out some technical difficulties. When they are severe enough to stop the show and cause the band to break - you know numerous gremlins have crept into the equipment. Technical issues are a fact of life. They happen in all performances on every scale - from garage bands to the Grammys. But for us - being one of the more technology-based bands in the state, and with only the 3 of us to move, set up, perform, produce and maintain the gear - they can become a major hurdle. Gary, Tim and I have to be "on our game" when we come to play, and we continuously monitor all the sound, lighting and computer equipment for indicators of potential error. As mentioned before - problems WILL arise. But upon discussing last night ( a Rock N' Roll CSI, if you will! :) we feel that something substantial went awry with our 120 amps of AC that we tap into. This could've been a building issue, a city issue, or what have you? Whatever the case, in a catastrophic heartbeat we lost one stereo compressor / limiter, one bass amp, one guitar wireless system, one drum machine, one MIDI keyboard module and 3 of our intelligent lights. Ouch! Luckily after doing more than our share of sweating bullets and making adjustments, the SHOW WENT ON! THANK YOU for your patience. We didn't receive a single complaint and were very honored most of you chose to remain and ride out the storm with us!

Lastly...there have been some rumors circulating that AREA 51 has - or is about to - break up. Please allow me to reassure you that nothing could be further from the truth. Gary still plays in FICTION DOG a few times every year. Tim has done gigs with Wisconsin Rapids-based PECH and I have been singing for Wausau's SAVOIR FAIRE as of late. These side excursions in no way suggest even a hint of demise for the FIVE ONE! In fact, we are more commited than ever to remaining true to ourselves and continuing to push each other in an effort to see the band evolve into all it can be. Gary, Tim and I built this beast from the ground up in 2001 and we intend to ride the rails together for many more gigs to come. Timmy has recently taken a new position at his job which has proven to be an obstacle in our booking calendar. For this reason alone, our good friend Aaron Leuth took over on drumming duties for 3 gigs. If Timmy finds himself in a pinch on the job front once again, Aaron may step in from time to time. But the 3 of us agreed we'd like nothing more than to simply continue as is and play whenever possible. (Please see the calendar on this page!) We have transcended past that of just "a band." We are family.

Whew! You got your dime's worth on that one! Again, THANKS, stay in touch, and our profound gratitude for the memories we've made together, and for the countless more that we will surely create in the near and distant future!

Peace, Love and Respect,

Rico

We just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who hung around and showed their support for "The 51" this past Saturday at the Rock n' Roll Revival in the Historic Rothschild Pavillion-  check out the slide show done by our buddy Griff!  It was an honor to be able to close out the show with such a great line-up of area bands.  There's a lot of awesome talent and great music to be heard out there on the local scene-  and without your continued support-  we wouldn't be able to do what we do-  so keep it coming-  we truly appreciate it!!!

 

The "51"

 

Hi, FIVE ONE'ERS! PLEASE don't forget about the Rock N' Roll Revival show that we are closing for next Saturday, June 2nd @ the Rothschild Pavillion! Bands start @ 1:00 in the afternoon and run all day until we close the evening from 11PM - 12AM. We will be doing one 50 minute, jam-packed set of hardcore 80's glorious rock n' roll - and we need your support! PLEASE make plans to swing by - and since we end so early - we can hang out and have some fun afterwards for a change! 'Hope your Summer gets off to a GREAT and SAFE start this weekend, and as always - we look ever so forward to seeing as many of you as possible at ALL AREA 51 gigs!!

HEY! Next Saturday is our next appearance @ Smokey's (Abbotsford, junction of 29 / 13) WE NEED YOU THERE!!!! It's a BIG place to fill so PLEEEEEASE come out and celebrate w/ us!!! You will LOVE the club!!! It's big, clean, classy...and BRITTANY will be on the bar!!! What more could you possibly ask for??? COME ON, (WO)MAN!!! WE NEED YOU!!!!!!!

 

 

Hi, guys! We are looking for someone close to the FIVE ONE family to manage our MySpace page. It would mean posting pix from gigs and the occasional blog / bulletin. Any takers...?