In Band photo displayed on homepage from left to right - Matt Angel (bass), Josh Avila (drums), Paul Etchison (vocals), John Leopaldi (guitar), not pictured Nate Etchison (guitar).

Vocals -Paul Etchison (24)
Guitar, Backup Vocals - Nate Etchison (26)
Guitar - John Leopaldi (22)
Bass, Backup Vocals - Matt Angel (20)
Drums - Josh Avila (20)

Second Son was formed in September of 2003 and has contained the same 5 members for the life of the band.

Artist Bio

[SecondSon] Bio

We’ve all seen some great local bands here in Champaign, mostly college rock and indie sounding bands, but now Champaign is home to an emerging Hard Rock/Grunge Pop band, [SecondSon]. After seeing them perform at the Canopy Club last week, I decided this was a band that was in need of some good publicity.

Their performance was amazing. The five piece band never stops moving, jumping around and getting the crowd involved in the rocking as well. It is almost as fun to watch them rock as it is to hear them. Imagine twoguitar players, One bass player, fronted by Singer, Paul Etchison, all playing their hearts out all over the stage. Rarely do you get to see a band where all of the members are going crazy. I sincerely recommend checking out this stage perfomance.

[SecondSon] was formed in September 2003 when Friends Paul Etchison (vocals) and John Leopaldi (guitar) paired up with Matt Angel (Bass) and Josh Avila (Drums). Later, Paul’s older brother, Nate Etchison would take the spot as the second guitarist.

Upon first meeting, the band decided that they wanted to write songs that were instrumentally heavy with melodic vocals much like bands Taproot, Deftones, Staind, etc. The vocals can be described as very original, beautiful, extremely powerful and from the heart, and occasionally right up in your face. [SecondSon] lyrically has always tried to create songs that have strong content and subject matter, yet are vague enough that the listener can apply them to there own lives and experiences.

Paul Etchison speaking on his vocals said, “I want you to be able to have our songs be your life’s soundtrack. I have so many songs that remind me of specific times or occurances in my life and it’s always nice to go back and feel that nostalgia so to speak. I don’t want my lyrics to be so specific about the events in my life that I completely alienate everyone who hasn’t had the same experience. Almost all of our songs have some element of love or hurt in them. Those are the emotions we can all relate to, as well as our most powerful emotions we may ever experience.”

When asked about his inspiration, Paul spoke about some his life experiences, “Many of our earlier songs were about my Father passing away unexpectedly about a year and a half ago. It was very therapeutic. I write a lot of songs about bad relationships, whether they be about girlfriends, family members, or parents, they all have that element of love, hate, despise, approval, longing, obsession, or pretty much anything having to do interpersonal relationships. I want you to feel what I am feeling, and I want my lyrics to be accessible to you in that way.”

Second Son has played numerous shows in the lower Chicago Area and in Central Illinois. Currently the band is working on some new material as well as doing some preliminary recordings for their third release. Myself, as well as [SecondSon]’s fan base, can hardly wait. –Robert Shamison, Buzz magazine--