Area 51 - The Genesis And Evolution

AREA 51 was born about a year before November 1997 when the band's first official rehearsal is dated.

Once upon a time two school-time friends - Jirka Nerad and David Uher - accidentally met in a famous Kromeriz pub called "U Premysla". What's more, after a short conversation on different kinds of music they found out that they both were in love with the same kind of music and they were willing not only to listen to it but to try to play it too. Was it exactly like that or not, it's not so important. The most important thing for the future of the band was the next November. Then the progressive-instrumental-rock band AREA 51 saw the world's light for the first time.

Band's Name

"I used to have nightmares about UFO. When I was a kid I desired to see some," Jirka Nerad recalls. "I would look up at the night sky so often and used to say: ,Here I am, come for me!' Later on I found out about the "project" Area 51 in the U.S. and I became a real UFO fan. Dead lawns in parks or in my friends' yards or gardens were a clear evidence of extraterrestrial life forms incidence for me :-)"

Since the other bandmates experienced similar stories in their childhoods, the name Area 51 was approved unanimously after Jirka suggested it.

The first band's official rehearsal took place in the reahearsal room in Brest sometimes in November 1997. After 2 months we had the first set of compositions which we amateurishly recorded on our first CD. Musically, the material was OK but sonically, it was really horrible. However, it is the substance of our evolution.

Area 51 are:

Jirka Nerad - drums (in English: George Disorder :)

Mira Janas - bass guitars (unfortunately there is no English equivalent...)

Michal Kopecny - vocals (in English: Michael Hilly :)

The first singer in the hands of Area 51 was Mira Ulehla - "the Bear". With the Bear we recorded our first official demo "1999" in the studio of Policna. Here the Bear sang 3 songs in non-specific language :-) Between 1998 - 2000 Area 51 played various gigs, including David's favorite "Best Amateur Guitarist" contest in Prague's Rock Café. For this time he leaves empty handed.

After Bear's departure Franta Smazil comes in. A hopeful singer from the town of Holesov and his plangent vocal fit in the soul of Area 51. He recorded the second official demo "2001" with the band. Franta gains more space for singing here and the sung things belong to the best ones of the CD.

Between 2000 - 2002 Area 51 plays together with world-famous bands Stratovarius and Gamma Ray in Zlin (among others) - for the mean time as a support band. In 2002 David succeeds in the "Best Guitarist" contest and gets a job in Prague's band called Dobrohost. After David's move to Prague the band weakens its activities and almost breaks up. The guitarist post was temporarily replaced by Bob Rolinek but the Destiny had different opinion.

As time goes by, a radical change occurs - the original line-up begins to rehearse again. Now we need to find the new face for the microphone because Franta leaves for another Kromeriz band (Mr. Date) where he mutually complements the Bear at the microphone :-) This band can be called "A band of ex-Area 51 singers" :-)

Thoroughgoing selection together with a lucky draw of destiny brings us Michal Kopecny of former local well-known formation Mastnee Brutwan - formerly known as Alcatraz.

Michal is a singer who expresses himself vocally only in English which is a huge advance for the band itself.

Goals And Visions Of The Band

We enjoy ourselves by keeping on producing a similar kind of music. When it comes to the sung things we want to have meaningful lyrics and at the same time we want to progress in different areas all the time. We want to achieve a better sound, better arrangements, better stage shows, better CD covers and first of all we want to become a band that addresses a lot of listeners - Czech and foreign too. That's our main goal.

Sweat out by: Mira (bass)

Translated by: Michal (vocals)