Ben Moody

Ben Moody Birth Name Benjamin Robert Moody Date of Birth January 22, 1981 Origin Little Rock, Arkansas Genre Goth metal, rock, alternative, nu metal

Ben Moody (born January 22, 1981, in Little Rock, Arkansas as Ben Robert Moody III) was formerly the lead guitarist for Evanescence from 1996 to 2003 and is one of the three original members of Evanescence. Ben's father is a prominent photographer in the Little Rock area.

Career

Evanescence

Ben met Amy in 1994 at a Christian youth summer camp and the two became friends. Soon, they began playing music at local shops. Within the next few years, they started to sell EPs at local shows. This led to being discovered by Wind-up Records and the release of their major label debut album, Fallen.

Solo career

Beginning in 2004, Moody began collaborating with a variety of artists, working in multiple disciplines. That year, he co-wrote the track "Nobody's Home" for Avril Lavigne's second album, Under My Skin, and wrote and recorded the track "The End Has Come" with Jason C. Miller and Jason "Gong" Jones for The Punisher soundtrack. He then wrote with David Hodges, Kelly Clarkson, and others for Clarkson's second album, Breakaway, working on the songs "Because of You" and "Addicted".

In early 2005, Moody played lead guitar for the song "Forever in Our Hearts", the 'song for tsunami relief' made exclusively for iTunes. He collaborated with singer Anastacia on the song "Everything Burns", which is featured on her album Pieces of a Dream and the Fantastic Four soundtrack. Moody then assisted Lindsay Lohan on her album A Little More Personal (Raw) and worked with Bo Bice on the song "My World" (a cover from SR-71) for his debut album The Real Thing.

In April 2006, Moody began working on the debut album of Billings, Montana singer-songwriter Hana Pestle. He co-produced and co-wrote alongside Michael "Fish" Herring, and contributed vocals and instrumentals to the album. He later produced the Godhead album The Shadow Line with Julian Beeston, and played a clown in their music video for the song "Push". He collaborated with David Hodges again on American Idol Chris Daughtry's debut album, Daughtry, for the song "What About Now".

In 2007, Moody worked with Céline Dion on her album Taking Chances, and began work for his own solo album.

In December 2008, he released the Mutiny Bootleg E.P. and announced that his solo album would be released on March 3, 2009. This release would be delayed, however, as was hinted at in February 2009, when Moody's official website displayed the release as "available 2009" instead of the March 3 release date. On June 9, 2009, Moody's debut solo album, entitled All for This, was released digitally via Amazon.com, iTunes, and Amie Street through Moody's label, FNR Records. His second album, You Can't Regret What You Don't Remember, was released on November 11, 2011.

We Are the Fallen

Shortly after the release of All for This, it was announced that Moody had created and is also currently a member of a new rock band called We Are the Fallen. The members of the band include American Idol 7 finalist Carly Smithson as the lead singer, former Evanescence members Rocky Gray and John LeCompt, and Moody's friend Marty O'Brien. We Are the Fallen made their first public appearance together for a press conference at SIR Studios in Los Angeles, CA, on June 22, 2009. Their debut album, Tear The World Down was released in May 2010 to generally positive reviews. The band toured for most of the year in support of the album, and filmed their first live DVD, Cirque Des Damnés, at the Avalon Theatre. The DVD was scheduled for release in late 2011.

The Halo Method

In 2012 Moody teamed up with former Papa Roach drummer Dave Buckner and former Rockstar Supernova frontman Lukas Rossi to form a new project called The Halo Method. Before their debut show on the Shiprocked cruise in November 2012, former In This Moment bassist and multi-talented studio engineer Josh Newell became their permanent bassist. The band has since played a few shows, released an EP, and is had their second Shiprocked show in late January 2014.

Acting

Aside from his music endeavours, Moody works with his television and film production company, Makeshift Films. He has also done some film work, such as his cameo as a zombie in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (recognized by Milla Jovovich in her commentary). He can also be seen in the 2007 release of the low budget, Lionsgate film, Dead and Gone.

Representation

Ben Moody is published by BMG Chrysalis Publishing worldwide.

Leaving Evanescence

Ben left the band in October 22nd, 2003, before a Berlin concert, after creative differences caused a rift between him and Amy. The two are reported to have been in a relationship sometime in the past, and this relationship is actually what inspired most of the songs in Evanescence's pre-2003 repertoire. In the past, Amy would only say that the songs were about an "abusive relationship" with an un-named person.

Ben has caught a bad rap from some fans since his departure. In an interview with MTV, he explained his reasons for leaving the band:

MTV: Now that you've had more time away and perspective, how do you feel about the Evanescence split? Moody: I have a lot more peace about it, even more than the day I left. ... I still feel it was the right decision because Evanescence has carried on, and they've had great success since me. So I know for a fact I made the right choice. If I stayed, I think Amy and I would have destroyed it because we just weren't heading in the same direction; we were pulling it in two different directions. It was bad. MTV: It seems like you exited for the greater good and still have a lot of love and respect for Evanescence as people. Moody: I do. There was animosity at the time because I was so upset that I had built something for so long and we couldn't make it work. I was pissed off about that. At the same time, I was denying my responsibility for that, you know? Now I can go back and go, "It was what it was." As much as they can't blame me for who I am as a person, I can't blame [Amy], or the rest of them for who they are. I totally love them and have absolute respect for them. If I didn't, instead of jumping ship, I would have taken it down. I would much rather see them succeed, because I have nothing but respect for them. MTV: You said you had peace, but you must have been depressed about losing all those years you invested in the band. Moody: Oh yeah, I was horribly depressed, and I felt like I had failed as a band leader, a professional, as a person. I had become somebody I didn't want to be. Whatever kind of success came along with that, I thought I would have handled it better. MTV: Do you ever think you could have salvaged the band if you didn't have to tour so much? Moody: It's possible, yeah. One of my best friends who was a monitor tech for Evanescence — he'd known Amy and I for a long time — he said, "I wish you guys could have two years where you didn't see each other." We didn't go a day without constantly being in each other's face for the better part of a decade. He was right, and I realized that, but we didn't have that option. One of us had to go, and it's not one of those things where you can take the time off, because then the whole thing would have went to crap. It was all or nothing. MTV: Was part of it you guys moving in different musical directions? Moody: Part of it, absolutely. [Amy] is much more creative than I am, I'll be the first to admit it. I am a bit more commercial minded, I guess. I like structure in songs, and I like making songs people can adhere to. I still like to be creative, but she is more educated musically, and she wanted to explore that. I wanted to do that, but keep in the confines of what I knew people expected from Evanescence. I think in my immaturity at the time, I did that in just a way-too-controlling manner — it was like my way or the highway. We just couldn't meet in the middle, so I was like, "The hell with it." MTV: So you haven't reached out to Amy at all since you left? Moody: I sent her a message letting her know the door was open and that I wished her good luck on the next record. I hope everything is well. [Evanescence co-songwriter David] Hodges and I went to see the final "Star Wars" on opening night, and we had an extra ticket. So we called her and invited her, left a message on her voicemail. I found out later from her manager that she actually considered going down. Who knows — one day we'll all go see a movie together. Solo Carrer

He started an independent cinema label, called Makeshift Films, and an independent music label, called FNR records, producing Hana Pestle, an alternative rock/acoustic artist. For this label Ben produced his solo works too: the Mutiny Bootleg EP and All For This.

We Are The Fallen

In 2009 it was announced Ben Moody would be joining ex-Evanescence members John LeCompt and Rocky Gray along with former American Idol contestant Carly Smithson (Vocals) and bass player Marty O'Brien to form We Are The Fallen. The group released their debut album "Tear The World Down" on May 11, 2010.

Trivia

• He's 5' 8½" (1.74 m) tall.
• Ben Moody's favorite drink is Dr Pepper.
• Once he was asked to join Living Sacrifice, but he refused to keep staying in Evanescence.
• The first song he learned to play on the guitar was "Rape Me" by Nirvana.
• He first wanted to become a drummer, but finally he played the guitar for wrist pains.
• He studied the piano, but he never studied the guitar.
• Once, by mistake, he brought Evanescence in a gay pub.

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