Tyler Glenn, singer for Neon Trees and a former Murrieta resident, performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on May 15, 2010. (Vanessa Franko)
This story originally ran on A1 of The Press-Enterprise on April 15, 2011.
BY VANESSA FRANKO
STAFF WRITER
They’ve performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” twice in nine months. They’ve topped Billboard and iTunes charts. They’ve sold more than 1 million digital copies of their hit single. The song-happy cast of the top-rated Fox TV show “Glee” has paid tribute to them.
Who are they?
They’re Neon Trees, a pop rock band whose singer, Tyler Glenn, and guitarist, Chris Allen, formed the group while growing up in Murrieta.
The band’s ascendance in the past 13 months has earned them a coveted spot at the sold-out Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Sunday, along with big names like Arcade Fire, Kanye West and Duran Duran.
The group’s hit single, “Animal,” has permeated radio waves, been the soundtrack to a commercial promoting Las Vegas and landed in video games “The Sims” and “Rock Band.”
“You hear it everywhere,” said Paul Tollett, the organizer and founder of the music festival. “They’ve earned their place.”
Not so long ago, Glenn and Allen, who are in their late 20s, attended Coachella as fans. Now they’re part of the draw.
Although they have moved to Utah, their roots hold firm in Murrieta, where their parents still live.
Their fathers, who were co-workers, got the two together in 2002. Glenn and Allen officially started making music as Neon Trees in 2005, the same year they moved to Utah, where they connected with drummer Elaine Bradley and bassist Branden Campbell.
Family members knew the band’s determination.
“They knew they could do something,” said Sylvia Allen, Chris’ mother.
Campbell had connections to the Killers, past Coachella headliners, and the group asked Neon Trees to open some shows. That attracted the attention of major record labels in 2008.
Finding the right label helped the Neon Trees navigate the seas of the record industry. When they signed to Mercury/Def Jam, band members made a point of meeting everyone they would be working with in the company, from executives to publicists. They wanted the company to be as invested as they were.
When “Habits,” the band’s debut album, was released in March 2010, Neon Trees ignited a slow-burning fuse with “Animal,” a song about the predatory dark side of love.
The album’s catchy songs snared the attention of Mark Hoppus, bassist for multi-platinum pop-punk band blink-182. For the music magazine Spin, he recommended Neon Trees as a “band to watch” at last year’s South By Southwest Music Conference, an Austin, Texas, mecca for industry insiders and music journalists. Neon Trees impressed critics with dynamic live sets and did a string of interviews, and the band’s name circulated to music websites and various publications.
Neon Trees performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on May 15, 2010. (Vanessa Franko)
Building A Buzz
Deb Glenn, Tyler’s mother, started keeping a scrapbook for the band when the album came out. “After three months, I couldn’t keep up with it anymore,” she said.
The band grew its fan base by opening for 30 Seconds to Mars, then co-headlined a club tour over the summer. At the same time, “Animal” got more and more airplay on radio stations across the country.
One stop at a time, the members of Neon Trees took time to connect with fans. They performed on local radio programs from Tampa, Fla., to Cleveland to Los Angeles. They arranged meet-and-greets with fans, including one in July at Hot Topic in the Montclair Mall, always posing for pictures and expressing appreciation for the fans who took the time to listen.
In August, Neon Trees played Lollapalooza in Chicago, performing for a sea of thousands. Tyler Glenn said he was happy to get a picture of himself with headliner Lady Gaga.
“A year before then, I was hoping to be able to just give an interview and share my thoughts on music. Now people want to know what I have to say,” Glenn said.
By October, “Animal” had topped Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart after 32 weeks on the list, setting a record for the lengthiest journey to No. 1 on the list.
In November, “Animal” passed the million mark as a digital single.
One day, Glenn’s platinum record arrived at his mother’s house when she was home alone.
“I started crying,” Deb Glenn said.
Tyler Glenn and Chris Allen said the success of the past year has been surreal at times.
When he visits Murrieta, Glenn can’t make a trip to the local Ralphs without being asked for his autograph. Allen said it’s hard to have a normal social life and do things like pay bills and keep his scooters running.
Glenn said one of the challenges of the past year has been dealing with the “haters” and people who think they have pigeonholed Neon Trees’ sound.
Neon Trees isn’t worried about being pegged as a one-hit wonder for the cut “Animal,” he said.
“I view it as a launching pad. As massive as it became, and kind of is, I think there’s still many people who haven’t even heard it, which is surprising,” Glenn said. “For us, I think it was a calling card, but it’s not the best song we’ve ever written and that makes me feel good … there’s a great album that ‘Animal’ is attached to.”
The band released its follow-up single, “1983,” with more TV spots on Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon. It reached No. 13 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart in January.
” ‘Animal’ is not going away,” Allen said. “It’s still just as hot as ever on radio, and I feel like it needs to move out of the way a little bit for other songs on the album to be heard.”
The band’s next single is “Your Surrender,” which will be featured in the upcoming Disney film “Prom.” The group currently is on tour with My Chemical Romance and will headline a summer tour, including a stop at the Orange County Fair in July, before getting back into the studio.
But before all of that, there’s Coachella, a performance that means a lot to Glenn and Allen.
“I think that was the first thing on my list of things like, ‘You’ve made it,’ ” Allen said.