The four-member music group, The Interruptersson originated in Los Angeles, California. The group consists of lead singer Aimee Interrupter and three brothers, Jesse Bivona, Justin Bivona and Kevin Bivona. They specialize in a subgenre of music known as ska punk and have released up to three studio albums since forming in 2011. Among other career highlights, The Interrupters performed at the 2019 Coachella festival.
Switches – Bio
The three Bivona brothers started playing together in a band called “Telacasters”. They were touring with two other bands, The Dirty Heads and Sugar Ray, in 2009 when they met Aimee Allen, a solo artist at the time. One of the Bivona brothers, Kevin, started writing songs with Aimee, after which they invited the other two brothers to play instruments. Their recording sessions were successful and after working together for a while, the band was officially formed in 2011.
Group members
Aimee Allen
The most famous member of this group, for obvious reasons, is Aimee Allen. When she performs for the group, she takes the stage nickname Aimee Interrupter. Being a natural performer, Aimee also takes on her musical persona and is much more entertaining every time she takes the stage.
She was discovered in 2002 by music producer and former American Idol judge Randy Jackson. She recorded a first album which never saw the light of day although her first single was released. However, some of the songs on the album have been reworked by other artists over the years. She then released her first solo album A Little Happiness in 2009 and also worked briefly as a radio host before the formation of The Interrupters in 2011.
Kevin Bivona
Kevin Bivona is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, sound engineer and mixer. He began his career as a teenager when he formed the ska punk band Telacasters with two of his friends in the mid-1990s. on the Vans Warped Tour. He has also worked with several other musical acts in different capacities. Among other career highlights, Bivona collaborated with Tim Armstrong on the Grammy-winning album Jimmy Cliff Renaissance (2012).
Justin and Jesse Bivona
Justin Bivona is the bassist for The Interrupters, while his twin brother Jesse Bivona is the band’s drummer. Their career started in 2008 when they both joined their big brother Kevin in the band Telacasters. Justin and Jesse also served as members of the rock band Sugar Ray and were eventually recruited as full band members in 2010. Their presence in Sugar Ray’s lineup was rather short, as they joined soon after to form the Interrupters.
Group Facts
After reuniting in 2011, The Interrupters continued to tour with other bands even as they began working on their own songs. They had the opportunity to perform at the American music festival Riot Fest in Chicago and Denver as well as the Amnesia Rockfest held in Quebec, Canada.
The band eventually released their first two singles, Liberty and Family, in 2013, featuring Tim Armstrong. Their self-titled debut studio album The Switches was released in August 2014. The album entered the iTunes US Albums chart at number 85. Its lead single “Take Back The Power” became hugely popular as it was featured in major television commercials as well as in television shows and films.
The Switches have embarked on a tour of North America and Europe in support of their debut album. In the United States and Canada they have toured with bands such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Street Dogs, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Rancid and The English Beat. For the European part of the tour, they were supported by Bad Religion. The band also played at the Soundwave Festival, Australia’s annual festival, as well as the Groezrock music festival in Belgium.
The Interrupters’ second studio album Say It Out Loud was released in June 2016 and it found more success on the music charts. The album entered the iTunes US Albums chart at #56 and it peaked at #7 on the Heatseekers Album Billboard, #25 on the Independent Albums Chart Billboard, #38 on the Top Rock Albums Billboard and No. 22 on the Vinyl Albums Billboard Billboard .
In promotion of Say It Out Loud , the Switches performed in the Warped Tour vans in the summer of 2016 and soon after embarked on their first US headlining tour with punk band 100 % female, Bad Cop / Bad Cop, based in Los Angeles. The band continues to tour different parts of the world as headliners and with other bands such as Green Day.
The Switches finally took a break from touring to create a new musical body and drawing on many years of experience in the performing business, they decided to release their first live album. Their third album Fighting the Good Fight was recorded live on tape and was produced by longtime collaborating speaker Tim Armstrong. The album was released in May 2018 and its chart performance is much better than their previous albums.
Fighting the Good Fight reached No. 2 on the Billboard Independent Albums Chart and No. 141 on the Billboard 200. The album’s single “She’s Kerosene” also peaked at No. 4 on the chart. Billboard Alternate Songs Board. In addition to their albums, The Interrupters have also released several EPs, including Liberty EP (2013), Family EP (2013), and Babylon EP (2015).