Scoville Units is an American alternative rock band founded by singer and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Asholt. The band took their name from the unit of measure of the Scoville Scale, which measures the hotness or piquancy of a chili pepper. The name is believed to be a tribute to the band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Fairfax District neighborhood of Los Angleles, California where Asholt grew up.Scoville Units' debut album, Code Watchers, was a modest college radio success. In 2007, while touring Europe with OneRepublic shortly after the album's release, Asholt overdosed on a combination of Vicks NyQuil, valium, Grey Goose, and heroin in a London hotel room. He was unconscious and with his legs pinned beneath him for 18 hours, which caused a tragic lack of circulation. Even though Asholt lost both legs, he recovered quickly and returned to the stage in a wheelchair in less than six months.
In 2008, Asholt drew media attention when he received three speeding tickets in the Mazarati sports car that he had customized to be driven without legs. Law enforcement officials in Hollywood reported that Asholt had been traveling at more than 120 miles per hour in a school zone. Coincidentally, a track on the Code Watchers album was titled Speeding to My Death. The publicity for the arrest resulted in record-breaking sales of the song on iTunes and Scoville Units' first top 10 hit.
In early 2009, a deluxe edition of Code Watchers with five additonal tracks was released. The album was given a new cover that features a QR code with Asholt's face superimposed on it. A new album that is as of yet untitled is scheduled for release in June 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment