On Sept. 13, 2009, the San Diego-based screamo/post-hardcore/rock band A City Serene were involved in a horrific traffic accident on the Grapevine, leaving all six band members in critical condition.
On their way to a gig in San Jose, a Ford truck (headed southbound) flew over the center divider, clipped another vehicle, and T-boned the City Serene tour bus. The bus tipped over, was struck by another vehicle, and soon the musicians were being taken to nearby hospitals. As some of the band members clung to life, the local community stepped up, offering a tremendous amount of support and compassion for the young San Diegans. Since the accident, A City Serene continues to endure the long, hard road to recovery, but -- miraculously -- have remained quite productive.
Now there's finally some good news, according to a news release issued from management:
In the last few months, the band has begun to put the accident behind them and focus on their future. In that time, they re-released their EP The Art of Deceiving Perception and have since landed the No. 1 spot among unsigned artists on Smartpunk.com. Furthermore, they were voted the No. 3 Unsigned Band of 2009 in the Alternative Press Magazine Readers Poll issue, and their song “With Swords Crossed” graced the top of the Purevolume.com charts for over a week in the post-hardcore and screamo genres this past January."
Additionally, the resilient A City Serene have just completed a music video for the aforementioned song, “With Swords Crossed.” Premiering March 5 at the Epicenter, the invite-only event (consisting of family, friends and local musicians) will also include an acoustic set from the band. It will be A City Serene's first performance since the accident, proving that a harrowing wreck on the road can't interfere with musical passion.
