Formation

In the summer of 2001, Ari Wiznitzer and David Safran both decided to form The Audreys. Ari was a music reviewer and a cult of personality in their local scene. The band’s name, as David recalls, was “either a Little Shop of Horrors or Audrey Hepburn reference”, but the band as a whole does not seem to specifically remember which.^[1] Ari met Patrick at the Record Surplus store in Des Plaines, where the latter worked, striking up a conversation about garage rock.^[1][4] In September of 2001, the three boys later played for the first time as a trio in Glencoe.

Shortly after formation, the duo realized they needed a drummer. Ari suggested bringing in Patrick Stump. Prior to The Audreys, David and Patrick had been involved in the same small suburban teen punk scene and were intimately familiar with each other’s old bands. Ari, on the other hand, had met Patrick via their jobs in record stores.^[1]

According to FOBAT’s interview with David, in October 2001, they brought on their fourth member and initial bassist then later guitarist, Steph.

After some sessions of songwriting and practicing in Ari and his girlfriend’s shared basement in Glencoe, Patrick left the band suddenly and without warning, never returning to said practice space. He left behind his Royce drum kit, which was later used by The Audreys’ next drummer.^[4]

Steph McLean left not long after Patrick.^[1]

Active Years

After the departure of Patrick around November of 2001 and Steph not long after, David and Ari searched for his replacement. Ari and David met future bandmate Mya Davis through an advertisement, and she joined as the new drummer. The Audreys then moved to a small rehearsal space in Chicago which they shared with an underrated Chicago band The Lawrence Arms. 

For the next few months, things seemingly became stagnant until Steph rejoined The Audreys in early 2002. By the summer of 2002, David left the band, never having played a show with them. He then began working on his solo work.^[1][2]

Ari, Mya, and Steph lived together while trying to get their band off the ground. To get shows, they made CDs of their demo to pass around. At one point, they even opened for The Used, playing for a few thousand people.^[2] After recurring practices in 2001 into 2002, The Audreys recorded their first planned release, #13.^[5] There may have even been a temporary member named Lisa who filled in for Steph for a short time in 2004.^[8]

Two years after forming, The Audreys had built up significant buzz in Chicago. In a 2003 profile, Newcity Magazine described the band as “a blood-pumping, modern-rock machine” and noted that influential club owner and music manager Dem Hopkins had “returned to the local underground rock scene as the manager of The Audreys.”^[14] Previously, Hopkins managed Naked Raygun and The Effigies and owned the iconic gay bar/punk club Oz.^[15][16]

Although The Audreys built significant buzz around Chicago, promises of record contracts did not pan out for the band. After recording #13, the record was shelved and not released until 2004. The band would go on to record their first LP, The Audreys (self-titled).^[5]

The Audreys (self-titled) LP

At some point in either late 2002 or in 2003, The Audreys recorded their first LP. Steph claims not to have been a part of this recording, leaving only two members- Ari and Mya -as members to be confirmed as playing on this LP. Despite the official release, there is a noticeable lack of proper accreditation on the record. Currently unknown is if Patrick penned anything on the record during his short stint in the band.^[5] 

Reviewing the self-titled album in the Chicago Sun-Times, Jim DeRogatis gave The Audreys 3 out of 4 stars and compared the band to the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and the Feelies. “This is definitely a band to watch,” DeRogatis wrote.^[17]

Despite Ari later expressing dissatisfaction with the album, specifically its production, it remains unclear why The Audreys was never officially released.  

#13 EP

Although #13 was recorded before The Audreys, it was still the band’s first official release.^[5] In 2004, Criminal IQ Records had this EP listed for sale on their website, claiming the release was from No Holds Barred, a record label with seemingly no surviving information about it, and no other known releases.^[6] The description for the listing reads:

“NOTE: This is not the as-of-yet unreleased CD that has been widely reviewed in the press that was produced by Ivan Julian. The recordings on #13 are totally different recordings and include songs not recorded with Julian.”^[6]

It is unclear what the true reason for the initial release falling through is.

Reviewing #13 in the Chicago Reader, music critic Monica Kendrick described the EP as “[d]eceitfully simple and bittersweet a la Television or the Velvets… this is what the Strokes should’ve been.”^[18] 

The credits on the CD state that “The Audreys are Ari and Mya” with Steph on guitar or bass for select tracks, although her name is incorrectly written as “Stepanie”. Ari is credited for writing every track on the record. These facts are incorrect, as David contributed writing to various tracks, and Steph was still a part of The Audreys at the time of #13’s release.^[5] An individual named Ben Simon played organ on “I Can’t Believe It”. It was recorded by Mark Freitas and released on No Holds Barred Records.^[7]

On Chicago college and FM radio, The Audreys were played fairly often. The band was at its most popular in the mid-2000s. Their track “Shut Down (All of the Time)” was played almost as relentlessly as “Sugar We’re Goin Down” in the local scene.^[1] They received a decent amount of attention from local press and radio- ironically mostly for their unreleased LP, rather than their released EP, which received little fanfare.^[1]

Breakup/Hiatus

By 2004, The Audreys relocated to Austin, Texas, as the members had connections in the area. At that point, the band was solely Ari and Mya with occasional fill-in bassists. The band failed to gain traction in Austin, and eventually, the band fizzled out. Soon enough, the band ended up disbanding and parting ways. After this, all five previous members of The Audreys did not keep in contact for almost 20 years, and their legacy largely faded into obscurity.^[2]

Controversies

As the band developed in 2001 and 2002, Ari evolved into a difficult figure to work with and became controlling in his vision for the band. Near the end of David’s tenure, there was “little democratic decision-making within the band”.^[1][5]

Although they were touted as being the next Strokes or similar big garage revival band, much of The Audreys’ history has been lost to time.^[5][8] To some, it seems to have been a deliberate and perhaps retaliatory move.

The 2023 reunion interview had occasional moments of tension and open feuding, particularly between Ari and David, to the point that it “nearly derailed the conversation”.^[2]

Reunions

After not speaking for nearly two decades, David, Mya, Steph, and Ari reunited for an interview on Lumpen Radio in October 2023.^[2] The impetus for this reunion was David’s discovery that two Audreys songs, “Hardwired” and “The Waves”, were re-recorded and released, without proper credit, on Ivan Julian’s 2011 solo album, The Naked Flame. Julian was in the punk band Richard Hell and the Voidoids, and produced The Audrey’s previously mentioned unreleased LP, which contained both “Hardwired” and “The Waves”. Julian released his versions as singles but failed to describe them as covers. The band briefly reunited in an effort to reclaim their music, but such an effort was mostly unsuccessful in actually reconnecting the band.^[5]

Why Patrick left The Audreys 

Patrick has clarified his departure from The Audreys in communications with FOBAT. He was “a bit of a rock snob” around the time of the formation of The Audreys. Patrick wanted to be in a garage band like The Strokes or The Stooges, but hid from his “hipper” friends that he had begun to appreciate pop-punk such as Saves the Day and Hot Water Music. After only a couple of months of being in The Audreys, he left his drum kit at Ari’s girlfriend’s house and never went back for it. Patrick left The Audreys before they professionally recorded any music. It was a poor-quality drum kit, so the bands he would join often found other drums for him to borrow, hence why he had no issue leaving his kit. After Patrick lost touch with Ari and David, he felt embarrassed for leaving so suddenly, and thus never called them back, nor retrieved the kit. As it was around November 2001, Fall Out Boy had already played their first show and were likely recording their demo around this time.^[1][4]

Both Patrick and David left The Audreys before the band professionally recorded any music.^[5]

Musical Style

The dominant styles of local bands in Chicago at the time were pop-punk, emo, and garage rock. The Audreys were a garage band in the same vein of bands that were breaking at the time like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.^[1][5] In contrast, early Fall Out Boy drew inspiration from emo and pop-punk bands like Saves the Day, The Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World, and New Found Glory. Despite their massive influence, some influential indie rock critics derided emo and pop-punk while heralding garage revival bands. However, there has since been a critical reappraisal for many of these bands and their affiliated music scenes as a whole.^[10][11]

Discography

#13 EP

1. I Can’t Believe It
2. Number Thirteen
3. Hardwired
4. The Paisley Sound
5. I Wancha
6. In A Hole

The Audreys

1. Shut Down (All Of The Time)
2. Hardwired
3. The Paisley Sound
4. Jan & Dean
5. Headed For A Breakdown
6. The Waves
7. I Got It Made
8. Got Nothing On Me

Other releases

1. Unreleased live album recorded at CBGB
2. An unknown number of other demos (pre-#13 and the self-titled tape)

Touring

07/19/02
Big Horse Lounge – Milwaukee, WI
W/ Stories for Boys
[SOURCE]

07/31/02
The Mutiny – Chicago, IL
W/ The Functional Blackouts, Busy Kids
[SOURCE]

10/01/02
The Prodigal Son – Chicago, IL
W/ Witnesses, The Red Lights, Twat Vibe
[SOURCE]

02/14/03
Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL
[SOURCE]

12/07/02
Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL
W/ The Deadly Snakes, The Ponys, Tijuana Hercules
[SOURCE]
[SOURCE]

04/02/03
Fireside Bowl – Chicago, IL
W/ Mrs. White, The Intima
[SOURCE]

04/25/03
Beat Kitchen – Chicago, IL
W/ Mr. Airplane Man, The Girls, Miss Alex White
[SOURCE]

05/07/03
Double Door – Chicago, IL
W/ The New Constitution, The Bamboo Kids, The Like Young
SOURCE: Ticket Line – April 11, 2003 | Chicago Sun-Times

06/18/03
The Subterranean – Chicago, IL
W/ Thundercrack, The Dishes
[SOURCE]

06/30/03
The Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
W/ Swansea Mass, Kasper Hauser
[SOURCE]

07/23/03
Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
W/ The Cougars, The Chinese Stars, Stillwell
[SOURCE]

08/20/03
Double Door – Chicago, IL
W/ Demolition Doll Rods, The Dishes, The Tears
[SOURCE]

09/06/03
Abbey Pub – Chicago, IL
W/ Magnus, Barbeau, The Changes
[SOURCE]

10/02/03
The Abbey – Chicago, IL
W/ Pearlene, Velcro Lewis, The 100 Proof Band
SOURCE: Ticket Line – September 5, 2003 | Chicago Sun-Times

12/27/03
The Subterranean – Chicago, IL
W/ The Drapes, The Waxrings
[SOURCE]

02/18/04
Unknown venue – Memphis, TN
W/ ???
[SOURCE] 

04/02/04
Lyons Den – Chicago, IL
W/ The Star Spangles, The Krunchies, The Grackle
SOURCE: Star Spangles Living Punk Rock Life on and Off the – Times, The (Munster, IN)

04/30/04 
Empty Bottle – Chicago, IL
W/ ???
[SOURCE]

05/07/04 
Subterranean – Chicago, IL
W/ ???
[SOURCE]

06/04/04 
Subterranean – Chicago, IL
W/ Headache City, The Oscars, and Night Terrors
[SOURCE]

Trivia

• Patrick ended up working at the Borders Bookstore, where Ari worked and where he met Joe.^[10]
• “Hardwired” was the first song The Audreys wrote.^[2]
  • This song would play at music venues in between bands’ sets^[5]
• Ari ended up selling the drum kit Patrick left behind.^[5]
• The Audreys have a folder in the Chicago Reader’s curated music collection of Midwest musicians archived at the Newberry Library.^[19]
• There was a van in the middle of the rehearsal space that The Audreys used. This space was also shared with The Lawrence Arms.^[2]
• Ari’s ancestors may have founded Vizhnitz, a famous place in Jewish culture, in the 1600s.^[2]
• Mya’s bio on The Rotten Fruits reads: “The sticks, the clicks she likes the cold beer ‘n hot chicks… makes the pussy cat purr… you go GRRRL”^[13]

References

1. Interview with David Safran : 09-06-24 – FOB ARCHIVE TEAM. (2024). Fobarchive.com. https://fobarchive.com/interview-with-david-safran-09-06-24/
2. Carras, S. (2022, October 23). The Audreys [Radio broadcast]. Lumpen Radio. https://www.mixcloud.com/lumpenradio/lumpen-special-10-27-2023-the-audreys/ 
3. Downey, R. (2023). The Oral History of Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave. Fueled By Ramen.
4. Stump, P., personal communication, 2024.
5. Safran, D., personal communication, 2024.
6. Criminal IQ Records – Stolen Goods. (2004). Archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20040607174716/http://criminaliq.com/stolengoods.html 
7. Ebay Listing, 2024
8. Shekleton, T. (2004, May 28). Band Profile: The Audreys Gapers Block: Media Warm & Tepid. Gapersblock.com; Gapers Block. https://gapersblock.com/airbags/archives/band_profile_the_audreys/
9. BMI | Songview Search. (2025). Bmi.com; Broadcast Music, Inc. https://repertoire.bmi.com/Search/Search?Main_Search_Text=Hardwired&Sub_Search_Text=David%20Safran&Main_Search=Title&Sub_Search=Writer%2FComposer&Search_Type=all&View_Count=0&Page_Number=0
10. Jimmy Eat World: Clarity: Pitchfork Record Review. (2008). PitchforkMedia.com; Pitchfork Media, Inc. https://web.archive.org/web/20080603120738/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/18878-clarity
11. Payne, C. (2023). Where Are Your Boys Tonight? HarperCollins.
12. (2006, June 11). Anindeliblemark. https://anindeliblemark.livejournal.com/1039.html
13. The Rotten Fruits. (2001). The Rotten Fruits. https://web.archive.org/web/20011203074357/http://www.rottenfruits.com/
14. “NEWCITYCHICAGO.COM: Street Smart Chicago” web.archive.org/web/20030727022153/http://newcitychicago.com/chicago/2605.html. 
15. “DEMETRIUS “DEM” HOPKINS – Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame” chicagolgbthalloffame.org/demetrius-dem-hopkins/. 
16. “Oz” ChicagoPunk, punkdatabase.com/wiki/Oz.
17. Ivan Julian Press Page. https://web.archive.org/web/20041009144154/http://ivanjulian.com/press.html. 
18. Kendrick, M. (2004, April 29). Spot Check. Chicago Reader. https://chicagoreader.com/music/spot-check-21/
19. (n.d.). The Audreys, 2001. Modern Manuscripts & Archives at the Newberry. https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/archival_objects/118897