Eyeshine

Eyeshine was formed in 2004 by front man Johnny Yong Bosch and Maurice Salmin. Eyeshine first found success in 2006 with a unique blend of pop punk and post grunge called Edge Rock. The band gained a modest audience with its debut EP, "How About That" and their first full length album, "Red Stripes White Lights" but it was their sophomore effort, "My Paper Kingdom" that officially opened the flood gates in 2009. MPK featured their award winning song, "ALONE," whose honest and simple lyrics made a connection to a steadily growing fan base. The band has continued to self produced 6 more albums: "Tone Of Echoes" (features the Elfenworks Foundation sponsored song "Hope Is So Far Away"), "Afterglow" (acoustic album), "Sonosis" (instrumental album), "Sansvox" (karaoke album), "XMAS" (Christmas album), and their latest album "Revolution Airwaves."

The band has been touring across the nation since 2006 and even making their way out of the country to New Zealand in early 2011. Eyeshine also is set to tour Australia, New Zealand, and Canada in late 2012.

Johnny Yong Bosch Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar/Songwriter


Johnny Yong Bosch is rapidly becoming a musician to be reckoned with. He’s the driving, creative force behind Eyeshine, fusing together raw passion and mesmerizing melodies to create a unique blend of aggressive edge rock that is entirely and undoubtedly his own. He was raised in a small suburb of Dallas in a family of 6. Sharing everything with his brother and sisters, including clothes. In school, his peers mocked him and his teachers called him a daydreamer. His parents however, taught him that dreams are fulfilled and broken by those who have them. Their support helped him develop a “never give up” attitude and focus for his life. In 1994, Johnny set out for California to pursue a career in acting. He immediately landed a lead role in the hit series Power Rangers where he portrayed the Black Power Ranger, Adam Park. He was featured in over 200 episodes and both silver screen versions of the show. He then turned to voice acting commanding various lead roles. Kaneda in Akira, Lelouch in Code Geass (Adult Swim), Ichigo in Bleach (Cartoon Network) and Nero in the hit game franchise Devil May Cry 4 are just a few among the list found on IMDB. Johnny purchased his first Stratocaster guitar in 1998 and began to teach himself how to play and sing. Years of bottled up emotions began to pour out on paper as he penned lyrics. Freeing himself of past pain through his expression in music made him realize he could do the same for others. With newly found meaning and ambition, he continued honing his skills and enlisted the help of friends that shared the same love for music, forming Eyeshine. Johnny’s currently known as one of the most popular voices in anime and video games. Generating what can best be described as a cult following in the cartoon industry. He’s an immensely talented rising star, perfectly positioned as the frontman of Eyeshine.

FUN FACTS:

1. Favorite snack is peanut M&M's.

2. Studied various martial arts including Shaolin Kung Fu.

3. Speaks 3 languages (English, Gibberish, Pig Latin)

Maurice Salmin Drums/Piano/Back Vocals
 Largely self-taught, Maurice Salmin is the heart of Eyeshine, bringing a spirit of youth, excitement and counter melodies with harmonies and piano scales. A native to California, Maurice was raised by a single mother. To make ends meet, his mother had to travel and work in the Philippines, forcing him to live back and forth with his aunt. With no more than a few possessions, he grew up banging on cereal boxes to pass the time until learning the snare drum in middle school. Maurice was drawn to the rhythm and drumbeats in music. He finally found something he was good at, something he could call his own. He continued sharpening his drumming skills through high school and college in a local church band, where he first met Johnny. He then joined Johnny in the pursuit of a dream and vowed to one day to be able to support his mother and repay his family for everything they've done for him. Maurice draws influence from Alternative, Indie, Modern and Techno genres to create drumbeats with electrifying intensity.

FUN FACTS:

1. Lives off Haribo Gummy Bears and Salsa Verde Doritos

2. Drinks Vitamin Water everyday

3. Speaks 2 languages (English, Japanese)

Masataka "Polo" Yazaki Lead Guitar/Back Vocals
 Just a bit over 5 feet tall, Polo is revered as one of Eyeshine's biggest players. Polo (Mastaka Yazaki) was born and raised in Kochi, Japan. In high school he was the number one cross country runner in the city. Complications with his stomach forced him to give up his dreams of running. To cheer himself up he spent his time hanging out with friends and on one evening he stumbled upon a guitar that caught his attention. He was so fascinated by the guitar that it led his heart in a new direction and at the age of 20, he moved to Tokyo and joined an independent band. Shortly after they were signed to a major label, but Polo was consistently mistreated and abused by their manager. After a lit cigarette to the face, Polo decided to leave the band. He then began working as a session guitarist for a professional recording studio, which earned him the opportunity to work with various artists such as Tsukiko Amano(Pony Canyon), September (U-Can Entertainment), 9 Nine (Otokura Record), etc. In 2007 Polo followed his dreams and moved to Los Angeles, where he started his own band (NIRF) and recorded an album with Steve Albiini in 2008. By 2010, NIRF disbanded and the majority of it's members returned to Japan leaving Polo on his own once again. He hit the streets performing solo as well as subbing for several other bands which eventually lead to him sharing the stage with Eyeshine in Idaho. A few years after their first meeting, Eyeshine invited Polo to sub as lead guitarist while on tour through Miami, Detroit and New Orleans. A few months later Eyeshine's lead guitarist left the band and Polo quickly stepped on board and filled the gap. Polo's musical talents and stage presence help cement the group together.

FUN FACTS:

1. Polo can eat anything spicy, no matter the level.

2. Polo's loves Foo Fighters and Nirvana.

3. He has a tattoo of Dave Grohl's signature on the his back.

Awards and Recognitions
Eyeshine won the worldwide Ford sponsored competition "Gimme The Gig II" in May 2012. They recorded a single and filmed a music video with the Legendary Don Was (President of Blue Note Records and 7 time Grammy Award winning Producer - Rolling Stones, Elton John, John Mayer, etc) and Krish Sharma (Producer/Engineer - The Rolling Stones, Counting Crows, Hilary Duff, Jesse McCartney, etc) out of the "Ford Focus Studio." Which is a Mobile Studio that was built into a Ford Focus by "Mad" Mike Martin (Pimp My Ride). KTLA (West Coast News Stations affiliated with The CW TV Network), filmed and aired the one-hour special on west coast television.

Notable Achievements

 * Won the worldwide Ford Sponsored Gimme The Gig II competition. (2012 - see above)
 * Performed live on the KTLA Morning show (affiliate of the CW Television Network) on July 20th, 2012
 * Featured their album "Revolution Airwaves" in the Warped Tour Issue of A.P. (Alternative Press) Magazine. (2012)
 * Performed and recorded "Love Psalm" in the Playstation Vita game "Silent Hill: Book of Memories." Which featured Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Akira Yamaoka. (2011)
 * Front man Johnny Yong Bosch was featured in Alternative Revolt Magazine. (2011)
 * Featured in the 2nd episode of international Korean TV show "Ba Ram Eh Shil Ryu" (Gone With The Wind) where they performed alongside the Korean pop-star Yim Jae Beom.
 * Unsigned Contest Winner for AMP Magazine in 2011, which featured the band in issue #109 of Amp Magazine. (2011)
 * Finalists in KROQ's Shot To Rock Competition. (Top 10 - 2011)
 * Gimme the Gig Finalist (Top 7) Live on KTLA at the Whiskey A Go Go. (2010)
 * "Alone" (Album "My Paper Kingdom") is awarded as one of Top 15 Most Played Indie Artist's songs by the IAIRA. (2010)
 * Star 98.7 Rockstar Finalist (Top 10 - 2010)
 * Star 98.7 Rockstar Finalist (Top 5 - 2009)
 * "Alone" (Album "My Paper Kingdom") is awarded the Elfenworks Social Justice Award (2009)
 * Campus Music Fest Los Angeles Finalist (Top 3 - 2009)

Music Videos

 * Sunday Flower (2006)
 * Here Comes The End Again (2008)
 * Fighting (2009)
 * Hope Is So Far Away (2010)
 * Our Whole Lives Tonight (2010)
 * Stratosphere (2011)