Everlasting Moment

Senin, 23 November 2009

Saosin

Saosin is a rock band originally hailing from Newport Beach, California, formed in 2003. The band currently consists of vocalist Cove Reber, guitarists Beau Burchell and Justin Shekoski, bassist Chris Sorenson, and drummer Alex Rodriguez. The band is known for their elements of Heavy Metal sound they have mixed with Alternative Rock and Post-Hardcore vocals

The band recorded their first E.P Translating the Name with original singer, Anthony Green. However, Green left the band following the decision of the band to sign up to a commercial label, Capitol. New singer Cove Reber fronted the band as they recorded their self titled debut album which garnered critical acclaim.

Their second studio album, In Search of Solid Ground was released on 8 September 2009 on Virgin and contains three re-recorded tracks off their The Grey EP.

Origin of name

Anthony Green, the former vocalist, had initially suggested the name "Saosin" for the band. Saosin means “small heart” as well as "be careful" in Chinese ( xiao xin). The word comes from a 15th century proverb about fathers telling their sons who are being married off for money not to get emotionally involved with their wives, (who could die at any time.) Green explained the meaning behind this as being a reference to the fact that nothing is eternal, and that it is a mistake to become overly attached to any one thing, because that thing will eventually be lost. Whilst Green's interpretation of the word xiao xin is obscure, xiao xin is generally used in Chinese as a means to express caution. Green had previously used "Saosin" as a track name in his high school band, Audience of One's CD, I Remember When This All Meant Something.

History

Formation and Translating The Name (2003–2004)

The original lineup for Saosin, consisting of Burchell, Shekoski, Sorenson and former vocalist Anthony Green, was formed in the summer of 2003. On June 17, the band released their first commercial production, the EP Translating the Name. It was an immediate success and was immensely popular on online forums and music sites. Saosin first became popular through promotion and exposure through the Internet. They became known for their distinct musical styles long before their first studio-length album was released, and were popularised on social networking and music sites such as MySpace^.

Studio drummer Pat McGrath and bassist Zach Kennedy left the band early on. Kennedy left for personal reasons, and he wanted to pursue a career in art. He was later replaced by Chris Sorenson. McGrath, who was a former drum technician for American thrash metal band Slayer, was never properly with the band; according to Burchell, he was hired only for the recording for the EP, as Alex Rodriguez had promised his band at the time Open Hand he would finish recording with them, then joined Saosin after the release of Translating the Name. Shortly after the EP's release, Saosin went on a U.S. tour with bands Boys Night Out and Anatomy of a Ghost.

In February 2004, the band's vocalist Anthony Green left Saosin and later formed the band Circa Survive. Green was very homesick and said he was missing his family. Green was also disenchanted with Saosin, evidenced by the use of cryptic imagery in the lyrics of the Translating the Name EP to convey his displeasure with the direction of Saosin. The other bandmembers did, however, finish their Warped Tour obligation with Story of the Year's Philip Sneed taking the mic. A public, nationwide audition then took place.

New singer and Saosin EP (2004–2006)

After the audition process and several guest vocalists on demos, the then 19-year-old Cove Reber, previously the vocalist of the unsigned local bands Mormon in the Middle and Stamp Out Detroit, was announced as their new permanent lead singer. Reber had sent in his demo tape, which was an acoustic demo with "Mookie's Last Christmas". The demo has since leaked onto the internet. It is widely speculated to have included a few songs from Translating the Name. When Beau Burchell first heard the demo, he thought it was Anthony playing a trick on them, for Reber's vocal stylings were very similar to those of Green's when the demo was originally recorded.

Reber's addition to the band was difficult, for the more experienced Green was the center piece of the band in the eyes of Saosin's fans. Many fans consider the time with Green to be something entirely different from what the band is today. There are still distinct fans of both eras (Green Era/Reber Era) debating on which is a better fit for the band as a whole.

Saosin played the Taste of Chaos tour the following winter. Saosin was signed to Capitol Records in March and toured the United States with the Warped Tour for the second time. That summer, they released the Saosin EP. At first it was intended to be a free sampler, but Capitol Records would not allow this and released it as an EP. It contained demo versions of songs later recorded on their first full length album. A video to their new single "Bury Your Head" was filmed during the tour. The band continued touring for the rest of 2005, opening for Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria.

Saosin LP and Come Close (2006–2008)

After a respite from touring between February and June, the Warped Tour 2006 and numerous demos and compilation appearances, Saosin released their first full-length album Saosin on September 26, 2006. The well-known music producer Howard Benson was hired for the production of the album. Benson had worked with several major rock bands such as My Chemical Romance and Blindside. The album sold over 35,000 copies in its first week. The record saw the band writing softer songs such as "You're Not Alone".

During the rest of 2006, Saosin toured on the International Taste of Chaos Tour, playing their first shows outside of America. They also toured the United States with Bleeding Through and Senses Fail. They kept on touring for the whole year of 2007, beginning with a tour with Senses Fail, Alexisonfire, The Sleeping and Drop Dead, Gorgeous. Saosin also invited the non-profit organization Invisible Children for a portion of the tour. In February they joined the Taste of Chaos 2007. Between April and June they toured in Europe, Australia, Japan and Indonesia.

When Saosin returned home they continued their headlining tour with Poison the Well, The Receiving End of Sirens, Fiore and Flight 409. In the later summer of 2007, they were part of Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour. After this they headlined yet another tour in USA and Canada with Alexisonfire, Envy on the Coast, Norma Jean and The Dear and Departed. Concert footage was recorded during the tour stop on November 3, 2007 at The Theater of Living Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The concert footage was compiled for a live album and concert movie entitled Come Close.

Saosin toured from January 21 to February 8, 2008 with Armor for Sleep, Meriwether, and The Bled; from February 9 to February 16 Fear Before joined the tour. They went to Australia between February and March, after which they performed in Singapore on March 7 as the opening performance for Incubus on their Light Grenades Tour. On their way home they also visited Bali, Hawaii and Mexico. After two final shows at home in California in April, they took a six month break from touring.

The Grey EP and In Search of Solid Ground (2008–present)

Saosin returned to touring in October 2008 alongside Underoath and The Devil Wears Prada.

In early 2009, they started recording their new album with producer Butch Walker. They partnered with Hurley to broadcast the recording process live on Hurley's website.

Saosin released a new EP titled The Grey EP on October 14, 2008. The EP was sold on tour and on iTunes and featured three new demos, as well as an acoustic version of "Come Close".The purpose of The Grey EP was to show demos they had been recording; a similar manner in which the Saosin EP contained demos for their debut LP.

Saosin released In Search of Solid Ground on September 8, 2009. Two songs were released as a download to anyone who bought a shirt, and a digital pre-order. The songs were "On My Own" and "Is This Real". These two songs were released as singles on iTunes August 4, 2009. On August 5 a new song titled "Changing" was made available for streaming on the internet. The single was then put up for download on iTunes August 11. Another track titled "The Worst of Me" was also released as part of a free Warped Tour song package on hurley.com/warpedtour. The song "Why Can't You See?" was made available on Last.fm.

Their most recent song "Move Slow" was released on the TV show NCIS's original sountrack.

Members

Current

Cove Reber - lead vocals (2004-present)
Beau Burchell - guitars/harmony vocals (2003-present)
Justin Shekoski - guitar/harmony vocals (2003-present)
Chris Sorenson - bass/keyboards/screaming vocals (2003-present)
Alex Rodriguez - drums/percussion (2003-present)

Former

Anthony Green - lead vocals (2003-2004)
Zach Kennedy - bass (2003)
Pat Mcgrath - drums/percussion (2003)

Discography

Main article: Saosin discography

Studio albums

Saosin (2006)
In Search of Solid Ground (2009)

Simple Plan

Simple Plan is a pop punk rock band from Montréal, Canada that was founded in 1999.

Members

Pierre Charles Bouvier, Vocals (born May 9 1979 in Montréal)
David Phillippe Desrosiers, Bass & Background Vocals (born August 29 1980 in Sept-Îles, Canada)
Charles André "Chuck" Comeau, Drums (born September 17 1979 in Montréal)
Sébestien Lefebvre, Guitar and Backgound Vocals (born June 5 1981 in Montréal)
Jean-François "Jeff" Stinco, Lead guitar (born August 22 1978 in Montréal)

When they were 13, schoolmates Pierre Bouvier and Chuck Comeau founded the band Reset. They published their first album in 1997. Soon after that, Comeau left the band because school was more important to him. He came back in 1999 and founded Simple Plan with Sebastien Lefebvre and Jeff Stinco. Bouvier met up with Comeau at a Sugar Ray concert, and Comeau offered Bouvier to join his band. David Desrosiers, who had replaced Bouvier in Reset, joined the band in 2000. in 2002, they published the album No Pads, No Helmets,... Just Balls. They worked together with Joel Madden (Good Charlotte) and Mark Hoppus (Blink182). One year later, the album Still Not Getting Any... was published.

Singles

No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls.
- "I'm Just a Kid" (2001)
- "I'd Do Anything" (2002) #51 US
- "Addicted" (2003) #45 US, #63 UK, #10 AUS (2004 release)
- "Perfect" (2004) #24 US, #6 AUS (2004 release)

Still Not Getting Any....
- "Welcome To My Life" (2004) #40 US, #7 AUS, #1 CAN, #1 SPAIN, #12 FR
- "Shut Up!" (2004) #99 US, #14 AUS, #12 CAN, #14 SP
- "Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me)" (2005) #49 US, #9 AUS,#3 CAN, #1 SPAIN
- "Crazy" (2005) #32 AUS, #4 CAN
- "Perfect World" (2006) (Single only in iTunes, but not launched in CD single)

Simple Plan
- "When I'm Gone" (2007)
- "Your Love is a Lie" (2008)
- "Save You (2008)

Albums

No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls (2002)
Live from Japan (2003)
Live in Anaheim (2004) (Limited Edition)
Still Not Getting Any... (2004)
MTV Hard Rock Live (2005)
Simple Plan (self titled) (2008)

DVDs

A big Package for You (2003)
MTV Hard Rock Live (2005)

Green Day

This article is about the band Green Day. For the Japanese holiday, see Greenery Day.

Green Day
From left to right: Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool
Background information
Origin	East Bay, California, U.S.
Genres	Punk rock Pop punk Alternative rock
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Lookout!, Skene!, Reprise, Adeline, Epitaph
Associated acts	The Lookouts, Pinhead Gunpowder, The Frustrators, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs
Website	greenday.com
Members
Billie Joe Armstrong Mike Dirnt Tré Cool
Former members
John Kiffmeyer

Green Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987. The band has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitar), Mike Dirnt (bass guitar, vocals), and Tré Cool (drums, percussion) for the majority of its existence.

Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Its early releases for independent record label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label. Nevertheless, its major label debut Dookie (1994) became a breakout success and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 15 million worldwide. As a result, Green Day was widely credited, alongside fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States. Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum, and gold status respectively. Green Day's 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling five million copies in the U.S. The band's eighth studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released on May 15, 2009.

Green Day has sold over 22 million records in the United States.They have won three Grammy Awards; Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

Band history

Formation and Lookout years: 1987–1993

In 1987, friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt, 15 years old at the time, formed a band called Sweet Children. The first Sweet Children show took place on October 17, 1987, at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California where Armstrong's mother was working. In 1988, Armstrong and Dirnt began working with former Isocracy drummer, John Kiffmeyer (also known as Al Sobrante). Kiffmeyer served as both the band's drummer and business manager, handling the booking of shows and helping the band establish a fan base.

Larry Livermore, owner of Lookout! Records, saw the band play an early show and signed them to his label. In 1989 they recorded their first EP, 1,000 Hours. Before 1,000 Hours was released, the band dropped the name Sweet Children, according to Livermore this was done to avoid confusion with another local band Sweet Baby. The band adopted the name Green Day, allegedly due to their fondness of marijuana.

Lookout! would release Green Day's first LP, 39/Smooth in early 1990. Green Day would record two EPs later that year: Slappy and Sweet Children, the latter of which included some older songs they had recorded for Minneapolis indie label Skene! Records. In 1991, Lookout! Records released 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours, a compilation of the 39/Smooth, Slappy, and 1,000 Hours EPs. In late 1990, shortly after the band's first nationwide tour, Sobrante left the East Bay area to attend college. The Lookouts drummer Tré Cool began filling in as a temporary replacement, and when it became clear that Sobrante did not plan to commit to the band full time, Tré Cool's position as Green Day's drummer became permanent. The band went on tour for most of 1992 and 1993, and played a stretch of shows overseas in Europe. The band's second full length album Kerplunk sold about 50,000 copies in the U.S.

Breakthrough success: 1994–1996

Kerplunk's underground success led to a wave of interest coming from major record labels, and they eventually left Lookout! on friendly terms and signed with Reprise Records after attracting the attention of producer Rob Cavallo. Signing to Reprise caused many punk rock fans to regard Green Day as sellouts. Reflecting on the period, Armstrong told Spin magazine in 1999, "I couldn't go back to the punk scene, whether we were the biggest success in the world or the biggest failure ... The only thing I could do was get on my bike and go forward." After signing with Reprise, the band went to work on recording its major label debut, Dookie.

Released in February 1994, and recorded in 3 weeks, Dookie became a commercial success, helped by extensive MTV airplay for the videos of the songs "Longview", "Basket Case", and "When I Come Around", all of which reached the number one position on the Modern Rock Tracks charts. That year, Green Day embarked on a nationwide tour with queercore band Pansy Division as its opening act. At a September 9, 1994 concert at Boston Esplanade, mayhem broke-out during the band's set (cut short to seven songs) and by the end of the rampage, 100 people were injured and 45 arrested. The band also joined the lineups of both the Lollapalooza festival and Woodstock 1994, where they started an infamous mud fight. During the concert, a security guard mistook bassist Mike Dirnt for a stage-invading fan and punched out some of his teeth. Viewed by millions by pay-per-view television, the Woodstock 1994 performance further aided Green Day's growing publicity and recognition, and helped push its album to eventual diamond status. In 1995, Dookie won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album and the band was nominated for 9 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year.

In 1995, a new single for the Angus soundtrack was released, titled "J.A.R.". The single went straight to number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was followed by the band's new album, Insomniac, which was released in the fall of 1995. Insomniac was a much darker and heavier response by the band, compared to the poppier, more melodic Dookie. Insomniac opened to a warm critical reception, earning 4 out of 5 stars from Rolling Stone, which said "In punk, the good stuff actually unfolds and gains meaning as you listen without sacrificing any of its electric, haywire immediacy. And Green Day are as good as this stuff gets." Insomniac used a piece of art by Winston Smith entitled God Told Me to Skin You Alive for its album cover. The singles released from Insomniac were "Geek Stink Breath", "Brain Stew/Jaded", "Walking Contradiction", and "Stuck With Me". Though the album did not approach the success of Dookie, it still sold two million copies in the United States. Insomniac won the band award nominations for Favorite Artist, Favorite Hard Rock Artist, and Favorite Alternative Artist at the 1996 American Music Awards, and the video for "Walking Contradiction" got the band a Grammy nomination for Best Video, Short Form, in addition to a Best Special Effects nomination at the MTV Video Music Awards. After that, the band abruptly cancelled a European tour, citing exhaustion.

Middle era and fall in popularity: 1997–2002

After taking a break in 1996, Green Day began to work on a new album in 1997. From the outset, both the band and Cavallo agreed that the album had to be different from its previous records.The result was Nimrod, an experimental deviation from the band's standard pop-punk brand of music. The new album was released in October 1997. It provided a variety of music, from pop-punk, surf rock, and ska, to an acoustic ballad. Nimrod entered the charts at number 10. The success of "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" won the band an MTV Video Award for Best Alternative Video for the song's video, which depicted people undergoing major changes in their lives while Billie Joe Armstrong strummed his acoustic guitar. The song was also used in the second "clip show" episode of Seinfeld and on two episodes of ER. The other singles released from Nimrod were "Nice Guys Finish Last", "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Redundant". The band made a guest appearance in an episode of King of the Hill entitled "The Man Who Shot Cane Skretteberg", which aired in 1997.

In 2000, Green Day released Warning, a step further in the style that they had hinted at with Nimrod. Critics' reviews of the album were varied. Allmusic gave it 4.5/5 saying "Warning may not be an innovative record per se, but it's tremendously satisfying." Rolling Stone was more critical, giving it 3/5, and saying "Warning... invites the question: Who wants to listen to songs of faith, hope and social commentary from what used to be snot-core's biggest-selling band?" Though it produced the hit "Minority" and a smaller hit with "Warning", some observers were coming to the conclusion that the band was losing relevance, and a decline in popularity followed. While all of Green Day's past albums had reached a status of at least double platinum, Warning was only certified gold.

At the 2001 California Music Awards, Green Day won all eight awards that they were nominated for. They won the awards for Outstanding Album (Warning), Outstanding Punk Rock/Ska Album (Warning), Outstanding Group, Outstanding Male Vocalist, Outstanding Bassist, Outstanding Drummer, Outstanding Songwriter and Outstanding Artist.

The release of a Greatest Hits compilation, International Superhits!, and an assemblage of B-sides, Shenanigans, followed Warning. International Superhits and its companion collection of music videos, International Supervideos!, sold reasonably well, going platinum in the U.S. Shenanigans contained some of the band's B-sides, including "Espionage" which was featured in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

In the spring of 2002, Green Day co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink-182. Despite the co-headlining title, Green Day would play each show before Blink-182, who at the time were experiencing more success. The tour was documented on the DVD Riding In Vans With Boys.

American Idiot and renewed success: 2003–2006

Spectators watch Green Day from the grass slopes at the National Bowl.

In the summer of 2003 the band went into a studio to write and record new material for a new album, tentatively titled Cigarettes and Valentines. After completing 20 tracks, the master tapes were stolen from the studio. The band chose not to try to re-create the stolen album, but instead started over. By the end of 2003^[when?], Green Day collaborated with Iggy Pop on two tracks for his album Skull Ring. On February 1, 2004 a new song, a cover of "I Fought the Law" made its debut on a commercial for iTunes during NFL Super Bowl XXXVIII. The band underwent serious "band therapy," engaging in several long talks to work out the members' differences after accusations from Dirnt and Cool that Armstrong was "the band's Nazi" and a show-off bent on taking the limelight from the other band members.

The resulting 2004 album, American Idiot, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, the band's first ever album to top the chart, backed by the success of the album's first single, "American Idiot." The album was billed as a "punk rock opera" which follows the journey of the fictitious "Jesus of Suburbia". American Idiot won the 2005 Grammy for "Best Rock Album" and the band swept the 2005 MTV music awards, winning a total of seven of the eight awards they were nominated for, including the coveted Viewer's Choice Award.

Through 2005, the band toured in support of the album with about 150 dates — the longest tour in its career — visiting Japan, Australia, South America and the United Kingdom, where they drew a crowd of 130,000 people over a span of two days. While touring for American Idiot, they filmed and recorded the two concerts at the Milton Keynes National Bowl in England, which was voted 'The Best Show On Earth' in a Kerrang! Magazine Poll.

These recordings were released as a live CD and DVD called Bullet in a Bible on November 15, 2005. This CD/DVD featured hits from American Idiot as well as a few songs from all its previous albums, except "Kerplunk" and "1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours". The DVD featured behind-the-scenes footage of the band, and showed how the band prepared to put on the show. The final shows of its 2005 world tour were in Sydney, Australia, and Melbourne, Australia, on December 14 and 17 respectively. On January 10, 2006 the band was awarded with a People's Choice Award for favorite group.

Green Day live in Germany during the American Idiot tour.

On August 1, 2005, Green Day announced that that it had rescinded the master rights to its pre-Dookie material from Lookout! Records, citing a continuing breach of contract regarding unpaid royalties, a complaint shared with other Lookout! bands. The pre-Dookie material, which remained out of print for about a year, was reissued by the band's current label, Reprise, on January 9, 2007.

In 2006, Green Day won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" which spent 16 weeks at the number one position of Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, a record it shared along with Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Scar Tissue" and Staind's "It's Been Awhile," (the record has been since been beaten by Foo Fighters' 2007 hit "The Pretender" which reigned at the top spot for 18 weeks).

Brandon Flowers of The Killers went on record in 2007 claiming that Green Day's politically driven concept album American Idiot displays "calculated Anti-Americanism." He explained that he has problems with the album content itself and the fact that the band's live DVD, Bullet in a Bible, was filmed in England. The taping of the concert, featured on Bullet in a Bible, shows thousands of Europeans singing along to "American Idiot." Stating that he felt Green Day's DVD is a bit of a stunt, he said, "I just thought it was really cheap. To go to a place like England or Germany and sing that song - those kids aren't taking it the same way that he meant it. And he (Billie Joe Armstrong) knew it."

Foxboro Hot Tubs and 21st Century Breakdown: 2007–present

Green Day performing during a secret show at the Kesselhaus in Berlin on May 7, 2009.

Green Day engaged in several other smaller projects in the time following the hype of American Idiot. Green Day released a new album under the band name Foxboro Hot Tubs entitled Stop Drop and Roll!!!. In 2008, the Foxboro Hot Tubs went on a mini-tour to promote the record, hitting tiny Bay Area venues including the Stork Club in Oakland and Toot’s Tavern in Crockett, CA. One song, “Ruby Room,” even gives a shout-out to the Oakland dive bar where “the Pabst Blue Ribbon unravels.”

In an interview with Kerrang!, Armstrong revealed that 2008 would "be a fair estimate of the release date of their new untitled eighth studio album for Green Day." In an interview with Carson Daly, Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson revealed that Butch Vig would be producing Green Day's forthcoming album. The span of nearly five years between American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown was the longest gap between studio albums in Green Day's career. The band had been working on new material since January 2006. By October 2007, Armstrong had 45 songs written, but the band showed no further signs of progress until October 2008, when a video of the group recording with producer Butch Vig in the studio was posted on YouTube. Two videos showing the band in the studio were posted on YouTube. In the tour section of the band's official website, the message "World Tour coming soon!" is shown. The writing and recording process, spanning three years and four recording studios, was finally finished in April 2009.

The new album, titled 21st Century Breakdown, was released worldwide on May 15, 2009.It received rave reviews from the likes of Nirvana's Krist Novoselic. The album had mainly positive reception from critics, getting an average rating between 4 and 5 stars. After the release, the album hit #1 in fourteen different countries, hitting Gold or Platinum in each. 21st Century Breakdown achieved Green Day's best chart performance to date. The band started playing shows in California in April and early May. It was their first live show in about 3 years. Green Day is currently on a world tour that started in North America in July, 2009 and continuing around the world throughout the rest of 2009 and early 2010.

Musical style and influences

Green Day's sound is often compared to first wave punk bands such as the Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Jam, and the Buzzcocks. The majority of their song catalog is composed of overdriven guitar, fast, manic drums, and relatively high-treble bass. Most of their songs are fast-paced and under four minutes. Billie Joe Armstrong has mentioned that some of his biggest influences are seminal alternative rock bands Hüsker Dü and The Replacements, and that their influence is particularly noted in the band's chord changes in songs. In fact, Green Day has covered Hüsker Dü's "Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely" as a B-side for the "Warning" single, and the character "Mr. Whirly" in their song "Misery" is a reference to the Replacements song of the same name. Among other influences, Green Day have also cited Queen, proto-punks The Who, and power pop pioneers Cheap Trick.^[50] Armstrong's lyrics commonly describe alienation, ("Jesus of Suburbia", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "Road to Acceptance", "Disappearing Boy", "Castaway") hysteria ("Basket Case", "Panic Song", "American Eulogy"), girls ("She", "80" "Only of You","Maria" "She's a Rebel"), growing up ("Longview" and "Welcome to Paradise"), and the effects of doing drugs ("Geek Stink Breath", "Green Day", "Give Me Novacaine"). The Ramones had similar lyrical themes such as hysteria ("Anxiety", "Psycho Therapy"), alienation ("Outsider", "Something To Believe In"), girls ("I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"), and drugs ("Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", "Chinese Rocks"). Green Day has covered Ramones songs several times, including recording "Outsider" for the tribute album We're a Happy Family, and performing "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Teenage Lobotomy" when the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

In reaction to both the style of music and the background of the band, John Lydon, former front man of the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols commented:

So there we are fending off all that and it pisses me off that years later a wank outfit like Green Day hop in and nick all that and attach it to themselves. They didn't earn their wings to do that and if they were true punk they wouldn't look anything like they do.

In another interview, Lydon stated that:

Look, I'm sorry, they're a bit fake for me. They change their image. Fake mockneys. The London twang and vocal is a little out of place. Enjoy your own culture and stick with what you know.

British rock musician Noel Gallagher of Oasis also complained about the band semi-jokingly, claiming that they ripped off his song "Wonderwall" with their song "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". Mashup DJs Party Ben and team9 would later release a mashup of the two songs called "Boulevard of Broken Songs" under the spoonerism Dean Gray.

Cool mentioned in a July 2009 interview that while Armstrong is the primary songwriter, he looks to the other band members for organizational help.

Related projects

Main article: Green Day related projects

Ever since 1991, some members of the band have branched out past Green Day and have started other projects with other musicians. Notable related projects of Green Day include Billie Joe Armstrong's Pinhead Gunpowder (which also features Green Day's live backup guitarist Jason White), The Frustrators in which Mike Dirnt plays bass, and The Network, in which all three members of Green Day play under fake stage names. Billie Joe Armstrong has also confirmed that the main members of Green Day are in the band Foxboro Hot Tubs. A Foxboro Hot Tubs album titled Stop Drop and Roll!!! was released on 2008-05-20.

In September 2006, Green Day teamed up with U2 and producer Rick Rubin to record a cover of the song "The Saints Are Coming", originally recorded by The Skids, with an accompanying video. The song is to benefit Music Rising, an organization to help raise money for musicians' instruments lost during Hurricane Katrina, and to bring awareness on the eve of the one year anniversary of the disaster.

In December 2006, Green Day and NRDC opened a web site in partnership to raise awareness on America's dependency on oil.^[58]^[59]

Green Day released a cover of the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero", that was featured on the album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The band performed the song on the season finale of American Idol. The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2008, but lost to The White Stripes' "Icky Thump".

That summer, the band appeared in a cameo role in The Simpsons Movie, where they perform the show's theme song. Their version was released as a single on July 24, 2007.

In 2009, the band adapted their album American Idiot in to a one-act stage musical that premiered at the Berkeley Rep on September 15, 2009.

In October, a Green Day art project was exhibited at StolenSpace Gallery in London. The exhibition showed artworks created for each of the songs on 21st Century Breakdown, was supported by the band, and led by their manager Pat Magnarella.He explained in an an interview that "[Artists are] basically like rock bands. Most are creating their art, but don't know how to promote it." For Billie Joe Armstrong, "Many of the artists... show their work on the street, and we feel a strong connection to that type of creative expression.”

Band members

Lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong

Bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt

Drummer and backing vocalist Tré Cool

Current members

Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocals, guitars (1987–present)
Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals (1987–present)
Tré Cool – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1990–present)

Current touring members

Jason White – guitars, backing vocals (1999–present)
Jason Freese – keyboards, piano, acoustic guitar, trombone, saxophone, accordion, backing vocals (2003–present)
Jeff Matika – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2009–present)

Former members

John Kiffmeyer – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1987–1990)

Former touring members

Timmy Chunks – rhythm guitar (1997–1999)
Garth Schultz – trombone, trumpet (1997–1999)
Gabrial McNair – trombone, tenor saxophone (1999–2001)
Kurt Lohmiller – trumpet, timpani, percussion, backing vocals (1999–2004)
Mike Pelino – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004–2005)
Ronnie Blake – trumpet, timpani, percussion, backing vocals (2004–2005)

Session musicians

Gabrial McNair – trombone on Nimrod (1997)
Petra Haden – violin on Nimrod (1997)
Stephen Bradley – trumpet on Nimrod (1997) and Warning (2000)
Gary Meek – saxophone on Warning (2000)
Rob Cavallo – piano on American Idiot (2004)
Jason Freese – saxophone on American Idiot (2004), piano on 21st Century Breakdown (2009)

Discography

Main article: Green Day discography

39/Smooth (1990)
Kerplunk (1992)
Dookie (1994)
Insomniac (1995)
Nimrod (1997)
Warning (2000)
American Idiot (2004)
21st Century Breakdown (2009)

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Green Day

Blink-182

Blink-182 is an American punk rock band from Poway, California that predominantly plays pop punk music. The band was formed in 1992 as "Blink" with members Tom DeLonge (vocals, guitar), Mark Hoppus (vocals, bass) and Scott Raynor (drums). In 1998, midway through a U.S. tour, drummer Travis Barker replaced Raynor. DeLonge left the group in early 2005, initiating an indefinite hiatus. DeLonge went on to form Angels & Airwaves, while Hoppus and Barker continued playing music together in +44. On February 8, 2009, Blink-182 announced that they are continuing as a band, with the brief statement posted on their website saying "To put it simply, We're back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album."

History

Formation, early years, and Cheshire Cat (1992–1995)

After being expelled from Poway High School, Tom DeLonge attended Rancho Bernardo High School where he became friends with Anne Hoppus. DeLonge often expressed wanting to be in a band, so in August 1992 Anne introduced him to her brother Mark Hoppus, who also wanted to be in a band. The two played for hours in DeLonge's garage, showing each other songs they had previously written, and writing new songs together. One of these songs would eventually become what is now "Carousel". That night the two decided they needed to officially start a band, so DeLonge recruited friend Scott Raynor, who he had met at his school's Battle of the Bands competition. The three began playing together and called themselves Duck Tape, until DeLonge thought of the name Blink.

The band practiced constantly, which angered Hoppus's girlfriend. She told him he had to choose between the band and her, so he left the band just as it was starting. DeLonge then informed Hoppus that he borrowed a 4-track from a friend and he and Raynor were using it to make a demo tape. Upon hearing this, Hoppus decided he would leave his girlfriend and return to the band.

In May 1993, the band recorded their first demo tape Flyswatter in Raynor's bedroom. A 4-track was used to record the material, which resulted in poor sound quality. According to Hoppus, only a small number of demos were released, primarily to their family and friends. The same year, the band recorded another demo tape, this one untitled and known simply as Demo #2. It featured re-recordings of a few Flyswatter songs, and also included new songs, some of which would go on to be re-recorded and re-released on the band's albums Buddha, Cheshire Cat, and Dude Ranch. Buddha was released on cassette in 1993 with around 1,000 copies of the tape produced by Filter Records, an independent record company headed by Hoppus's boss. It was remastered and re-released on Kung Fu Records in 1998 (with three of the original tracks omitted and two new tracks added).

In 1994, the band signed with Cargo Music and recorded their debut studio album Cheshire Cat in three days. The album contained a number of updated versions of songs such as "Carousel", "Strings", "Sometimes", and "T.V." that had appeared on the Buddha demo as well as some originals. "M+M's" and "Wasting Time" were released as singles, but both failed to chart. Shortly after the release of Cheshire Cat, the band was threatened with legal action by an Irish pop band of the same name. In order to avoid a legal dispute, the band appended "182" to the end of their name.

After the release of Cheshire Cat, Blink-182 released Buddha Promo, a promotional cassette intended to prompt the release of Buddha, which would become available on CD as well as cassette. In 1994, the band released a split EP with Iconoclasts titled Short Bus. The 3-track EP They Came to Conquer... Uranus was released the next year.

Dude Ranch and lineup change (1996–1998)

After moving to Encinitas, California, the band recorded the album Dude Ranch in 1996 with producer Mark Trombino. Blink-182 recorded the album under Cargo Records, but signed with MCA in 1998 in order to handle increased distribution. The album was released in 1997 and was relatively commercially successful, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. The single "Dammit" did well on U.S. modern rock charts, and the band received a small degree of mainstream success.

After the album's release, midway through a U.S. tour in 1998, drummer Scott Raynor left the band. There are two common explanations for his removal - that Raynor had a serious drinking problem and was asked to go into rehab or face ejection, or alternately, that he departed in order to attend college. Raynor claims he agreed to go to rehab, but that DeLonge and Hoppus were doubtful of his sincerity and subsequently fired him over the phone. Hoppus and DeLonge asked drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182's support band The Aquabats to fill in for Raynor for the remainder of the tour. After the set, Hoppus and DeLonge sat down and discussed Barker joining the band. The next day he was offered the position and consequently left The Aquabats.

Enema of the State and The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (1999–2000)

For the 1999 album Enema of the State, the band hired Jerry Finn as producer. The album propelled the band into the mainstream, generating the hit singles "What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things" and "Adam's Song", and an incredible amount of airtime on radio and MTV. Enema of the State went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide making it the band's best selling album. "Adam's Song" caused a stir in 2000 when it was set to replay indefinitely on a stereo as 17-year-old Greg Barnes hanged himself in the garage of his family's home. Demos for the album were leaked as the Enema of the State Demo. It consists of eight demo recordings of some album tracks, plus an instrumental titled "Life's So Boring" which did not make the album.

In 2000, the band released The Urethra Chronicles, a DVD which features behind-the-scenes information, and The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!), Blink-182's sole live album, featuring songs from their three full-length records, including all their greatest hits coupled with previously unreleased material. The album quickly went out of print. The album also included one new studio song, "Man Overboard", among the live renditions. A demo of this song was previously featured on the Enema of the State Demo cassette.

Take Off Your Pants and Jacket and Blink-182 (2001–2004)

The band continued its commercial success with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket in 2001, which was a small change from their direction in Enema of the State. The album sold more than 350,000 copies in the first week. The album was released on three different CDs: yellow, red and green versions, each one featuring two unique bonus tracks. A European tour in winter 2001 was delayed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Rescheduled dates in early 2002 were also canceled due to DeLonge's back problems.

Blink-182 co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Green Day in 2002. The tour was documented on the DVD Riding in Vans with Boys. After taking some time off, DeLonge and Barker released a new album with their side-project Box Car Racer. The band made a cameo appearance on the 300th episode of The Simpsons playing "All the Small Things" at a party held in Tony Hawk's loft.

Blink-182 performing live in 2003.

Recording of the band's next record began in early 2003. On November 18, 2003, they released their eponymous fifth studio album, which spawned the hit singles "Feeling This", "I Miss You", "Down" and "Always". According to Barker, the album was supposed to represent a "new" Blink-182. Robert Smith, whose band The Cure is often cited as a major influence, appeared on "All of This".

In November 2003, the band embarked on the "DollaBill" tour, named for the ticket cost of $1 each. They played 10 club shows throughout the US and 1 in Canada. Blink-182 toured with No Doubt in the summer of 2004.

Hiatus and new bands (2005–2009)

Tensions between the band members arose when DeLonge found the desire for a half-year respite from touring to spend time with his family, despite a planned spring U.S. tour, coupled with Hoppus' feelings of betrayal after the formation of Box Car Racer. Further problems arose in discussions regarding the band's future recording endeavors. In mid-February 2005 the band inexplicably canceled a performance at Music for Relief's Concert for South Asia (a show put on by Linkin Park to aid victims of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake). This made their previous show on December 16, 2004 at the Point Depot in Dublin, Ireland, their last live performance. The planned tour was canceled and on February 22, 2005, after much tension, their band manager called Hoppus and Barker to tell them that DeLonge had quit the band. This began an almost four year hiatus.

Geffen Records released a Greatest Hits compilation on November 1, 2005. It is essentially a collection of the band's singles. After many criticisms about the track listing from disappointed fans, the song "Carousel" was added. A previously unreleased track was included on the CD, "Another Girl, Another Planet" (a cover song originally by The Only Ones). The song was also used as the theme song to Barker's new reality TV show, Meet the Barkers. Included was the previously issued "I Miss You" B-side and Blink-182 UK bonus track "Not Now". The album reached number 6 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

DeLonge's new band, Angels & Airwaves released their debut album We Don't Need to Whisper on May 23, 2006, where it debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200. The band released their second album I-Empire on November 6, 2007. They also released a DVD, entitled Start the Machine, chronicling the final days of Blink-182 and the genesis of Angels & Airwaves. On February 14, 2010, they will release a CD/DVD called Love, which will be released free of charge, due to corporate underwriting. Trailers for the film can be found in the Apple trailers and on the band's Modlife.

Hoppus and Barker's new project +44 released their first album When Your Heart Stops Beating on November 14, 2006. It debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200. On May 25, 2008, Hoppus stated that the new +44 album was still in pre-production.

Blink-182 is one of the bands to be featured in a documentary about modern punk music. The film, entitled One Nine Nine Four, is due to be released in 2009. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk will narrate the film, which will also feature other punk acts such as Rancid, Bad Religion, Green Day, NOFX, and The Offspring.

On August 21, 2008, Jerry Finn (Blink 182's producer) died of a cerebral hemorrhage. This would later be one of the catalysts for all the members of Blink 182 communicating again in September 2008, which would be the first time Tom would communicate with his bandmates in three-and-a-half years.

On September 21, 2008, after performing an event with former Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell, Gavin DeGraw and DJ AM (Adam Goldstein), Travis Barker boarded a Learjet 60, headed for Van Nuys, California. According to the Federal Aviation Administration; the plane was departing the airport when air traffic controllers saw sparks emanating from the plane. It went off the runway, smashed through a fence, crossed a nearby road, slammed into an embankment and caught fire. A total of four people were killed: two crew members, Barker’s personal assistant (Chris Baker) and his security guard (Charles Still). Barker and Goldstein were the sole survivors. Barker sustained second and third degree burns on his lower body and torso and expected to recover within a year. While in the hospital, Mark Hoppus and former bandmate Tom DeLonge visited.

In November 2008, Mark Hoppus officially announced on his blog that him and Travis were communicating with Tom again and spending time with him after years apart.

Reformation and sixth studio album (2009–present)

The new logo, with six arrows instead of the previous five.

At the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony on February 8, 2009, all three members of the band appeared onstage for the first time since December 2004. Barker announced the band's reformation, stating that "we used to play music together, and we decided we're going to play music together again," with Hoppus adding, "Blink-182 is back!" A message appearing on the band's website the same day confirmed the reformation and added that the band was in the studio writing and recording a new album and preparing for a world tour. The band also updated their "smiley face" logo to feature six arrows instead of the previous five. In June, Blink-182 once more appeared on the cover of Alternative Press (issue #252). Among many questions, including some of Barker's plane crash, the story writer Scott Heisel asked Travis about the commitment to touring, recording a new album and what if the rest of the band wanted to replace him. Barker responded by saying, "I was still really, really, really recovering, and it was just cool to talk to my friends again."

During an interview after their reunion announcement, Travis stated that they had been in the studio since December 2008 writing and recording new material. Each member had brought in their own musical ideas and songs, while also writing new material together. Blink 182 also revisited older demos they had written in 2004, before they went on indefinite hiatus. Blink 182 also stated that they had been practicing together, with "Always" being the first song they played at their first rehearsal in 4 years.

The summer tour was at first mentioned during the reformation, though no concrete information was given until April 7, 2009 when website buzznet.com stated that Weezer would be supporting Blink-182 on their upcoming tour. The May 28, 2009 issue of Rolling Stone magazine later added Fall Out Boy, in addition to Weezer, as an opener for the tour. Official tour dates were announced on May 15, 2009 on Billboard.com; the tour is scheduled to start July 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada and end on October 3 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Blink-182 manager, Rick Devoe, also went onto say that the band has offers to play in Australia's Big Day Out festival this summer as well as European festivals in 2010. As a surprise to fans, the band played their first live performance since 2004 at the T-Mobile launch for the new Sidekick at the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood, California on May 14, 2009. In addition to the performance, the band made their first television appearance since the 2005 break up; they played "The Rock Show" on May 18 and also performed "All the Small Things" on May 19, both on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On June 9, to continue promoting the 2009 summer tour, they played "What's My Age Again?" and "Dammit" on Jimmy Kimmel Live. A new single, titled "Up All Night," has been announced for the new album. Blink-182 completed a demo for "Up All Night" during writing and recording sessions in early 2009, but didn't have sufficient time to complete a recorded version of the song before they set out on their summer 2009 tour, and it is currently unknown when the song will be released.

The band played their first show on the new tour on July 23, 2009. In an interview with MTV, Hoppus stated that the trio plan to do a European tour in 2010. After the tour is finished, the band plans to head back into the studios and start working on their new album. DeLonge has also posted some possible blink-182 demos to Angels and Airwaves' Modlife, and a video has appeared online of him playing a melody on acoustic guitar. Neither Barker nor Hoppus made any comment as to whether these will be appearing on the upcoming record.

Band members

Current

Tom DeLonge – vocals, guitars (1992–2005, 2009–present)
Mark Hoppus – vocals, bass (1992–2005, 2009–present)
Travis Barker – drums, percussion (1998–2005, 2009–present)

Former

Scott Raynor – drums, percussion (1992–1998)

Discography

Main articles: Blink-182 discography and List of Blink-182 songs

Cheshire Cat (1994)
Dude Ranch (1997)
Enema of the State (1999)
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
Blink-182 (2003)

Style

DeLonge cites punk rock bands Descendents and Screeching Weasel as influences, although the band's songwriting and production are driven by a pop sensibility. They typically combine elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees, as is most pop punk. Blink-182 is known for their simple melodies, teen angst and lyrical toilet humor. They often targeting subjects such as love and growing up. These being fused into multiple hit singles such as "Dammit", "What's My Age Again?", "All the Small Things", "Adam's Song", "The Rock Show", "First Date", "Stay Together for the Kids", "Feeling This", and "I Miss You". When playing live, the band typically play their songs at a faster tempo and often replace certain lyrics with toilet humor and various gags.

In other media

Blink-182 made a cameo appearance in the 1999 comedy hit movie American Pie. They appear in a scene while they're interrupted rehearsing to see a webcast on a computer. Mark, Tom, and Travis all feature in the scene, along with a fake extra band member. In the movie credits, drummer Travis Barker is wrongly credited as former Blink-182 drummer Scott Raynor, even though Raynor left the band a year earlier in 1998. Also, when their song "Mutt" is credited, Travis Barker's name is misspelled as "Travis Barkor".
In 1999 the band appeared at the end of the 2nd episode of season 3 of Two Guys and a Girl, "Au Revoir, Pizza Place", in the episode they perform What's My Age Again? in the nude at a party at the pizza place, this is the last time the pizza place is featured in the show.
In 2001, Mark Hoppus' sister released a book about the genesis of the band entitled Blink-182: Tales From Beneath Your Mom. As of 2006, another book has been in the works. Before Travis Barker's plane crash his assistant Chris Baker was helping with the project. In February 2009, Chris Holmes wrote on his blog disclaiming that the book "is so un-official"
In 2003, the band appeared on an episode of The Simpsons, Barting Over.
The band also performed a skit on Mad TV, "Leave it to Blink-182".
The band is also working on a documentary movie, currently titled "The Blinkumentary", about their recent reformation and reunion tour. On August 26, 2009, an official trailer for the documentary was posted on the production company's official Youtube page. A second trailer appeared on November 7, 2009.

Awards and nominations

Blink-182 has had the most success at the Teen Choice Awards, winning three awards: Choice Rock Group (2000) and Best Rock Group (2001) for the band, and Choice Love Song (2004) for the song "I Miss You". "All the Small Things", a single from the band's Enema of the State album, received three nominations from the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000: Video of the Year, Best Pop Video, and Best Group Video, which it won. Overall, Blink-182 has received seven awards from ten nominations.