FIRE FLIGHT

HISTORY

Fireflight is an American Christian rock band formed in Eustis, Florida in 1999.The band is signed by Flicker Records. They have played in Shoutfest and have been featured on The Scars Remain tour with Disciple, Family Force 5, and Decyfer Down. While touring, they wrote their second album, Unbreakable (2008), and released their first single off the album "Unbreakable".Guitarists Justin Cox and Glenn Drennen had gone to school together. Glenn had the idea to start a band with Wendy (Glenn's wife and bassist) and MJustin. They were then in need of a singer. Glenn and Wendy went to Glenn's younger brother's graduation and heard Dawn Richardson (lead singer) sing during the service for it, they asked her to be in the group and she agreed to do it. The band was looking for a drummer at this point, and through a mutual friend they met Phee Shorb, who agreed to play drums.
Most would wonder where the name "Fireflight" originated, the name was actually suggested by Dawn Richardson shortly before they did a small performance at a church. The name Fireflight has no meaning, as suggested by the band in an interview with Jesus Freak Hideout.
They independently released the album Glam-Rok, which was produced by guitarist Justin Cox, in 2002. They followed it up with the 5-track EP On the Subject of Moving Forward in 2004 before they were signed to the major record label Flicker Records.
After years of touring (it is estimated they play 140 shows every year), they released their major label debut album The Healing of Harms in 2006 with two #1 singles "You Decide" and "Waiting". The album was a hit, peaking at #37 on Billboard magazine's Top Christian Albums chart. The song "You Decide", featuring Josh Brown of Day of Fire, was the top request at TVU music television in August 2006. It was the second most played song on Christian Rock radio stations according to the September 1, 2006 R&R magazine airplay chart, #11 on the R&R Christian Hit Radio charts on October 23, 2006, and #1 on the Christian Radio Weekly chart. On Billboard's chart, it peaked at #27 on the Hot Christian Singles chart and it finished in the Top 25 of 2006 for the network radio station Air1.
Their second single to rock radio, "Waiting", had reached #1 R&R and CRW Christian Rock chart, and stayed there for 3 consecutive weeks during the month of February 2007. They concurrently released the songs "It's You", "Star of the Show", and "Attitude" to Christian Hit Radio stations.
During another extensive year of touring, the band was experiencing an emotional roller coaster while writing their album "Unbreakable". Wendy describes on their Myspace how stressful and intense writing the album was:
“It almost felt like things were out of control,” says Dawn. "We’d gone through a difficult year as a band with a lot of emotional ups and downs. We basically lived together in a van while writing the new album, and that put us in a pressure cooker. All the stresses were magnified because you’re completely out of your comfort zone, and it really does crank up the intensity of the writing. We poured all of our hope, sorrow, anger, dreams and fears into the music."Unbreakable/Bionic Woman
Fireflight debuted clips of its single "Unbreakable" in promos for the new Bionic Woman television series. "Unbreakable" is the title song from the latest album released in March 2008. The single rose to the number one spot on CRW and R&R's Christian Rock charts seven weeks after its release.MThe band's third number one rock song was the most added song on Christian Hit Radio radio stations in February 2008. It ended 2008 as the 14th most-played song Christian CHR radio according to R&R magazine's Christian CHR chart.
Fireflight is currently in the process of recording a new album entitled "For Those Who Wait". No other details have been released. The album is expected to be released on February 9, 2010.

BAND MEMBER

Dawn Richardson - Lead Vocalist
Wendy Drennen - Bass Guitar
Justin Cox - Guitar and Background Vocalist
Glenn Drennen - Guitar
Phee Shorb - Drums

Albums
2002: Glam-rok – independent
2004: On The Subject of Moving Forward EP – independent
2006: The Healing of Harms – Flicker Records – #37 Top Christian Albums, #48 Top Independent Albums
2008: Unbreakable – Flicker Records – #10 Top Heatseekers
2009: Unbroken and Unplugged
Singles
"You Decide" (2006)
"Waiting" (2006)
"It's You" (2007)
"Star of the Show" (2007)
"Attitude" (2007)
"Unbreakable" (2008)
"Brand New Day" (2008)
"The Hunger" (2008)
"You Gave Me a Promise" (2008)
"Stand Up" (2008)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD

HISTORY

Avenged Sevenfold is an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band has achieved mainstream success with their 2005 album City of Evil, which included singles such as "Burn It Down", "Bat Country," "Beast and the Harlot" and "Seize the Day." The band's success followed with their self-titled album, with singles such as "Critical Acclaim", "Almost Easy", "Afterlife", "Scream" and "Dear God".

The band was formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, California with original members M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, The Rev and Matt Wendt. M Shadows came up with the name as a reference to the story of Cain and Abel from The Bible, although it is not a religious band.Upon its formation, each member of the band also took on a pseudonym which were already nicknames of theirs from high school.Before release their debut album, the band recorded two demos in 1999 and 2000. Avenged Sevenfold's debut album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was recorded when the band members were just eighteen years old and in high school. It was originally released on their first label,[clarification needed] Good Life Recordings in 2001. After lead guitarist Synyster Gates joined the band,at the end of 1999 when he was 18 at the introductory track "To End the Rapture" was re-recorded featuring a full band element. The album was subsequently re-released on Hopeless Records in 2002. The band started to receive recognition, performing with bands such as Mushroomhead and Shadows Fall and playing on the Take Action Tour.Having settled on their fourth bassist, Johnny Christ, they released Waking the Fallen on Hopeless Records in August 2003. The band received profiles in Billboard and The Boston Globe, and played in the Vans Warped Tour.In 2004, Avenged Sevenfold toured again on the Vans Warped Tour and recorded a video for their song "Unholy Confessions" which went into rotation on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball.[8] Shortly after the release of Waking the Fallen, Avenged Sevenfold left Hopeless Records and were signed to Warner Bros. Records.

GENRE
In general, Avenged Sevenfold is classified as an important and influential band in Heavy Metal. Their material spans multiple genres and has evolved over the band's ten year career. Initially, Avenged Sevenfold's debut Sounding the Seventh Trumpet consisted almost entirely of metalcore sound; however, there were several deviations to this genre, most notably in "Streets" which adopts a punk style and "Warmness on the Soul," which is a piano-oriented ballad.On Waking The Fallen, the band displayed a more refined and fluent metalcore album that was able to harness the rawness of the first album and add more mature and intricate musical elements. In the band's DVD All Excess, producer Andrew Mudrock explained this transition: "When I met the band after Sounding the Seventh Trumpet had come out before they had recorded Waking the Fallen, M. Shadows said to me 'This record is screaming. The record we want to make is going to be half-screaming half-singing. I don't want to scream anymore. And the record after that is going to be all singing.'" On City of Evil, Avenged Sevenfold's third album, the band chose to abandon the metalcore genre, developing a more punk metal/thrash style. Also, the drumming on both these albums is played in a more thrash-influenced alternative metal style. Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled album, again, consists of several deviations to less consistent genres and styles from the album's main hard rock and heavy metal songs, most notably in "Dear God", which adopts a country style and "A Little Piece of Heaven", which includes elements of Broadway show tunes, using primarily brass instruments and stringed orchestra to take over most of the role of the lead and rhythm guitar. The band has changed considerably since its first album, which since then they have been characterized as a heavy band with screams and growls combined with clean vocals that one can expect from the metalcore genre.

BAND NAME AND LYRICAL CONTENT

The band's name is a reference to the Book of Genesis in the Bible - specifically Genesis 4:24, where Cain is sentenced to life in exile for murdering his brother. God marked him so that none would kill him on account of his sin; the man who dared to kill Cain would suffer "vengeance seven times over" (KJV). The abbreviation "A7X" for their band name was the idea of guitarist Zacky Vengeance. The title of Avenged Sevenfold's song "Chapter Four" refers to the fourth chapter of Genesis, in which the story of Cain and Abel takes place. The song's subject also appears to be this story. "Beast and the Harlot", yet another song derived from the Bible, comes from the Book of Revelation only it is written in the first person and refers to the punishment of Babylon the Great, world empire and seat of false religion. Another biblical reference occurs in the song "The Wicked End". In this song, several times it is said "dust the apple off, savor each bite, and deep inside you know Adam was right." making reference to Eve eating the forbidden fruit. Although the band's title and members' stage names make references to religion, Shadows stated in an interview that they are not a religious band. "Anyone that reads the lyrics and really knew anything about us, they would know we're not promoting either," he said. "That's one thing about this band that I love is that we never really shove any kind of, like, political or religious beliefs on people. We just, the music's there to entertain and maybe thought-provoking on both sides, but we don't try to, like, really shove anything down anyone's throat. There's too many bands that do that nowadays, I think."The band has a few songs that are somewhat political in nature like "Critical Acclaim", "Gunslinger" and "Blinded In Chains". The song "Betrayed" off of their album "City of Evil" was written about "Dimebag" Darrel's, of Pantera and Damageplan, death.

BAND MEMBER

M. Shadows lead vocals, keyboards, guitars, synth, organ (since 1999) Synyster Gates lead guitar, backing vocals, piano, keys, synth, organ (since 2000) Zacky Vengeance rhythm guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitars, piano (since 1999) Johnny Christ bass, backing vocals (since 2002) The Rev drums, percussion, backing vocals, piano (since 1999)

The death of The Rev
Main article: The Rev
On December 28, 2009, drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan was found dead at his home at the age of 28, leaving behind a wife.[38] In a statement by the band, they expressed their grief over the passing of The Rev and asked that his family's privacy to be respected:

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world's best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy's family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.[39]

Shown on Avenged Sevenfold's official website was a message from Sullivan's family which expressed their gratitude to his fans for their support:

"We would like to thank all of Jimmy's fans for the heartfelt comments that have been posted – it is comforting to know that his genius and antics were appreciated and that he was loved so much. Our hearts are broken – he was much too young to fall. Óg agus saor go deo (forever young and free)"[40]

In addition to comments made about the death of Sullivan, the band's manager Larry Jacobson expressed how Sullivan was a kind figure to all. Jacobson stated within the interview that;

He was expressive. He'd tell you how he felt about you -- you didn't wonder because he'd put his arm around you," he said. "He knew how to tell his friends he loved them." [41]

In addition to Jacobson, over 50 musical artists have commented upon the death of Sullivan.[42]

On January 5, 2010 a private funeral was held for The Rev. In attendance were friends of the band, such as the Lostprophets and Brian Haner Sr.. On January 6, 2010, the body of James Sullivan was laid to rest in an undisclosed location.[43]

The January 13, 2010 edition of Kerrang! featured an article about the death of The Rev, in which fans and stars paid tribute to him.[44] Simultaneously, Zack Vengeance expressed his own feelings about the passing, stating that "Jimmy will always be with me in everything I do. Except sitting at home being sad, so today Im going to try to start living again/wiki/Sounding_the_Seventh_Trumpet">Sounorg/wiki/Avenged_Sevenfold_(album)"

3 DAYS GRACE

Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed under the name Groundswell in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992. After a breakup in 1995, the band reformed in 1997 under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer and backing vocalist Neil Sanderson, and bassist Brad Walst. In 2003, Barry Stock was recruited as the band's lead guitarist. After signing to Jive Records, Three Days Grace released two studio albums, Three Days Grace in 2003 and One-X in 2006, both of which have been certified platinum and double platinum in the US and Canada, respectively. In 2007, the band was declared number one rock artist of the year by Billboard and was the number four artist in airplay in Canada that same year. The band's third album, Life Starts Now, was released on September 22, 2009.

HISTORY

Three Days Grace formed in 1992 under the name Groundswell in Norwood, Ontario, Canada. Groundswell's line-up consisted of five members: Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Neil Sanderson (backing vocals, drums), Brad Walst (bass), Phil Crowe (guitar), and Joe Grant (guitar), all of whom were attending high school when the band formed. In 1997, after being disbanded for two years, the band regrouped in Toronto as a trio consisting of Gontier, Sanderson, and Walst. They also changed their name to "Three Days Grace". According to Gontier, the name stands for the question: If you had three days to change something in your life, could you do it? Once in Toronto, the band became acquainted with local producer Gavin Brown. The band gave him several years of material that they had created since forming, and he "picked out what he called 'the golden nuggets'", according to Gontier.[3] Brown and the band polished the songs into a demo album which they gave to EMI Music Publishing Canada. The record label wanted to hear more material, and with Brown producing, the band created the song, "I Hate Everything About You", which attracted the interest of several record labels. The band was soon signed to Jive Records after being sought out by the company's president.

MUSIC STYLE

Three Days Grace's musical style has generally been described by critics as alternative metal and hard rockthroughout the band's career. Heather Phares of Allmusic, in a review of the band's debut album, compared them to rock bands Chevelle and Helmet.Dave Doray of IGN described Three Days Grace as "heavy and catchy, with chewy chunks of assurance and fury thrown in for added measure." Allmusic's Corey Apar said One-X brings an "accessible alt-metal attack of blunt lyrics and crunching rhythms" that retains the melodic sound of its predecessor "despite its lyrical darkness". The band has listed numerous influences in their music. Gontier has mentioned such bands as Sunny Day Real Estate, Kyuss, Nine Inch Nails, and Tool as influences for the band's music.According to Gontier, the lyrics for Three Days Grace songs have mostly been influenced by the Seattle music scene. He summarized about the band's influences in an interview, "Musically there's a lot of different influences, but lyrically it's hard to have different influences because you just write."

BAND MEMBERS

Adam Gontier – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (since 1997) Brad Walst – bass guitar, backing vocals (since 1997) Neil Sanderson – drums, keyboaThree Days Grace (2003) Barry Stock – lead guitar (since 2003)

ALBUM

Three Days Grace (2003) One-X (2006) Life Starts Now (2009)

PLAIN WHITE TS

HISTORY

Plain White T's is an American pop rock band started in 1997,originally from Villa Park, Illinois. Formed by high school friends Tom Higgenson and Ken Fletcher, the group had a mostly underground following in Chicago basements, clubs, and bars in its early years, and underwent numerous personnel changes.[1][2] The band is best known the songs "Hey There Delilah", which charted highly in many countries, and "1, 2, 3, 4". In 2008, they received a Grammy nomination for "Hey There Delilah".The band broke into the mainstream following the success of "Hey There Delilah" and the well-received "Hate (I Really Don't Like You)" from the album Every Second Counts. The group's latest album is Big Bad World, released in 2008.

In early 2006, the band teamed with Motion City Soundtrack for a Winter/Spring tour. "Hey There Delilah" was first released on their second album All That We Needed in 2005. The same year the band was featured for a month as a "Hip Clipz" artist on the website of Curly Grrlz Skateboards. In 2006, "Hey There Delilah" was re-released on their third album Every Second Counts. Later, in 2008, "Hey There Delilah" became the first Grammy nominated song for the band. The band then spent months recording between festivals and shows from April to July 2008, culminating with the release of a single from their 2008 album Big Bad World. The album had two hit singles: "1, 2, 3, 4" and "Natural Disaster". Both were on the AT40 at numbers 1 and 2 for three consecutive weeks.
As of late 2008, the band was on the Rock Band Live tour with Panic! At The Disco, Dashboard Confessional and The Cab.
In 2008 the band played at the Give It A Name festival in the UK.

BAND MEMBERS

Tom Higgenson - lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Dave Tirio - lead guitar, backing vocals
Tim G. Lopez - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Mike Retondo - bass, backing vocals
De'Mar Hamilton- drums, percussion

TELEVISION

Greek - The band provides "Our Time Now" as the theme for commercials and trailers for the show. They appear playing the song as well as "Hey There Delilah" in the episode "The Rusty Nail". They play the songs "Friends Don't let Friends Dial Drunk" and "Making A Memory" in the episode "Friday Night Frights", and they also play the songs "Come Back To Me" and "Let Me Take You There" on the episode "A New Normal". Two members of the band also appear in the episode "The Great Cappie" as members of the Kappa Tau fraternity.
iCarly - The band appears as a special guest for the webshow in the episode "iRue the Day", singing their song "Our Time Now".
"Making A Memory" was featured in the final episode to feature Katy Fox (Hannah Tointon) in the UK soap opera Hollyoaks, symbolizing what should be happening rather than what was happening.
"Revenge" is used as the theme song to the NYC TV show Secrets of New York.
"1,2,3,4" and "Gimme A Chance" were featured in the teen drama 90210.

AWARDS

2008
Grammy Awards
Best Pop Performance by a Group for "Hey There Delilah" - Nominated

2007
Teen Choice Award
Choice Summer Song for "Hey There Delilah" - Won

2006
MTV Woodie Award
The Breaking Woodie (Best Emerging Artist) - Won

PANIC AT THE DISCO

HISTORY

Panic! at the Disco (known as Panic at the Disco between 2008 and 2009) is a rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2004. The band comprises Brendon Urie (vocals, guitar) and Spencer Smith (drums). In July 2009, both Ryan Ross (guitar) and Jon Walker (bass) left the band, citing creative differences as the reason for their depature.[1] They have since formed a new band, entitled The Young Veins.[2] Panic! at the Disco's debut album, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, reached #13 on the US Billboard 200, and has sold over 2.2 million copies worldwide[3] since its September 2005 release. The band's second album, Pretty. Odd., was released on March 25, 2008 and debuted at #2 in the US.

The band was formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by two childhood friends — Ryan Ross on the guitar and Spencer Smith on the drums. Since the age of 13, the two played Blink-182 covers together in a two-piece band called "Pet Salamander". Later they recruited more members to create a band under the name of "The Summer League" with Brent Wilson and Trevor Howell, who would later leave the band. Wilson met Brendon Urie at Palo Verde High School. Wilson asked Urie to try out as guitarist for the fledgling band, as they were looking for a replacement for Trevor at the time. Originally, Urie was not the band's lead singer. Rather, the position belonged to former guitarist and lyricist Ryan Ross. However, when they heard Brendon sing backup vocals during a rehearsal, they were impressed with his backup vocal abilities and unanimously decided to make him the singer. The band then settled on the name 'Panic! at the Disco' which comes from the song "Panic" by Name Taken. The band contacted Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz through LiveJournal and sent him an internet link to their PureVolume site. Wentz took a trip to Las Vegas to meet the band. After seeing them practice, he asked if they would sign with his Fueled by Ramen imprint label Decaydance.

MUSIC STYLE

Music critics have named a number of different genres to describe Panic! at the Disco's music. These include emo,[24][25][26] pop punk,[27] and for their later material, baroque pop.[28] Panic! at the Disco has gone on record many times saying that their second album would be completely different from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, as Rolling Stone wrote in an article: "The group cemented its next direction with their first single, called "Nine in the Afternoon". "It’s influenced by the music our parents listened to: the Beach Boys, The Kinks, the Beatles", says Ross. "Our new songs are more like classic rock than modern rock. We got older and started listening to different music – and this seems like the natural thing to do right now."[29] In his review of their live album, Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted, "...Pretty. Odd. suggests that they're becoming that rare thing in 2008: a pop-oriented rock band. They might not be doing this knowingly, but the results are entertaining all the same."[30] Concerning their style of music, Ryan Ross has said, "I try to think of the person who's worked an eight-hour day, the person who gets in the car and puts on their radio. I'd like them to hear a song that makes them feel happy for three minutes rather than something that makes them more depressed than they already are. We're not afraid to write about love or being happy. We have an entire culture that is either provocative or negative. It's so geared toward being shocking that it no longer manages to shock. They've pushed it as far as they can go both sexually and in terms of anger. Which is why we're here, to provide something different."[31] Pretty. Odd. is described as being like "[Panic] dropped the entire Beatles catalog into a blender, added some modern alternative ice and the horn section from Sonia Dada, then churned out a new-millennium Liverpool smoothie."[

MEMBERS

Current members Brendon Urie – lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboard (2004–present) Spencer Smith – drums, (2004–present)

Touring members Eric Ronick – keyboards, vocals (2006–2008)

Former members Ryan Ross – lead guitar, vocals (2004–2009) Jon Walker – bass, guitar, piano, backing vocals (2006–2009) Brent Wilson – bass (2004–2006)

AWARDS

MTV Video Music Awards: Nominated: Best Direction in a Video (2008) for "Nine in the Afternoon" Nominated: Best Pop Video (2008) for "Nine in the Afternoon" Won: Video of the Year (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" Nominated: Best Group Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" Nominated: Best Rock Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" Nominated: Best New Artist in a Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" Nominated: Best Art Direction in a Video (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica: Nominated: Best International Rock Group (2007) Nominated: Best International Rock Group (2008) MTV Asia Awards 2008: Won: edc Style Award [32] TMF Awards: Won: Best Video International (2006) for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package (2008)[33] Nominated: Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package (2009)[34]

GREENDAY

HISTORY Green Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4][5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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". ALBUM 39/Smooth (1990) Kerplunk (1992) Dookie (1994) Insomniac (1995) Nimrod (1997) Warning (2000) American Idiot (2004) 21st Century Breakdown (2009)

MUSIC STYLE 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.[21][47] 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.[21] 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.[48] Among other influences, Green Day have also cited Queen,[49] 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, many[weasel words] fans and musicians have taken heavy objection to the use of the term "punk" when applied to Green Day. This is evidenced by the following comments issued by John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), former front man of both the 1970s punk band the Sex Pistols and the 1980s post-punk, Public Image Ltd.: 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.[51] 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.[52] 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".[53] 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.[54] BAND MEMBERS Billie Joe Armstrong – lead vocals, lead & rhythm guitars (1987–present) Mike Dirnt – bass, backing vocals (1987–present) Tré Cool – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1990–present) with Jason White – lead & rhythm 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)

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE

BAND HISTORY My Chemical Romance is a Grammy-nominated American rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, bassist Mikey Way, guitarists Frank Iero and Ray Toro and drummer Bob Bryar. Shortly after forming, the band signed to Eyeball Records and released their debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in 2002. They signed with Reprise Records the next year and released their major label debut Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004; the album was a commercial success, selling over one million copies. The band eclipsed their previous success with 2006's The Black Parade, featuring their hit singles, "Welcome to the Black Parade", "Famous Last Words", "I Don't Love You", and "Teenagers". The band also filmed a live DVD in Mexico City, titled The Black Parade Is Dead!, which was released in July 2008.[1] ALBUM I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love (2002 Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (2004)

The Black Parade (2006)

Untitled Fourth Album (2009)

MUSIC STYLE My Chemical Romance's music has been described by the media as "alternative rock"[30], "post-hardcore"[30], "punk revival"[30], "pop punk"[30] and "emo",[30][31][32][33] The band's official website describes their music as simply "rock" or "violent, dangerous pop",[34] as well as Gerard Way publicly rejecting the term "emo"[35] to describe their style. Although a source quotes frontman Gerard Way stating that they are "What-else-ya-got-emo",[3] Way has stated in an interview that they were never emo, saying emo is "a pile of shit" and "fucking garbage".[36] My Chemical Romance cite their main influences as Queen, Iron Maiden, the Misfits, Morrissey and The Smiths[37] Gerard Way said to Rolling Stone, "We love bands like Queen, where it's huge and majestic, but also bands like Black Flag and the Misfits, who would go absolutely crazy."[38] Way has also said that his band patterns their career after that of The Smashing Pumpkins, another band they admire.[39] Growing up, they were also very influenced by horror films and comic books, and therefore their music, lyrics, and image all have overt elements of fantasy, storytelling, horror, and theatricality. BAND MEMBERS Gerard Way — lead vocals Ray Toro — lead guitar, backing vocals Mikey Way — bass Frank Iero — rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2002–present) Bob Bryar — drums, percussion (2004–present)

AWARD AND DOMINATION

Grammy Award 2008 Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package - The Black Parade Kerrang! Award - Won for Best Band on the Planet in 2006 Kerrang! Award - Won "Best International Band" in 2007 Kerrang! Award - Won "Best Album" for Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge and "Best Video" for "Helena" in 2005 2005 MTV Video Music Awards - Nominated for Best New Artist in a Video for "Helena" 2005 MTV Video Music Awards - Nominated for Best Rock Video for "Helena" 2005 MTV Video Music Awards - Nominated for Best Choreography in a Video for "Helena" TRL Italy Award - Nominated for Best New Artist TRL Award 2006 - Won for Best Group That Actually Plays[52] MTV Asia Awards 2006 - Nominated for Favorite Rock Act MTV Asia Awards 2006 - Nominated for Favorite Breakthrough Artist MTV Asia Awards 2006 - Nominated for Favorite Video for "Helena" NME Awards - Won for "Best International Band" in 2007 15th Annual Music Video Production Awards - Won for Best colorist/telecine for "Helena" and Best Styling for "The Ghost of You"

linkin park

Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California, formed in 1996. Since their formation, the band has sold more than 50 million albums[2] and won two Grammy Awards.[3][4] It achieved mainstream success with its debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005.[5] Its following studio album, Meteora, continued the band's success, topping the Billboard 200’s album charts in 2003, and was followed by extensive touring and charity work around the world.[6] In 2003, MTV2 named Linkin Park the sixth greatest band of the music video era and the third best of the new millennium behind Oasis and Coldplay.[7] Having adapted the nu metal and rap rock genres to a radio-friendly yet densely-layered style in Hybrid Theory and Meteora,[8][9][10] the band explored other genres in their next studio album, Minutes to Midnight.[11][12] The album topped the Billboard charts and had the third best debut week of any album that year.[13][14] They have also collaborated with several other artists, most notably with rapper Jay-Z in their mashup album Collision Course, and many others on Reanimation.[9]

BAND HISTORY

Originally consisting of three high school friends, Linkin Park’s foundation was anchored by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, and Rob Bourdon.[1] After graduating from high school, the California natives began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band, Xero. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda’s make-shift bedroom studio in 1996.[1][15] Tensions and frustration within the band grew after they failed to land a record deal.[1] The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield, at that time the band's vocalist, to leave the band in search for other projects.[1][15] Farrell also left to tour with Tasty Snax and other bands.[16][17] After spending a considerable time searching for Wakefield's replacement, Xero recruited Arizona vocalist Chester Bennington. Jeff Blue, the vice president of Zomba Music, had referred him to the band in March 1999.[18] Bennington, formerly of Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants because of his unique singing style. The band changed its name from Xero to Hybrid Theory.[16] The newborn vocal chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington helped revive the band, inciting them to work on new material.[1] The band’s renaissance culminated with a change in name; from Hybrid Theory, the band changed its name to Linkin Park, a play on and homage to Santa Monica’s Lincoln Park.[1] However, despite these changes, the band still struggled to sign a record deal. After facing numerous rejections from several major record labels, Linkin Park turned to Jeff Blue for additional help. After failing to catch Warner Bros. Records on three previous reviews, Jeff Blue, now the vice president of Warner Bros. Records, helped the band sign a deal with the company in 1999. The band released its breakthrough album, Hybrid Theory, the following year.[18]

ALBUM

Hybrid Theory (2000–2002)

Meteora (2002–2004)

Side projects (2004–2006)

Minutes to Midnight (2006–2008)

MUSICAL STYLE

Both Hybrid Theory and Meteora combined the alternative metal,[62] nu metal,[16][63][64][65][66] and rap rock[66][67] sound with influences and elements from hip-hop, alternative rock,[68] and electronica, utilizing programming and synthesizers. William Ruhlmann from Allmusic regarded it as "a Johnny-come-lately to an already overdone musical style,"[69] whereas Rolling Stone called "Breaking the Habit" "risky, beautiful art".[70] In Minutes to Midnight the band experimented with their established sound and drew influences from a wider and more varied range of genres and styles, a process Los Angeles Times compares to a stage in U2's work.[71] In it, only two of the songs feature rapping, and the majority of the album can be considered alternative rock[72][73] rather than nu metal or rap rock. It is also their first studio album to feature guitar solos. In concert the band has covered songs by artists as varied as The Cure, Deftones, Guns N' Roses, and Nine Inch Nails.[citation needed] Linkin Park's use of two separate vocalists has become a large part of their music. Chester Bennington is most known for using screaming vocals common in various forms of metal and hardcore, while also using more melodic singing, and was placed 46th in Hit Paraders list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".[74] Mike Shinoda is the group's MC and does all of the rapping. Mike has also done all of the backing vocals live, and in their latest album, Minutes to Midnight, he sings lead vocals on "In Between", "Hands Held High", and the B-side "No Roads Left". Shinoda has also been placed in Hit Parader's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" at number 72

BAND MEMBER

Chester Bennington – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Rob Bourdon – drums Brad Delson – lead guitar Dave "Phoenix" Farrell – bass, backing vocals Mr. Hahn – turntables, programming, samples Mike Shinoda – rapping, vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards

muse

Muse is a multi award-winning English alternative rock band that formed in Teignmouth, Devon in 1994. Since its inception, the band has comprised vocalist, guitarist and pianist Matthew Bellamy; bassist and backing vocalist Christopher Wolstenholme; and drummer Dominic Howard. Muse are known for their energetic and extravagant live performances [1][2][3][4] and their fusion of many music genres, including progressive rock, classical music and electronica.[5] Muse have released five studio albums – Showbiz (1999); Origin of Symmetry (2001); Absolution (2003); Black Holes and Revelations (2006), which earned the band a Mercury Prize nomination and a third place finish in the NME Albums of the Year list for 2006;[6] and The Resistance (2009). Muse have won many other music awards throughout their career, including five MTV Europe Music Awards, five Q Awards, six NME Awards, two BRIT awards and four Kerrang! Awards. The majority of these awards have been attributed to their live performances. Muse have been involved with Teenage Cancer Trust and have performed at the Royal Albert Hall where they donated all money made from the merchandise stands to the charity. On the 25th of September 2008 all three members of the band were awarded Honorary Doctorates of the Arts by Plymouth University.Many Muse songs are recognizable by lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy's falsetto and use of vibrato. As a guitarist, Bellamy often utilizes arpeggio and pitch-shift effects to create a more "electric" sound, citing Jimi Hendrix and Tom Morello as influences for this method.[12] Black Holes & Revelations was influenced by various styles of European and Asian music, which together makes 'Eurasian' music. "I've been listening to quite a lot of music from the south of Italy on this album", Bellamy admits. "I've been living in Italy for a while, and I discovered this music from Naples, which sounds like a mix of music from Africa, Croatia, Turkey, and Italy. It kind of gives it a mystical sound, so I think that's one thing that influenced the album. I like being influenced by things that have a mixed style. Official members Matthew Bellamy – lead vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, programming Christopher Wolstenholme – bass, backing vocals, double bass, synthesizers Dominic Howard – drums, percussion, synthesizers, programming Muse Album Showbiz (1999) Origin of Symmetry (2001) Absolution (2003) Black Holes and Revelations (2006) The Resistance (2009)