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Members Biohazard

2008-08-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Billy Graziadei/Vocals & guitar

Individual biography to come

Evan Seinfeld/Vocals & bass

Individual biography to come

Danny Schuler/Drums

Individual biography to come

Bobby Hambel
Guitar on "Biohazard", "Urban Discipline" and "State Of The World Address"
(1988/1996) 2007-present

Scott Robert
Guitar on "Means To An End" (2003/2005)

Carmine Vincent
Guitar on "Kill Or Be Killed" (2002/2003)

Leo Curley
Guitar on "Uncivilization" (2000/2002)

Rob Echeverria
Guitar on "New World Disorder" and "No Holds Barred" (1996/2000)

Biohazard Biography

2008-08-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Former members
Evan Seinfeld
Billy Graziadei
Danny Schuler
Scott Roberts
Anthony Meo
Bobby Hambel
Rob Echeverria
Leo Curley
Carmine Vincent

Biohazard was a band originally based out of Brooklyn, New York. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop

Origin Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genre(s) Heavy metal, Hardcore punk, Rapcore
Years active 1988–2006, 2008

Band history

Early years

The band formed in 1987 in Brooklyn. The original lineup consisted of bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel, and drummer Anthony Meo. Guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei joined the band soon after. Their first demo tape, released in 1988, caused a stir with journalists who felt that the band's lyrics displayed certain fascist and white supremacist views, despite the fact that Seinfeld himself was Jewish. Accusations of racism in their music were strenuously denied by the band, but in later interviews, Seinfeld and Graziadei explained that it had all been a publicity stunt to win over the band Carnivore and their fans. Eventually, the songs in question were no longer played or even mentioned, and the band began preaching message of tolerance and anti-racism. After the release of their demo, Anthony Meo left the band and drummer Danny Schuler stepped in to replace him. A second demo tape followed in 1989.

While never really considering themselves a hardcore band, Biohazard often found themselves sharing stages with bands associated with the New York hardcore scene, such as the Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front. They also shared stages with New Jersey hardcore band Mucky Pup quite often and a friendship between the two bands developed. Mucky Pup became a strong supporter of Biohazard and often booked them as an opening act, but many of the clubs would refuse to let Biohazard play, thinking the shows would lead to violence. As a result, Mucky Pup would resort to sneaking them on stage to perform a few songs before their own set.

Maze Records

In 1990, Biohazard signed a recording contract with Maze Records. The band's self-titled debut album was poorly promoted by the label and sold over 40,000 copies. Subject-matter of the album was Brooklyn, gang-wars, drugs, and violence. The band went on their first European tour and, when they returned, realized that the problems they sang about on their first record were not limited to their Brooklyn hometown.

One year after the release of their debut album, Seinfeld and Graziadei contributed vocals to the song "Three Dead Gophers" from Mucky Pup's third album, Now. The album was released on Roadrunner Records, who would soon release Biohazard's second album.

Roadrunner Records

In 1992, Biohazard signed with Roadrunner Records and released Urban Discipline, which gave the band national and worldwide attention in both the heavy metal and hardcore communities. The video for the song "Punishment" became the most played video in the history of MTV's Headbanger's Ball, and the album sold over 1,000,000 copies. The band also began opening for larger acts such as House of Pain, Sick Of It All, Fishbone, and Kyuss.

In the meantime, several former members of Mucky Pup had formed the band Dog Eat Dog. Biohazard had continued their friendship with these members and began to share the stage with Dog Eat Dog. While touring Europe, Graziadei gave a Dog Eat Dog demo tape to a Roadracer Records representative. At the time, Roadracer was the European sister label to Roadrunner Records. The tape was sent back to the New York office of Roadrunner Records who then sent representatives to several Dog Eat Dog shows. As a result, Dog Eat Dog signed their first record deal with the label.

In 1993, the hardcore rap group Onyx recorded an alternate "Bionyx" version of their hit single "Slam" with Biohazard as their backup band. This led to a collaboration for the title track of the Judgment Night soundtrack. The soundtrack would go on to sell over 2,000,000 copies in the United States.

Warner Bros.

Months later, the band left Roadrunner Records in order to sign with Warner Brothers Records Inc. and released their third studio LP, State of the World Address. The album was produced by Ed Stasium in Los Angeles and contained the single "How It Is" featuring Sen-Dog from Cypress Hill, for which a video was also shot. During their 1994 tour, the band made an appearance on the second stage at the Monsters of Rock festival held at Castle Donington. State of the World Address went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies, and Rolling Stone magazine selected the Biohazard logo as the best logo of the year. This was the last Biohazard album with Bobby Hambel, who left due to differences with the rest of the band. Hambel spent time in White Devil, also featuring members of the Cro-Mags, before seemingly leaving the music business entirely.

The band recorded their fourth studio album, Mata Leao, as a three piece in 1996. It was produced with the help of Dave Jerden. For the 1996 Mata Leao Tour, the band hired former Helmet guitarist Rob Echeverria. Also in 1996, Biohazard played on the Ozzfest mainstage alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Danzig, Fear Factory, and Sepultura.

While touring Europe in support of the Mata Leao album, the band recorded their Hamburg, Germany, show for their first live album, No Holds Barred (Live in Europe), which was released in 1997 through their former label, Roadrunner Records.

In 1998, Seinfeld began an acting career playing Jaz Hoyt on HBO's award winning series Oz. The character was introduced in the second season and appeared throughout the series' sixth and final season.

Mercury Records

The band signed to Mercury Records and released their fifth studio album, New World Disorder, in 1999, once again with Ed Stasium as a producer. The relationship with Mercury Records soured quickly; the band felt betrayed and misunderstood by their label and as a result severed their ties with the label amidst the merger of Mercury Records, Island Records, Def Jam Records, and Polygram into the Universal Music Group.

Independent again

In 2000, the band continued to tour Europe and Japan, without the support of a record label or management. In 2001, the band released a compilation album titled Tales From The B-Side. The album consisted of various B-sides and remixes from various eras in the band's recording history. The album was released by the Phantom Sound & Vision label. After the release of Tales From The B-Side, Rob Echeverria resigned from the band in order to get married. Leo Curley, of Outline and All Means Necessary, was hired as his replacement.

SPV/Sanctuary Records

In the same year, Biohazard signed two new record deals with SPV/Steamhammer in Europe and Sanctuary Records for the remainder of the world. Despite the new record deals, the band took some personal time in order to work on other projects.

Graziadei briefly formed a trip hop project with Jenifer Bair of the Ohio band Hilo. After writing and recording approximately 20 songs for the project, named Blu, Bair relocated to Los Angeles, California to continue an art career and the project dissolved. Graziadei also began work on a book, Tales From The Hardside. Schuler used his downtime to join New York band Among Thieves as a replacement drummer for the departing Will Shepler.

Graziadei and Schuler also collaborated in transforming the band's rehearsal Brooklyn studio into a digital recording studio, known as Rat Piss Studios. Re-investing into the band, Graziadei and Schuler honed their engineering and productions skills while recording and producing local acts and new Biohazard demos. The band then undertook the process of writing, recording, and producing their own music.

Their studio work led to the band's first sixth studio album, Uncivilization, released in September 2001. The album features many guest appearances by members of bands such as Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Pantera, Slipknot, Sepultura, Cypress Hill, Skarhead, and Type O Negative. Shortly after the release of Uncivilization, Leo Curley left the band to focus on writing his own music. He was replaced by former Nucleus member Carmine Vincent, who had previously toured with Biohazard as part of their road crew.

In 2002, Seinfeld became engaged to porn star Tera Patrick, who had never heard of Seinfeld until she saw one of his nude scenes on Oz. After making several phone calls, Patrick was able to contact Seinfeld, who had never heard of her either, and the two began dating.

Unfortunately, the band had to cancel scheduled European festival dates when Carmine Vincent underwent major surgery. The band did manage to find a temporary guitarist, Scott Roberts of the Cro-Mags, in time to join the Eastpak Resistance Tour with Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Discipline, Death Threat, and Born From Pain. Also participating in the tour was All Boro Kings, a band consisting of old friends from both Mucky Pup and Dog Eat Dog.

Biohazard completed their seventh studio album in seventeen days; Kill Or Be Killed was released in 2003. Originally titled Never Forget, Never Forgive, the band made a last-minute decision to change the name and artwork of the album. While touring North America with Kittie, Brand New Sin and Eighteen Visions, Biohazard announced that Roberts would remain as their permanent guitarist. The tour was curtailed when it was announced that Seinfeld had fallen ill.

With more downtime due to Seinfeld's illness, Graziadei and Schuler collaborated to mix Life of Agony's live comeback album, River Runs Again: Live 2003. Once Seinfeld was healthy again, the band toured Japan and North America, headlining over bands such as Hatebreed, Agnostic Front, Throwdown, and Full Blown Chaos.

Once home, Seinfeld began recording and circulating demos for his own trip hop project named Triplesicks. For a brief time, Graziadei and his wife moved to Brazil where their daughter was born. While there, Graziadei struck up a friendship with drummer Fernandao Schafer. After jamming together in the studio, Schafer formed the band Ink which Graziadei would eventually join. It wasn't long before Ink was renamed Endrah and an EP titled DEMONstration was released. Once Graziadei returned to New York, the logistical problems of traveling back and forth caused Graziadei to quit Endrah.

In early 2004, Graziadei, Schuler, and Roberts teamed up with gabber DJ Rob Gee, DJ Starscream (aka Sid Wilson of Slipknot), Jeff Anthony, and Keith Rooney, both of Gutwrench, to form Ampt. The band combined gabber music with hardcore and heavy metal. After writing several songs and putting together a live band, Graziadei and Schuler left the project in order to continue with Biohazard. Ampt has gone through several additional lineup changes since.

Also in 2004, Seinfeld, now residing in Los Angeles, California, married his fiance of two years, Tera Patrick. Using the alias Spyder Jones, Seinfeld has since starred with Patrick in several adult movies, including Desperate and Reign of Tera, which he also directed.

By the end of 2004, the band had begun recording its eighth studio album, Means To An End. Unfortunately, the completed album was lost in a studio disaster, forcing the band to completely re-record the album, which was finally released in August 2005.

The end of Biohazard

In the meantime, Graziadei had formed another new band with former members of Kittie and The Groovenics. Originally named Rodek, the band eventually changed their name to Suicide City. In October 2005, Graziadei announced that Means To An End had been the final Biohazard album and that he would continue playing with Suicide City as his main focus. One month later, on the Biohazard website, it was announced that there would in fact be a 2006 Biohazard tour.

On December 15th, Seinfeld and Graziadei participated with the Roadrunner United conglomerate at the Nokia Theater in New York for an all-star event. The show opened with Biohazard's "Punishment," performed by Seinfeld, Graziadei, Sepultura's Andreas Kisser, former Fear Factory member Dino Cazares, and Slipknot's Joey Jordison.

In January 2006, Danny Schuler announced his resignation from Biohazard and the formation of Bloodclot with singer Jon Joseph of the Cro-Mags and guitarist Scott Roberts and bassist Craig Setari of Sick of it All. As a result of Schuler's resignation, Roberts announced that he would also be leaving the band to focus on Bloodclot with Schuler. That same month, Graziadei announced that Biohazard would not go on a farewell tour after all [1]. A Biohazard DVD was released soon after.

Graziadei and Schuler have since relocated their recording studio to South Amboy, New Jersey and have renamed it Underground Sound Studios. The studio has undergone renovations in order to include a live room with 20 foot ceilings and 4,000 square feet of studio space.

In February 2006, Seinfeld participated in the filming of SuperGroup, a VH-1 reality television series also starring Ted Nugent, Scott Ian of Anthrax, Sebastian Bach and Jason Bonham of Bonham, UFO, and Foreigner as a band named Damnocracy. The show debuted on May 21, 2006. Seinfeld continues to work with his wife, Tera Patrick, in adult entertainment. In 2005, they launched the Tera Patrick Agency with the goal of representing talent in both the adult and mainstream entertainment business.

In March 2007, Evan Seinfeld debuted his new band, The Spyderz, as an opening act for a Buckcherry performance. The band was originally named White Line Fever, until it was discovered that a UK band already owned the name. The Spyderz also features guitarist John Monte, formerly of Ministry and M.O.D..

Reunion

In January 2008, the lineup of Evan Seinfeld, Billy Graziadei, Danny Schuler and Bobby Hambel made the announcement that rehearsals had begun for a 2008 summer tour to commemorate the band's 20th anniversary.They toured Australia and New Zealand in April with Chimaira, Throwdown, Bloodsimple and headliners Korn to celebrate their newly declared reunion.

Discography

1. Demo (1988)
2. Demo (1989)
3. Biohazard (1990)
4. Urban Discipline (1992)
5. State of the World Address (1994)
6. Mata Leao (1996)
7. No Holds Barred (Live in Europe) (1997)
8. New World Disorder (1999)
9. Tales From The B-Side (2001)
10. Uncivilization (2001)
11. Kill Or Be Killed (2003)
12. Means To An End (2005)

Wikipedia

BIOHAZARD was founded in 1988 in bloody district of NYC Brooklyn. The original lineup consisted of guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel, and drummer Danny Schuler. They formed Biohazard for the purpose of expressing political viewpoints and discussing problems facing urban youth, which all of the members had experience dealing with themselves. They think all people should be 'Down For Life' wich means that they should be loyal to their friends and family, 'cause they're the only ones to back you up. There is BIO fanclub called Down For Life (DFL). It unites the most hardcore Biofans(called DFLers) around the world.

Biohazard began opening for local hardcore and thrash bands and gradually built a large following through their outraged sense of injustice, political awareness, and constant touring. Inspired by (but not limited to): Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Run DMC, Bad brains, Judas Priest, Cro-Mags, Public Enemy, The Ramones, Agnostic Front, the band set out to create a musical hybrid that would transcend easy categorization and not be bound by limitation. Biohazard was one of the first bands to mix heavy metal and hardcore with elements of hip-hop and rap.

In 1990 they signed their first label at a little record-company which is called Maze Records, Biohazard also released their first LP there, which is published under the name "Biohazard". It sold over 40.000 copies, this bad quantity was based on poor promotion. This album was all about Brooklyn, the gang-wars, drugs, violence, etc. After releasing their debut in 1990, Biohazard set out on their path for world domination. Returning from their first European tour, they realized that the problems they sang about on their first record were not limited to their Brooklyn hometown.

After a long time of fighting about a good record label, Biohazard finally got it's contract with Roadrunner Records. In 1992, the band released the classic URBAN DISCIPLINE, which went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies worldwide. Consequently, Biohazard became support of bigger acts such as House Of Pain, Sick Of It All, Fishbone and Kyuss. Spawning from this record was the video for the track "Punishment" which was the most played video in the history of MTV's Headbanger's Ball and is still regarded as one of the most influential records of the nineties.

In 1993, the hard-core rap group Onyx recorded an alternate version of their hit single "Slam" with Biohazard backing them up. This led to both bands collaborating on the title song for the groundbreaking Judgement Night soundtrack, which sold over 2,000,000 copies in the US. In the same year they changed to Warner Brothers Records Inc. and published their third and most successful studio LP "State Of The World Address". It was produced in winter`94 in Los Angeles with Ed Stasium. In 1994 Biohazard again was touring the entire planet and drawing strength from their loyal fans. SOTWA went on to sell over 1,000,000 copies and spawned the hit single and video "How It Is" featuring Sen-Dog from Cypress Hill. This album was up to now the most controversial Biohazard LP. It criticized the sharp and clear thinking of the band. After this little conflict the Rolling Stone Magazine selected the Biohazard logo for the best logo of the year. The third LP also was the last one for Bobby, who left the band a few times later.

Biohazard went on to release the fourth album called Mata Leao two years later. It was produced for the second time at Warner Brothers with the help of Dave Jerden. Biohazard recorded it with only three members: Evan, Billy, Danny. Without a lead guitarist, but you can hear that it is a great piece of work. The title means, "to kill the lion" and, in a sense, they discovered that their ambitions would lead them to do just that. By facing their fears head on, defeating their inner demons and looking around the globe for answers, the band found the truth inside themselves.

Battling drug and alcohol abuse, inter-band strife, record labels folding, merging and abandoning them for more pop flavors, Biohazard staggered like a champion fighter, but never went down. During these difficult years, Biohazard succeeded in sticking it out together. For the Mata Leao Tour in 1996, the band needed a talented lead guitarist, so they choosed the ex-Helmet guitarist Rob Echeverria. With the assistance of Rob they published their first live record "No Holds Barred" in 1997. The whole album was recorded in Hamburg with the helping hands of Roadrunner Records.

After that the band signed to Mercury Records and released the critically acclaimed the fifth record called New World Disorder in 1999. Everything was done again with the help of Ed Stasium, but this time in New York City. In the same year, Biohazard toured for "New World Disorder" among other things in Europe, for example at Rock am Ring / Rock im Park or at the Bizarre festival in Cologne. Feeling betrayed and misunderstood by their label, the band left Mercury amidst the mass artist genocide that occurred with the merger of Mercury, Island, Def Jam and Polygram into Universal. In 2000, operating on their survival instincts, the band re-grouped and launched a highly successful European/Japan tour with no record label or managerial support.

After traveling all over the world, they earned a longer break to began doing the work on the sixth record "Tales From The B-Sides". The LP is full of the coolest b-side and remix shit. A few month ago, Rob has left the band, he wants to settle down and get married. Fortunately the band found a new lead guitarist, his name is Leo Curley. In the meantime Biohazard signed a new record deal with SPV/Steamhammer for Europe and Sanctuary for the rest of the world. During the bands' downtime, the high visibility of being hard-core legends connected Evan with Tom Fontana landing him a high profile starring role portraying the prison convict "Jaz Hoyt" on HBO's critically acclaimed and award winning hit series "OZ".

Billy used his music skills in a trip-hop â€œmassive attackishâ€ project called BLU. The band consists of two members: Billy and a vocalist Jeni Bair. The bands' hard work had earned respect has also brought Billy into the journalism world. Currently working on a collection of "Tales from the Hardside" for later release, you can find some of these tales in magazines like Metal Hammer and FAQ (to name a few) where he has his own monthly column. Danny also undertook some activities outside Biohazard. He joined New York's band called Among Thieves as a replacement for Will Shepler (ex-Agnostic Front/Madball).

Also during this time, Billy and Danny transformed the bands infamous rehearsal studio/hangout in downtown Brooklyn into a world class digital recording studio now know as Rat Piss Studios. Re-investing into the band, Billy and Danny honed their engineering and productions skills while recording/producing local acts and new Biohazard demos. Armed with a truckload of new music, the band undertook the difficult process of writing, recording and producing their own music. In september of 2001 they released their sixth studio LP (except NHB & Tales From The B-Side) â€œUncivilizationâ€. The album features guests the likes of Roger Miret (Agnostic Front), Jamie Jasta of Hatebreed, Phil Anselmo (Pantera), Corey from Slipknot and also mate from Skarhead, Lord Ezec.

Unfortunately some months after releasing of â€œUncivilizationâ€ Biohazard parted ways with Leo Curley. Curley's departure was caused by his desire to write his own material, a prospect which proved virtually impossible in an act that has been composing songs as a three-piece since Biohazard's split with original guitarist Bobby Hambel in the mid-1990s. The split with Leo was mutual, no bad feelings. Biohazard have replaced Leo with former Nucleus axeman Carmine Vincent. Vincent is no stranger to the Biohazard camp, having previously traveled with the group as a roadie in addition to having supported Biohazard as the bassist/vocalist for NUCLEUS during a tour of Europe in late 2000. Brand new Biohazard album was recorded with Carmine and entitled "Kill Or Be Killed" (2003) and is the most brutal and heaviest to date.

In 2005, Biohazard embarked on what has become their final album, Means to an End. With the success of their studio work, Billy and Danny opened up the Underground Sound Studios in NJ, in exchange for lower overhead and more space, they left Rat Piss Studios behind. After focusing on their earlier energy that the members found as definative Biohazard, disaster struck the band. While mixing the album, a horrible mishap caused the loss of the album (recorded in digital audio as most recordings these days are). After regrouping, Graziadei and Schuler rekindled their passion and rejoined the fight to finish this soon to be classic Biohazard album: Means to an End.

Billy is currently 100% focused on his new band Suicide City, while at home he works in the successful Underground Sound Studios that he and Danny Schuler have been building up over the years! Danny Schuler is currently working on a project called Bloodclot with Biohazard guitar player Scott Roberts and former Cromag's singer, John Bloodclot.

Biohazard

David Silveria

2008-07-31T23:34:00.000-07:00

Birth name David Randall Silveria
Born September 21, 1972 (1972-09-21) (age 35), San Leandro, California, U.S.
Genre(s) Nu metal, Alternative metal, Industrial metal
Occupation(s) Drummer
Instrument(s) Drums
Years active 1989 - 1993 (L.A.P.D.), 1993 - 2006 (KoЯn)
Label(s) Elementree

David Randall Silveria (born September 21, 1972 in San Leandro, California, United States) is a drummer, mostly known as the drummer for nu-metal band Korn from 1993 until he went on his "hiatus" in 2006.

Biography

Growing up in the Bakersfield area, David Silveria started playing drums when he was 9. At the age of 17, he found out that local band L.A.P.D. (which consisted of James Shaffer and Reginald Arvizu) was searching for a drummer. He auditioned and was chosen, but needed permission from his mother to go with the band. In fact, she would often drop him off and pick him up from practices. When Jonathan Davis joined the band, they changed the name to KoЯn and Welch, Shaffer and Arvizu took up pseudonyms, while Silveria and Davis remained using their given names.

Silveria divorced his wife Shannon in 2002, going so far as covering up a tattoo of her name with a huge tribal tattoo, which is reported to look like a vagina. He has two children, David Jr. and Sofie Aurora.

Silveria has been seen playing bass while performing the song "Earache My Eye" live.

Silveria had to undergo surgery to remove an extra rib which was causing nerve problems in his left arm. His wrist gave out in Fargo, ND during the song "It's Gonna Go Away". He sat out the rest of the "Sick and Twisted 2000" and "Summer Sanitarium Tours". Mike Bordin filled in for him. Silveria then returned for the album recording of Untouchables and some performances since (Silveria's own explanation for the issue is that "I hit too fucking hard").

Silveria's favorite KoЯn song is said to be "Blind", as well as "Got the Life", "B.B.K." & "Beg for Me" which is from Issues.

Hiatus

At 13 December of 2006, it was announced that Silveria would be going on hiatus, but after a long period of waiting, it was said by Jonathan Davis on a Swedish radio station after being asked if Silveria will be on the next album (Untitled, 31 July 2007), He responded : "I don't know, probably not.He has since started running his sushi restaurants and bar/grill joints, choosing a new life of relative anonymity when compared to drumming for a well-known rock band.

Silveria has not given any interviews ever since he went on his "hiatus," much to the frustration of many KoЯn fans. He since has dedicated his time to his children and running his steak house and sushi restaurant. In a recent interview with HeadBanger's Blog, Jonathan Davis said that he had not heard anything from David since his "hiatus" and it has been assumed by KoRn fans that David after 13 years will never play with KoRn again.

In June 2008 it was reported that Silveria had formed a new band called Satellite Syndrome, as a MySpace page for the band had claimed such. Korn's management later confirmed that the rumors were false and Silveria was not part of the group.

Facts about David Silveria

David played alongside Infectious Grooves as a side project.

David used Tama drums and Paiste cymbals while with Korn.

David took a job at Pizza Hut after the demise of L.A.P.D.

David didn't start taking his instrument seriously until KoЯn was formed.

David's favorite songs from Debut album and Issues are Blind (first album), and Beg For Me (Issues).

David is responsible for signing Orgy to their own-record label Elementree Records. They had been long-time friends with KoЯn, so David signed them up.

Tommy Lee is David's biggest influence.

David has modeled for clothing lines like 26 Red, Grind, and Calvin Klein.

David appeared in his first acting debut, on the television show Martial Law.

David had to undergo surgery to remove an extra rib which was causing nerve problems in his left arm. His wrist gave out in Fargo, ND during the song It's Gonna Go Away. He was out for the rest of the Sick and Twisted 2000 and Summer Sanitarium Tours. Mike Bordin filled in for David. David has since returned for Untouchables and beyond (David's explanation: "I hit too fucking hard!").

David went backstage after the incident in North Dakota and got bandaged up and the guys came back out and David took the mic and told the fans "I'm afraid we've got some bad news, I fucked up my wrist trying to play". Head remembered on "Deuce" that the crowd started booing in disbelief, but David turned it around saying "We could have had someone else come up and tell you guys but we came up ourselves" and the boos turned to cheers and clapping.

David struck a nerve with the band Slipknot in 2000, when David posed for Calvin Klein Dirty Denim jeans. Slipknot didn't like the fact that he modeled, they thought it wasn't a "metal" thing to do, so they protested by burning ads from all different kinds of models for the same company (Jay Gordon of Orgy being one of them) onstage at a couple of their shows. (KoЯn and Slipknot have since "made-up", because they toured together in 2004 at a U.K. Festival, and members of Slipknot have said they like KoЯn's music, and appreciate what they have done for music). Joey Jordison (Slipknot's drummer) had also drummed for KoЯn for a large part of 2007.

He owns 2 restaurants in California.

David's Equipment

The following is a listing of the drums and equipment used by David Silveria during his musical career with KoЯn:

David's KoЯn Tour Kit (1993-2006):

* Tama Starclassic Maple Custom Drums & Paiste Signature Cymbals :

Tama Drums - Black

*
* 22x18" Bass Drum
* 14x6.5" Signature Snare Drum
* 10x5.5" Rack Tom
* 12x6.5" Rack Tom
* 15x15" Floor Tom
* 16x16" Floor Tom
* 20x16" Gong Bass Drum
* 8" Signature Splash
* 10" Signature Splash
* 15" Signature Heavy Hi-Hat (custom)
* 18" Signature Power Crash
* 20" Signature Power Crash
* 20" Signature Power Ride
* 18" Signature Heavy China
* 13" Signature Exotic/Percussion Mega Cup Chime
* Kudarat Agong
* 8" Signature Bell
* Combo Lata

Hardware

* Iron Cobra Flexi Glide Twin Pedal
* Iron Cobra Lever Glide Hi-Hat Stand
* Sultan Kudarat Agong
* Combo Lata
* Custom chrome Tama rack including the footboards, clamps, memory locks, and star-cast mounting system
* Remo Drum Heads (coated Ambassador, clear Emperors, clear Powerstroke 3)
* Pete Englehart Ribbon Crasher Percussion
* D Drum Triggers and Roland Pads
* Vater David Silveria's KoЯn DSK Tour sticks
* Custom TAMA ROC 'N Throne

Sultan Kudarat Agong Combo Lata

Brian Welch

2008-07-31T23:25:00.001-07:00

Also known as Head
Born June 19, 1970 (1970-06-19) (age 38)
Origin Bakersfield, California
Genre(s) Rock, Nu metal, Alternative metal, Christian
Years active 1993 - 2005 (with Korn), 2006-Present
Associated acts Brian Head Welch, Korn, L.A.P.D., Toy, Pierct, Creep

Brian Phillip Welch (born June 19, 1970 in Bakersfield, California) better known by his nickname Head, is the former guitarist and a founding member of Korn, a multi-platinum, Grammy award winning nu metal band and a major influence in the rise of the nu metal movement. Welch also provided backup vocals. He left the band in 2005 to dedicate his life to worshiping Jesus Christ and has recorded a solo album.

Early life

Welch was raised in the industrial farm town of Bakersfield, California. Early in his life, Welch claims that he was different from most kids and was picked on a lot in school. His one passion was music. Welch had started playing the guitar at the age of 10. His first guitar was the legendary Peavey Mystic, what he refers to as "the most metal looking guitar you have ever seen." Originally, he expressed interest in playing drums but his father pushed him to guitar since it was quieter. While in high school, Welch met Reggie "Fieldy" Arvizu, in 10th grade. Reggie also started at guitar, but Brian said the bass was easier and it stuck. Brian's first band was called "Pierct" which is pronounced as Pierced. Growing up he was a very big Ozzy Osbourne fan.

Guitars

Welch's main — if not exclusive — guitar is an Ibanez 7-string. Most were custom made guitars built and assembled at the Ibanez LA Custom Shop. During the later days in Korn, he, along with James "Munkey" Shaffer, made a signature series Seven String Guitar called the Ibanez K7, which was distributed by Ibanez Guitars. He and Shaffer mainly used Mesa Boogie amps (specifically, a Triple Rectifier or Road King). Favored effects included the Digitech "Whammy pedal" [then known as the Digitech XP-100 Whammy Wah pedal], the Dunlop UV-1 Uni-Vibe, Boss PH-2 Super Phaser, Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble, Rocktron Tremolo, and the Boss RV-3 delay. Brian's first ever guitar was a "Peavey Mystic". He later sold this guitar along with a practice amp to KoRn's other guitar player James "Munky" Shaffer.

As a solo artist

As of February 2005, Welch was reported to have been working on his solo album, Save Me From Myself, under the name Head. He has already made his debut with the songs "Kry" and "A Cheap Name," a controversial song about the rapper 50 Cent. He was also said to be releasing a documentary film, Washed by Blood, which would show Welch's personal struggle with alcohol and drug-addiction at the pinnacle of his career and his later choice of a new life and Christian faith. The film would show life as a recording artist, along with animated vignettes, interviews with current friends, associates and former band members and travel footage from his philanthropic work in India. He has recorded several other songs including "Dream" and "Letter to Dimebag" which is an instrumental tribute to "Dimebag" Darrel Abott, guitar player for Pantera and Damage Plan. In his autobiography, Welch mentions the songs "Washed By Blood" "Save Me From Myself" and "Rebel." The album has been given scheduled release dates which keep being postponed but the album is apparently in its final mixing stages and should be out in a few months. Brian Welch has also said he will be performing his solo acts, according to www.cornerstonefestival.com, at the Cornerstone Festival on July 5, 2008, along with Demon Hunter, As I Lay Dying, Haste The Day, and Still Remains.

Brian Welch is now with Driven Music Group. The album title has also been changed to match his first book, Save Me from Myself. Following this, his official MySpace profile went online, and the domain name for this official website was moved to www.brianheadwelch.net, originally www.headtochrist.com, and is now up and running. Originally, Welch planned for the project to follow the "Head" moniker, but was persuaded otherwise, so as not to be sued by the tennis equipment manufacturer of the same name. Though the project has since been dubbed "Brian Head Welch," the album continues to carry the imprint of the project's original title. According to Welch's MySpace profile, Save Me from Myself will be released during September 9, 2008.

In a podcast with Headbanger's Blog, on May 30, 2008, Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis expressed interest in playing with Welch on the band's upcoming album, but stated that it isn't likely.

Personal life

In 1995 Brian's girlfriend Rebeka gave birth to a child, but she decided to give it up for adoption. When she got pregnant again they were ready. On July 6, 1998, Welch's wife Rebekah gave birth to their second daughter, Jennea Marie Welch. The band was scheduled to be on the UK version of Ozzfest but dropped out before it started so that Welch could be by his wife's side. He and his wife have since divorced and Brian has custody of their daughter. The two reside in Arizona.

From the early stages of KoRn, Brian used methamphetamines "Speed" on and off until 2005 when he and Rebeka got divorced and he developed a consuming addiction to the drug which led him into a deep depression. His addiction, along with wanting to spend more time with his daughter because he gained custody, was a key reason for his leaving the band in 2005.

On how he got his four-letter moniker, Welch says, "I got a big head... go get me any hat, and it won't fit. 'Cept this one, 'cause it's stretchy."

On February 22, 2005, Korn's management announced that after almost 12 years, Welch had parted ways with the band, citing that he had "...chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end.

On March 10, 2005, Welch was baptized in the Jordan River with a group of believers [1] hailing from Bakersfield, California. He has declared that he has rid himself of all drugs in his "own personal rehab" with God, in which he had checked into a hotel room and sat in his bed for countless hours.

Welch and Davis have attacked each other in the media since the former's departure. After he said that Davis and the rest of Korn care only about money, Davis responded in kind, opening a rift between them that may or may not have been resolved. But recently, in an interview with Beliefnet.com in which Welch was asked about his book and Korn's reaction to the book and the attacks in the media he made earlier at the band:

How did the other members of Korn feel about your having written the book? Do you still talk to them and know what they think about it?

They heard that I'd written it, and there was rumors going around in Hollywood that I was totally trashing them and that it was a "tell all" book about everything they did and I did. And so they actually wrote two songs on their new album bashing me about the book. But once I heard that they were concerned about the book, I sent them a copy and put a note in there and said, "I love you guys. I didn't trash you like people say. Read it yourselves. It is what it is." And now they're doing interviews, and I've read that they're totally cool with the book, and it's not what they thought it was going to be. So everyone's happy. But, now they've got two songs hating on me on their record. But it's cool. It's all good. I love them, they love me. I think maybe I deserved those songs because of some of the stuff that I said after I quit the band. So it's all good.

In July 2005, Welch appeared on CNN's feature-format program "People in the News" where he admitted to having been addicted to alcohol, methamphetamines, Xanax, and sleeping pills before being reintroduced to the Christian faith.

Following his conversion to Christianity, Brian went to some of the more poverty stricken areas of India to build orphanages or "Head Homes". He visited a tribe of head hunters who were apparently reduced to cannibalism because of lack of food.

Welch has been tattooed with the words Matthew 11:28 ("Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."), Matthew 6:19 ("Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.") and Matthew 5:8 ("Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."). He also has a Jesus tattoo on his hand that Welch claims keeps him from masturbating.[6]

In March 2008, Welch started a record company with Mark Nawara and Greg Shanabeger called Driven Music Group. The company has a distribution deal with Warner Music Group.

Works

With Korn

Studio albums

* Korn, released: October 11, 1994
* Life Is Peachy, released: October 15, 1996
* Follow the Leader, released: August 18, 1998
* Issues, released: November 16, 1999
* Untouchables, released: June 11, 2002
* Take a Look in the Mirror, released: November 21, 2003

Compilation albums

* Greatest Hits Volume 1, released: October 5, 2004
* Live & Rare, released: May 9, 2006 (Head was not in the band at the time however the songs were partially his work)
* Playlist: The Very Best of Korn, released April 29th, 2008

EP's

* Neidermeyer's Mind, 1993

With Limp Bizkit

* Results May Vary (2003) (Welch helped with guitar on some songs for the album after original guitarist Wes Borland left the band in 2001. Some songs recorded with Welch were left unreleased, along with a number of songs for those recording sessions for the album. Welch stopped recording with the band after Mike Smith became the new Limp Bizkit guitarist). Welch is credited with playing the guitar parts in the song "Build a Bridge". He also played with Limp Bizkit at WrestleMania XIX, performing on "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" and "Crack Addict"

Solo

* Save Me from Myself, September 9, 2008

Books

* Save Me From Myself, released July 3, 2007

Reginald Arvizu

2008-07-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

Also known as Fieldy
Born November 2, 1969 (1969-11-02) (age 38), Bakersfield, California
Genre(s) Nu metal, Alternative metal, Industrial metal, Hip-hop
Instrument(s) Bass guitar
Years active 1993–present
Associated acts Korn, Fieldy's Nightmare, StillWell,L.A.P.D.

Reginald "Fieldy/Reggie" Arvizu (born November 2, 1969 in Bakersfield, California) is the bass guitar player for the band Korn.

Prior to Arvizu's time in Korn, he and Brian Welch who would later become one of Korn's two guitarists (alongside James Shaffer) had played together in a number of bands, having become friends while still at school. Upon their graduation from high school, Arvizu, Brian, drummer David Silveria and James relocated from Bakersfield to Los Angeles and formed L.A.P.D (the name first stood for "Love and Peace, Dude", but this abbreviation was later changed to "Laughing As People Die"). Although L.A.P.D. did succeed in signing a record deal, their success was limited until the band hired singer Jonathan Davis and changed their name to Korn.

The name "Fieldy" is said to have come about as an abbreviation for "Garfield", based on the comic strip character of the same name. Originally, his band mates called him "Gopher", due to his large cheeks. Gopher became "Gar", Gar became Garfield, which became Fieldy. His full moniker is "Fieldy Snuts", which when spoken aloud sounds like "Feel these nuts", or "Fieldy's nuts". This is also the name of his record label.[citation needed]

He plays a 5-string Ibanez model SDGR SR5005, named the K-5, which is his signature bass.

His playing style consists of slapping, double slapping, double-popping, standard finger-style plucking, and palm muting; his standard tuning is: A, D, G, C, F.

The majority of Fieldy's bass riffs are hip-hop inspired. He says he gets inspiration from anything hip-hop. On the business side of Korn, Fieldy is responsible for all Korn merchandise, its buying and selling. He will come up with a number of designs, shows them to the band and they either approve or disapprove.

Fieldy has stated that his favorite Korn songs are "Freak on a Leash" and "Coming Undone".

Life outside Korn

In addition to Korn, he has a rap side project called Fieldy's Dreams.

Fieldy married his girlfriend Deena Beber on Tuesday, 16th of May 2006. Korn's guitarist, Munky played nylon guitar at the wedding. It is her first marriage and his second. Fieldy has two daughters, Serena and Olivia Arvizu, from his first marriage from Sheela Arvizu; he and his current wife Deena had a son earlier this year and named him Israel.

Fieldy has stated that his second album, Sobriety, is still in the works. Originally intended to be a hardcore rap album, Fieldy has scrapped the original idea in favor of a jazz fusion style.

Fieldy is currently working with independent rap artist Q Unique, Sevendust and Dark New Day guitarist Clint Lowery on a side project called "Stillwell". The song "Killing Myself To Live" can be heard on their MySpace page, the album does not yet have a release date, for it is still in the works.

Fieldy's Equipment

Basses

* Ibanez Soundgear SR1305 5-string (Natural finish, Lollapalooza '97 bass)
* Ibanez Soundgear SR1305 5-string (Maroon, w/ sand paper scratches on it)
* Ibanez Soundgear SR885 5-string (black, woodstock '99, origin of K5)
* Ibanez Soundgear 505's (Black w/ face scratched out & Natural)
* Ibanez ATK305 (Amber/ash body)
* Ibanez K5TKF 5-String (Fieldy Signature/black & red)

Amps

* Hughes & Kettner BC 410's
* 2 Mesa/Boogie M-2000 heads (no mids, and a heavily tweaked 18-band EQ)
* Hughes and Kettner 2x15 cabinet (on tour)
* Mesa/Boogie 4x10 cabinet
* Recently he is using Ampeg PR410HLF cabinets.

Effects

* SansAmp Pedal EQ Boost Pedals
* Digitech Wah-wah

Guest appearances (videos)

* Limp Bizkit - Faith (1998)
* Ice Cube - Fuck Dying (1999)
* E-40 feat. Fabolous - Automatic (2002)
* Bubba Sparxx - Back In The Mud (2003)

James Shaffer

2008-07-31T23:02:00.000-07:00

Birth name James Christian Shaffer Lavallee
Also known as Munky
Born June 6, 1970 (1970-06-06) (age 38)
Bakersfield, California
Genre(s) Nu metal, Alternative metal, Industrial metal
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active 1993 -
Associated acts Korn, Fear and the Nervous System, L.A.P.D.

James Christian 'Munky' Shaffer (born June 6, 1970 in Bakersfield, California) is the guitarist for the nu metal band Korn. He also performed live backing vocals. His nickname, 'Munky', is apparently a reference to the fact that his feet, when spread, resembles monkey's feet (this was revealed in the multi-platinum video "Who Then Now?"). His bandmate Reginald 'Fieldy' Arvizu has a similar nickname, also based on his physical appearance to the cartoon character Garfield the cat.

He does have musical activities outside of Korn, though: he is the founder of Emotional Syphon Recordings, who have signed acts like Monster In The Machine and Droid. Droid was also featured on the 2007 Family Values Tour.

It was announced that Munky would not be touring for the rest of the Bitch We Have A Problem Tour due to his father becoming ill. However, on February 20th, Munky announced in a MySpace bulletin that he is returning to the tour at the band's show in Milan.

Life

As an adopted child, Shaffer led a troubled life, often stealing his parents' alcohol and trespassing. One night, when trying to sneak out to a party, the tip of one of his fingers was severed by the chain on his motorcycle, and, as part of his rehabilitation, Shaffer picked up a guitar. During high school Shaffer met fellow guitarist Brian "Head" Welch and the two often jammed together ever since.

Later on Welch and Shaffer saw Jonathan Davis singing for the band Sexart in a bar. Initially intending to stay only for a few minutes, the pair ended up staying for the whole set upon seeing Davis' performance, and asked him to join their band (still called L.A.P.D. at this point) almost immediately afterward.

Shaffer developed meningitis during 1997 while on tour, requiring him to be hospitalized. KoRn cancelled the remainder of that tour, due to not wanting to replace him with someone who wasn't in the band.

On January 15, 2000, Shaffer married Stephanie Roush. The couple had a daughter, Carmella Star, the next year, whom Shaffer claims is the most prized possession in his life. The two are now divorced.

February 22, 2005, Brian Welch left the band. James felt very sad, but he accepted his friend's choice. Today, he is the only formal guitarist in Korn. (Clint Lowery, Christian Olde Wolbers, and Rob Patterson were only live/session members.)

On the 16th May 2006, Munky played on Spanish nylon guitar in Fieldy's wedding. He was quoted as jokingly saying "now I have something else to fall back on!"

Munky cites Steve Vai and 80's metal guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads as his main influences while learning guitar, growing up.

On March 4, 2008, it was announced that Munky will be releasing a solo record on August 8, 2008 with his solo band Fear and The Nervous System which will feature Munky doing vocals and guitar, Brooks Wackerman of Bad Religion (who also performed on Korn's 8th album) on drums, Leopold Ross on guitar and programming, Bill Gould of Faith No More fame, and Zac Baird (Korn's keyboardist) on keyboards and programming. The record will be produced by Munky and Ross Robinson. Guitarist and friend Wes Borland originally recorded guitars for two songs on the album but they will not make the final cut. Borland also created cover art which will still be used.

Emotinal Syphon Recordings

In 2006 Shaffer founded Emotinal Syphon Recordings to give daring and diverse bands a chance to be heard. The first bands to be signed were Droid and Monster in the Machine, however Shaffer says he doesnt want to limit himself to only realsing metal acts but to create a multi-genre label.

Fear and the Nervous System

On March 4, 2008 HardDriveRadio reported that Munky is putting together a experimental/industrial rock side project known as Fear and the Nervous System on his own label Emotinal Syphon reordings. The band is Shaffer's solo project, and will be putting out an album, which was originally due out August 8th but has been pushed back as the album has yet to be completed.

Lineup

* James "Munky" Shaffer - vocals, guitar
* Billy Gould - bass guitar*Brooks Wackerman - drums, percussion
* Leopold Ross - guitar, programming
* Zac Baird - keyboards, programming
* Wes Borland - artwork

Equipment

James predominantly uses Ibanez guitars (his signature is the K7 7-string model) and Mesa Boogie & Diezel guitar amplifier. Like Brian did before leaving the band in 2005, he uses many pedals and effects to shape the distinct Korn sound. Munky describes his live pedal board as a "spaceship" because of the large, diverse quantity of effects he uses.

Guitars

* Ibanez APEX1-BBK Munky Signature (2007 Model)
* Ibanez custom K14 guitar (used in the song Alone I Break)
* Ibanez custom RG8 guitar(2007 Ibanez model RG 2228)
* Ibanez custom K7 guitar
* Ibanez custom 7-stringed guitars
* Ibanez UV7BK guitar (Steve Vai signature)
* Gibson SG 6-stringed model (Tuned down to drop-A)

Amplifiers

* Mesa Boogie amps
* Diezel amps
* Line6 amps
* Marshall Amplification amps

Effects

* Boss PS-5 Super Shifter
* Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay
* Digitech XP100 Whammy Wah
* Digitech Metal Master
* Dunlop Univibe
* Dunlop Crybaby Wah
* Electro-Harmonix Big Muff π
* Ibanez DE7 Delay/Echo
* Prescription Electronics Depth Charge
* Rocktron Banshee Talk Box
* Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phaser
* Dean Markley Strings

Jonathan Davis

2008-07-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

Birth name Jonathan Houseman Davis
Born January 18, 1971 (1971-01-18) (age 37)
Origin Bakersfield, California
Genre(s) Hard rock, nu metal, industrial metal, alternative metal, experimental rock, acoustic music (solo)
Occupation(s) Musician, Songwriter, Singer, Producer, Actor
Instrument(s)Vocals, Drums, Glass harmonica, Harp, Guitar, Bass guitar, Piano, Violin, Bagpipes, drums
Years active 1993–present
Label(s) Immortal/Epic, Virgin/EMI
Associated acts Korn, Jonathan Davis and the SFA, Sexart

Jonathan Houseman Davis (born January 18, 1971) is the American vocalist for the multiplatinum nu metal[1] band Korn. He was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, where he lived with his father and stepmother. He and his band mates are also labeled the founder of the metal genre nu metal.

As well as being Korn's lead singer, he has also played drums. Davis writes songs on guitar and other various instruments.

Biography

Davis, who worked as a mortician's assistant at one time, was the last member to join the band. James 'Munky' Shaffer and Brian 'Head' Welch discovered him in a bar, initially intending to only stay for a few minutes. Upon seeing Davis performing with his then-band Sexart, however, they were compelled to stay for the whole set. Later David Silveria called Jonathan over the phone and asked him to join their then band L.A.P.D. To date they have released eight studio albums, achieving Platinum certification for each, with the exception for their newly released Untitled Korn album. Davis is the older half brother of former Adema and Midnight Panic vocalist, Mark Chavez.

Davis suffered from asthma as a child, having a near fatal attack at the age of 5 which hospitalized him. He noted in a 2004 interview that he was in and out of the hospital frequently as a child. His asthma has improved greatly and he's "...pretty much outgrown it.

Davis' earliest musical inspiration as a child was the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". It was also during his childhood that he received his first drum kit and began his interest in music, eventually leading to a life-long passion and a professional career as the lead singer of Korn. His favorite bands as a child were Duran Duran and other New Romantic bands.

Jonathan's personal issues are a big influence in Korn lyrics, songs such as "Daddy" from Korn's self-titled album are an example how Davis puts all kinds of feelings like anger and sadness in the creation of songs. The song "Daddy" caused many to assume Rick Davis (Jonathan's father) had molested his son. It's a source of embarrassment for him, though his son has gone on the record in many interviews saying it was written about a family friend who sexually abused him. When a 12-year-old Jonathan tried to turn to his family, he said, they ignored him. (Neither Jonathan or Rick will say who the person was, though both say it was a woman.)

Davis has married twice, marrying his high school sweetheart, Renee Perez, in 1998 in a Medieval themed ceremony. Together they had a son, Nathan Houseman Davis, but were divorced in 2001. On October 5, 2004, a decade after the release of Korn's first album he married again in Hawaii, this time to former actress Deven Davis. In 2005 his second child, Pirate Houseman Davis, was born.Davis's third son, Zeppelin Houseman Davis, was born on April 28, 2007.

Davis has been sober from alcohol and other drugs since August 22, 1998.[citation needed] He has stated that he gave them up. On the band's Deuce DVD, former bandmate Brian Welch says that he is proud of him for becoming sober.

Jonathan has stated that Untouchables is his favorite Korn album and that "Do What They Say" and "Hollow Life" are his favorite Korn songs.

In late 2006, Davis was recognized and honored at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace, Bakersfield, CA, by Buddy Alan Owens, son of the late Buck Owens. Both Buck Owens and Davis are considered by many among their hometown fans as heroes to the sound of Bakersfield, each having their own pioneer sound, contributing to mainstream music worldwide over years past.

While Korn performed at the Download Festival in 2006, Davis was unable to perform with them, as he had contracted a rare disease known as Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. This left him bed- ridden for days after his band's performance. Assorted other artists also at Download filled in singing for Korn during the performance including; Matt Heafy of Trivium and Corey Taylor of Slipknot.

Acting

Davis has had a fairly small acting career. He has a cameo in Queen of the Damned as a ticket scalper. Davis plays as Ricky in the film Seeing Other People but his appearance is minor; he plays a crackhead. Davis also has a role as a store clerk in the indie film The Still Life. Davis's most known acting role is in the upcoming horror film Sin-Jin Smyth where he will be playing the lead role. There is also a popular rumor that Davis will be in an upcoming horror/slasher film called Job but this has not been confirmed. According to Bloody-Disgusting, Jonathan Davis is currently working on a script with writer/director Clive Barker entitled Oblivion. Davis describes it as a "dark opera about the end of the world" and that it differs greatly from Korn's style of music.

He has also been featured in many other bands' music videos, sometimes with Korn and sometimes solo. He has appeared with Korn in Limp Bizkit's "Faith", Deadsy's "Brand New Love", Ice Cube's "Fuck Dying", and Sugar Ray's "Answer the Phone" as a cameo appearance. He has also appeared in Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff", Videodrone's "Ty Jonathan Down" (which he sings on), Cold's "Give", Busta Rhymes' "Fire."

Davis and the rest of Korn appeared in a 2005 episode of the comedy-drama television series Monk. The episode in which they appeared was the season 3 episode, "Mr. Monk Gets Stuck in Traffic". As well as appearing in Monk, Korn guest starred on Comedy Central's South Park in an episode entitled "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery". Korn also made an appearance on "The Man Show" in which Jimmy Kimmell and Adam Carolla claimed to be two members that were kicked out of the band in the style of a "VH1 Behind The Music" special.

Equipment

Davis is usually seen with a microphone stand that was designed by the Swiss artist H. R. Giger during Korn's live performances and in their music videos. For his solo tour, Davis has not used the Giger stand.

Pop Scars

Davis started designing, but canceled, a fighting game with popular musicians — including members of Limp Bizkit, Staind, Marilyn Manson, and Korn itself — as characters. The working title was Pop Scars. Each celebrity's personality was to be replicated in the game, and comic artist Marty Emond (Sunglasses After Dark) was to draw character concept art. Stages were to boast environmental traps that impeded opponents as they fought. However, Pop Scars never made it past the early design stages as Davis cancelled it in late 2004.

Solo career

Jon Davis' solo career started during Jon's high school years as he had a solo project known as "Buck Naked". His music took influence from the new romantic movement. In 1993, Jonathan got together with Human Waste Project to record a cover of The Go-Go's song, "This Town".

In 2002, Jonathan began composing the musical score for the movie adaptation of Queen Of The Damned with Richard Gibbs. He also performed 6 songs for the movie's soundtrack, although his performances were not allowed on the retail release, due to his contract with Sony. He also composed the theme music for the 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone and performed a cover of Neil Diamond's Love On The Rocks for the movie Wonderland.

Jonathan Davis announced in October 2007 that he would be embarking on an acoustic solo tour called Alone I Play, in November 2007.He performed songs from the Queen of the Damned soundtrack (which he composed with Richard Gibbs), cover songs, rarely-performed Korn songs, and Korn classics. The tour was completely produced by Richard Gibbs. Davis has also been confirmed to play a solo set at the 2008 Download Festival at Donington Park

Jonathan Davis and the Simply Fuckin' Amazings is:

* Jonathan Davis - Vocals
* Michael Jochum – drums, percussion
* Shane Gibson – guitar
* Miles Mosely – upright bass
* Zac Baird – keyboards
* Shenkar – violin

A CD/DVD package is slated for a commercial release in 2008.
Jonathan Davis will be bringing his solo tour to Europe. Once that concludes, he will release a studio album with the exact same band.They will be recording new, original songs and cover songs for this upcoming release. It was announced on Kornspace that Davis is referring to his solo band as The Simply Fuckin' Amazings.

In April 2008, Jonathan Davis canceled numerous dates on his previously announced "Alone I Play" European tour slated to begin in late May due to "personal reasons". Some of the canceled shows include those in Sweden, Belgium, France, and most of the UK and Ireland leg of the tour.

It is expected that Jonathan Davis will schedule another U.S. solo tour for the summer of 2008. On an USA Today feature on 2008 summer concerts and festivals, it included Jonathan Davis (along with other performers) as the list of acts for Ozzy Osbourne's Ozzfest. According to USA Today, 2008's Ozzfest will only be a one day festival in Frisco, Texas this year.

KoЯn Biography

2008-07-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

KoЯn, occasionally typeset as KoЯn, is a band from Bakersfield, California, and is often credited with creating and popularizing the nu metal genre. Along with other bands at the time, they have also inspired many nu metal and alternative metal bands throughout the mid 1990s and early 2000s.

The band's catalogue consists of nine consecutive debuts in the top ten of the Billboard 200,including a compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol.1, and their untitled eighth album, released on July 31, 2007. To date, Korn has sold over 30 million albums worldwide, including 16.5 in the U.S.whilst earning six Grammy nominations—two of which they have won.

Origin Bakersfield, California, USA
Genre(s) Nu metal, Alternative metal, Industrial metal
Years active 1993–present
Label(s) Immortal/Epic, EMI/Virgin
Associated acts Jonathan Davis and the SFA,Fear and the Nervous System, StillWell, Fieldy's Nightmare, Head

Members
Jonathan Davis
James "Munky" Shaffer
Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu
Former members
Brian "Head" Welch
David Silveria

History

Formation, Neidermeyer's Mind demo, Korn (1993-1995)

Korn formed after the group L.A.P.D. folded, due to singer Richard Morrill's drug addiction. Musicians Reginald Arvizu, James Shaffer, and David Silveria wanted to continue, and recruited guitarist Brian Welch and a singer named Corey and started a new band called Creep. Corey was soon dropped due to the band being dissatisfied with him.

In 1993, the band took notice of vocalist Jonathan Davis after seeing his band Sexart and attempted to get him to join Creep. Davis initially did not want to join the band, but after consulting a psychic he decided to audition and then joined the band.The band soon changed their name to Korn.

Later that year, the band began a working relationship with producer Ross Robinson, which led to their first demo tape entitled Neidermeyer's Mind. The band had problems getting signed during its first year, due to the 1990s rock scene, which was primarily grunge. After many attempts at a record deal, Paul Pontius from Immortal/Epic Records heard the band in a nightclub and was so impressed, he signed them on the spot.With a producer and a label, Korn started work on their self-titled debut album.

Musically, the album was a mix of both heavy metal and hip hop, funk, and Punk rock the middle of which in rhythms and beats. "Blind" was the first single from the album, which got a decent amount of airplay and attention. Once Korn saw a release on October 11, 1994, the band toured incessantly with no support from radio or video stations. They relied solely on their intensive live shows, which created a large cultlike following of dedicated fans.It was through the effort of this fanbase that helped push Korn onto the Billboard 200, eventually peaking at #72 in 1996,with "Shoots and Ladders" being their first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance.

On their first large tour, Korn opened for Danzig alongside Marilyn Manson. Other bands for which Korn opened in 1995 included Megadeth, 311, Fear Factory, Flotsam and Jetsam, and KMFDM. However, the first tour that widely exposed the band was opening for Ozzy Osbourne alongside the Deftones. After opening for lesser-known bands such as Dimestore Hoods, Sugar Ray (at the time), and Life of Agony, Korn returned to the studio to record a second album.

Life Is Peachy (1996-1997)

Korn teamed up with Robinson once again for their second album, Life Is Peachy, released on October 15, 1996. Musically, it was similar to the first album, but also showed more of a funk influence on tracks like "Porno Creep" and "Swallow". The album included two covers, War's "Low Rider", with Davis' bagpipes and Head on vocals, and Ice Cube's "Wicked", with guest vocalist Chino Moreno of Deftones.

To help promote their new album, Korn opened for Metallica, along with utilizing the Internet. Life Is Peachy sold more than 106,000 copies in its first week and reached #3 on the Billboard 200.The first single, "No Place to Hide", spawned a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance."A.D.I.D.A.S." was the second single and only music video, which also did well.

The band gained more populary after co-headlining the Lollapalooza music festival in 1997 with Tool. However, Korn were forced to drop off the bill after Munky was diagnosed with viral meningitis.Also that year, Korn augmented their growing crossover appeal by collaborating with Los Angeles-based production and remix duo the Dust Brothers on the track "Kick the P.A.". This track appeared on the motion picture soundtrack of the film Spawn.

In late 1997, Korn formed their own record label, Elementree Records. The first signing was Videodrone,whose singer, Ty Elam, is credited for giving Jonathan Davis singing lessons. Orgy, however, released their debut album prior to Videodrone's, giving Elementree its first Platinum certification.Orgy's guitarist, Ryan Shuck, is known for playing alongside Davis and Elam in the band Sexart. Over the next few years, Korn signed other acts like rapper Marz and Deadsy.

Follow the Leader, mainstream success (1998-1999)

Prior to the release of the band's third album, Korn produced a weekly online TV show, KornTV,which documented the making of the record and featured special guests such as porn star Ron Jeremy, Limp Bizkit, and 311. The project also gave fans the chance to call in and ask the band questions, an approach that represented one of the first times a band utilized the Internet in such a way. Korn released their third album, Follow the Leader, on August 18, 1998, which featured a number of guest vocalists such as Ice Cube, Tre Hardson from the Pharcyde, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit and actor Cheech Marin on the hidden track "Earache My Eye" (written by Marin himself).

Korn launched a political campaign-style tour to promote the release of Follow the Leader.The tour took the group, on a chartered jet, all over North America to help promote Follow the Leader. They talked to fans and answered questions during special "fan conferences", which were organized at every stop along the tour route, and signed autographs. Jim Rose hosted the entire "Kampaign" tour.

The album was a complete success, debuting at #1 on Billboard with 268,000 copies sold,and spawning the singles "Got the Life" and "Freak on a Leash". They both exposed Korn to a wider, mainstream audience, with the music videos being mainstays on MTV's Total Request Live. "Got the Life" was the show's very first "retired" video, with "Freak on a Leash" reaching that same success months later.The singles also fared well on Billboard, with "Freak on a Leash" peaking in the top 10 of both Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock, the latter of which it spent 27 weeks on—more than any other Korn single to date.

"Freak on a Leash" won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form, and received a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance.The video also earned nine MTV Video Music Awards nominations for Video of the Year, Best Rock Video, Breakthrough Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Viewer's Choice.It eventually won two, for Best Rock Video and Best Editing. Follow the Leader is the band's most commercially-successful album, being certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and having sold almost ten million copies worldwide.

The same year Follow the Leader was released, Korn started their own annual tour called the Family Values Tour. Korn headlined the highly-successful tour along with Incubus, Orgy, Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube, and Rammstein. A live CD and DVD were released and earned Gold and Platinum certifications, respectively. In 1999, Limp Bizkit headlined, along with Primus, Staind, The Crystal Method, Method Man & Redman, and Filter. Korn were not featured on the bill and instead only made surprise appearances at a few of the stops to perform their first single from their next album. The tour took a break in 2000.

Issues (1999-2001)

The band's fourth album, Issues, produced by Brendan O'Brien, was released on November 16, 1999, featuring cover art designed by Alfredo Carlos, who won a contest held for the fans by MTV.Issues was released during a week of many highly-anticipated records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with more than 573,000 copies sold,keeping Dr. Dre's long-awaited album 2001 and Celine Dion's greatest hits album from hitting #1.

To celebrate the album's release, the band performed the record in its entirety in front of a live audience at New York's historic Apollo Theater and broadcast the concert simultaneously across many radio stations.This performance made Korn the first rock band, and only the second predominantly white musical group, to ever perform at The Apollo, after the legendary Buddy Holly in the late 1950s. This special event featured the NYPD marching drum and bagpipe band conducted by Richard Gibbs as well as a group of back-up singers to enhance the more melodic choruses Davis used on the album.

Earlier that year, Korn had appeared on an episode of South Park, titled Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery, in which the first single from Issues, "Falling Away from Me", was premiered.Korn released two more singles from Issues, "Make Me Bad" and "Somebody Someone", both of which fared well on Billboard. Videos were shot for all three singles, with longtime friend Fred Durst directing "Falling Away from Me", and Martin Weisz directing a concept video for "Make Me Bad", as well as a performance video for "Somebody Someone", which featured the use of CGI effects. Every video was a staple on Total Request Live, two of which made it to retirement.Issues is considered by some critics to be less hip hop-influenced and closer to alternative metal than nu metal.It was certified 3x Platinum, following up the success of Follow the Leader.

Untouchables (2002-2003)

On June 11, 2002, after a year and a half of hard work and a long creative process, Korn re-emerged into the media spotlight with their fifth album, Untouchables. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 with 434,000 in sales.Sales were disappointing in comparison to the first four albums, as Untouchables has only been certified Platinum once. The band has blamed Internet piracy for the drop in sales, as an unmastered version of the album had leaked three months prior to its official release date.

The release of this album was preceded by a show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, a day prior to the album's release, broadcast digitally throughout U.S. movie theatres.Untouchables featured electronic beats, strings and various guitar effects the band had never used in an album before. The overall feel was drastically different from previous efforts, particularly tracks like "Alone I Break", "Hating", and "Hollow Life", which singer Jonathan Davis claims is one of his favorite Korn songs to this day.

The first two videos from Untouchables were directed by the Hughes Brothers (best known for their films, Menace II Society and From Hell). The first video, "Here to Stay", has the band playing inside a TV with a static background along with controversial news stories and world issues being presented. The song itself earned Korn a Grammy for Best Metal Performance,and would become their highest-peaking single on Billboard's Modern Rock chart.The second video, "Thoughtless", was a nod back to Davis' childhood as the character in the video (previously featured in the first Vanilla Coke commercial) is picked on and constantly beaten. The third video for Untouchables, "Alone I Break," was directed by Sean Dack, who won the honor of directing the video through an MTV contest.

Prior to their next album, Korn released a new single, "Did My Time" on July 22, 2003,which was used to promote the film and appeared on the soundtrack to Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Angelina Jolie appeared in the Dave Meyers-directed video. "Did My Time" also gave Korn yet another Grammy nomination in the Best Metal Performance category.

Take a Look in the Mirror, Greatest Hits, Head's departure (2003-2005)

Korn's sixth album, Take a Look in the Mirror, was released on November 21, 2003,four days earlier than originally planned. Korn produced the album themselves, and released "Right Now", "Y'All Want a Single", and "Everything I've Known" as singles. "Right Now" and "Everything I've Known" had animated music videos, whereas "Y'All Want a Single" featured Korn and a large group of fans destroying a record store. The album was an attempt by the band to return to its roots with a more raw and heavier sound. The album peaked at #9 on Billboard, selling over 179,000 copies in its first full week.

Korn released their greatest hits album, Greatest Hits Vol.1, on October 5, 2004. The album debuted at #4 on Billboard, selling more than 129,000 copies.It featured two cover songs as singles, and a compilation of the band's hits from the past 10 years. The first single was a cover of the song "Word Up!", which was originally made popular by the group Cameo. The second single was a medley of all three parts of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall". A remix of their hit single "Freak on a Leash" was also included as a bonus track. Special editions of the album included a DVD titled Korn: Live at CBGB featuring seven select songs from their November 24, 2003 show at CBGB.

Prior to Korn starting work on their next album, Brian "Head" Welch announced that he had "...chosen the Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, and will be dedicating his musical pursuits to that end,"and was formally leaving Korn. Initial speculations that this was a hoax or practical joke were proven wrong; he has become highly spiritual, even being baptized in the Jordan River and speaking openly about his faith and conversion. This was the band's first official line-up change in their history.

See You on the Other Side, EMI/Virgin (2005-2006)

Upon completing their record deal with Sony, Korn partnered with EMI and signed to Virgin Records. As part of this innovative arrangement, Virgin paid Korn $25 million upfront in exchange for a share in the profits of their next two studio albums, including tours and merchandising. Virgin also received a 30 percent stake in the band's licensing, ticket sales and other revenue sources.

The band's first album for Virgin, See You on the Other Side, was released on December 6, 2005, and debuted on #3 on the Billboard 200, scanning close to 221,000 copies.The album managed to stay in the top 100 of the Billboard 200 for 34 consecutive weeks. The first single from the album, "Twisted Transistor", was accompanied by a comedic video directed by Dave Meyers in which rap stars Xzibit, Lil' Jon, Snoop Dogg, and David Banner portray Korn. The single itself peaked at #3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks, Korn's highest entry thus far, and #9 on Modern Rock.The second single, "Coming Undone", had its performance-based video directed by Little X, who previously helmed only hip hop and R&B videos. See You on the Other Side is certified Platinum, and has sold over two million copies worldwide.

Korn held a press conference at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on January 13, 2006, announcing the See You on the Other Side Tour.10 Years and Mudvayne were selected to open all dates of the trek, which kicked off in their hometown of Bakersfield, on what Mayor Harvey Hall officially declared as "Korn Day", February 26.The resurrection of their Family Values Tour was announced on April 18, 2006, which featured co-headliners Deftones, Stone Sour, Flyleaf, and Dir en grey on the main stage.Korn and Evanescence co-headlined the 2007 edition, with Atreyu, 2006 alumni Flyleaf, Hellyeah, and Trivium rounding out the main stage.

While promoting See You on the Other Side in Europe, Jonathan Davis was diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood platelet disorder that hospitalized him for the weekend and prevented him from performing at the renowned Download Festival.The band still performed, with guest singers including Corey Taylor of Slipknot/Stone Sour fame, Skindred's Benji Webbe, and Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows. This led to Korn canceling the rest of their European bill for 2006,[38] including the Hellfest Summer Open Air. It was originally unknown to the public what his ailment was, but the singer revealed in a letter to fans that he was "dangerously low on blood platelets and at a high risk of death from a hemorrhage if the problem was not treated".His illness did not affect the 2006 Family Values Tour.

Untitled album, MTV Unplugged, David Silveria's departure (2006-2008)

In early December it was announced that founding drummer David Silveria would be taking an indefinite “hiatus” from the band. Korn then performed at the MTV studios in Times Square on December 9, 2006, for the MTV Unplugged series, which was broadcast on February 23, 2007, through MTV.com and on March 2, 2007, across North American, South American, European and Asian MTV stations. In front of a crowd of approximately 50 people, Korn played a 14-song acoustic set complete with guest appearances by The Cure and Amy Lee of Evanescence. The performance was eventually cut down to 11 songs for the album, two of which did not air on MTV. Sales of nearly 51,000 brought MTV Unplugged: Korn to #9 in its first week out.The disc has yet to receive a Gold or Platinum certification.

Korn's untitled eighth album was released on July 31, 2007, debuting at #2 with 123,000 copies in its first week.The album has been certified Gold for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.It also concludes Korn's unique deal with Virgin Records, and features touring keyboardist Zac Baird, giving the tracks a deeper, atmospheric sound.Drumming duties were left up to Terry Bozzio, Jonathan Davis, and Bad Religion's Brooks Wackerman, as well as Joey Jordison from Slipknot (who played for the band on live shows) as David Silveria went on a hiatus."Evolution", "Hold On" and "Kiss" have been released as singles, with the former two charting on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks at #4 and #9, respectively.

Recent events, ninth studio album (2008-)

Korn was nominated, along with 31 other artists, for the Best of 2007 by Fuse in November 2007. They ended up making it to the final round, but lost to 30 Seconds to Mars by roughly 200,000 votes.

Ubisoft reported in October that "Korn has written and recorded an original song inspired by Ubisoft's upcoming Haze video game", simply entitled "Haze",[45] which was released on April 22, 2008. As a first in the video game industry, "Haze" will be released and promoted as a full-fledged single and music video, not just as an exclusive download with the video game.

In 2008 The band played in Dubai for the annual Dubai Desert Rock Festival.

Korn performed their second leg of the Bitch We Have a Problem Tour in Australia, with drummer Ray Luzier of David Lee Roth and Army of Anyone fame, which was preceded by a Latin American and European run, plus festival dates in the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.Munky left the Bitch We Have A Problem Tour shortly after the beginning the European leg began due to his father becoming ill. Despite rumors that he was leaving the band, Shane Gibson has stated on Kornspace.com that his [Munky's] father had fallen ill and that Munky was not leaving the band, but Munky returned to the tour in Milan on February 23rd. This has been confirmed also as a video of Munky playing "Falling Away From Me" surfaced on Kornspace on Feb. 24th, filmed the night before. Due to Munky's return, Rob Patterson is no longer touring with Korn.

In an interview, Fieldy stated that Korn would be recording a new album sometime this year (2008), and that it would be a return to their heavy roots. He stated in the same interview that he would also be releasing a solo album of funk and jazz fusion pieces, as well as releasing his own book.

A Korn Locker article announced that Korn would be releasing a new DVD, Korn: Live in Montreux 2004, one of their performances with former guitarist Brian Welch on May 12th, 2008. Additionally, a second greatest hits compilation titled, "Playlist: The Very Best of Korn" was released on April 29th, 2008.

According to a recent interview with Jonathan Davis after playing in Auckland, Korn will be working on their ninth studio album in winter 2008 and expect a summer 2009 release and a Family Values Tour will follow. It was also announced original Korn producer Ross Robinson will produce the next album, and that the remaining 3 members of Korn will hit the studio in November to begin progress on their Ninth studio album which would most likely mean a August 2009 release.

Jonathan Davis has stated at some concerts with the AIP tour and in some interviews, the interest of having Head back in the band, at a concert in Europe he told the audience "I miss that motherfucker and one day he will be back people". In an interview with Head, he said that he's "not ready to come back," while acknowledging that it's a possibility.

Genre

Korn can be credited for creating the nu metal genre, though the group has often said they don't like to be put in that category themselves. When asked of his opinion on Korn being dubbed the first "nu metal" band, Jonathan Davis replied:

"We've spawned a lot of clones, but let me explain... Well, I hate the nu metal term. We have always just been a band that rocks. We didn't like when people called us a metal band, we are just Korn. People just use these terms when they cannot describe something, but nu metal... when so many bands started making music that sounded like us, that is when nu metal was born. We don't have anything to do with it for real, I feel. I wouldn't wanna call Red Hot Chili Peppers a funk band, and we are not metal or nu metal, we are Korn. [Nu metal] is just a term that doesn't mean anything.

Backing band

The backup band only plays live shows with Korn. None of the members of the backup band are considered official members of Korn. For most of 2005, they wore animal masks based on the See You on the Other Side artwork to help better distinguish them as the backup band. Since the beginning of 2007, the members have performed unmasked but occasionally have their faces painted black and white with unique designs.

Band members

Current members

* Jonathan Davis – vocals, bagpipes, drums (1993–present)
* James "Munky" Shaffer – guitar (1993–present)
* Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu – bass (1993–present)

Previous members

* Brian "Head" Welch – guitar, backing vocals (1993–2005)
* David Silveria – drums (1993–2006)

Current members

* Kalen Chase – backing vocals, percussion (2006–present)
* Zac Baird – keyboards (2006–present)
* Shane Gibson – guitar (2007–present)
* Ray Luzier – drums (2007–present)

Previous members

* Rob Patterson – guitar (2005–2007, 2008)
* Clint Lowery – guitar (2007)
* Joey Jordison – drums (2007)
* Michael Jochum – percussion (2006–2007)

Discography

* Korn (1994)
* Life Is Peachy (1996)
* Follow the Leader (1998)
* Issues (1999)
* Untouchables (2002)
* Take a Look in the Mirror (2003)
* See You on the Other Side (2005)
* Untitled album (2007)
* TBA (2009)

Fabrizio Moretti

2008-07-30T06:09:00.001-07:00

Fabrizio Moretti is the drummer of American alternative rock band The Strokes. According to the Strokes official website, Fabrizio’s solo project with Rodrigo Amarante of Los Hermanos and Binki Shapiro, entitled “Little Joy” will be debuting this fall on Rough Trade Records. A release date has not been set yet.

He played drums on "Dream Cars" on the 2008 album Stainless Style by Neon Neon

Personal life

He was born on June 2, 1980 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to an Italian father and a Brazilian mother.He was raised Christian, but has stated that he is an atheist. He and his family moved to New York City when he was 3 years old, and as a teenager there he attended the Dwight School with fellow band members Nick Valensi and Julian Casablancas.

Moretti dated Drew Barrymore from april 2002 until January 2007, after they met backstage during a Strokes concert. Rumors of engagement arose several times, but the wedding never happened. In an interview, Moretti once stated that he believes "…marriage is not anything that will secure the future of your relationship,”and therefore plans to never get married. He is currently dating fellow musician, Binki Shapiro.

Moretti is also an enthusiastic artist, he has multiple example of his art works at http://www.thestrokes.com including a portrait of fellow bandmate, Nick Valensi.

Quotes

"It's so easy for people to jump to the wrong conclusions when they've only heard one three song EP. While we are really appreciative of some of the comparisons we have been given, it is not the full picture. Hopefully when the album comes out people will realise it isn't just some New York thing and that it is a lot more universal than that.
"I love music, but it is songs and bands and albums that excite me rather than a specific drummer's style.

Nikolai Fraiture

2008-07-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

Nikolai Fraiture born November 13, 1978 in New York City) is the bassist for the New York City-based band The Strokes. He is French-Russian and speaks fluent French. His mother was a schoolteacher and his father a security guard. He and five other relatives all lived in a two-bedroom apartment. Fraiture also has a sister named Elizabeth, who is 13 years younger than he is and an elder brother named Pierre. He attended kindergarten and elementary school with best friend and future bandmate Julian Casablancas. He later went to Lycée Français De New York for high school.

Although Fraiture had been interested in music since childhood, he did not begin playing bass until he was 19. His grandfather had bought him a bass guitar as a graduation gift but Fraiture gave it to Casablancas. It was not until one year later, when he contracted Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever at a New Orleans youth hostel, that he picked it up and began to play seriously. At the time, he was attending Hunter College with future bandmate Nick Valensi, who wrote an article about Fraiture's coping with the illness in the school newspaper. Shortly afterwards, he joined his friends Casablancas, Valensi, and Fabrizio Moretti in forming a band. He met Albert Hammond, Jr. at later rehearsals.

Fraiture is married to an Englishwoman named Ilona, with whom he has one daughter, Elysia, born in the summer of 2004. Of all the Strokes, he is often considered the most soft-spoken. He resides in New York and is often seen cycling around the area.

Fraiture plays a Fender Jazz Bass (the same model his grandfather bought him) and a Rickenbacker. Lately he has also been seen playing a Fender Precision Bass and a Music Man StingRay.

Fraiture is currently working on his side-project "Nickel Eye", with Regina Spector and Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Albert Hammond, Jr.

2008-07-30T05:46:00.000-07:00

Albert Hammond, Jr. (born April 9, 1980, Los Angeles, California) is a musician and member of the garage rock band, The Strokes for which he mostly plays rhythm guitar, but occasionally plays lead as well (eg. in "Last Nite"). He is also a solo musician in his own right, and released his debut album Yours To Keep in 2006 and followed up with ¿Cómo Te Llama? in 2008. The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Matthew Sweet, Television and The Velvet Underground are often cited as his major influences.

Born April 9, 1980 (1980-04-09) (age 28), Los Angeles, California
Genre(s) Indie pop
Instrument(s) Guitar, Vocal
Label(s) New Line Records, Rough Trade Records, Scratchie Records
Associated acts The Strokes

Career

The son of Gibraltarian musician Albert Hammond and Argentinian former model and beauty pageant winner Claudia Fernandez, his mother has Peruvian and Austrian roots. Albert Jr. was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland at the age of 13. While there, he met Julian Casablancas, who would go on to be a fellow band member.

In 1998, Hammond met up with Julian Casablancas in New York City and together they formed The Strokes with Casablancas' former schoolmates Nikolai Fraiture, Nick Valensi, and Fabrizio Moretti.

Hammond was once engaged to Catherine Pierce, one-half of the folk singing group The Pierces. He is currently dating super model Agyness Deyn. His trademark is wearing formal three-piece suits, and has been said to be the most influential on the band's style. Albert is usually seen playing a 1970's Olympic White Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul Jr. that is sometimes used by bandmate Nick Valensi. On the majority of The Strokes' songs he plays rhythm guitar, and solos are played by Valensi. The songs in which Hammond does play solos are "Last Nite," "Trying Your Luck," "Take It or Leave It," "Under Control," "The End Has No End," "Ize of the World," and "Vision of Division." His solos tend to focus largely on more emotional, "bluesy"-type melodical work, and the guitar tends to have a cleaner, softer tone in comparison to Valensi's (with a notable exception found in "Vision of Division"). He often holds his guitar in a high horizontal position, similar to Buddy Holly, which he says is so that he can dance better.

Hammond's song "Hard To Live (In The City)" appeared in an episode of teen drama, Gossip Girl.

Songwriting and solo work

Although vocalist Julian Casablancas is the major contributor to the songwriting process for The Strokes' music, Hammond has been known to write a few pieces of his own. He co-wrote the track "Automatic Stop" with Casablancas for the group's second album, Room on Fire. He has also been credited with writing three mostly instrumental songs ("Swiss Beats", "Holland", and "By The Way") for the band's 2001 tour video entitled "In Transit". These songs were then slightly reworked to appear on his later solo album, under different titles ("Everyone Gets A Star", "Bright Young Thing", and "In Transit", respectively). He had also written a song called "Elephant Song," which Hammond used when he was required to record a song for his Sound 101 class in freshman year, using the school's recording equipment. The song was played at a few shows before the release of their first album. The Strokes later re-recorded the song as a special giveaway for fanclub members.

Hammond released a solo album entitled Yours To Keep in the U.K. through Rough Trade Records on October 9, 2006 and in North America through New Line Records/Scratchie Records on March 6, 2007. Produced by Thin Lizard Dawn vocalist Lattimer and recorded at the Electric Lady Studios in New York City, the album features several musical guests, such as Sean Lennon, Ben Kweller, The Strokes' manager Ryan Gentles, Jody Porter of Fountains of Wayne, Chris Feinstein, Mikki James, Sammy James Jr. (The Moony Suzuki) and The Strokes' lead singer, Casablancas. Bassist Josh Lattanzi and drummer Matt Romano serve as the backing band, with Hammond on guitar and vocals. The first single taken from the album, "101", was released exclusively through iTunes on 4 September 2006. The music video to "In Transit" was directed by Joaquin Phoenix.

He has said to have been "waiting to make a record like this for years".Early support from his fellow bandmates in the Strokes was only evident after Casablancas' role playing bass and back-up vocals on the track "Scared", though all of the members (with the exclusion of Nick Valensi who was busy taking care of his new-born children) attended his shows in and around New York.

"101" was the follow up single to "Everyone Gets A Star". The music video debuted online in March 2007. This will be available in general music stores, unlike "Everyone Gets A Star" which was only available through UK iTunes Music Store. This was released on 27 November 2006.

In November 2006, Hammond announced to be joining Incubus on tour during their North American tour for their new album Light Grenades.

On 16 March 2007 at the South by Southwest festival, Hammond performed a twelve song set including covers of Frank Black's "Old Black Dawning" and Guided By Voices' "Postal Blowfish". Hammond also regularly covered The Cars' "Don't Cha Stop" in live performances.

The Yours To Keep album was released in North America on 6 March 2007; he also supported Bloc Party on their world tour before making stops at Montreal's Metropolis and Toronto's Kool Haus. After this, Hammond headlined two North American tours along with a Europe tour. The North American tour featured his friends, The Mooney Suzuki. Hammond has one last tour to finish up in Europe and then he is officially done touring for Yours to Keep.

Hammond announced that "In Transit" will be his next solo single, featuring a cover of Frank Black's "Old Black Dawning" as the b-side. It was recorded live from the Bowery Ballroom.

On 29 August 2007, Hammond announced on MySpace that he is going back into the studio to record his second album in October 2007 for five weeks.

On 20 March 2008, Hammond posted a blog entry on MySpace in which he revealed the title of his second album, ¿Cómo Te Llama?. Furthermore, he wrote that it contained 13 songs with a total length of 46 minutes and 30 seconds. He also said he hoped to be touring with the new album until the end of 2008. The album will be released on July 7, 2008 .

Albert has also produced the new track "123 Stop" by New York band The Postelles.

On 27 May 2008, Hammond released "GfC," the first single off his new album "¿Cómo Te Llama?," on iTunes in the US. The song has already been played extensively live on his 2007 tour. A non-album song entitled "& So it Goes" was released as a B-side along with the single.

On 29 May 2008, Hammond was Myspace's featured artist and exclusively premiered his new album "¿Cómo Te Llama?" uploading all the tracks of the album on his Official Myspace page.

On 8 July 2008, Hammond played a small show at the Virgin Megastore, Union Square, in New York City to celebrate the release of his new album. A noted absence from Hammond's band was recording bassist Josh Latzanni. Steve Schiltz of the band Longwave, who toured with Hammond on his first album was also missing. Although Hammond was supposed to play only 2 or 3 songs, he ended up playing almost 10, with a selection that included both new and old tracks.

On 11 July 2008, Hammond began his worldwide tour in support of his sophomore release "¿Cómo Te Llama?" at the landmark and sold-out venue Spaceland in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA with a capacity of only 260 people. This was his only west coast appearance. Opening bands were The Shys and The Parlor Mob.

Nick Valensi

2008-07-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Nick Valensi (born Nicholas Valensi, January 16, 1981, in New York) is a guitarist for the American alternative rock band The Strokes.

Born January 16, 1981 (1981-01-16) (age 27), New York City, New York
Genre(s) Rock
Occupation(s) Guitarist of The Strokes
Instrument(s) Guitar
Label(s) New Line Records, Rough Trade Records, Scratchie Records

The early years

Valensi's father, Jewish, was born in Tunisia, and his mother Danielle is French . "I always thought I wanted to be able to play any song you could name," he says. "But once I started playing with Julian, that's when I really started to understand music".

Instruments and influences

Valensi's main guitar, which he uses for nearly every live show and recorded song, is a 1990s Epiphone Riviera with Gibson P-94 pick-ups. In a 2004 interview with Epiphone, he called it "the greatest guitar never made because Gibson had never produced a semi-hollow with P-90 style pickups. He has several models in different colours (all with P-94s), including multiple naturals, one in vintage sunburst, one in red, and a 12-string in red. In 2005, Epiphone released a signature model of his guitar, the Elitist Nick Valensi Riviera P-94, and followed it up with a standard model Nick Valensi Riviera P-94 in 2007. Back-up/warm-up guitars include an Epiphone Dot fitted with 2 P-94s, an Epiphone Casino, and a Gibson Faded Special Double Cutaway with 2 P-90s. Valensi often borrows fellow Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr.'s backup guitars, which include a Gibson Les Paul Jr. and Les Paul Special. New guitars used for the First Impressions of Earth tour include a Gibson Les Paul Custom in black, a Fender Telecaster Custom, and a Duesenberg semi-hollow. Valensi's main amplifier is a 2x12" Fender Hot Rod DeVille, used with Fender 4x12" extension cabinets during live shows. He also recently purchased a Carr amplifier to use on the last few stops of the First Impressions tour. His pedalboard consists of a Visual Sound Jekyll & Hyde Ultimate Overdrive pedal, Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator, Vox Cooltron Bulldog Distortion, MXR Micro-Amp (2) and a Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner.

He cites his influences as The Velvet Underground, The Cars, George Harrison.

Personal life

In Summer 2006, Nick married his girlfriend of five years, Amanda de Cadenet. De Cadenet published a book of photographs entitled Rare Birds in 2005, which includes several pictures of Valensi, whom she refers to as her "muse" on her website.

Valensi has described his wife as "The coolest person I know.

Amanda de Cadenet gave birth naturally to their fraternal twins, Silvan and Ella, on October 19, 2006.

Collaborations

Nick Valensi did backing vocals and also played guitar for Devendra Banhart's song 'Shabop Shalom' on his new album Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, which was released September 25, 2007.

He also played guitar for Regina Spektor's song 'Better' which was released on her latest album 'Begin to hope' and also published as a single in a slightly different version on which the guitar parts are rearranged.

Julian Casablancas

2008-07-30T05:18:00.000-07:00

Julian Fernando Casablancas (born August 23, 1978) is the vocalist and songwriter of the alternative rock band The Strokes.

Birth name Julian Fernando Casablancas
Also known as Jules
Born August 23, 1978 (1978-08-23) (age 29)
Origin New York City
Genre(s) Garage rock, alternative rock
Occupation(s) Singer
Instrument(s) Lead vocals, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums
Years active 2001-current
Label(s) Rough Trade, RCA, Sony BMG
Associated acts The Strokes

Early life and education

Julian Casablancas is the son of John Casablancas, a Spanish-American, the son of Catalonian immigrants from Sabadell in Spain and the founder of Elite Model Management, and Jeanette Christiansen, a Danish model who was Miss Denmark in 1965, and brother of Cecile Casablancas. His paternal grandfather Ferran Casablancas was a textile businessman. His parents were divorced when Casablancas was very young and he lived with his mother and Sam Adoquei who taught him about art and work ethic. He had almost no contact with his father.

The first band member who Casablancas knew was Nikolai Fraiture while the two attended the same kindergarten. When he was 14, Casablancas was caught drinking before school and consequently forced into a rehabilitation program called Phoenix House twice a week. Soon afterwards, his father sent him to Institut Le Rosey, a boarding school in Switzerland. It was here that he encountered Albert Hammond, Jr.. Although the two were not friends at the time, they would later become band-mates and room-mates.

When Casablancas returned to New York after six months at Le Rosey, he continued his education at Dwight School in Manhattan, where he met Fabrizio Moretti and Nick Valensi, who later also became fellow band members. He dropped out in 11th grade and attended Five Towns College on Long Island for one year, receiving a scholarship after writing a classical composition. He worked as a bartender before going into music professionally.

Music

Casablancas' musical influences are varied and wide ranging, including but not limited to The Velvet Underground, The Pogues, Bob Marley, Guided by Voices, The Magnetic Fields,The Stooges, The Ramones, Nirvana and The Doors. More recently he has stated that possibly two of his favorite songs of all time are Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Bill Withers's "Lean on Me."

As The Strokes' principal songwriter, he has the greatest impact on their sound and has been known to be extremely meticulous with it. While Casablancas composes on a variety of instruments, perhaps his greatest and most underappreciated innovation is his use of the keyboard to write complex arrangements that he later transposes to fit the Strokes' guitar-driven lineup. For an example of this technique, refer to the similar "I'll Try Anything Once," an unreleased demo, and "You Only Live Once," which appears on First Impressions of Earth. The former is typical of Casablancas' nascent compositions; the latter is the finished, full-band product.

Another recent change has come in the recording of his vocals, which is significantly clearer and louder than their first two albums. However Casablancas says this was adjusted only because it fit the songs more, and not because he was any less self-critical about his voice.

Known to not play much in Strokes' recordings, Julian has proved himself an able multi-instrumentalist through guest appearances. He's played guitar on "Sick, Sick, Sick" by Queens of the Stone Age, bass guitar on Albert Hammond, Jr.'s "Scared," and the second set of drums on the Strokes' "Evening Sun."

He has also served as inspiration for several other musicians. For instance, Courtney Love's song "But Julian, I'm a Little Bit Older Than You", from her debut solo album America's Sweetheart (2004), was written about Julian Casablancas.

In 2008, Julian recorded a song with Santogold and Pharrell Williams of N*E*R*D called "My Drive Thru" for Converse. He also appears in the ad campaign.

Personal life

Julian (or 'Jules' as he is known by his friends and family) is an avid baseball fan, particularly of the New York Mets, and has said that "if I could go back in time I'd be a minor league pitcher". He also likes the New York Jets football team.

On February 5, 2005, Julian Casablancas married Juliet Joslin, The Strokes' assistant manager, in a private ceremony in New York. He announced the engagement at several shows including Central Park, where prior to playing their song "Hard to Explain," he said, "I'm getting married and it's hard to explain!".

The Strokes

2008-07-29T04:48:00.000-07:00

Origin New York City
Genre(s) Alternative rock
Garage rock revival, Lo-fi, Indie rock
Post-punk revival
Years active 1998–Present
Label(s) Sony BMG, RCA,Rough Trade

Members
Julian Casablancas
Nick Valensi
Albert Hammond Jr
Nikolai Fraiture
Fabrizio Moretti

The Strokes are an American rock band formed in 1998 in New York City that rose to fame in the early 2000s as a leading group in the garage rock revival. The band consists of Julian Casablancas (lead vocals, songwriting), Nick Valensi (lead guitar), Albert Hammond Jr. (rhythm guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass guitar) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums and percussion). Upon the release of their debut album Is This It in 2001, the group was met with much critical acclaim, being hailed by some as the "saviors of rock and roll." [1] NME made Is This It their Album of the Year. Since then, the band has maintained a large fan base, notably in the UK, US and Australia. Exhausted from almost nonstop recording, they have been on an unofficial hiatus since 2006's First Impressions of Earth, during which several of its members, most notably Albert Hammond Jr., have embarked on a variety of side projects, from music to film.

History

Beginnings and The Modern Age EP: 1998-2001

Lead singer-songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarist Nick Valensi, and drummer Fab Moretti started playing together while attending Dwight School in Manhattan. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture had been friends with Casablancas and was attending the Lycée Français de New York. At age 13, Casablancas was sent to Le Rosey, a boarding school in Switzerland to resolve his drinking problems and improve his academic performance. In Switzerland, Casablancas met guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr..

Later, when Hammond came to New York to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, he shared an apartment with Casablancas. They started a band which performed on the Lower East Side of New York, and at Manhattan's popular Mercury Lounge. Ryan Gentles, the Mercury Lounge's booker, quit his job to become the band's manager.

The band began rehearsing a twelve song set which included "Last Nite", "The Modern Age", "This Life" (an early version of "Trying Your Luck"), "New York City Cops", "Soma" and "Someday". Most of these songs now feature different lyrics. Their first release was via UK website NME.COM who gave away a free mp3 download of Last Nite a week prior to physical release as part of The Modern Age EP in 2001. The EP sparked a bidding war among record labels; the largest for a rock and roll band in years.The Strokes became the subject of enormous hype, causing a great divide among rock fans. Last Nite became the theme song for Australian department store chain Kmart.

Is This It: 2001-2003

The Strokes released their debut album Is This It in the US in October 2001 on RCA after some delay due to changes made from the UK-released version (released 27th August 2001). The cover of the latter features a black-and-white photo of a gloved hand on a woman's naked backside, shown in semi-profile, and is said to reference Spinal Tap's fictitious Smell the Glove. The naked model on the cover was photographer Colin Lane's girlfriend at the time. The North American version replaces this with an image of particle collisions taken from a bubble chamber consisting of a curious blue and anzac and replaced the song "New York City Cops" with "When It Started". The replacement of "New York City Cops", which contains the refrain "New York City Cops, they ain't too smart", was made in good faith following the September 11 attacks.

The melodic garage rock sound of Is This It received positive reviews from both mainstream and independent publications, including 4 stars from Rolling Stone, and a 9.1 from Pitchfork Media; it made many critics' top 10 lists, and was named the best album of the year by Entertainment Weekly and TIME. NME, in an article previewing summer concerts, urged readers to attend their shows, claiming that the band was touring on the strength of some of the "best pop songs ever". The influence of 1970s CBGB stalwarts Television was noted by many reviewers, although The Strokes themselves have stated that they are not fans of the band.

After the release of Is This It, the band toured around the world, featuring dates in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and North America staging for the Rolling Stones. The band headlined UK's Carling Weekend festivals in 2002, largely chronicled by a relatively hard-to-find mini-documentary entitled "In Transit" which was released to members of the now-defunct "Alone, Together" fan club.

In August 2002, the band played at New York's Radio City Music Hall on a bill with The White Stripes. Jack White joined the Strokes on stage to perform the guitar solo on "New York City Cops". During that period, the band also appeared as musical guests on various late-night talk shows. Is This It yielded several singles and music videos, all of which were directed by Roman Coppola.

The group began recording their follow-up in 2002 with producer Nigel Godrich (best known for his work with Radiohead), but later split with him in favor of Gordon Raphael, the producer of Is This It. Recordings with Godrich were never revealed. In August 2003, the band toured Japan, playing a couple of the upcoming songs: "Reptilia", "Meet Me In The Bathroom", "The Way It Is", "Between Love & Hate" (formerly known as "Ze Newie") and "12:51" (formerly known as "Supernova"). The band also played Paul Anka's "My Way" with Japanese lyrics.

As of 2007, Is This It has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.

Room on Fire: 2003-2005

They released their second album Room on Fire in October 2003, to good reviews, but to less success commercially, although it still went gold. The album's sound maintained the Strokes' familiar reference points, while also evoking groups such as The Cars, Bob Marley, and Blondie. In the process, they made the cover of Spin Magazine for the second time, with each member receiving his own cover. They also made the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time. Additional media coverage of the band came from the relationship between Moretti and actress Drew Barrymore, which ended in January 2007.

The first single taken from Room on Fire was the song "12:51", which used distinct keyboard-like sounds produced by Valensi's guitar. The video was also directed by Roman Coppola, and was inspired by the futuristic look of the 1980s film Tron. This consisted of a mainly black scene, with instances of glowing picton blue and riptide. In November 2003, The Strokes played on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, performing "Reptilia", "What Ever Happened", "Under Control" and "I Can't Win". During the 2003/2004 "Room on Fire Tour", the band played with Kings of Leon as support act and Regina Spektor. While on tour, Spektor and the Strokes recorded the song "Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men", released as a B-side on the "Reptilia" single. Also during the tour, the band included The Clash's "Clampdown" as a cover, which was released as the B-side for The End Has No End.

In late 2004, The Strokes revealed plans to release a live album. The Live in London LP was planned for release in October 2004, but was abandoned, reportedly due to recording quality problems. The chosen gig was one held at the legendary Alexandra Palace in North London. In February 2005, Julian Casablancas wed long-time friend and assistant band manager Juliet Joslin. The Strokes had a three-concert South American tour in October 2005, with dates in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina.

First Impressions of Earth and a short hiatus: 2005-2008

In late September 2005, "Juicebox", the first single from The Strokes then unreleased third album, was leaked online, forcing the single's release date to be advanced. The single was then released as an exclusive on online download services. "Juicebox" became The Strokes' second UK Top 10 hit, as well as their second US Modern Rock Top 10 success. During November and December 2005 the Strokes did a promotional tour for the still unreleased album, which involved doing one-off shows in major cities around the world.

Their third album, First Impressions of Earth, was released in January 2006 to mixed reviews and debuted at number four in the US and number one in the UK, a first for the band. In Japan it went gold within the first week of release. It was also the most downloaded album for two weeks on iTunes. Fraiture claimed that the album was "like a scientific breakthrough".In January 2006, the band then made their second appearance on Saturday Night Live playing "Juicebox" and "You Only Live Once".

The album was somewhat a departure from the band's two previous albums. One reason for this was a switch of producers from Gordon Raphael to David Kahne. Despite its initial strong sales, First Impressions of Earth received the chilliest reception, both commercially and critically, of all their three albums.

In 2006, the band played 18 sold-out shows during their UK tour. In February 2006, The Strokes won "Best International Band" at the NME Awards. In March, the band returned to the US with their longest tour yet. The second single off First Impressions of Earth, "Heart in a Cage", was released in March 2006.

During the summer of 2006, The Strokes played several festival dates in Europe, including the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, the Oxegen Festival in Ireland (during this concert they were to be followed by The Who but due to the overwhelming reaction of the crowd they ended up staying on longer than scheduled), the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the FIB (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim) in Benicàssim (Spain) and Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. They then toured Australia and Mexico in late August and early September, followed by the second leg of the United States tour. While in the US, The Strokes opened for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers for five shows during their Highway Companion tour.

The Strokes went on to complete another US tour. During this final tour Casablancas stated to fans that the band would be taking an extensive break after it finished. An e-mail was sent out soon afterwards by Strokes manager Ryan Gentles, confirming that a "much needed break" would be taken. A new band website went online in May 2007 along with the release of an alternate video to their single "You Only Live Once" directed by Warren Fu. The video also featured a brief interlude with "Ize of the World", also from "First Impressions of Earth". In late 2007, the song "You Talk Way Too Much" was used in a commercial for the Ford Sync. Aleks Cisneros became the Strokes new assistant manager in late 2007.

The Strokes have annouced that they are currently planning to release their fourth studio album and follow up to First Impressions of Earth in 2009. This contradicts the suggestion that the Strokes in fact broke up in 2008.

Thom Yorke

2008-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England) is a Grammy-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer and principal songwriter of the band Radiohead. He has also recorded as a solo artist; he released his debut album, The Eraser, in July 2006, and has collaborated with many other artists. Yorke mainly plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar (notably during the Kid A and Amnesiac sessions). Yorke is also an electronic musician, and The Eraser was heavily influenced by electronic music.In 2005, Yorke became a spokesman for Friends of the Earth and their campaign to reduce carbon emissions, The Big Ask.

Birth name Thomas Edward Yorke
Also known as Dr. Tchock, Tchocky
Born 7 October 1968 (1968-10-07) (age 39),Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
Genre(s) Alternative rock, art rock, electronic music
Occupation(s) Musician, artist, activist
Instrument(s) Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards
Years active 1991-present
Label(s) XL, TBD
Associated acts Radiohead

Early years

As a child, Yorke underwent seven major surgical operations to correct a paralyzed left eye he had since birth.He has stated that the last surgery was "botched," giving him his drooping eyelid.

The Yorke family finally settled in Oxfordshire; Yorke's father was a chemical equipment salesman, and had to travel around the country frequently.Yorke received his first guitar when he was seven, inspired by a televised performance of Queen guitarist Brian May.His first song, "Mushroom Cloud" described a nuclear explosion, and by age ten he had joined his first band. He attended the all boys public school, Abingdon, where he met future bandmates Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway, Colin Greenwood and Colin's younger brother, Jonny.

The band was named On A Friday, as Friday was the only day on which the members were allowed to rehearse.Yorke, in this early line up, played guitar and provided vocals, and was already developing his songwriting and lyrical skills. Yorke, speaking about music's influence on him as a schoolboy, said, "School was bearable for me because the music department was separate from the rest of the school. It had pianos in tiny booths, and I used to spend a lot of time hanging around there after school.The band's mentor at the school was the music teacher, Terence Gilmore-James, who, according to band members, was the only one who encouraged them.Said Colin Greenwood, "When we started, it was very important that we got support from him, because we weren't getting any from the headmaster. You know, the man once sent us a bill, charging us for the use of school property, because we practiced in one of the music rooms on a Sunday.

While attending the University of Exeter, where he studied Fine Art and English, Yorke worked as a DJ at Guild nights in the Lemon Grove and played briefly with the bands Headless Chickens and Flickernoise, the latter of which was a techno group. He also held a part time position as an orderly at a psychiatric hospital. In his second year, he was introduced to the university's newly acquired Macintoshes, with which he was fascinated. It was also around this time that he met Stanley Donwood, an artist who from 1994 on would become an important collaborator on single and album artwork for Radiohead. Yorke has often used an alias ('The White Chocolate Farm', 'Tchock') while working on projects with Donwood. Together, the duo later won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.

In 1987, Yorke and his girlfriend were involved in a car crash. He was unharmed, but his girlfriend suffered from whiplash. This brought on Yorke's phobia of cars, which he later wrote about in Radiohead songs such as "Airbag", "Killer Cars", "Stupid Car" and "Drunkk Machine". On A Friday reformed in 1991 as the members were finishing their degree courses. Meanwhile, Yorke briefly had a job selling men's suits. Now relocated to Oxford, they signed to Parlophone and changed their name to Radiohead, the name taken from a song on the Talking Heads album True Stories.

Radiohead

Radiohead first gained notice with the worldwide hit single "Creep", which was allegedly written in the men's toilets of Exeter University's student club.The song appeared on the band's 1993 debut album Pablo Honey, which received mixed reviews. Yorke, coming to resent the way "Creep" had overshadowed their career, described the band's feeling toward it in the lyrics of "My Iron Lung", which appeared on their second album, The Bends, in 1995. By this time the band, through frequent touring and greater attention to detail in the recording studio, had picked up a large cult fan base and had begun to receive wider critical acclaim. Radiohead charted their first top 5 single in the UK with "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" in late 1995.

The band's third effort, 1997's OK Computer, was heralded as a landmark album by nearly every publication that reviewed it, establishing Radiohead as one of the leading rock acts of the 1990s. Some of these concerns were voiced in the documentary film Meeting People Is Easy, which focused on the period. Yorke has explained in various interviews that he dislikes the "mythology" within the rock genre, and hates the media's obsession with celebrities.In the late 1990s, Yorke struggled with the idea of a follow-up to OK Computer.

Yorke and the band adopted a more radical approach on 2000's Kid A and 2001's Amnesiac, processing vocals, obscuring lyrics, and departing from rock for a more varied musical landscape including electronic, jazz and avant-garde classical influences. Expanding Radiohead's sales while earning acclaim for experimentation, the albums also divided fans and critics. In 2003, Radiohead released their sixth album, Hail to the Thief, a blend of rock and electronica that Yorke described as a reaction to the events of the early 2000s and newfound fears for his children's future, though he denied a specific political intent. The band has continued to tour, and in 2005 they undertook recording sessions for a seventh album, In Rainbows, released as a digital DRM-free download on 10 October 2007.

Solo work

Yorke released The Eraser, an album of solo material, on 10 July 2006 in the UK and July 11, 2006 in the U.S.Produced by Nigel Godrich and featuring cover art by Stanley Donwood, it was released on the independent label XL Recordings. Yorke described the album as "more beats and electronics" and denied that it meant he was leaving Radiohead, saying, "I want no crap about me being a traitor or whatever splitting up blah blah... this was all done with their blessing.The Eraser reached number 3 in the UK in its first week, number 2 in the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as number 9 on the Irish charts. The album was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize, and for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

Collaborations

Yorke, along with his solo work, has collaborated with several artists. Some examples include the track Rabbit in Your Headlights created with the group UNKLE. Another example is the track The White Flash, a collaboration with the experimental group Modeselektor.

Personal life

Yorke currently lives in central Oxford with his partner, Rachel Owen, a printmaker who holds a doctorate in art history, and their two children, Noah, born in 2001, and Agnes, born 2004. He has one brother, Andy, ex-vocalist of the band the Unbelievable Truth.

Musical approach

Thom Yorke in 2006

As a singer, Yorke is known for his distinctive falsetto ("Fake Plastic Trees", "Reckoner", "Like Spinning Plates") and his ability to reach, and sustain, high notes ("You", "Creep", "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", "Exit Music (For a Film)", "Nude"). During the recording sessions for The Bends in 1994, the band watched Jeff Buckley in concert; Yorke later said the concert had a direct effect on his vocal delivery on "Fake Plastic Trees.However, Yorke has said, "it annoys me how pretty my voice is... how polite it can sound when perhaps what I'm singing is deeply acidic." He has often adopted other styles of singing, such as an aggressive shouting style in the middle section of "Paranoid Android" and a semi-spoken, rap-like delivery for 2003's "Myxomatosis" and "A Wolf at the Door". Aside from vocal duties and writing lyrics, Yorke's musical contributions to Radiohead include guitar, both acoustic and electric (usually rhythm parts, with band member Jonny Greenwood handling lead), and piano (including Rhodes piano, especially on Kid A). He also plays bass guitar on occasion (the bass line for "The National Anthem" was recorded by him) as well as drums; in 2006 he performed percussion on stage in tandem with drummer Phil Selway on the track 'Bangers & Mash'. Yorke, like most members of Radiohead, has never learned how to read music. He said, "If someone lays the notes on a page in front of me, it's meaningless... because to me you can't express the rhythms properly like that. It's a very ineffective way of doing it, so I've never really bothered picking it up." In interviews Yorke has sometimes played down his skills on both guitar and piano; he rarely plays guitar solos, and joked about the simplicity of his part in "Bishop's Robes". Yorke explained how he had bought a "proper" baby grand piano after OK Computer and began writing songs on it, despite a lack of proficiency, constantly relying on pedal points and pivot tones. Yorke said, "I'm such a shit piano player. I remember this Tom Waits quote from years ago, that what keeps him going as a songwriter is his complete ignorance of the instruments he's using. So everything's a novelty. That's one of the reasons I wanted to get into computers and synths, because I didn't understand how the fuck they worked." Since Kid A, Radiohead, and in particular Yorke, have incorporated many elements of electronic music into their work. As a result, Yorke has taken an increased role in programming beats and samples and has been credited with playing "laptop" on recent albums. On a radio show in 2003 to publicise the release of Hail to the Thief, Yorke remarked that he would rather make a record just with a computer than with only an acoustic guitar.His solo effort The Eraser featured piano and guitar, but was built primarily around electronics. In interviews Yorke has cited a variety of personal musical heroes and influences, ranging from jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus to Neil Young, singer Scott Walker, electronic act Aphex Twin, Autechre and Krautrock band Can. Joy Division, Magazine, Elvis Costello, The Smiths and Sonic Youth were early influences on Radiohead and Yorke. In 2004, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Yorke mentioned to the crowd, "When I was in college, the Pixies and R.E.M. changed my life",and he has often mentioned both bands as examples.

Activism

Thom Yorke, drenched in chocolate for an OxfamMake Trade Fair campaign, 2004

Yorke has been outspoken on various contemporary political and social issues. Radiohead had read No Logo by Naomi Klein during the Kid A sessions ("No Logo" was also briefly considered as the album title) and all the members were reportedly heavily influenced by it, though Yorke said it "didn't teach him anything he didn't already know".Yorke's activism in support of fair trade practices, with an anti-WTO and anti-globalisation stance, garnered significant attention in the early 2000s.Yorke had previously referenced maquiladoras in the title of a Radiohead B-side in 1995, and decried the IMF in 1997's "Electioneering". Yorke is also a professed fan of Noam Chomsky's political writings, and is a vegetarian.

Yorke is friends with the environmentalist writer, academic and journalist George Monbiot; he lent a quote to feature on Monbiot's book Captive State: The Corporate Takeover of Britain. He is also notable as a political activist on behalf of other causes, including human rights and anti-war movements such as Jubilee 2000, Amnesty International and CND, and Friends of the Earth's Big Ask campaign. Radiohead played at the Free Tibet concert in both 1998 and 1999, and at an Amnesty International concert in 1998.In 2005 Yorke performed at an all-night vigil for the Trade Justice Movement.In 2006, Radiohead and Yorke performed a special benefit concert for Friends of the Earth. Yorke made headlines the same year for refusing Prime Minister Tony Blair's request to meet with him to discuss climate change, declaring Blair had "no environmental credentials".Yorke has subsequently been critical of his own energy use. He has said the music industry's use of air transport is dangerous and unsustainable, and that he would consider not touring if new carbon emissions standards do not force the situation to improve. Radiohead commissioned a study by the group Best Foot Forward which the band claims helped them choose venues and transport methods that will greatly reduce the carbon expended on their 2008 tour.

Phil Selway

2008-07-21T23:56:00.001-07:00

Philip James Selway (born May 23, 1967) is the drummer of alternative rock band Radiohead.

Birth name Philip James Selway
Also known as Phil
Born May 23, 1967 (1967-05-23) (age 41)
Origin Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Genre(s) Alternative rock, Electronic music
Occupation(s) Musician, Teacher
Instrument(s) Drums
Label(s) XL, TBD
Associated acts Radiohead

Radiohead work

Apart from his regular band duties, Phil also occasionally sings backing vocals during their live performances, especially notable on "There There" and since the album Kid A he has also contributed drum machine programming. His ultra-precise timing and varied drumming helps to give the band its distinct sound. He is the oldest member of Radiohead. Before Radiohead became successful, Phil studied English and history at Liverpool John Moores University. Before that he had worked for various touring musicians and worked as an English teacher as well. In the very early '90s, Phil left Radiohead's early lineup (then called Shindig or On a Friday) to move to Ireland, and only returned to the band when a relationship fell apart. Phil has studied drums in London at Drumtech under the tutelage of Francis Seriau along with fellow Radiohead member Ed O'Brien. In 2008, Gigwise named Selway the #26 drummer of all time.

Work outside of Radiohead

Unlike bandmates Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, Phil has not had much involvement with projects outside of Radiohead. Nevertheless, in recent years he has taken a more active role in collaborating with other artists. He has been associated with emotional support group Samaritans as a listening volunteer since 1991. Phil also performed with the band Dive Dive in March 2005 and appeared in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a member of the band "The Weird Sisters" along with Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. Phil also appears on the Neil Finn concert album "7 Worlds Collide". In an interview with newspaper The Scotsman, Scottish producer John McCusker said he's going to produce an album with Selway later in 2007.

Personal life

He was born in Abingdon, Berkshire (now Oxfordshire), England). Phil has a wife, Cait, and three sons: Leo, Jamie, and Patrick (to whom Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief were dedicated, respectively).

His mother Thea died during a Radiohead tour in middle May 2006. The band cancelled one of their dates in Amsterdam, so that Phil could carry out his family duties:[2]

Just wanted to say sorry to the people who were due to come to our show in Amsterdam last night, particularly those who made wasted journeys. My mum died suddenly in the early hours of yesterday morning and so I just wanted to be at home with my family. Mum was a big Radiohead fan, and was very proud of all we've done as a band. I love and miss her very much.

The band later returned to Amsterdam in August to play the missed show. The discbox and CD release of In Rainbows mentions a dedication to Thea Selway.

Edward John O'Brien

2008-07-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Edward John O'Brien (born April 15, 1968, in Oxford, England) is a member of Radiohead. He plays guitar and is responsible for harmony vocals during live concerts and on many tracks from the band's albums. He was ranked number 60 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

Birth name Edward John O'Brien
Born April 15, 1968 (1968-04-15) (age 40)
Origin Oxford, England
Genre(s) Experimental rock, Alternative rock
Occupation(s) Musician
Instrument(s) Guitar, Misc. Effects manipulation, Harmony/Backing vocals
Years active 1987-Present
Label(s) XL, TBD
Associated acts Radiohead

Personal life

He is the tallest member of the band, at 6' 5" or 195cm (no other band members exceed 6 feet tall). Ed has a wife named Susan and a son, Salvador, born in January 2004 and daughter, Oona, born in early 2006.

Radiohead work

Ed is known for his large collection of effects pedals, which are important in creating Radiohead's distinct sound. Even on tracks that do not feature any guitar work, his pedals are put to use for other purposes, such as altering Thom Yorke's vocals (he along with Jonny Greenwood use the Korg Kaoss Pad). Though he served primarily as a rhythm guitarist on the earlier albums, Radiohead's migration beyond alternative rock instrumentation often saw fellow guitarist Jonny Greenwood called on to play keyboards, the modular synthesizer, or the Ondes Martenot, moving Ed to the forefront as Radiohead's chief guitarist. He is a self-taught guitarist, but took drum lessons and is an accomplished drummer, though his only drum works for Radiohead to date have been the auxiliary drums on Hail to the Thief track "There There", a task he shared with Jonny Greenwood, and an additional drum piece on the b-side "Pearly*".

Although all members of the band are credited equally for all songs, Ed is not usually involved in songwriting, apart from few notable exceptions, such as the opening riff on "Go to Sleep", which he wrote, and the riff that makes up the closing song on The Bends: "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", which was also his. He has also written the instrumental "Meeting in the Aisle," "Lull," and the music to "Big Boots". He mainly helps to expand on the musical framework created by Thom Yorke, and is known for his contributions to "Karma Police" (he created the effect that closes the song), "Lucky" (he created the effect that opens the song, and his backing vocals during the chorus are an integral part of the track) and "Treefingers" (his guitar chords were processed electronically to sound like ambient music). He also (not always exclusively) plays lead guitar on many of the post-The Bends songs including "Airbag", "Exit Music (For a Film)", "Let Down", "Climbing Up The Walls", "No Surprises", "Lucky", "How to Disappear Completely", "Morning Bell","Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box", "Knives Out", "Dollars and Cents", "Scatterbrain", and the fan favourite b-side and live staple, "Talk Show Host".

Work outside of Radiohead

Ed made contributions to a soundtrack project for the BBC drama series Eureka Street before recording Kid A. During sessions of Kid A and Amnesiac, Ed kept his fans up to date with an open diary posted on the band's website, providing the most in depth look at how those experimental albums were recorded. His most recent collaboration outside of Radiohead involved some guitar work on album of Asian Dub Foundation. He played on "1000 Mirrors" (with Sinéad O'Connor), "Blowback" and "Enemy of the Enemy". He also played live with Neil Finn and various others in 7 Worlds Collide.

Ed and bandmate Phil Selway had programming lessons with producer/engineer Phelan Kane at Tech Music Schools in London in 2001.

Equipment

Guitars

* "Plank" guitar (custom built to Ed's specifications)
* Rickenbacker 360 (2)
* Fender Telecaster
* Gibson ES 330 (60s)
* Gibson ES 335 (60s)
* Fender Stratocaster (white)
* Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster (black)(2)
* Fernandes Native Pro
* Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
* Line 6 Variax 700

Effects

* Digitech Whammy IV
* Akai Headrush
* Line 6 Dl-4 Delay
* BOSS DD-5 Digital Delay (4)
* BOSS GE-7 Equalizer
* Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
* Electro-Harmonix Small Stone
* BOSS PN-2 Tremolo/Pan
* BOSS RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay
* BOSS LS-2 Line Selector
* Crowther Hotcake
* MXR Dynacomp
* Lovetone Ring Stinger
* Lovetone Meatball
* MXR Micro Amp
* BOSS TU-2 Tuner
* Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
* BOSS FS-5U
* Dunlop Stereo Tremolo
* Mesa Boogie Amp Footswitch
* BOSS FV-300H
* Roland Space Echo (used pre-OK Computer)
* Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb
* Roger Linn Adrenalinn
* Line 6 Pod PRO
* BOSS Dr Sample

These are pedals that have been identified over the years, Not all of these pedals may be used at one time. In 2006 a MIDI Controller possibly to rack Effects took the place of many Delays.

Amplifiers

* VOX AC30 (2) (used for clean tones) most Modulation/Delay Pedals are used on this.
* Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb (2) (used for the distorted tones)
* Line 6 VETTA II
* Fender Super-Sonic head, fed into a Super-Sonic 112 combo (seen used in the thumbs_down webcast).

Jonny Greenwood

2008-07-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born November 5, 1971) is a BAFTA- and Grammy-nominated musician and composer-in-residence for the BBC, best known as a member of English band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist and also serves as the band's lead guitarist. He is the younger brother of fellow Radiohead member Colin Greenwood. In addition to guitar he plays viola, organ, piano, xylophone, glockenspiel, ondes Martenot, banjo, harmonica and drums. He also does work on the electronic side of Radiohead, working on computer-generated sounds and sampling. He was ranked number 59 on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Birth name Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood
Born November 5, 1971 (1971-11-05) (age 36), Oxford, England
Genre(s) Alternative rock, Electronic music
Occupation(s) Musician, Songwriter, Film composer
Instrument(s) guitar, ondes Martenot, keyboard, glockenspiel
Years active 1992-present
Label(s) XL, TBD, Sanctuary
Associated acts Radiohead

Career

Radiohead

Greenwood had recently started university when Radiohead predecessor On A Friday signed a recording contract with EMI in 1991. He left university shortly after. While Greenwood is the only member of Radiohead to have been classically trained on any instrument (he took viola lessons as a child), he is also the only band member without a university degree.

Greenwood's influence on Radiohead's recording and writing can be heard in many songs, as he usually takes the traditional lead-guitarist role. For a while, Greenwood wore an arm brace due to a repetitive strain injury attributed to his "aggressive" way of playing the instrument. He often still wears the brace. He has said that "It's like taping up your fingers before a boxing match.

Greenwood is often credited as the second major influence on songwriting in Radiohead, next to Thom Yorke. He wrote the music for the closing tracks of OK Computer and Hail to the Thief, the slow, jazzy rock song "The Tourist" and "A Wolf at the Door", respectively. He also wrote the intro, chorus and outro sections of the song "Subterranean Homesick Alien" from the OK Computer album. According to Yorke the track "Just" from The Bends was "a competition by me and Jonny to get as many chords as possible into a song". An example of Greenwood's versatility is his use of the Ondes Martenot, which is featured on songs such as "The National Anthem" and "How to Disappear Completely" from the album Kid A, and "Pyramid Song" and "Dollars and Cents" from the album Amnesiac. The song "Where I End and You Begin" from Hail to the Thief, which also features the instrument, was dedicated to the memory of Jeanne Loriod, a pioneer of the Ondes.

Greenwood and Yorke also collaborated on the song "Arpeggi" which is a piece in a classical style centered around arpeggios for voice, Ondes, and orchestra. It was performed with the London Sinfonietta and Arab Orchestra of Nazareth at the Ether Festival in March 2005 the song would later be adapted for the full band to play in 2006, rearranged for guitar. A studio version (closer to the full band version than the orchestral version) appeared on the album In Rainbows as "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi".

Solo work and current projects

In 2003, Greenwood released his first solo album, Bodysong (2003), the soundtrack for the movie of the same title by filmmaker Simon Pummell. Bodysong also features contributions from his brother Colin on bass.

Jonny Greenwood was hired by the BBC as its composer in residence in May 2004, a job which gave him the opportunity to compose several pieces for symphony orchestra, piano and/or Ondes Martenot: smear, Piano for Children and Popcorn Superhet Receiver. smear premiered in 2004, and on 23 April 2005 Greenwood premiered his new work commissioned by BBC Radio 3, with music performed live by the BBC Concert Orchestra in London.The printed music for smear and Popcorn Superhet Receiver are available from Faber Music Ltd in London. smear has also been recorded by the London Sinfonietta conducted by Martyn Brabbins and is Greenwood's recorded debut in the genre.

Greenwood won the Radio 3 Listeners' Award at the 2006 BBC British Composer Awards for his piece, "Popcorn Superhet Receiver". The piece was inspired by radio static and the extended, dissonant chords of Polish composer Penderecki's "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima", it can be streamed from a BBC website.Upon winning the award Greenwood received £10,000 from the PRS Foundation towards a commission for a new orchestral work.

A fan of dub reggae,Greenwood released a compilation in collaboration with Trojan Records, entitled Jonny Greenwood Is The Controller in March 2007. This is the latest in Trojan’s Artist Choice Jukebox series, to which DJ Spooky and Don Letts have already contributed.Trojan Records provided Greenwood with its extensive catalog of songs, of which he chose 17.The title is a play on the first track on the collection, entitled Dread Are The Controller, by Linval Thompson. The album contains tracks by artists such as Derrick Harriott, Gregory Isaacs, The Heptones and many more.

Greenwood composed the score for the 2007 film, There Will Be Blood, from director Paul Thomas Anderson. The soundtrack contains excerpts from "Popcorn Superhet Receiver". His work as the composer for this film earned him an award at the Critics' Choice Awards. On January 21, 2008, however, the score was declared ineligible for an Academy Award nomination under a rule that prohibited "scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music.On 4 February 2008 it was announced that Greenwood had won the trophy for Best Film Score in the Evening Standard British Film Awards for 2007.

Musical tastes

Greenwood is greatly influenced by jazz and hip hop; his favourites include Lee Morgan and Miles Davis. He is a major fan of the Mo'Wax label (onetime home of Blackalicious, DJ Krush, DJ Shadow and Dr. Octagon). Along with other Radiohead band members, he loves Krautrock band Can and Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. Although Greenwood says he dislikes later Pink Floyd, one of his favourite albums is Meddle (1971).Greenwood's all time favourite piece of music is Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony, a gigantic piece for orchestra and Ondes Martenot, which he discovered as a teenager.According to one of his entries on Radiohead's blog Dead Air Space, Greenwood has recently become a dub reggae aficionado, listening as of late 2005 to little else. In February 2007, Trojan Records released "Jonny Greenwood is the Controller" - he was given access to the archives of the legendary Trojan Records and hand picked tracks by the likes of Linval Thompson, John Holt, Lee Perry and The Heptones ranging from classic Ska and Rocksteady cuts to some vintage Dub and Roots. This compilation was recently nominated by Mojo Magazine as the compilation of the year. He confessed in a blog entry that he had never heard The Stooges' Fun House, although he was aware of its legendary reputation.

Personal life

Jonny is married to Sharona Greenwood. Together, they have a son, Tamir, who was born in 2002 and to whom Radiohead album Hail to the Thief was dedicated. They also have a daughter named Omri, born in 2005. He became a father for the third time in February 2008.

As well as his iconic arm brace, Greenwood has a hairstyle that sets him apart from other band members. His hair is black, straight, and worn long, cut at an angle and often hanging over his face.

However, while Greenwood is sometimes seen as the most flamboyant and stylish member of the band, he also professes shyness. He is apparently somewhat uncomfortable with the sound of his voice, and did fewer interviews than other band members until recently. A longstanding joke among fans calls for Greenwood to sing, something he claims he will never do.

Greenwood is red-green colourblind.

Electric Guitars

* Fender Telecaster Plus, with a custom cut-off switch and special rewirings made by Greenwood and Plank (Radiohead's Guitar Technician). This guitar is equipped with Lace Sensor pickups.
* Fender Telecaster Standard converted into a Plus which also has a custom cut-off switch and Lace Sensor pickups
* Fender Starcaster, with Fender Wide Range pickups, can be heard predominantly on Kid A and Amnesiac.
* A Gretsch G6119-1962HT Tennessee Rose HT.
* Gibson Les Paul HD.6X-Pro Digital
* Gibson ES-335 (used on the acoustic Tour 2003)
* Gibson Les Paul Goldtop

Jonny currently uses Dean Markley Signature Series 10-46 strings.

Acoustic Guitars

* Martin D-35
* Taylor Big Baby (played by both Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke in pictures from Dead Air Space)

Amplifiers

* Vox AC30, used for clean tones.
* Fender Eighty-Five , solid state amp, used for distorted tones.

In the earlier years he used a Fender Twin Reverb for clean tones. He recently replaced the Deluxe 85 with an Eighty-Five.

Current Effects Pedals

* Marshall ShredMaster
* Digitech WH-1 Whammy
* Demeter "The Tremulator", older version of the Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator
* DOD 440 Envelope Filter
* Electro-Harmonix Small Stone
* Electro-Harmonix Poly Chorus
* BOSS SD-1 Super Overdrive
* BOSS RV3 Digital Reverb/Delay
* BOSS FV-300H Volume Pedal
* BOSS TU-12H Chromatic Tuner
* BOSS LS2 Line Selectors (3)
* Roland Space Echo RE-201 (Activated via Vox Egg Footswitch)
* Mutronics Mutator (Primarily for studio use)
* Akai Headrush E2
* BOSS RE-20 Space Echo (Used at some live gigs; however, the RE-201 was still being used at the June 08 Victoria Park dates)

Keyboard Effects

* BOSS RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay
* Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phase Shifter
* BOSS FV300L/H
* BOSS LS-2 Line Selector
* Akai Headrush E1 or E2

* Voodoo Labs Pedal Power units power all pedals.

Keyboards

* Analogue Systems RS8000 Integrator
* Analogue Systems RS8500X
* Analogue Systems French Connection
* Ondes Martenot
* Sequential Circuits Prophet 5
* Korg Prophecy
* Hammond XB2 Digital Organ
* Moog Rogue
* Mellotron M400
* Rhodes Suitcase Piano Mark I 73
* Fatar Keys CMS-161
* Upright Piano
* Celeste
* microKORG

Other

* Jonny uses a portable radio, specifically during the songs "Climbing Up the Walls" and "The National Anthem"
* Laptop Computer running Max/MSP (Used to process his guitar sound, such as in the guitar solo at the end of "Go to Sleep". Also used to control electronic parts in live versions of songs such as "The Gloaming" and "15 Step")
* Korg Kaoss Pad (for sampling, such as Thom Yorke's voice in the song "Everything in Its Right Place")
* Harmonica (for the song "I Am A Wicked Child" and on the Pavement songs "Platform Blues" and "Billie" from their final album Terror Twilight)
* Glockenspiel (for "No Surprises", "Morning Bell/Amnesiac", "Sit Down. Stand Up" and "All I Need")
* Toms (he uses a pair of identical toms with two drum sticks for each hand. These are featured in "There There", where most members of the band play percussion)
* He has recently been spotted with a banjo. The band played a sound check on their recent tour where Greenwood played the banjo on Radiohead song "I Am A Wicked Child". Although other members of the band have said that banjos are "banned", and despite Jonny's constant attempts to include them with songs, they will not feature.

Collaborations

Velvet Goldmine
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood got together with Bernard Butler (Suede), Andy Mckey, and Paul Kimble to form the band, The Venus in Furs, named after the Velvet Underground song. They recorded five songs (Roxy Music, Brian Eno and Steve Harley covers) for the Todd Haynes film Velvet Goldmine, which was produced by Michael Stipe. The tracks are:

* "2HB" (vocals : Thom Yorke)
* "Ladytron" (vocals : Thom Yorke)
* "Baby's on Fire"
* "Bitter-Sweet" (vocals : Thom Yorke)
* "Tumbling Down"

Pavement
Greenwood played harmonica on Pavement's final LP, Terror Twilight (1999). He played on the songs "Platform Blues" and "Billie". The album was produced by long-time Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.

Bryan Ferry
Jonny appears on the track 'Hiroshima' from the Frantic album.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Greenwood played lead guitar in The Weird Sisters along with fellow Radiohead member Phil Selway, former Pulp members Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey, electronica artist Jason Buckle and Add N to (X) member Steve Claydon. They performed three tracks, composed by Cocker:

* "Do The Hippogriff"
* "This Is The Night"
* "Magic Works"

Colin Greenwood

2008-07-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Colin Charles Greenwood (born 26 June 1969 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England), also known as Coz, is a member of English rock band Radiohead. He is best known as their bass player, although he does play other instruments (see below). He is the older brother of fellow band member, guitarist Jonny Greenwood.

In December 1998, Greenwood married Molly McGrann, an American literary critic and novelist.They have two sons, Jesse,born in December 2003 and Asa, born in December 2005.They live in a small village in Oxfordshire.

Birth name Colin Charles Greenwood
Born June 26, 1969 (1969-06-26) (age 39)
Origin Oxford, England
Genre(s) Alternative rock,Art rock,Electronic musc
Occupation(s) Musician, Bassist
Instrument(s) Bass Guitar, Keyboards
Years active 1988 - Present
Associated acts Radiohead

Early years

Greenwood, whose father served in the Army, lived in Germany as a child for enough time to become fluent in the language.The family historically had ties to both the British Communist Party and the Fabian Society.His father passed away when Greenwood was seven years old. He has credited his older sister, Susan, with greatly influencing his taste in music as an adolescent. Said Greenwood, "She’s responsible for our precocious love of miserable music. The Fall, Magazine, Joy Division. We were ostracized at school because everyone else was into Iron Maiden.

When Greenwood was 12 years old, he met future band mate Thom Yorke at the public Abingdon School for boys.Future band mates Ed O'Brien, who Greenwood met during a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury", and Phil Selway also attended the school.When Greenwood was 15 years old he bought his first guitar,[11] studying classical guitar with influential teacher Terence Gilmore-James. It was Gilmore-James who introduced him and the other future members of Radiohead to jazz, film scores, post World War II era avant-garde music, and twentieth century classical music. Said Greenwood, "When we started, it was very important that we got support from him, because we weren't getting any from the headmaster. You know, the man once sent us a bill, charging us for the use of school property, because we practiced in one of the music rooms on a Sunday.

According to Greenwood, it was due to necessity that he first picked up a bass, teaching himself by playing along to New Order, Joy Division and Otis Redding. “We were people who picked up their respective instruments because we wanted to play music together, rather than just because we wanted to play that particular instrument. So it was more of a collective angle, and if you could contribute by having someone else play your instrument, then that was really cool. I don’t think of myself as a bass player anyway. I’m just in a band with other people.Among his greatest musical influences are Booker T and the MGs. “I’m really more of a soulboy. Bill Withers and Curtis Mayfield, those are the people who informed me in playing the bass. That combination of rhythm and melody.

Radiohead

Greenwood first teamed up with classmate Thom Yorke in 1986 to start a band, then known as On A Friday; Ed O'Brien was then recruited, and finally, older student Phil Selway was approached to join the band. Later, Greenwood's younger brother Jonny, then 14 years old, also joined the band. Of being in a band with his brother, Greenwood has said, "...beyond the normal brotherly thing, I respect him as a person and a musician,and has quipped, “It’s wonderful, it’s good, it makes my promise to keep an eye on him for my mother a lot easier, having him right next to me all the time. But he’s very easy to look after anyway, 'cause he’s very well behaved.

While an undergraduate studying English at Peterhouse, Cambridge between 1987 and 1990, Greenwood read modern American literature, including Raymond Carver, John Cheever and other writers “dealing with the tensions of post-war American society.At Peterhouse, Greenwood served as the college's entertainment officer, and helped arrange several gigs for On A Friday. Later, whilst working at the music chain store, Our Price, he had a hand in helping the band get off the ground. When Keith Wozencroft, as a sales rep for EMI, entered the store one day, Greenwood said, "You should sign my band," and handed him their demo tape. That got it all started for the band, with EMI.At this time the band renamed themselves Radiohead.

Greenwood plays a number of instruments for Radiohead including electric- and acoustic bass, double bass, keyboards, samplers, and synthesizers, and a variety of percussive instruments. He favours Fender basses.Said Greenwood, "My involvement is to play bass guitar, but our ideas and suggestions in certain areas, as to where the music should go or develop, are listened to. We are very much a band.

* Greenwood was instrumental in creating the song "Dollars and Cents", which arose when he played his bassline over an Alice Coltrane record he particularly liked; brother Jonny set about creating an original string arrangement with the same vibe. "'Dollars and Cents' is Curtis Mayfield. When I play fuzz bass on 'Packt Like Sardines' and 'Exit Music' on OK Computer it’s all, I think his name is Henry Thomson, something like that. Curtis’s bass player, yeah, who is God, fine man.
* The bass line in "The National Anthem", perhaps Radiohead's most recognizable, was actually played in the Kid A recording by Thom Yorke. However, Greenwood plays it live.
* Airbag is Greenwood's own favorite of his bass lines. He has said that he played the distinctive fragments heard in the song, and planned to come up with something to fill all the gaps, but never got around to it.

Work outside of Radiohead

Music

In 2003, Colin Greenwood was credited on Jonny Greenwood’s debut solo album Bodysong for playing bass on the track “24 Hour Charleston.”

Other projects

In 1997 Greenwood participated in a marketing campaign for alma mater Cambridge University, posing for a photo with then-current students from both state and private schools for a poster entitled “Put Yourself in the Picture.” The poster was “designed to break down some of the stereotypes that deter able students from applying to Cambridge and encourage more state school applicants.

In 2003 Greenwood, an amateur photographer whose images are often posted on Radiohead's website, Dead Air Space, discussed his favourite images in the V&A’s photography gallery, a collection “ranging from early daguerreotype and calotype prints through to modern digital prints,as part of their accompanying website’s Personal Tours. Greenwood chose images by Frederick Sommer and Harold Edgerton among several others.

In 2004 Greenwood served as a judge for the Next Generation Poets talent contest, sponsored by the Arts Council of England. The same year, he participated on a panel in the annual sixth form conference run by Radley College in collaboration with School of St Helen and St Katharine, speaking on digital-rights management (DRM) from "the views of an artist, someone without whom there would be no music to share in the first place,according to David Smith, at that time a professor at Radley.

Gear

Electric Basses

* cream Fender Precision Bass, made in 1973

According to Radiohead's guitar tech, Peter "Plank" Clements, it is Greenwood's favourite. "...apart from vol (volume) pot) and jack, it's all original including the pickup(s), fitted with Stadium Elites 45,65,85,105 (strings) whilst touring, with other combinations used in the studio.

* Music Man Stingray (Used during The Bends and Pablo Honey period. It has a very famous tone which is very apparent in "Bones". Colin also used one on the Hail To The Thief track 'Myxomatosis'.)
* Fender Jazz Bass (shown here to the left of the above Precision Bass) with Seymour Duncan STR-J1 pickups in neck and bridge.
* tobacco sunburst Fender Coronado bass
* black Fender Telecaster Bass, made in 1971
* cherry sunburst Guild Bass
* black Fender Jaguar Bass (Used in 'The Headmaster Ritual' on the 'Thumbs Down' webcast.)
* La Bella Deep talkin' 760RL strings
* Stadium Elites 45,65,85,105 strings
* Tortex '88's guitar picks

Amps / combos used live and in the studio

* 240v Ampeg SVT-CLU classic head with standard valves into an Ampeg 8x10 cab
* some rehearsing and recording done with a blue diamond finish Ampeg B-15RW

Effects Pedals

* Lovetone Big Cheese effects pedal
* Shin Ei Companion Fuzz
* Boss DD5 Digital Delay
* Boss LS2 Line Selector
* Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver
* Akai Headrush E2, an E1 has also been used.

Stage technical specs

* Radiohead's stage set up for the 2006 Tour
* DI unit and Mics:

According to Graham Lees, Radiohead's touring audio engineer, "The Bass guitar is DI-ed and Mic-ed with a Sennheiser 609.

* Monitors:

Lees: "Colin uses Wedges alone, he has never tried in ears up to now, but has shown a lot of interest in trying them on the next tour. He also has a sub bass unit behind him to add extra weight on the low frequencies, mainly the kick drum and the drum machines. He has a full mix of everything on stage.

Radiohead Biography

2008-07-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Origin Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England
Genre(s) Alternative rock, Art rock, Electronic music
Years active 1991 – present
Label(s) XL, TBD (2007-present), Parlophone, Capitol (1992–2005)

Members:
Colin Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Ed O'Brien
Phil Selway
Thom Yorke

Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Oxfordshire. The band is composed of Thom Yorke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, electronics), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, other instruments), Ed O'Brien (guitar, backing vocals), Colin Greenwood (bass guitar, synthesisers) and Phil Selway (drums, percussion). Radiohead have released seven albums and have sold over 23 million records throughout their career.

Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992. Their debut album, Pablo Honey, followed in 1993. "Creep" was initially unsuccessful, but the song became a worldwide hit when reissued a year later, and the band were almost branded as one hit wonders. Radiohead's popularity in the United Kingdom increased with the release of their second album, The Bends (1995). The band's textured guitar atmospheres and Yorke's falsetto singing were warmly received by critics and fans. Radiohead's third album, OK Computer (1997), propelled the band to greater fame worldwide. Featuring an expansive sound and themes of alienation from the modern world, OK Computer has often been acclaimed as a landmark record of the 1990s.

The release of Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) saw Radiohead reach the peak of their popularity, although the albums divided critical opinion. This period marked a change in Radiohead's musical style, with their incorporation of avant-garde electronic music, Krautrock and jazz influences. Hail to the Thief (2003), which mixed guitar-driven rock with electronics and contemporary lyrics, was the band's final album for their record label, EMI. Radiohead's seventh album, In Rainbows (2007), was first released independently as a digital download for which customers selected their own price, later meeting with critical and chart success.

History

Formation and first years (1986–1991)

The musicians who formed Radiohead met while attending Abingdon School, a boys-only public school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.Yorke and Colin Greenwood were in the same year, O'Brien and Selway were one year older and Jonny Greenwood two years younger. In 1986, they formed the band "On a Friday", the name referring to the band's usual rehearsal day in the school's music room.The group played their first gig in late 1986 at Oxford's Jericho Tavern;[4] Jonny Greenwood originally joined as a keyboard player but soon became the lead guitarist.

Although Yorke, O'Brien, Selway, and Colin Greenwood had left Abingdon by 1987 to attend university, the band continued to rehearse often on weekends and holidays.In 1991, when all the members except Jonny had completed their university degrees, On a Friday regrouped, began to record demos such as the Manic Hedgehog demo tape, and performed live gigs around Oxford. Although Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley had an active indie scene in the late 1980s, it centred around shoegazing bands such as Ride and Slowdive; On a Friday were never seen as fitting in this trend, commenting that they had missed it by the time they returned from university.

As On a Friday's number of live performances increased, record labels and producers became interested. Chris Hufford, the co-owner of Oxford's Courtyard Studios, attended an early On a Friday concert at the Jericho Tavern. Impressed by the band, he and his partner Bryce Edge produced a demo tape and became On a Friday's managers;they remain the band's managers to this day. Following a chance meeting between Colin Greenwood and EMI representative Keith Wozencroft at the record shop where Greenwood worked, the band signed a six-album recording contract with the label in late 1991.At the request of EMI, the band changed their name to Radiohead, inspired by the title of a song on Talking Heads' True Stories album.

Pablo Honey, The Bends and early success (1992–1995)

Drill, Radiohead's debut EP, was produced by Hufford and Edge at Courtyard Studios and released in March 1992. Its chart performance was poor, and consequently the band hired Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade—who had previously worked with Pixies and Dinosaur Jr—to produce their debut album, which was recorded in an Oxford studio late in 1992.With the release of the "Creep" single in late 1992, Radiohead began to receive attention in the British music press, although not all of it was favourable; NME described them as "a lily livered excuse for a rock band,and the song was not played on BBC Radio 1 because it was deemed "too depressing".Radiohead released their debut album, Pablo Honey, in February 1993. Its musical style was compared to the grunge style popular in the early 1990s—to the extent of Radiohead being dubbed "Nirvana-lite"—yet Pablo Honey did not do well in the UK charts. Singles "Stop Whispering" and "Anyone Can Play Guitar" followed the album's release; both did similarly poorly.

However, "Creep" unexpectedly built momentum around the world, spreading from popularity in Israel to a San Francisco college radio station.By the time Radiohead began their first United States tour in early 1993, the music video for "Creep" was in heavy rotation on MTV.The song rose to number two on the Billboard modern rock charts and to number seven in the UK singles chart when re-released later that year. Radiohead nearly broke up due to the pressure of sudden success as the Pablo Honey supporting tour extended into its second year.The band described the tour as a miserable experience, as towards its end they were "still playing the same songs that [they had] recorded two years previously… almost like being held in a time warp.

After the American tour, Radiohead began work on their second album, hiring veteran Abbey Road studios producer John Leckie. Tensions were high, as the band felt smothered both by "Creep"'s success and the mounting expectations for a superior follow-up.The band sought a change of scenery, touring Australasia and the Far East in an attempt to reduce the pressure. However, confronted again by their popularity, Yorke became disenchanted at being "right at the sharp end of the sexy, sassy, MTV eye-candy lifestyle" he felt he was helping to sell to the world.The 1994 EP My Iron Lung, featuring the single of the same title, was Radiohead's reaction, marking a transition towards the greater depth they aimed for on their second album.The single was promoted through underground radio stations; sales were better than expected, starting a loyal fan base for the band.Having developed more new songs on tour, Radiohead finished recording their second album, The Bends, in late 1994, releasing it in May 1995.

While Radiohead were seen as outsiders to the Britpop scene that dominated the media's attention at the time, they were finally successful in their home country with The Bends.The album was driven by dense riffs and ethereal atmospheres from the band's three guitarists, with greater use of keyboards than their debut.Singles "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just", and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" achieved chart success in the UK, the latter putting Radiohead in the top 5 for the first time. In mid-1995, Radiohead toured in support of R.E.M., one of their formative influences and at the time one of the biggest rock bands in the world.Introducing his opening act, Michael Stipe said, "Radiohead are so good, they scare me".The buzz generated by such famous fans, along with distinctive music videos for "Just" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)", helped to expand Radiohead's popularity outside the UK. Jonny Greenwood said, "I think the turning point for us came about nine or 12 months after The Bends was released and it started appearing in people's [best of] polls for the end of the year. That's when it started to feel like we made the right choice about being a band.Despite critical acclaim and loyal fans, The Bends didn't build on the commercial popularity of "Creep" outside the UK; few of its singles went into heavy rotation worldwide and its peak on the American charts was Radiohead's lowest position there, at number 88.

OK Computer, fame and critical acclaim (1996–1998)

Two new songs were already recorded for Radiohead's next album; "Lucky", released as a single to promote the War Child charity's The Help Album,and "Exit Music (For a Film)", contributed to Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of Romeo + Juliet. With the assistance of producer Nigel Godrich, their collaborator on "Lucky" and on b-side "Talk Show Host," Radiohead produced their next album themselves, beginning work in early 1996. By July they had recorded four songs with Godrich at their rehearsal studio, Canned Applause, a converted apple shed in the countryside near Didcot, Oxfordshire.They decided to perfect the songs live, touring as an opening act for Alanis Morissette, before completing the record. The rest of the album was recorded in actress Jane Seymour's 15th-century mansion, St. Catherine's Court, near Bath.The recording sessions were relaxed, with the band playing at all hours of the day, recording songs in different rooms, and listening to The Beatles, DJ Shadow, Ennio Morricone and Miles Davis for inspiration.Recording on the album was completed by the end of 1996, and by March 1997, it was mixed and mastered.

Radiohead released their third album, OK Computer, in June 1997. Largely composed of melodic rock songs, the new record also found the band experimenting with song structures and incorporating some ambient, avant garde and electronic influences.OK Computer was the band's first number one UK chart debut, propelling Radiohead to commercial success around the world. Despite peaking at number 21 in the American charts, the album eventually met with mainstream recognition there, receiving a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and a nomination for Album of the Year."Paranoid Android", "Karma Police" and "No Surprises" were released as singles from the album, of which "Karma Police" was most successful in the U.S., peaking at number 14 on the Modern Rock charts.

OK Computer was eventually met with great critical acclaim, and Yorke admitted that he was "amazed it got the reaction it did. None of us fucking knew any more whether it was good or bad. What really blew my head off was the fact that people got all the things, all the textures and the sounds and the atmospheres we were trying to create."The release of OK Computer was followed by the "Against Demons" world tour. Grant Gee, the director of the "No Surprises" video, accompanied and filmed the band, releasing the footage in the 1999 documentary Meeting People Is Easy.The film portrays the band's disaffection with the music industry and press, showing their burnout as they progressed from their first tour dates in mid-1997 to mid-1998, nearly a year later.During this time the band also released a music video compilation, 7 Television Commercials, as well as two EPs, Airbag/How Am I Driving? and No Surprises/Running from Demons, that compiled B-sides from OK Computer singles..

Kid A, Amnesiac and a change in sound (1999–2001)

jonny Greenwood has used a variety of instruments, such as this xylophone, in live performances and in the recording of Kid A and Amnesiac.

Radiohead were largely inactive following their 1997–1998 tour; after its end, their only public performance in 1998 was at an Amnesty International concert in Paris.Yorke later admitted that during that period the band came close to splitting up, and that he had developed severe depression: "New Year's Eve [1998] was one of the lowest points of my life... I felt like I was going fucking crazy. Every time I picked up a guitar I just got the horrors. I would start writing a song, stop after 16 bars, hide it away in a drawer, look at it again, tear it up, destroy it.In early 1999, Radiohead began work on a follow-up to OK Computer. Although there was no longer any pressure or even a deadline from their record label, tension during this period was high. Band members all had different visions for Radiohead's future, and Yorke was still experiencing writer's block, influencing him toward a more abstract, fragmented form of songwriting.Eventually, all the members agreed on a new musical direction, redefining their instrumental roles in the band.Radiohead secluded themselves with producer Nigel Godrich in studios in Paris, Copenhagen, and Gloucester, and in their newly completed studio in Oxford. After nearly 18 months, Radiohead's recording sessions were completed in April 2000.

Radiohead released their fourth album, Kid A, in October 2000, the first of two albums from these recording sessions. Rather than being a stylistic sequel to OK Computer, Kid A featured a minimalist and textured style with less overt guitar parts and more diverse instrumentation including the ondes Martenot, programmed electronic beats, strings, and jazz horns.it was Radiohead's greatest commercial success to date, debuting at number one in many countries, including the United States, where its debut atop the Billboard chart marked a first for the band.This success has been variously attributed to hype; to the leaking of the album on the file-sharing network Napster a few months before its release; and to anticipation after OK Computer.Although Radiohead did not release any singles from Kid A, promos of "Optimistic" and "Idioteque" received radio play, and a series of "blips", or short videos set to portions of tracks, were played on music channels and released freely on the Internet.

In early 2001, Kid A received a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album and a nomination for Album of the Year. Yet it received both praise and criticism in independent music circles for appropriating underground styles of music, while many mainstream critics saw Kid A as a "commercial suicide note", labelling it "intentionally difficult" and longing for a return to the band's earlier style.Radiohead's fans were similarly divided; along with those who were appalled or mystified, there were many who saw the album as the band's best work.Yorke, however, denied that Radiohead had purposely set out to eschew commercial expectations, saying, "I was really, really amazed at how badly [Kid A] was being viewed… because the music's not that hard to grasp. We're not trying to be difficult… We're actually trying to communicate but somewhere along the line, we just seemed to piss off a lot of people… What we're doing isn't that radical.While promoting Kid A, the band, having read Naomi Klein's anti-globalization book No Logo, decided to mount a tour of Europe in a custom-built tent free of advertising, and of North America, playing smaller theatres.

Amnesiac, released in June 2001, comprised additional tracks from the Kid A recording sessions. Radiohead's musical style on these tracks was similar to that of Kid A in their fusion of electronic music and art rock, but the album incorporated more jazz influence. Amnesiac was a critical and commercial success worldwide, reaching #2 in the US and being nominated for a Grammy Award and the Mercury Music Prize."Pyramid Song" and "Knives Out", Radiohead's first singles since 1997, were modestly successful, but "I Might Be Wrong," initially planned as a third single, expanded into Radiohead's thus far only live record. I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings, released in November 2001, featured live performances of songs from Kid A and Amnesiac, and an acoustic performance of the previously unreleased "True Love Waits." After Amnesiac's release, the band embarked on a world tour, visiting North America, Europe and Japan.

Hail to the Thief and a hiatus (2002–2004)

During July and August 2002, Radiohead toured Portugal and Spain, playing several new songs. They completed their sixth album in two weeks in a Los Angeles studio with Nigel Godrich, adding a few tracks later in Oxford. Band members described the recording process as relaxed, in contrast to the tense Kid A/Amnesiac sessionsThe new album, Hail to the Thief, was released in June 2003. Mixing influences from throughout Radiohead's career, Hail to the Thief combined guitar-based rock with an electronic sound and topical lyrics.Although the album was critically acclaimed, many critics felt that the band was treading water creatively rather than continuing the "genre-redefining" trend that OK Computer had begun.Nevertheless, Hail to the Thief enjoyed commercial success, debuting at #3 on the Billboard chart and eventually being certified platinum in the UK and gold in the US. The album's singles, "There There", "Go to Sleep" and "2+2=5" achieved a level of play on modern rock radio. At the 2003 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for Best Alternative Album, while producers Nigel Godrich and Darrell Thorp received the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album.

Yorke denied that Hail to the Thief's title was a comment on the controversial 2000 American presidential election, explaining that he first heard the phrase during a Radio 4 discussion of John Quincy Adams, "who stole the election and who was known as 'The Thief' throughout his presidency".Yorke explained that although the album was influenced by world events of late 2001 and early 2002, it also "struck [him] as the most amazing, powerful phrase… It will annoy me if people say it's a direct protest because I feel really strongly that [Radiohead] didn't write a protest record, we didn't write a political record.After the release of Hail to the Thief, Radiohead embarked on an international tour, which began in May 2003 and included a headlining performance at the Glastonbury Festival. The tour finished in May 2004 with a performance at the Coachella Festival. During their tour, the band released COM LAG, an EP compiling most of the b-sides from Hail to the Thief. Following their tour, the band began writing and rehearsing in their Oxford studio, but soon went on hiatus; free of contractual obligations, Radiohead spent the remainder of 2004 resting and working on solo projects.

In Rainbows and independent work (2005–present)

Radiohead began work on their seventh album in February 2005.In September 2005, the band recorded a piano-based song, "I Want None of This", for the War Child charity album Help: A Day in the Life. The album was sold online, with "I Want None of This" being the most downloaded track, although it was not released as a single.At the time, Radiohead were without a record contract, having fulfilled their recording contract with EMI in 2004 with the release of COM LAG. Shortly before the band began writing new songs for the album, Yorke told Time, "I like the people at our record company, but the time is at hand when you have to ask why anyone needs one. And, yes, it probably would give us some perverse pleasure to say 'Fuck you' to this decaying business model."Radiohead had begun recording their next album on their own and then with producer Mark Stent, but in late 2006, after a tour of Europe and North America during which they debuted 13 new songs, they resumed work with Nigel Godrich in several rural locations in England.The album was completed in June 2007 and was mastered the following month in a New York City studio.

Radiohead's seventh album, In Rainbows, was released in October 2007 as a digital download for which customers chose their own price. Although it was reported that 1.2 million digital downloads were sold by the day of the album's release,the band's management did not release official sales figures, claiming that the Internet-only distribution was intended to boost sales of the physical album.Yet according to Yorke, Radiohead's profits from the digital download of In Rainbows outstripped combined profits from digital downloads of all of the band's other studio albums.A "discbox" including a bonus CD from the recording sessions, a double vinyl edition of the album, and a hardcover book of artwork was released in early December.In Rainbows was physically released in the UK in late December on XL Recordings and in North America in January 2008 on TBD Records,and charted at number one both in the UK and in the US.The album's success in the US marked Radiohead's highest chart success in that country since Kid A, while it was their fifth UK number one album. "Jigsaw Falling into Place", the first single from the album, was released in the UK in January 2008.The second single, "Nude", debuted at #37 in the Billboard Hot 100, Radiohead's first song to make that chart since 1995's "High and Dry" and their first time in the top 40 since "Creep".

In Rainbows received overwhelmingly positive reviews, among the best of Radiohead's career. Critics praised the album for having a more accessible sound and personal style of lyrics than their past work.Explaining the reasons behind the album's delivery and pricing scheme, Jonny Greenwood said, "It was an experiment that felt worth trying...[and] it's fun to make people stop for a few seconds and think about what music is worth.Yorke described the album as Radiohead's attempt to "describe...as coherently and conclusively as possible, what moves us." He said that with In Rainbows, Radiohead wanted to make a concise album, such as classic albums as Transformer, Revolver, and Hunky Dory.Radiohead will tour North America, Europe, South America and Japan from May 2008 to the end of the year to promote In Rainbows.A greatest hits compilation, titled Radiohead: The Best Of, was released by EMI in June 2008.This compilation does not contain any of the tracks from In Rainbows, as In Rainbows was not released through EMI.

Style and songwriting

Musical influences

Among Radiohead members' earliest influences were Queen and Elvis Costello; post-punk acts such as Joy Division and Magazine; and 1980s alternative rock bands such as R.E.M., the Pixies, The Smiths, and Sonic Youth.By the mid-1990s, Radiohead began to mention an interest in electronic music, especially that of trip-hop act Massive Attack, and the instrumental hip hop of DJ Shadow, which Radiohead claimed as an influence on parts of OK Computer.Other influences on the album were Miles Davis and Ennio Morricone, along with 1960s pop groups such as The Beatles and The Beach Boys.Jonny Greenwood also cited composer Krzysztof Penderecki as an inspiration on the sound of OK Computer.During this era, critics noted musical similarities between OK Computer and the albums of progressive rock bands such as Pink Floyd,[59] but the band have denied that their musical style is directly influenced by progressive rock.

The electronic style of Kid A and Amnesiac was the result of Yorke's admiration for glitch, ambient techno and IDM as exemplified by Warp Records artists such as Autechre, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Squarepusher.The jazz of Charles Mingus, Alice Coltrane, and Miles Davis, and 1970s Krautrock bands such as Can and Neu!, were other major influences during this period.Jonny Greenwood's interest in 20th century classical music continued to play a role, and the influence of Penderecki and composer Olivier Messiaen was increasingly apparent; for several tracks on Kid A and later albums, Greenwood has played the Ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument popularised by Messiaen.

While working on Hail to the Thief, Radiohead placed renewed emphasis on guitar rock.The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and particularly Neil Young were reportedly sources of inspiration to the band during this period. Radiohead also continued to cite the electronic influences of their previous two albums, along with classical musicians and Can.Since beginning to record In Rainbows, Radiohead members have mentioned a variety of rock, electronic, hip hop and experimental musicians as influences, including Liars, Modeselektor, Spank Rock and M.I.A..Band members have also been inspired by reggae and dub music.The 2007 Trojan Records release Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller is a selection of songs from Greenwood's favourite dub artists.

Changing roles

Radiohead's evolving musical style has been seen as a consequence of band members' varied tastes and accomplishments. Lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is the only classically-trained member of the band and served as the BBC's Composer in Residence.Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist; aside from guitar and keyboard, he plays the ondes Martenot, banjo, viola and harmonica. He also in recent years has done electronic and digital manipulation. However, not all of these instruments have appeared on record. Greenwood has also arranged string orchestrations for Radiohead songs, including "Climbing Up the Walls", "How to Disappear Completely" and "Pyramid Song". Yorke plays guitar and piano and, at Exeter University, was once a DJ and part of a techno group, "Flickernoise".In recent years he has focused on the digital manipulation of sound, claiming in 2003 that if forced to choose, he would rather make music only on computer than only on guitar.

Since their formation, Radiohead have, lyrically and musically, been dominated by Yorke. In a 2000 interview, Yorke said, "We operate like the UN, and I'm America.An exception to this dynamic is songwriting. Although Yorke is responsible for writing nearly all the lyrics, songwriting is actually a collaborative effort, as interviews have revealed that all members have had an integral songwriting role.As a result, all the band's songs are officially credited to "Radiohead". The Kid A/Amnesiac sessions brought about a change in Radiohead's musical style, and an even more radical change in the band's working method.Ed O'Brien described the situation in 2000: "If you're going to make a different-sounding record, you have to change the methodology... everyone feels insecure. I'm a guitarist and suddenly it's like, well, there are no guitars on this track, or no drums. Jonny, me, Coz, and Phil had to get our heads round that.

Since the band's shift from standard rock music instrumentation toward an emphasis on electronic sound, band members have had greater flexibility and now regularly switch instruments depending on the particular song requirements.On Kid A and Amnesiac, Yorke played keyboard and bass, while Jonny Greenwood often played ondes Martenot rather than guitar, bassist Colin Greenwood worked on sampling, and O'Brien and Selway branched out to drum machines and digital manipulations, also finding ways to incorporate their primary instruments, guitar and percussion, respectively, into the new sound.The relaxed 2003 recording sessions for Hail to the Thief led to a different dynamic in Radiohead, with Yorke admitting in interviews that "[his] power within the band was absolutely unbalanced and [he] would subvert everybody else's power at all costs. But...it's actually a lot more healthy now, democracy wise, than it used to be.

Collaborators

This bear logo was a collaborative effort between Stanley Donwood and Tchock (Thom Yorke) for the purpose of advertising Kid A.

The band maintains a close relationship with their producers and engineers, in particular Nigel Godrich, as well as with graphic artist Stanley Donwood. Godrich made his name with Radiohead, working with the band ever since The Bends, and as co-producer ever since OK Computer. He has, at times, been dubbed the "sixth member" of the band in an allusion to George Martin's work with the Beatles.Donwood, another longtime associate of the band, has produced all of Radiohead's album covers and visual artwork since 1994.He often works directly with Yorke, whom he met at art school; Yorke is credited in these collaborations under the pseudonyms "Tchock" or "The White Chocolate Farm".Donwood's graphics work with the band has encompassed oil paintings, computer-generated imagery, collage and antique posters, as well as work on the band's official web site. In interviews, he has said that he works near where the band is recording so as to find a visual equivalent for their sound.Together with Yorke, Donwood won a Grammy in 2002 for a special edition of Amnesiac packaged as a library book. Other collaborators include Graeme Stewart, Dilly Gent, and Peter Clemens. Stewart has been Radiohead's sound engineer since their Kid A/Amnesiac sessions. He has also engineered Jonny Greenwood's and Yorke's respective solo albums Bodysong and The Eraser. Gent has been responsible for commissioning all Radiohead music videos since OK Computer, working with the band to find a director suitable for each project.The band's live technician, Peter Clemens, or "Plank", has worked with the band since before The Bends, setting up their instruments for both studio recordings and live performances.

Influence

Despite the increasing profile and popularity that Kid A and Amnesiac brought to the band, the continued popularity of The Bends and OK Computer ensured the influence of Radiohead's earlier style on British rock music. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, many critics compared the sound of contemporary bands to that of Radiohead at some time during their recording output, and in some cases, these bands used the band's own producers Nigel Godrich or John Leckie. When asked in 2001 by MTV, "How do you guys feel about the fact that bands like Travis, Coldplay and Muse are making a career sounding exactly like your records did in 1997?", Yorke replied, "Good luck with Kid A.Yet, other artists, notably Bloc Party, have cited influence from Radiohead's more recent work.Acts in various genres including The Roots,Hansonand John Mayer,as well as jazz and classical musicians,have covered or sampled Radiohead songs from their Kid A and Amnesiac period. In 2005, Radiohead were ranked number 73 in Rolling Stone's list of the greatest artists in history.

Chino Moreno

2008-07-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Birth name Camillo Wong Moreno
Born June 20, 1973 (1973-06-20) (age 35), Sacramento, California, U.S.
Genre(s) Alternative metal
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, Musician
Instrument(s) Vocals, Guitar
Years active 1988–present
Label(s) Warner Bros. Records, Maverick Records

Chino Moreno (born Camillo Wong Moreno June 20, 1973) is an American musician. He is the lead singer and back-up guitarist in Deftones and Team Sleep. Moreno was born in Sacramento, California to a Mexican father and a Mexican/Irish/Native American/Chinese mother; the latter being the origin of his Spanish nickname Chino (a nickname given to Latinos with Asian features), which means "Chinese" in Spanish. He was the third of five children. The Deftones were quite close with the stepson of Max Cavalera of Sepultura and Soulfly, Dana Wells, and when he died, Chino Moreno was one of the pallbearers at his funeral.

In relation to his often ambiguous yet image-heavy poetic lyrics, Moreno quotes: "[Sometimes] my lyrics don't deal with specific topics. I write down on paper the feelings of the moment, it's not easy to explain the contents of the lyrics or give a logical sense to the words. What I write is also a reaction to the music we make, so the Deftones' sound is not pop, it doesn't communicate happy feelings. Paradoxically my favorite songs of the album talk about love, in a clearly different view. Despite this, Chino has been known to write songs about social issues such as racism, prostitution, urban violence, and drugs. However, even these songs can be rather vague and cryptic.

Music

During the making of Deftones' White Pony, Chino began work on a side project, Team Sleep. Chino's influences range from such bands as The Cure, The Smiths, Duran Duran, The Smashing Pumpkins, Depeche Mode, Helmet, Jawbox, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Kool Keith, Bad Brains, and Weezer, and claims that Deftones' latest album (Saturday Night Wrist) is more of a compromise between all of the members' influences, ranging from their brutal and brooding heavy signature seen on Adrenaline, Around the Fur and Deftones to the more melodic sound heard on White Pony.

Frank Delgado

2008-07-09T03:50:00.000-07:00

Frank Delgado (born 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician. He plays turntables, keyboards and sampler for Deftones.

With Deftones

Delgado was a guest performer on several songs on the group's first two albums, and was formally inaugurated into the group just before their third release White Pony (2000)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was not uncommon for hard rock or heavy metal groups to have a DJ. However, Delgado stood apart from the pack due to his creativity -- his playing rarely featured traditional scratching or beat juggling. Instead, he tends to use turntables as a sampler to integrate subtle sounds and textures into the music, remisicent of electronic music, ambient, or even musique concrete from the 1940s and '50s. Good examples of Delgado's inventive touch include "MX" (from Around the Fur) which features distorted human laughter and a strange, pitch-shifted sound vaguely reminiscent of glass breaking in slow-motion; the quieter moments of "Digital Bath" (from White Pony) feature burbling, watery noises.

With the band's fourth album, Deftones, Delgado switched to samplers, keyboards and synthesizers for his main instruments with the band. Delgado has also commented that he created his own samples, rather than use pre-recorded sample banks or borrowing sounds from other artists.

Other activities

Delgado is also in a DJ collective known as the Decibel Devils with DJ Crook.

Abe Cunningham

2008-07-09T03:39:00.000-07:00

Abe Cunningham, born in Long Beach, California on July 27, 1973, is an American musician; he plays the drums in the popular alternative rock band Deftones and has also played drums for Phallucy. He is known to for his use of ghost notes and other technical drumming techniques.

Born July 27, 1973 (1973-07-27) (age 34), Long Beach, California
Genre(s) Experimental rock, Alternative metal, Trip-hop
Instrument(s) Drummer
Years active 1988-
Label(s) Warner Bros. Records, Maverick Records

He first started playing the drums for Phallucy as a teen in the early 90s. During this time, he also drummed for the Deftones on the side, usually whenever the Deftones had a problem with a drummer who dropped out. Abe knows how to play both the guitar and the drums, but growing up with a stepfather (Neil) who played the drums, he took a deeper passion with the drums. Sid, Abe's father, was also a musician and an early influence for Abe before his untimely passing. His influences are the Police's Stewart Copeland, Ginger Baker and Mitch Mitchell. Cunningham is known for his frantic, pounding rhythms on such songs as Knife Party and clever usage of tempo, while at the same time refusing to indulge in the double bass drum setup of many metal traditionalists. However, he does use a double bass pedal as part of his kit, as seen in a recent issue of Drum! magazine and Modern Drummer magazine.

He has two sons with wife, Annalynn Cunningham. She made a guest appearance on "MX" singing along with Chino Moreno.

Chi Cheng (musician)

2008-07-09T03:29:00.000-07:00

Chi Cheng, (born July 15, 1970 in Stockton, California) is an American musician, the bass guitarist in the rock band Deftones.

Birth name Chi Ling Dai Cheng
Born July 5, 1970 (1970-07-05) (age 38), Stockton, California
Genre(s) Experimental rock, Alternative metal, Trip-hop
Occupation(s) Bassist
Instrument(s) Bass, Backing Vocals
Years active 1988-present
Label(s) Warner Music, Maverick Records

Personal life

Cheng holds a BA in English Literature from UC Davis and is the only member of the band with such an accomplishment. He is the author of a collection of poetry entitled The Bamboo Parachute released in 2000 as a spoken word album.

He has a wife, Colleen, and a son with ex-Wife Adrienne; Gabriel Kahlil (Septmeber 1998). He is also a practicing Buddhist, and maintains an interest in Taoism and Shamanism.

Cheng also sponsors a community service group based out of the band's hometown of Sacramento, California. The group aids homeless citizens in developing their musical talents, among other things. Cheng is also a vegetarian. During college, he read No Denial by Neil Cohen and decided to make the switch. Some of the Deftones' lyrics can be interpreted to reflect this practice. Many songs make reference to animals or the consumption of meat, implicitly portraying the practice in a bad light. Cheng also is an active supporter of PETA. The song "Elite" on White Pony repeats "when you're ripe you'll bleed out of control." This perhaps describes, in a criticizing manner, the way in which animals are treated in meat packing plants.

Equipment

Basses

Chi Cheng exclusively uses Fender Basses. On tour, Cheng uses around 5 or 6 basses. His main basses are two '59 Fender Precision Bass Reissues which both feature Precision Bass Split Single-Coil Pickup (Mid), and a Humbucking Pickup (Bridge); made by Alex Perez of the Fender Custom Shop. Cheng also uses a '51 Fender Precision Bass tuned in EADG, for all Adrenaline songs.

Although he generally perfers to stick to 4-Strings, Cheng acknowledges that he pulled out a couple of Fender 5-Strings during the making of Deftones. Ever since, he has played a Fender Roscoe Beck V 5-String Bass when performing live.

Amplifiers & Effects

Currently, Chi uses two 300-watt, all-tube Ampeg SVT 2 Pro Heads, two Ampeg 8x10 Cabinets and a rack-mounted Tech 21 SansAmp PSA-1 for extra distortion. He also uses a Boss OD-3 OverDrive and Boss CE-5 Chorus Ensemble pedals.

Accessories

* Fender heavy-gauge (.065-.120) Strings
* Sennheiser Wireless System

Bass -> Wireless -> SVT 2 Pro Heads -> Rack -> Cabinets

Stephen Carpenter

2008-07-09T03:17:00.000-07:00

Born August 3, 1970 (1970-08-03) (age 37), U.S.
Genre(s) Alternative metal, Heavy metal
Occupation(s) Musician, Songwriter
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active 1988 - presen

Stephen Carpenter, (born August 3, 1970) is an American musician, the lead guitarist and occasional multi-instrumentalist in Deftones. His guitar technique makes use of both ringing open strings and dissonant chord voicings and stock power chords.

Carpenter recently formed a side project called Sol Invicto that is described as metal meets drum & bass. Stephen does guitars alongside Eric Bobo Correa of Cypress Hill on percussion, Richie Londres from the C.L.P Cultura Londres Proyecto on production and AJ Cookson (Medes) and recently Hella drummer Zach Hill. A release date for this project is set for 2008, they have two tracks done now, called "unidose" featuring Stephen playing lead guitar/solos, & "Carrion". Their myspace is in the "top" group on Stephen Carpenter's myspace.

Stephen's bandmate in Sol Invicto, Richie Londres, had the following to say about Stephen's playing in Sol Invicto on the message board of the Deftones' website "Just a start my friend, all new tracks are built around Steph's guitar tracks rather than adding to already made D&B tracks, but for real it is working musically! Steph's thrown down loads of lead shit and shredding! We got a lot to work with!"

Meshuggah, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Faith No More are some more of his metal influences, but he also draws influence from Depeche Mode and Led Zeppelin, which can be heard on more subdued tracks. Carpenter has another side project called Kush, featuring Christian and Raymond from Fear Factory and B-Real from Cypress Hill.

Stephen is also a multi-instrumentalist. Stephen has been known to play second keyboards alongside Frank Delgado when the Deftones perform their song Beware (formerly known as Beware the Water) from their Saturday Night Wrist CD. He switches to distorted bass guitar once the song's ending begins. He also uses a 5-string bass in the song Needles and Pins on their 2003 self-titled album. He also contributed keyboards and ambience textures with Frank Delgado on the song "Teenager" from the White Pony album, and plays second bass on the song "Xerces" from the Saturday Night Wrist album. Also, in multiple interviews he has disclosed that he plays drums on the instrumental track "u,d,u,d,l,r,l,r,a,b,a,b,select,start" from the Saturday Night Wrist album, and also drums on the track "Anniversary of an Uninteresting Event" from the Deftones' self titled album.

Speaking on material from Saturday Night Wrist, he stated: "I personally wish it was more aggressive.

His relationship with Deftones lead singer and bandmate Chino Moreno has been recorded as being fraught at times. Apparently, recording of Saturday Night Wrist was protracted due to their "warfare".With regards to musical tastes, Saturday Night Wrist being described as "more aggressive" equated to it being "more aggressive for him [Chino]"; Carpenter said he'd "definitely be glad to take it to the next level, but that's asking too much right now.

Equipment

Carpenter is currently endorsed by ESP Guitars, Marshall Amplifiers, and Line 6. He has a number of ESP/LTD signature models in production, both in six, seven string and baritone models. Carpenter will also soon be using a new 8-String guitar built for him by ESP featuring a lower F# string. Carpenter currently uses Ernie Ball .011-.059 gauge strings. He also uses Dunlop 1 mm Tortex picks which are black with a custom logo.

On tour, Carpenter takes about 10 guitars. He uses 5 main guitars, and the rest are back-ups for all the different tunings. Carpenter has a range of different guitar tunings, including E, drop D, Drop Db, Drop C on the six string and G and Drop F# on the seven string.

Here is a list of some of the equipment Stephen Carpenter has used throughout his career:

Guitars

ESP Stef B-7 Signature
ESP Stef B-8 Signature
ESP Stef T-7 Signature
ESP Stephen Carpenter Signature
LTD SC-607
LTD SC-200
Various ESP & LTD Models

Amplifiers & Effects

Marshall JMP-1 Midi Pre-Amp
Marshall 9200 Dual MonoBlock Power-Amp
Marshall 1960B 4x12 Cabinets (x2)
ISP Technologies Vector 212 Guitar Subwoofers (x2)
Custom Audio Electronics RS-10 Custom Audio Controller
TC Electronic 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay
TC Electronic Fireworx
Behringer Intelligate Noise Gate
Rocktron All Access Foot Controller (1995-2001)
Rocktron Intellifex
Line 6 PODxt Pro
Korg DTR-1 Rack Tuner
Digitech Whammy
Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synthesizer
Z.Vex Fuzz Factory
Z.Vex Seek Wah
Z.Vex Machine
Boss RV-3 Digital Delay
Boss OC-2 Octave
Boss PN-2 Tremolo
Boss FZ-2 Hyper Fuzz

Deftones Biography

2008-07-09T02:45:00.000-07:00

Deftones
Origin Sacramento, California
Genre(s) Nu Metal, Alternative metal, Alternative rock, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal
Years active 1988–present
Label(s) Warner Bros. Records, Maverick
Associated acts Team Sleep, Phallucy, Decibel Devils, Kush

Members
Stephen Carpenter
Chi Cheng
Abe Cunningham
Frank Delgado
Chino Moreno

Deftones is a rock band from Sacramento, California formed in 1988, consisting of Chino Moreno (lead vocals and guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Chi Cheng (bass), Frank Delgado (keyboards and turntables), and Abe Cunningham (drums and percussion). Their sound has been described as ranging from alternative metal and dream pop, to progressive rock.

Critics have often praised them as one of the more unique rock bands of recent years for their innovative, atmospheric music; as Johnny Loftus writes, "Rock critics usually reserve a special place for Deftones above or at least away from the rest of the turn-of-the-century metal movement. Deftones have always seemed more curious, more willing to incorporate traditionally revered sounds like dream pop or D.C. hardcore into their southern California alt-metal.

Early years: 1989-1993

When Carpenter was 17 years old he was hit by a car while skateboarding. This left him confined to a wheelchair for several months. It was at this point that he began teaching himself guitar by playing along with bands such as Anthrax, Stormtroopers of Death and Metallica. It has been reported that the driver paid Carpenter a cash settlement that allowed the band to purchase equipment, but drummer Abe Cunningham commented in an interview that this was "a myth about how our band was started.

Carpenter, Moreno and Cunningham went to the same high school. They were childhood friends and remained friends through the skateboarding scene in Sacramento. When Moreno found out Carpenter played guitar, he set up a jam session with Cunningham and the three began playing regularly in Carpenter's garage circa 1988. After playing with several bassists, the band settled on Justin Jaramillo and recorded a four track demo soon after.Within two years the band began playing club shows and later expanded their playing territory to San Francisco and Los Angeles where they played shows alongside bands such as Korn.While closing for another band in L.A., after the majority of the audience had left, the band impressed a Maverick Records representative. They were soon after signed to the label after showcasing three of their songs for Freddy DeMann and Guy Oseary.

The name "Deftones" was created by Carpenter who wanted to pick "something that would just stand out but you know, not be all cheese-ball at the same time."Carpenter combined the hip hop slang term "def", which was used by artists he listened to such as LL Cool J and Public Enemy, with the suffix "-tones", which was a popular suffix among 50s bands whose music he also enjoyed (e.g. Dick Dale and the Deltones; The Quin-Tones, The Monotones, The Cleftones and The Harptones). Carpenter said the name is intentionally vague to reflect the band's tendency to not focus on just one style of music.

The band's debut album, Adrenaline, was recorded at Bad Animals Studio in Seattle, Washington and released on October 3, 1995. It was produced by Deftones and Terry Date, who would go on to produce the band's next three albums. Initially unsuccessful, extensive touring, word-of-mouth and Internet promotion built the band a dedicated fanbase, as well as helping Adrenaline to sell over 220,000 copies without the singles "7 Words" and "Bored" (as well as their music videos) receiving any airplay.The band contributed the non-album track "Teething" to the soundtrack for the 1996 film The Crow: City of Angels and are also seen performing the song live during one of the film's scenes.

The album spent 21 weeks on the Billboard Heatseekers chart reaching a peak position of 23.When asked what he attributed the album's success to, Cheng responded, "One word: perseverance. We've been together for almost eight years, on the road for two and we do it with honesty and integrity - and the kids can tell."The album was RIAA certified gold on 7 July 1999 in recognition of 500,000 units sold.

Adrenaline: 1994-1996

Regarding the recording of the album, Abe Cunningham said, "At the time we did the first record - which I really like and think is good - you can tell the band was really young. We'd been playing most of those songs for quite a while, and we were just so happy to be making a record that we didn't really think a whole lot about making the songs better."Moreno felt that Adrenaline was recorded "really fast"and performed all his vocals live with the band in the room using a hand-held Shure 58 microphone.A review of Adrenaline praised the album's musical control, precision, overall groove and Cunningham's "surprisingly sophisticated drumming". It was also noted that "there is a bit of sameness in Chino Moreno's whispered vocal melodies, which drags the record down a bit."

Around the Fur: 1997-1999

Deftones' second album, Around the Fur, was recorded at Studio Litho in Seattle, Washington and produced by Terry Date. Released on October 26, 1997, the album included a collaboration with singer Max Cavalera (of Sepultura/Soulfly) on "Headup", a tribute to Cavalera's late stepson Dana Wells, to whom the album was also dedicated.Although not yet a member of the band, Delgado is credited as "audio" on five of the album's tracks and Cunningham's wife, Annalynn, provides guest vocals on "MX".

"When we went in to make this record, we really didn't have a set idea of what we wanted to come out with," said Moreno in a 1998 interview with Chart magazine. However, he felt that the album "fell into place" once the band had settled into the studio.The band expanded its sound, spending more time with Terry Date, and giving more thought to the album's production. Cunningham varied his drum sound and experimented by using different types of snare drum on almost every track.The album was praised for its loud-soft dynamics, the flow of the tracks, Moreno's unusual vocals and the strong rhythm-section grooves created by Cheng and Cunningham.Stephen Thomas Erlewine's review noted that "while they don't have catchy riffs or a fully developed sound, Around the Fur suggests they're about to come into their own."

The album was highly anticipated and propelled the band to fame in the alternative metal scene on the strength of radio and MTV airplay for the singles "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)". Around the Fur sold 43,000 copies in its first week of release, and entered the Billboard 200 at number 29 (its peak position), remaining on the charts for 17 weeks.The band went back to touring, making appearances at the Warped Tour (in the United States, New Zealand and Australia), Pinkpop Festival, Roskilde Festival and Ozzfest as well as releasing a live EP on June 22, 1999. Around the Fur went on to reach RIAA gold status on June 24, 1999.

White Pony: 2000-2002

Moreno has been credited as contributing guitar from White Pony

onwards.

On June 20, 2000, the band released their third album, White Pony, again produced by Terry Date and Deftones. It was recorded at The Plant Studios in Sausalito, California and at Larrabee Sound Studios, West Hollywood, California. The album debuted at number three in the US Billboard chart with sales of 178,000 copies.Delgado (DJ Speedboat) was now a full-time band member, adding new elements to the band's music. The melancholy "Teenager", for example, was a radical departure in style and mood, a "love song," according to Moreno which incorporated elements of glitch and trip hop, with programming duties carried out by Moreno's friend and side-project Team Sleep bandmate DJ Crook. A collaboration with singer Maynard James Keenan of Tool is present on "Passenger", and the refrain in "Knife Party" features vocals by Rodleen Getsic. Moreno had also started contributing additional guitar on several tracks.

An interview with the band in Alternative Press explained the recording process of White Pony.After a break from touring, the band spent four months in the studio writing and recording White Pony, the longest amount of time they had dedicated to an album thus far. Moreno explained that the majority of this time was spent trying to write songs, and that the writing of "Change (In the House of Flies)" was the turning point where the band began working as a group. Despite being pressured to release the album sooner, the band decided to take their time making the album. Cheng explained that "We didn’t feel like we had anything to lose, so we made the record we wanted to make." Moreno did not have a common theme in mind lyrically, but made a conscious decision to bring an element of fantasy into his lyrics, explaining that "I basically didn’t sing about myself on this record. I made up a lot of story lines and some dialogue, even. I took myself completely out of it and wrote about other things."

Reviews were generally positive, noting Moreno's increasing sophistication as a lyricist and the group's experimentalism.Of White Pony, one reviewer wrote that "Deftones went soft, but in an impressive way, to twist around its signature punk sound.A particularly negative review from Select said "Maybe when they abandon their arrested development and stop convincing themselves the world is aligned specifically for their personal displeasure, they'll arrive at something listenable.

The album was originally released as an 11 track version beginning with "Feiticeira" and ending with "Pink Maggit" and featuring gray cover art. A limited edition print of 50,000 black and red jewel case versions of White Pony were also released at the same time with a bonus 12th track entitled "The Boy's Republic". Later, the band recorded "Back to School (Mini Maggit)", a rap-influenced interpretation of the album's closer, "Pink Maggit", at the request of Maverick Records. The song was picked up as a single and placed as the new opening track (with "Pink Maggit" still the closer) of a re-released White Pony on October 3, 2000 featuring altered white cover art. Not entirely happy with re-releasing the album, the band negotiated to have "Back to School" made available as a free download for anyone who had already bought the original album. Chino noted that "Everybody's already downloaded our record before it came out anyway, otherwise I'd be kind of feelin' like, 'Man, why we putting [out] all these different versions of the record?' that's the best way we can actually get this song out to the people who already purchased this record, for free basically. And if they wanna buy the record again, it's cool.

White Pony eventually achieved platinum status,selling over 1.3 million copies and earning the band a 2000 Grammy award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Elite".

Deftones: 2003-2005

Deftones began work on their fourth album under the working title Lovers.Regarding the album's direction, Cheng commented that "We've proven that we can musically go in any direction we want, and we want to get kind of heavy on this one.Moreno underwent vocal training as a precaution after severely damaging his vocal cords on the band's 2001 summer tour.The band converted their rehearsal space in Sacramento into a fully equipped studio and recorded most of the album there at negligible cost. The band brought in Terry Date to assist with production, and also received input on musical arrangement from Greg Wells on several of the album's tracks. The band later added more material at Studio X in Seattle, WA and at Larrabee Studios in West Hollywood, CA. Overall the album took twelve months and cost roughly $2.5 million to produce with the band being fined by Maverick for missing deadlines.

In Janurary 2003, Deftones left the studio to perform some "one off" shows in Australia and New Zealand as part of the annual Big Day Out Festival. Shortly after, the band returned to the studio to finish their fourth album. The self-titled Deftones was released on May 20, 2003. Deftones entered the Billboard 200 at number two and sold 167,000 copies in its first week.The album remained in the Billboard top 100 for nine weeks, supported by the first single, "Minerva".The band shot a video for their second single, "Hexagram", with fans watching the band play the song in an indoor skatepark in Simi Valley, California. The band made a video for the track "Bloody Cape", but it was never released for play on television. The video was only made available on the band's official website for one day. It was later released on their B-Sides and Rarities DVD.

Reviews were mainly positive, praising the band for the heavy album's progression and originality in the midst of declining creativity in contemporary metal.Moreno was quoted as saying, "It's all on record. We told motherfuckers not to lump us in with nu metal because when those bands go down we aren't going to be with them.In reviewing Deftones, Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes that "Hexagram", the album's opener, "hits hard — harder than they ever have, revealing how mushy Staind is, or how toothless Linkin Park is," but also goes on to say that the album "sticks a little too close to familiar territory" and "feels like a disappointment.The Onion's A.V. Club similarly called the album "less rewarding than its predecessor, though its peaks rival any in the genre.

The band released a compilation album titled B-Sides & Rarities on October 4, 2005. The CD includes various b-sides and covers from throughout their career, while the DVD contains behind-the-scenes footage and the band's complete videography up to that point.

Saturday Night Wrist: 2006-2007

Deftones performing live in Glasgow, June 2006.

The band's latest album, titled Saturday Night Wrist, was released on October 31, 2006. It debuted at number ten in the US Billboard chart with sales of just over 76,000,[37] a significant decrease on the first week sales of their two previous releases. Rather than work with longtime producer Terry Date, Deftones decided to record with Bob Ezrin. Cunningham says that while the group enjoyed working with Date, "At this point, we just needed to change things up And this is definitely a different style. Working with him [Ezrin] is just putting us fucking upside down. He's cracking the whip.After recording all the instrumentals for the record, Chino Moreno decided to record his vocals separately. Chino thus finished recording the album with former Far guitarist Shaun Lopez as producer. Collaborations on the record include Annie Hardy from Giant Drag on the song "Pink Cellphone" and Serj Tankian from System of a Down on the track "Mein". The album's first single was called "Hole in the Earth", hitting the radio on October 16, 2006. "Hole in the Earth" was also featured as a downloadable song for the XBox 360 version of Guitar Hero 3. "Mein" was the album's second single, which aired in Spring of 2007. As of March 2007, Saturday Night Wrist has sold over 250,000 copies (US). Deftones spent the majority of 2006 and 2007 touring around the world in support of the album. The band played shows in places including North America, Canada, Europe, South America, Japan and Australia. The band also performed in such tours as Taste of Chaos, Family Values Tour and the Soundwave Festival in Australia.

Eros: 2008-present

Deftones are currently in the studio writing and recording their next release, Eros, which will once again utilize the production services of Terry Date. Deftones have been writing the album since Fall 2007. As of December 7, 2007, six to eight songs were finished and the album is expected to be released in the fall of 2008. Chino Moreno has described the album as weird, unorthodox, featuring a lot of atmosphere and soundscaping, and having "fuck you, I hope you die!" style aggression. He has also stated that he won't be contributing on guitar, instead focusing on his vocals, and will leave guitar duties entirely to Stephen Carpenter. Carpenter will be utilizing his signature 8-String guitar with ESP, the Stef B-8. They started recording the album on April 14th, 2008.

Moreno stated that this album would be more up-tempo (as far as the drumming), going on to say that the past couple of albums have been more mid-tempo; that Abe Cunningham has been playing faster. He also referred to the album as being "snappy". Moreno stated in an interview that the process for this album would be more raw and simplified after dissatisfaction with the long and "pieced-together" experience of recording Saturday Night Wrist.

On January 14th, Chino Moreno posted an instrumental electronic beat that sounds similar to Team Sleep called "You've Seen The Butcher", on the Deftones' MySpace page, and announced in a bulletin that the album would be called Eros, the Greek word for "love." It was also announced that Eros would be released by Warner Bros. Records, the first time Deftones have released an album not affiliated with Maverick Records.

Also, recently Deftones have been posting a number of bulletins on MySpace about a band called Aerial. The bulletins suggest that the band might tour with Deftones soon. No further news of this has been announced.

Musical style and influences

Though initially rooted in heavy metal, Deftones have always claimed diverse influences. Their B Sides & Rarities compilation includes cover songs from favorite artists, ranging from metal, hard rock and punk (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Helmet and Jawbox), to gothic rock, art rock and new wave (Duran Duran, Cocteau Twins and The Cure), mainstream R&B (Sade Adu) and hip hop (a collaboration with B-Real of Cypress Hill).

Moreno's poetic lyrics—described by a TIME magazine critic as "suggesting emotions rather than announcing them] —are often evocative, yet sparse enough to allow for multiple interpretations. Moreno has cited Morrissey, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, The Cure's Robert Smith, Bad Brains' H.R., and Depeche Mode's David Gahan among his favorite singers, and, beyond an occasional similarity in vocal technique, these singers' sweeping sense of drama is often evident in Moreno's vocals.

Moreno's singing style is usually an atmospheric whisper or even slightly groan like which gives the band its individuality.

Side projects

Deftones members have worked on several side projects, including Moreno's Team Sleep and Cunningam's Phallucy. Guitarist Carpenter works with a group called Kush, featuring members of Fear Factory and Cypress Hill as well as a new live drum & bass/metal group called Sol Invicto featuring Eric Bobo Cypress Hill and Richie Londres of the C.L.P Cultura Londres Proyecto they look set to release an EP in summer 2008. Deftones' Frank Delgado has a DJ crew with DJ Crook of Team Sleep, DJ Julez and Matt D Called Decibel Devils. Chino also appeared on the song "Bender" by Sevendust. In 2000, Bassist Chi Cheng released a CD comprised of his own spoken word poetry called The Bamboo Parachute. They have also appeared in several DX concerts in the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour. The links to these side projects can be found at the bottom of the page.

Dai Nagao

2008-07-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

Birth name (Nagao Dai)
Born March 28, 1971 (1971-03-28) (age 37)
Origin Chiba, Japan
Genre(s) J-Pop
Years active 1999 - Present
Label(s) Avex Trax, True Song Music

Dai Nagao (Japanese:born 28 March 1971 in Chiba, Japan) is a Japanese composer, musician and producer. He was a member and composer of the popular musical group Do As Infinity from its founding until it disbanded in September 2005. Though sort of a behind the scenes member of the band later on, he did play live with the band full time when it first started, as an acoustic guitarist until about 2001. Then he would appear occasionally in a few concerts as a special guest, including the final live on November 25, 2005. Nagao is one of the very few Japanese artists that plays a custom double-neck acoustic guitar.

His new projects include composing songs for Amasia Landscape, as well as composing for Asian bands and singers such as SE7EN, Sayaka Yamamoto, Mount Position, I-lulu, Voxray, Dazzfeed, Sacra, and Blazespirit. He frequently composes or co-composes songs for Ayumi Hamasaki with his most recent composition being BLUE BIRD, released in June 2006.

In 2008 Dai began playing guitar at street venues with violinist ARIA.

Ryo Owatari

2008-07-08T23:19:00.001-07:00

Ryo Owatari is a Japanese guitarist who was born April 4, 1972 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He was formerly a member of the amateur band pee-ka-boo, but he is mainly known for his work in the now-disbanded Do As Infinity alongside Tomiko Van and Dai Nagao. After the disbanding of Do As Infinity, he started working with his new band, Missile Innovation. He is currently married to a Japanese Office Lady whose identity has been tightly concealed. He also has a son, but the family chooses not to disclose any information related him.

Tomiko Van

2008-07-08T22:50:00.000-07:00

Birth name (Van Tomiko, pronounced Ban Tomiko)
Also known as Ban-chan
Born January 9, 1979 (1979-01-09) (age 29)
Origin Yamato, Kumamoto, Japan
Genre(s) J-Pop, J-Rock, Jazz
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Years active 1999-2005 (Do As Infinity), 2005-Present (solo)
Label(s) Avex Trax

Tomiko Van (born January 9, 1979), is a Japanese J-Pop singer and occasional actress, as well as a former member of the now disbanded band Do As Infinity, along with Ryo Owatari and Dai Nagao.

Beginnings as solo artist

Tomiko began as a solo artist while she was with D·A·I with the song "Again", which appeared in charity album Song Nation, and later in 2003 with the song "drive me nuts", which was recorded for trance DJs project Cyber X. Tomiko also appeared in six commercials for the Japanese hair product company LAVENUS.

2005

After Do As Infinity disbanded on September 29, 2005, Avex Trax, Tomiko's label, announced that the singer was going solo.

2006

In 2006 Tomiko made her debut as a solo artist with her album FAREWELL. Singles were not released prior to her album, released in March 2006.

Her first official single as a solo artist, Flower, was released in June of the same year, and made the weekly top 10 of the Japanese charts. Two other singles followed that year, Senkou, in September, and Yumeji, a late November release.

On October 3, 2006, Tomiko announced her debut role in the Japanese movie, Heat ISLAND, as a café bar manager. Tomiko also announced her second stage role in the Japanese version, Brooklyn. She has stated that this will not take away from her career as a singer.

2007

2007 started out with Tomiko's first cover album entitled VOICE ~cover you with love~. Though it entered the top 20, the album was not considered a great success as it did not manage to sell as well as her original album FAREWELL a year before. The album was Tomiko's only release that year.

2008

In 2008, Tomiko's 3rd album and 2nd cover album, Voice 2～cover lovers rock～, was released in March. In this album, she covered songs performed by male artists, such as SPITZ and Masaharu Fukuyama. Despite her one year hiatus from the music scene, the album charted at #10 on the 1st day of release.

Do As Infinity

2008-07-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Do As Infinity was a popular Japanese band which debuted on September 29, 1999 with the release of their first single, "Tangerine Dream". Their name is sometimes abbreviated as D.A.I., revealing that Do As Infinity was named after the band's guitarist and composer, Dai Nagao. With the release of their A-side compilation album Do the A side, Do As Infinity disbanded on September 29, 2005, after a career which spanned six years, six albums, twenty singles, seven compilation albums and eight live DVDs.

Also known as D.A.I.
Origin Japan
Genre(s) J-Rock,J-pop
Years active September 29, 1999–September 29, 2005
Label(s) Avex Trax

Main members

* "Van" — Tomiko Van (lyrics, vocals)
* "Ryo" — Ryo Owatari (lyrics, guitar, backup vocals)
* "Dai" — Dai Nagao (composition, guitar)

Other members (Great Tour Band)

The members listed below are not the only band members that DAI has gone through during their career, however, these musicians are the more notable ones because of their work for DAI.

* Naoki Hayashibe (guitar)
* Jun Matsumoto (drums)
* Kazco Hamano (chorus)
* Michitaro Shimamoto (bass guitar) (former member, went on to play for Otsuka Ai and other artists)
* Jun Takase (keyboard)
* Yoshiyasu Hayashi (bass guitar)

History

Dai Nagao started out as a composer for an amateur band. After its disbanding, Nagao continued composing songs, sending demo tapes to more than fifty record companies in Japan.[2] Nagao was eventually hired by Avex Records to work as a composer. He was immediately given a task to compose songs for Ayumi Hamasaki and hitomi.

1999

Eventually, auditions were held, and he chose Tomiko Van as lead singer, and Ryo Owatari as guitarist. Ryo turned up for the auditions in a red tracksuit with a Fender Jaguar and his effects pedals. He was asked to perform a small segment, but instead played three songs.[2] Tomiko sang "Heart" as a band member forty-two hours after the Avex staff read her application. On September 29, 1999, the trio released their first single "Tangerine Dream", and held a live concert at the Shibuya AX.[3] They performed almost daily at a number of locations, ranging from Shibuya's 109 (which is famous for street performers),[3] to Yokohama Station and traveled to Fukuoka and other cities. Before "Tangerine Dream" was released, DAI and their fellow workers were giving out copies of their recordings for free to passers by.[2] At their one-hundredth concert, held at Shibuya AX for free, the members of DAI recognized that the fans were the same bunch that bothered to listen to them.[2]

The remainder of 1999 was spent performing both on the street and at in-store concerts at CD stores across the country. They also took part in choice events nationwide, including a festival in Tomiko Van's native Kumamoto prefecture. Their legendary streak of street concerts ended at one hundred, with a free concert for their fans, held at Shibuya Kokaido.[3] Photos of some of their street performances were compiled into a PV for the song Field of Dreams which can be seen on the PV Collection 8 as well as in the background of the Live in Japan during a performance of the song.

Heart

Do As Infinity released their second single, "Heart", in December. They continued to do public appearances all the way up to the year-end Avex Millennium Count Down 1999-2000 held on New Year's Eve in Roppongi's Velfarre club. Heart was actually written before Tangerine Dream, but was recorded together in July due to the complicated drum samples.[2] The band continued to appear on radio shows and at CD store events. Their third single, "Oasis", was released at the end of January. It was their first Top 30 hit and it was chosen as the official TV commercial song for Kanebo Cosmetics' Testimo line of products. This was the first time their song was chosen to become a theme song for advertising.

Love 2000

The next single, "Yesterday & Today" was chosen as the theme song for a drama series Nisennen no Koi[4], which starred popular actors Miho Nakayama and Kaneshiro Takeshi and was given the primetime slot. The c/w-track, Raven, was used as the ending song to the horror movie Uzumaki, which gathered more mainstream audiences for the band.

Break of Dawn

Their first album, Break of Dawn, debuted on number three on the Oricon album charts in March of the same year, only a month after "Yesterday & Today". They continued to make public appearances and do numerous live performances all over Japan. In August of that year, the band released the single "Rumble Fish", which was used as the theme song for the hit movie Kamen Gakuen; the cover of "Rumble Fish" was taken in Taiwan, and the trip provided the inspiration for "Shinjitsu no Uta".[2] Also in August, the single "Summer Days" was released, which would go on to become a staple at all Do As Infinity live concerts, and was used as a theme song for Fuji TV's OL Police. "Summer Days" is also notable for being Do As Infinity's most well-known all-English song (following their first, "Break of Dawn", from their debut album). During the November of that same year, the band released the festive single "We Are.", which Tomiko has often said is one of her favorite DAI songs. The band would end the year with another countdown live held at the Velfarre club in Roppongi.

Moving on to the bigscreen

2001 was a whirlwind year for the band. With an album and six singles under their belts, the trio was well on their way to becoming seasoned veterans in the business, but they still had not appeared on national television. That changed with the release of their first single in the new millennium, "Desire"; "Desire" was once named M-42, which was used in their street performances.[2] The single was performed on the hit TV show "Music Station". However, for some reason Van represented the band by herself. Nevertheless, the song and the band got national exposure. The televised performance brought Do As Infinity to an even wider audience, and helped to make their new album, New World, debut at number one on the Oricon charts.

In the following month they would release their first promotional video collection on DVD, simply titled 9, and would go on tour throughout the month of May. After release of New World, Tomiko Van was contracted to advertise for Japanese haircare company LAVENUS. Van took part in all six commercials, including one which she rode a Harley-Davidson motorbike. Van can also be seen riding the Harley-Davidson in the "TAO" promotional video. The B-side of "Tōku Made", "Signal" was used as the theme song for the first commercial. Six commercials were made in total, the other three songs included "Tsubasa no Keikaku", "Boukensha Tachi", and "Nice & Easy"; "Boukensha Tachi" was used three times.

Their ninth single was released at the end of May, "Week!". The following month would see the release of "Fukai Mori" (Deep Forest), which was chosen as the second ending theme song for the hit anime series InuYasha. The song was a huge hit, and would soon become the band's signature song. The remainder of the year was spent in preparation for yet another live concert tour, which would begin in November, not long after the release of their eleventh single, Boukensha Tachi, and their third album, Deep Forest, which debuted at number one on the charts.

Asia tour

January 2002 started with Van appearing on the Avex charity album VARIOUS ARTISTS FEATURING songnation, and the release of the band's twelfth hit single, "Hi no Ataru Sakamichi", the following month. Then the band went global. After releasing a best album, Do the Best in March, the band traveled to Taiwan and Hong Kong in April for a special campaign. Their following overseas was almost as huge as in their own country, drawing 500 fans to their in-store event held at the HMV CD store in Hong Kong. They were nominated for the seventeenth annual Gold Disc Award in Japan for the best Rock & Pop album of the year and won. The band took a short break upon returning to Japan, but released their thirteenth single in July, the double A-sided "Under the Sun / Under the Moon". In August the band participated in avex's a-nation tour, performing in eight venues all over Japan.

True Song

Do As Infinity's fourteenth single, "Shinjitsu no Uta", was released in October, and sparked the beginning of a new project for the band. "Shinjitsu no Uta" was also chosen to be the fifth ending theme for InuYasha. "Shinjitsu no Uta" became famous in China in July 2002 and was also translated into Mandarin.[2] In the booklet of Do The A-side, Kawamura stated that "Shinjitsu no Uta" was actually written two years before the actual release. Dai said that he left it as a demo because he felt that something was missing in the song. Despite their success, Do As Infinity wanted to show their fans that they had not forgotten them. They advertised on their website for fans to send them short stories using the band's previous releases as themes and using the word shinjitsu (truth) somewhere in the story. Entitled Your Truth, these stories are now available in book form. The band closed out the year with another live tour, understatedly titled Do As Infinity greatest year 02 ~ALL STANDING~, and the year-end release of their fourth album, True Song.

Gates of Heaven

The band got busy on the concert tour of TRUE SONG and new recordings, their fifteenth single, "Mahou no kotoba ~Would You Marry Me?~" released as their first single in 2003. It became one of the most frequently played songs at weddings in Japan, becoming one of the band's most publicized singles of the year. "Honjitsu wa Seiten Nari" followed the popularity of its precedent single, it was previewed in their annual summer activity, a-nation. During this promotion period it was the first time the vocalist cut her hair short and with a bright blonde dye, she changed it back to a dark brown dye after the release of this single. The single's promotional video was filmed during their a-nation 2003 activity and combined many different a-nation 2003 visits in different areas in Japan, marking another success for the band. "Hiiragi" was released in November of the same year and the announcement of the fifth album followed. Tomiko met with famous American singer, Michelle Branch, during her visit in Japan to promote her album Hotel Paper, for a magazine interview and photoshoot. After the release of Gates of Heaven the group took a short break and performed in New York City, New York and Dallas, Texas in the summer of 2004 as a small warmup for their next album; footages of this can be found in the DVD LIVE YEAR 2004. They performed in Korea during the Korea & Japan Friendship Week in JEJU along with JTL.

In early 2005, the band were in the midst of yet another live concert tour, showcasing their brand new album Need Your Love. Along with video collections and recorded live concerts, Do As Infinity were still going strong. Although Dai Nagao was not as active as he was in the beginning (he did not participate in promotional events anymore, such as video clips or photo shoots) he was still the main composer and the brain behind the band. He did, though, appear in concerts from time to time.

TAO

TAO became Do As Infinity's twentieth and last single, released on July 27, 2005. The lyrics of TAO described about friends parting ways and this caused many rumors among the fans about the disbanding of Do As Infinity. TAO was also the main theme of Tales of Legendia, an RPG videogame released in Summer 2005 and developed by Namco. The band announced on September 14, 2005 that they would disband on September 29, 2005, exactly six years to the day since their first single, Tangerine Dream, was released. Their last concert was at the Nippon Budokan on November 25, 2005. Three days before the final concert, Dai Nagao released the Do As Infinity last song called Trust on the official website through internet streaming. The vocal featured in this song is Mizushima Utana from one of Nagao's side project artists I-lulu. Many fans hoped for a CD release of the song recorded with Do As Infinity, however, it has yet to happen.

Tomiko Van, the lead singer, is pursuing a solo career. She debuted March 29, 2006 with her album, Farewell. Ryo Owatari, the guitarist, is currently working on his band, Missile Innovation, and released their first single on February 1, 2006. Ryo has also been working with other avex artists such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Otsuka Ai and AAA. Dai Nagao currently works with Amasia Landscape and other artists under the True Song Music label, writing songs for various artists.

Christian Lorenz

2008-07-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

Christian "Flake" Lorenz (pronounced "Flak'-uh Lor-ents"; born 6 November 1966), sometimes called "Doktor Lorenz") is a German musician, notable as the keyboardist for the German Tanz-Metall ("Dance Metal") band Rammstein. He is also known for his role in the band Feeling B.

Birth name Christian Lorenz
Born November 16, 1966 (1966-11-16) (age 41), Berlin, Germany
Genre(s) Tanz-Metall
Occupation(s) Keyboardist
Instrument(s) Keyboards
Years active 1983–present
Associated acts Rammstein, Feeling B

Early years

His family background is vague. Lorenz has a brother who is three years older. He was brought up and still lives in the former Prenzlauer Berg area of Berlin (now a part of the borough of Pankow), where he still passes his old school building on the way to band rehearsals.

Lorenz is an educated pianist, but he doesn't consider himself very good. Flake says he chose to play the piano because a childhood friend of his played from the age of three. His parents sent him to a music school. Flake "began by painting the keys on a window ledge" and "practiced one-half year on the window ledge". His parents bought him a piano for one hundred East German marks for his 15th birthday.

Flake became "addicted" to rock and roll as a boy. He stopped his lessons in order to play with his father's jazz records. "When I joined my first band," Flake has said, "I noticed that I couldn't play modern music. I still can't!" At the age of sixteen, he apprenticed as a toolmaker, an apparently short-lived career.

Feeling B

In 1983, at age seventeen, he began to play in the band Feeling B with Paul H. Landers and Aljoscha Rompe, a Swiss living in East Berlin. He stayed with the band for about ten years. Feeling B started out firmly grounded in the underground punk scene. Over time, Feeling B's popularity grew greatly and at the end of the German Democratic Republic, it was one of the most respected and influential Eastern German bands despite their underground status.

Flake squatted/lived in an apartment with Paul during their early years. When they weren't playing gigs, Landers and Flake would sell jackets made from cut-up bed sheets and dusters on the black market. Two jackets a month meant as much money as an average salaried worker. "It was quite easy to make a living; not to work and stay out of trouble," says Landers, "You only got problems if you were caught."

The group disbanded in the mid-1990s. On special occasions, the band members would get together for individual concerts at punk festivals, until Rompe died in November 2000.

There is a book available about Feeling B.

Rammstein

Flake plays on Wilder Wein during Live aus Berlin.

In 1994, Till Lindemann, Richard Z. Kruspe, Oliver "Olli" Riedel and Christoph "Doom" Schneider entered and won the Berlin Senate Metro beat contest that allowed them to professionally record a four track demo. Paul H. Landers formally joined the band, then finally Flake. He was initially reluctant to join his five bandmates and had to be pestered into becoming a member of Rammstein. He thought they would be too boring. Eventually he agreed to join, and the group began work their first album, Herzeleid (Heartache). In the band's performances and videos, Flake is often cast as the outsider of the group, possibly due to his relatively unusual presence as a keyboard player in a heavy metal group. This varies from playing the part of a scientific genius, aloof from the rest of the group, to playing a gimp role, to being left alone at the end of the "Keine Lust" video, and being bullied by the rest of the band, particularly Lindemann. These distinctive roles in the band's theatrical presentation have led to him becoming a very popular member of the group among fans. Flake is probably best known for his part in the controversial live performance of the song "Bück dich" ("Bend down" or "Bend over"), where he and vocalist Till Lindemann would engage in simulated sodomy with a liquor-squirting dildo. On September 23, 1998 in Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) Lindemann and Flake Lorenz were arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior. A statement from Sergeant Thomas Radula of the Worcester Police Department stated that Lindemann was simulating sex with Flake onstage "using a phallic object that shot water over the crowd". They were held and released the following day on $25 bail. After months of legal debate, they were eventually fined $100. His role in "Bück dich" is not the only live act he is known for. Up until 2002, Flake would surf the audience in a boat during the performance of "Seemann" ("Seaman"). Ollie took his place in 2002. According to Flake, the change occurred because he was injured too often. Also, during a 2001 concert in St. Petersburg, Flake was tipped out of the boat by the crowd and almost completely undressed. When performing "Mein Teil" ("My part"), Flake is "cooked" with a flame-thrower by Till in a giant cauldron. Flake used to do a dance during "Weißes Fleisch" ("White flesh"). In the video for "Keine Lust" ("No desire" or "Don't feel like it"), Flake is seen in an electric wheelchair. He is seen about to jump off of the top of a burning building (trying and failing to land safely on a trampoline) in the video for "Benzin" ("Gasoline" or "Petrol"). In the video for Ich Will (I want) song, Flake is tied to a bomb that explodes in the end of video. Flake was also the lead vocalist for Rammstein's cover version of "Pet Sematary", originally by The Ramones. During a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden on July 30, 2005, Till Lindemann suffered a knee injury when Flake accidentally ran into him with the Segway he rides during the performance of "Amerika" ("America"). This caused concerts scheduled in Asia to be cancelled. In 2005, Flake suffered from an infection that caused concerts in South America to be cancelled.

Personal life

Brown is his natural hair colour, but he has dyed it various times. His eyes are blue.

Flake's current marital status is unknown, but he has been divorced once and has three children, one of them a girl named Annie, date of birth is unknown.

There is very little information available about his personal life outside of his musical career because he chooses to keep most of it private. He has described the riskier parts being in Rammstein as being like a cold shower. It doesn't feel too good right then and there, but afterwards you get a good feeling. Flake, an atheist, is opposed to organized religion. He is quoted to have said, "I disapprove of religions which are made into rigid institutions. I also think that religious fanaticism and missionary work are dangerous".

Flake has a certain skepticism towards American culture, which he has reportedly called decadent. He likes the net (but is no longer able to access it from home), Poland, and Polish food. He despises McDonald's.

He likes to listen to Einstürzende Neubauten, Die Ärzte, Element of Crime, Coldplay, Placebo, Johnny Cash, PJ Harvey, System of a Down, Ministry, The Prodigy and once remarked that he would've liked to have been the sixth Rolling Stone.

Flake is an amateur painter and likes classic cars. He has a Mercedes and is involved in vintage car hire business.[3]

Lorenz used to write frequently in the Fanarea logbook on the official website fanclub, which closed September 2004.

On 5 October 2005, Flake appeared briefly on Deutsche Welle. When asked how he felt about the reunification of Germany, he said he prefers/misses the way things were then. "Even if the GDR survived, I still would've stayed a musician. The increased size of the world also brought the danger of being compared to all of the international acts. The bands which were in the east were the only ones there, and if you were successful there, you were successful. I miss the simplicity. You went into a bar, ordered a beer, and you got a beer!... They didn't ask if you wanted... with a head or without a head, foam top or bottom... It really gets on my nerves having all of these choices I really don't want".

Nicknames

Christian Lorenz commonly goes by the nicknames "Flake" (pronounced as "Flak'-uh" in German; the corresponding German pronunciation would be like the German word "Flocke" (flake) ) and "Doktor". "Doktor" came about because at one point he wanted to be a surgeon, but he was unable to study to become one because of his refusal to join the East German military. In a December 16, 2000 interview, he states it is his proper name.

Christoph Schneider

2008-07-08T21:28:00.000-07:00

Christoph "Doom" Schneider (born May 11, 1966) is a German musician. He is a drummer in the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.

Born May 11, 1966 (1966-05-11) (age 42), Berlin, Germany
Genre(s) Tanz-Metall
Occupation(s) Drummer
Instrument(s) Drums
Years active 1990–present
Associated acts Rammstein, Feeling B

Early life

Schneider was born in Berlin, East Germany, and now has six siblings. His interest in playing music started at school, where he played the trumpet. His brother gave him a drum made of aluminum cans when Christoph was 14, sparking an interest in drums and a dream of being a musician.[1] Schneider left high school at age 16 and went to work as a telecommunications assistant. In 1984, he served his national service with the East German Army; He and Till are the only two to have served in the army out of all of the Rammstein members

Career

In 1985, Schneider quit his telecommunication job to pursue his musical ambitions by studying music at university, but failed to get into university twice.His father disapproved of Schneider's learning to play the drums, preferring the trumpet.Schneider tried consistently from 1985 until 1990 to get into bands as a drummer, finally being successful with Die Firma. In 1994, he joined Till Lindemann, Richard Kruspe and Oliver Riedel in forming an early version of Rammstein. They entered the Berlin Senate Metrobeat contest, winning the chance to record a professional demo with four tracks.A previous band of Schneider's, Feeling B, provided two other members of Rammstein, Paul Landers and keyboardist Christian Lorenz.

Personal life

Schneider values his privacy, so little is known about his private life. He is known to be in his second marriage, to Regina Gizatulina.

He has one child but the gender, name, date of birth, and who the mother is, is unknown.

He is nicknamed after his favourite computer game, Doom.

Schneider has also claimed in an interview he was influenced by the drummer of AC/DC, Phil Rudd.

Drums

- Tama Starclassic Performer EFX
- 18x22 Bass Drum (x2)
- 10x8 Tom
- 12x9 Tom
- 16x14 Floor Tom
- 18x16 Floor Tom
- 14x5.5 Snare
- 10x5 or 10x4 Snare

Cymbals

- Meinl:
- 14" Soundcaster Custom Medium Hi-hat
- 18" Byzance China
- 16" Byzance Medium Thin Crash
- 18" Soundcaster Custom Medium Crash
- 16" Byzance Medium Crash
- 18" Soundcaster Custom Powerful Crash
- 22" Soundcaster Custom Mega Bell Ride
- 14" Soundcaster Custom Powerful Hi-hat
- 17" Mb10 China

Skins

- Evans, now owned by D'Addario

Sticks

- Pro-Mark 2S

Electronics During his Herzeleid ("Heartache") period:

- 5 ddrum triggers
- 1 PD-7 2 zone Roland pad
- 1 Drum tech 2 zone Pole pad
- 1 Alesis D4 module , then he added a ddrum3 module
- 1 unidentified sound and kit controller
- Sequencer (unconfirmed)

During Sehnsucht ("Longing") period:

- 1 Ddrum3 module
- 1 Alesis D4 module
- 2 ddrum3 Cast Presicion Pads
- 1 PD-5 Roland pad
- 1 dual zone Drum Tech Pole Pad
- 5 ddrum triggers
- 1 ddrum RCI kit selector
- Sequencer (unconfirmed)

During Mutter ("Mother") period:

- 1 Roland PD-5 pad
- 1 2 zone Rod pad
- 2 Simmons pads then he changed to a pair of PD-31 Roland pads
- 5 ddrum triggers
- 1 ddrum3 module
- 1 ddrum kit selector

During Reise Reise ("Arise Arise") period:

- 2 ddrum4 mesh pads
- 1 ddrum3 module

Oliver Riedel

2008-07-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (born April 11, 1971) is a German musician, notable for being the bass-guitarist for the German Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.

Early years

Riedel was born on 11 April 1971 in Schwerin as an only child. Growing up, Oliver had relatively good relationships with both of his parents. He attributes this to the small gap in between their ages. As a child, Oliver wasn't a good student, but he made his way through school with the assistance of his mother. Oliver was quite shy, especially during his teenage years, and while his friends partied at discos he would often be found just "hanging around".

Musical career

In 1990, at the age of nineteen, Oliver began playing in a folk-fiddle/punk-rock band called The Inchtabokatables. In 1994, Riedel, Till Lindemann, Richard Z. Kruspe, and Christoph "Doom" Schneider entered and won the Berlin Senate Metro beat contest that allowed them to record a four track demo professionally. Paul H. Landers and Christian "Flake" Lorenz would later join the band they named Rammstein.

The six released their first album, Herzeleid (Heartache) in September, 1995. Their second album, Sehnsucht (Longing) was released in 1997, which would later become platinum. In April 2001, the album Mutter (Mother) was released and a European tour followed, ending on 13 July 2002. It has been reported that at this time the members of Rammstein were seriously discussing whether to continue or not in their present form. It was decided that they should all take some time off and then reconsider whether to continue.

In 2003, Rammstein started work on the fourth album, which was to prove a turning point in Rammstein's sound and maturity. September 2004 saw the fruits of this work in the release of Reise, Reise ("Reise,Reise").

Personal life

He has two children, one of them a girl named Emma, date of birth unknown, and is separated from her mother. The gender, name, date of birth, and who the mother of the second child is unknown. His current marital status is unknown.

He likes photography and sports, especially skateboarding and surfing. In the making of the video for "Keine Lust," he mentions wanting to go snowboarding while wearing a fat suit. It has been said he is the most computer-literate member of the band.

His character is more mature and subtle during live performances. He tends to keep crew cut and skin-bald hair styles along with some styles of goatees.

Gear

Oliver keeps his gear simple, in keeping with Rammstein's music. His known gear is:

* Sandberg Bass (Plasmabass custom built, and Terrabass signature bass)
* Glockenklang Heart-Rock Amp
* Two 8x10 Cabs

Oliver also uses selected overdrive/ fuzz pedals for songs such as Mein Teil

Quotes and interview

On the separation rumours

"We never wanted to, but after Mutter we had some difficult times because the third album is the most difficult one and we had a lot of pressure on us. We also had our differences between the group members and everyone's expectations were different. We took a year to rest, and after that we realized that we wanted to be together and to go on."

On his early family life

Interviewer: Did you have a lot of problems with your parents?

Ollie: Not a lot at all. My parents are quite young, which is good. Because the age difference isn't that big, we had it good with each other. My father and mother also liked the same music as me. We were almost more like friends than family.

Interviewer: But of course you did tease your brothers and sisters...

Ollie: No, because I don't have any, too bad. But if I would have had them, I would definitely have teased them!

Paul Landers

2008-07-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Paul H. Landers (born December 9, 1964) is a German musician, notable as the rhythm-guitarist for the German Tanz-Metall ("Dance Metal") band Rammstein.

Personal life

Landers was born in Berlin, Germany. His real name was Heiko Paul Hiersche, which he hated. He lived in Moscow for a short time as a young child. Landers speaks fluent Russian but he can't read or write it. He moved out of his parents' house at the age of 16 due to fights with his stepfather and subsequently switched his first names, also in honour of his biological father. He soon left out Heiko, making his name Paul Hiersche. When he married Nikki Landers in 1984 (at the age of 20), he took his wife's surname, thus making his name Paul Landers.

Paul and Nikki had a son, Emil, born c. 1984-87. They later divorced in 1987, but he kept her last name. He also has a second child, a daughter, whose name and date of birth are unknown, with a different woman.

After his divorce with Nikki Landers, he lived with his Feeling B band mate Christian "Flake" Lorenz for a number of years. Paul has since had a daughter. An interview with "The Gauntlet" conducted on the 31st October, 2007 confirms that Paul is married.

Career

In 1983, Landers formed the East German punk band, Feeling B, together with Flake Lorenz and Aljoscha Rompe, in which Christoph Schneider would later also play. In 1986, Landers formed First Arsch with Till Lindemann and Richard Kruspe. He also played in a number of other bands including Die Firma and Die Magdalene Keibel Combo.

Lindemann, Kruspe, Schneider and bassist Oliver "Ollie" Riedel entered and won the Berlin Senate Metro Beat Contest in 1994 that enabled them to have a four-track demo professionally recorded. Landers and Flake soon followed suit to join the band which became known as rammstein.

Equipment

Landers is a self-taught guitarist. He can also play the piano and violin, which he learned to as a child.

Paul plays two Music Man Van Halen guitars and according to the Live Aus Berlin DVD Trivia Game; in his guitar-rack there is a Tech 21 PSA-1 preamp, of which he only uses one preset; he goes from the preamp to the mixer and into a Mesa/Boogie Strategy 500 power amp and two Marshall 4x12" cabinets. When playing in C tuning, Paul uses a Custom Les Paul Studio. During the Völkerball performance of the song "Rammstein", Paul is seen using another Custom Les Paul Studio which was drop D tuned for the song. He also uses EMG 60 and EMG 81 pickups.

Richard Zven Kruspe

2008-07-08T21:02:00.001-07:00

Richard Zven Kruspe (born 24 June 1967) is a German musician, most notable as the founder and lead-guitarist for the German ("Dance Metal") bands Rammstein and Emigrate. He also used to be named "Bernstein", after his South African ex-wife Caron Bernstein. They were together for five years until separating in 2004 and filing for divorce to be finalized in 2006, and now his name is back to the original Kruspe again.

Born June 24, 1967 (1967-06-24) (age 41). Wittenberge, East Germany
Genre(s) Tanz-Metall, Industrial Metal, Neue Deutsche Härte
Instrument(s) Guitar, Bass Guitar, vocals
Years active 1991–present
Associated acts Rammstein, Emigrate, Orgasm Death Gimmicks, First Arsch

Early life

Kruspe was born in Wittenberge, East Germany. He has two older sisters and an older brother. His parents divorced when he was young. His mother remarried, but he did not get along with his stepfather. They moved to the village of Weisen when he was young. As a child, Kruspe was a fan of Kiss. According to him, KISS "represented capitalism in its purest sense, and every child was KISS-infected because they were so big. Kids wrote KISS on their notebooks, and if the teachers saw it, they could get kicked out of school just for having it written on their books." When he was twelve, he had a KISS poster in his room, but his stepfather tore it down and destroyed it, and Kruspe stayed up all night putting it back together. Kruspe was a wrestler when he was a teenager, but he hasn't wrestled for many years. He wrestled his twin brother in the video for Mein Teil.

At the age of sixteen, Kruspe and some friends visited Czechoslovakia, where he bought a guitar. He had originally planned to sell it, because they were very expensive and thought he could make a nice profit. However, once he returned to East Germany, a girl at a campground he was staying at asked him to play. He told her that he couldn't play, but she kept insisting, and Richard got mad and started strumming the strings. "The harder I played," Richard said, "the more excited she got. Something clicked in my head and I realized girls like guys who play guitars." This got him interested in playing the guitar, and as a result, he began playing every day and night for the next two years.

At the age of nineteen, bored with the apathetic music scene in his hometown, he moved to East Berlin and lived on Lychener Straße and "made music all day." For two years, Richard lived in an apartment with a drum kit and guitar, and he made music by himself because he did not know anybody there. "It was a lonely time" according to Richard, but he used it to explore music.

Around 1991, Kruspe started the band Orgasm Death Gimmicks. Also in 1992, Kruspe made his first trip to the U.S. with Till Lindemann and Oliver "Ollie" Riedel. He realized that he didn't want to make American music and concentrated on creating a unique German sound.

Birth of Rammstein

Rammstein was started by Richard Kruspe. In 1989 he escaped from on East Germany over the border between Austria and Hungary. He eventually ended up in West Berlin and started a band in 1991 (Orgasm Death Gimmicks). At that time he was very influenced by American music. After the wall came down, he moved back home to Schwerin where Till Lindemann worked as a basket weaver and played drums in the band First Arsch.

At this time, Richard lived with Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (of the band The Inchtabokatables) and Christoph "Doom" Schneider (of Die Firma). Richard realized that the music he had previously made was not right for him. He envisioned something with machines and hard guitars together. The three started working together on a new project.

Richard soon found it hard to write music and lyrics at the same time. He got Till to join them as he had often heard him singing while working. A contest for new bands was announced and the prize was studio time. The four of them recorded the first Rammstein demo and won. Paul H. Landers knew them all and wanted to know what they were doing. After listening, he agreed to join. At this point, all they needed for the machine-sound was a keyboarder. They tried to get Christian "Flake" Lorenz to join, as he had played with Paul before in the band Feeling B. Flake was not entirely thrilled with the idea at first and didn't want to join for a long time. But, he eventually agreed.

About the time the band was formed, they all had relationship problems which provided the foundation for their debut album Herzeleid (Heartache) in 1995. Since then, they have reached gold and platinum status for their music and have become Germany's number one music export.

Birth of Emigrate

Richard began work on a solo project around this time, called Emigrate and work continues on it to this day. He had said he wanted to record an album in 2005. No other Rammstein band members are involved. They recently released three songs: "My World", "Wake Up" and "Babe", all available for download by subscribers of the band newsletter. For the song "My world" they released a video with the scenes of Resident Evil. In 2007, Emigrate's debut album was released.

Equipment

Richard's signature guitar is based upon the signature Kirk Hammett guitars he uses but with the electronics in a simplified form. The guitar features neck through construction , a 25.5 inch scale neck, alder body wings, a maple neck, Floyd Rose tremolo with a locking nut, 24 frets, dual EMG 81 pickups , a master volume control and pickup selecter, with a custom Titanium finish.

Kruspe has a signature ESP guitar called the RZK-1.There is a cheaper version available for purchase as well called the LTD RZK-600. He previously played, and still does play, the Kirk Hammett signature guitar called the KH-2 as well as a custom ESP Guitar based on the Kirk Hammett KH-2 Signature guitar. He is the first German guitarist with a signature guitar series from ESP. Richard uses a black ESP Eclipse I CTM at the Rammstein performance in Nimes, France on July 23rd 2005.

Personal life

On 10 October 1989, prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was riding through the subway. When he came above ground, he found himself in the middle of a political demonstration. He was hit on the head and arrested just for being there, and thrown in jail for six days. Once out of jail, he decided to leave East Germany. In those days, one couldn't just leave East Germany, so he entered West Germany through Czechoslovakia. When the wall came down, he moved back east.

Kruspe married South African (American) actress Caron Bernstein in 1999. The ceremony was Jewish and Richard composed the music for it. Richard took on the name Richard Kruspe-Bernstein during their marriage. They separated in 2004. Richard's name is now back to its original "Kruspe" as the divorce was finalized.

He speaks fluent English and sings in English for Emigrate.

Personal life

On 10 October 1989, prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, he was riding through the subway. When he came above ground, he found himself in the middle of a political demonstration. He was hit on the head and arrested just for being there, and thrown in jail for six days. Once out of jail, he decided to leave East Germany. In those days, one couldn't just leave East Germany, so he entered West Germany through Czechoslovakia. When the wall came down, he moved back east.

Kruspe married South African (American) actress Caron Bernstein in 1999. The ceremony was Jewish and Richard composed the music for it. Richard took on the name Richard Kruspe-Bernstein during their marriage. They separated in 2004. Richard's name is now back to its original "Kruspe" as the divorce was finalized.

He speaks fluent English and sings in English for Emigrate.

Khira Li Lindemann

Born in 1992, Khira Li Lindemann is the daughter of Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe. She has the last name of "Lindemann" because her mother was previously married to Rammstein lead singer Till Lindemann. Khira's mother kept the last name "Lindemann" when she divorced Till and later, her and Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe got together and had Khira but never married and later split. This, gave Khira the last name of "Lindemann." Sometime in 2001 he moved from Berlin to New York where he now resides to live closer to his ex-wife Caron.

Till Lindemann

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Till Lindemann (born January 4, 1963) is a German musician and poet who is most notable as being the frontman and lead-vocalist for the German tanz-metall ("dance metal") band Rammstein.

Born January 4, 1963 (1963-01-04) (age 45),Leipzig, Saxony, East Germany
Genre(s) Tanz-metall, Industrial metal, Neue Deutsche Härte
Instrument(s) Vocals, Drums, Guitar, Bass, Harmonica
Years active 1985–present
Associated acts Rammstein, First Arsch, Feeling B

Personal characteristics

Lindemann has a powerful on stage presence and a resonant bass voice. One of his signature mannerisms is to partially squat and pound his fist onto his thigh to the beat of the riff. Also, his vocals are easily recognizable due to his tendency to roll his Rs, and growl his achs. Lindemann is also a qualified pyrotechnician. After an accident at the Treptow arena in Berlin on September 27, 1996, where a burning stage prop fell into the audience, Rammstein began employing a professional pyrotechnical crew and Lindemann has learned from and also trained with them. Each band member is specially instructed on the pieces of pyrotechnical equipment they use on stage. Of Lindemann, band mate Christoph Schneider says, “Till gets burned all the time, but he likes the pain.” He has also engaged in other masochistic acts on stage, such as whipping himself and bludgeoning his head with a microphone until it bleeds, both of which can be seen on the "Live Aus Berlin" DVD.

Personal background

Till Lindemann from Live aus Berlin era.

Lindemann was born in Leipzig, but he grew up in the village of Wendisch-Rambow in SchwerinEast Germany). His father, Werner Lindemann, was a poet, and his mother, Brigitte "Gitta" Lindemann, is an artist and writer who has co-written at least one book with her husband. Lindemann has one sister, six years younger than himself. At age 11 he went to a sports school at the Rostock Sport Club, and from 1977 to 1980 attended a boarding school.While at the sports school, his parents divorced in 1975, when he was age 12.
In the year 1978 Lindemann was a participant in the European Junior Swimming Championships in Florence. But he left the sports school in 1979. According to Lindemann, "I never liked the sport school actually, it was very intense. But as a child you don't object".

Till's children

In 1985, when Lindemann was 22, his first daughter, Nele, was born. Lindemann and Nele's mother married after she was born, but they separated and he has raised Nele alone. Lindemann says, "I used to play drums in a punk band and we had our studio in the house where I lived. Seven years I had been a father raising his daughter, but nowadays I'm sharing the upbringing with her mother, because I'm gone for six months of the year with the band".

Musical career

Lindemann started to play drums for First Arsch, often confused as "First Art" but in literal translation means "First Arse": a play on words perhaps meant to distract the authorities. It was a Schwerin-based punk band. They made one album titled Saddle Up.

Till Lindemann also played one song with a German punkband called Feeling B. A song called Lied von der unruhevollen Jugend ("Song of the restless youth") is credited on the album called Hea Hoa Hoa Hea Hea Hoa (1990) saying Till, Paul H. Landers and Christian "Flake" Lorenz all played on the song Lied von der unruhevollen Jugend. Feeling B was the former band of Paul H. Landers and Christian "Flake" Lorenz.

Later in the 1990s, Lindemann began to write lyrics, possibly based on phrases and words from poems that he was beginning to write. He says he "used to drum in a punk band that consisted of bass and drums. We used to work with guest-guitarists, usually Paul and Richard. We did a short tour where I changed instruments with the bassist in the encore, that was such a success, that Richard insisted on starting a project in which I would sing. Other people joined the band but only when I left Schwerin for Berlin did it take serious form".

In 1994, they entered and won a contest in Berlin that allowed them to record a four track demo professionally. Lindemann moved to Berlin. Paul H. Landers formally joined the band, followed by the last member to join, Christian "Flake" Lorenz.

Subsequently, in November 2002 Lindemann's own project, the poetry book Messer, was published. It consists of 54 poems compiled by Gert Hof, who is author of the book Rammstein and has been the band's pyrodesigner for the last seven years.[2] This book was due to be re-printed in 2005 due to a campaign by a fansite.

As guest artist

* Lindemann appears on the track Helden on the Apocalyptica album Worlds Collide.
* Ayreon frontman Arjen Anthony Lucassen has stated on his website that he would love to have Lindemann appear on a future Ayreon album, but he'd "have to write the parts in German" or create an "evil character".
* Lindemann also sings on "Wut Will Nicht Sterben" by Die Puhdys.

Movie appearances

* In 2003, Till made an appearance as a villain, in a made for television movie for children titled Amundsen, der Pinguin. His character tries to steal a penguin who knows the location of treasure.
* Till plays an animal rights activist in a movie called Vinzent.
* Till made brief appearances in the movies xXx as himself along with the rest of Rammstein (2002) and Pola X (1999).

He has appeared on many soundtracks such as: xXx, Resident Evil, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Lost Highway, The Matrix, Lilya 4-ever.

Quotes

* Loneliness sometimes gives me a quantity of creativeness - you're drinking another glass of wine and you're feeling even worse. Art doesn't work without pain; art also exists for compensating pain.

* When I was an adolescent, I was obsessed with having many commercial things, cars, clothes, stupid things. Now that I have all that, I include/understand that the superfluous things can turn to you into a very stupid idiot-type. In East Germany there were very few things, but there was also a feeling of solidarity that no longer exists. Now we are up to the neck in. consumption, the ego, the individualism. Now before friendship, it is merchandise.

* The rolling R's didn't arise deliberately. It originated from itself because in that deep pitch you automatically sing that way. I'm no musician in the actual meaning. I don't know anything about instruments. But I'm supporting our music with my voice and lyrics well. It's a question of illustration, timbre and phonetics. We don't want to - for Heaven's sake - create a fascist-like style.

* Love is like a flower; even the most beautiful kind dies.

* You've got a kind of inner store. When things aren't going well, you just go inside and get a glass of travel preserves for your soul, open it and fill up on it.

Rammstein Biography

2008-07-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Origin Berlin, Germany
Genre(s) Industrial metal, Neue Deutsche Härte, Tanz-Metall
Years active 1994 – Present
Label(s) Motor Music, Republic Records, Slash Records, Universal Music Group
Associated acts Emigrate, Feeling B, First Arsch

Members
*Till Lindemann
*Richard Z. Kruspe
*Paul H. Landers
*Oliver "Ollie" Riedel
*Christoph "Doom" Schneider
*Christian "Flake" Lorenz

Rammstein (pronounced [ˈʀamʃtaɪ̯n]) is a German Industrial metal band, founded in Germany, and consisting of Till Lindemann (lead vocals), Richard Z. Kruspe (lead guitar and backing vocals), Paul H. Landers (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (bass guitar), Christoph "Doom" Schneider (drums and percussion) and Christian "Flake" Lorenz (keyboards). The band is widely accepted as part of the NDH-scene, alongside bands such as Oomph! and Die Krupps. Their sound has been dubbed as Tanz-Metall (lit. "Dance Metal").Their songs are performed almost exclusively in German. Formed in 1994, they have sold over 22 million records worldwide.Rammstein's entire catalogue is published by Universal Music Group.

Although the majority of their songs are written in German, Rammstein has had massive success across the world. It has been confirmed that the band has reunited from their vacation and has begun writing their sixth studio album, which will be released in late 2008/early 2009.
Name

Rammstein takes its name indirectly from the West German town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, the site of the flight show disaster on August 28, 1988. The band's signature song, the eponymous Rammstein, is a commemoration of the tragedy that took place at the Ramstein Air Base. The extra "m" in the band's name makes it translate literally as "ramming stone" to convey the Teutonic sound of their music. In a short period before the band became well known, they performed using the name "Rammstein-Flugschau" (literally meaning Rammstein-Airshow.)

Rammstein brings on the flame-throwers during Feuer frei! - Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden, 2004-11-18.

Formation

Rammstein was founded by guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe. After escaping to West Berlin in 1989 and starting the band, Orgasm Death Gimmicks. At that time, he was heavily influenced by American music, especially that of KISS. After the Berlin Wall came down, he moved back home to Schwerin where Till Lindemann worked as a basket weaver and played drums in the band First Arsch (First Arse). At this time, Richard lived with Oliver Riedel, of the band The Inchtabokatables, and Christoph "Doom" Schneider (of Die Firma). Richard realized that the music he had previously created did not properly suit him. He envisioned something that would combine machines as well as the sound of hard guitars. The three started working together on a new project. Richard soon found it extremely difficult to write both music and lyrics at the same time, so he persuaded Lindemann to join Rammstein. Richard first discovered Till when he overheard him singing while he was working.

Early Years (Pre-Herzeleid Era - 1994)

A contest was held in Berlin for amateur bands in 1994, the winner of which would receive the opportunity to record a four track demo CD in a professional studio. Kruspe, Schneider, Riedel, and Lindemann entered and won the contest, which sparked the attention of Paul Landers, who wanted in on the project upon hearing their demo. To complete their sound, Rammstein then attempted to recruit Christian "Flake" Lorenz, who had played with Paul Landers previously in Feeling B. At first, Lorenz was hesitant, but eventually agreed to join the band.

Herzeleid (1995 - 1997)

Rammstein began to record their first studio album entitled Herzeleid in March 1995 with producer Jacob Hellner.They released their first single Du riechst so gut on August 17th and later released the album on September 24th 1995. Later that same year, they toured with Clawfinger in Warsaw and Prague. Rammstein headlined a tour of their own through Germany from December 2nd to December 22nd consisting of 17 shows which helped to boost the band's popularity. They then went on several tours throughout early 1996, releasing their second single entitled Seemann on January 8th 1996.

On March 27th, Rammstein performed on MTV's Hanging Out in London; their first performance in the UK. Rammstein's first major boost in popularity outside of Germany came when director David Lynch chose two Rammstein songs for his new movie entitled Lost Highway, namely 'Heirate Mich' and 'Rammstein'. The soundtrack for the movie was released in the US in the fall of 1996 and later in Europe April 1997.

Rammstein then went on to tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland from September to October 1996, doing an anniversary concert on 27th September called '100 years of Rammstein'. Guests to the concert included Moby, Bobo and The Berlin Session Orchestra, Berlin director Gert Hof was responsible for the light show.

Sehnsucht/Live aus Berlin (late 1996 - 2000)

Rammstein started recording Sehnsucht in November 1996 at the Temple Studios in Malta.The album was again produced by Jacob Hellner. The first single off the album, entitled Engel was released on April 1 1997 and later reached gold on May 23. This prompted the release of a fan edition of the single, appropriately named Engel Fan Edition. This contained two previously unreleased songs Feuerräder and Wilder Wein. Release of the 2nd single off the album "Sehnsucht", Du Hast which hit the German single charts August 1997 at number 5.

Rammstein then continued touring in the summer whilst Sehnsucht was released on August 22nd 1997. The album reached number 1 after only two weeks in the charts. Simultaneously, Herzeleid and both the singles off Sehnsucht (Du Hast and Engel) were in the Top 20 of the German charts. Rammstein continued to headline sold out shows throughout Europe in September, October and November 1997 before releasing their cover of the Kraftwerk song, Das Modell. The single included another unreleased song entitled Kokain. On December 5th 1997, Rammstein embarked on their first tour of the United States, with support from KMFDM. On August 22nd and 23rd 1998, Rammstein played to over 17,000 fans at the Wuhlheide in Berlin; the biggest show the band have ever played there up to that date. Supporting acts were Danzig, Nina Hagen, Joachim Witt and Alaska. The show was professionally videotaped, intended to be released on their upcoming live DVD, Live aus Berlin. Rammstein embarked on a live tour with Korn, Ice Cube, Orgy and Limp Bizkit called the Family Values tour in September through to late October 1998. To further continue their success in the US, Sehnsucht received Gold record status on November 2nd. The Band were nominated at the MTV European Music Awards for Best Rock Act and performed Du Hast live on November 12th of that year.

Rammstein had further success in 1999, starting off the year in February with a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 42nd-annual Grammy Awards. A year after it was filmed, the Live aus Berlin concert was released on CD on 30th August 1999, with a limited edition double CD also available. Two weeks after it was released, Live aus Berlin went to number one in the German Album Charts. On September 13th and November 26th 1999 the video and DVD versions of the concert were released respectively.

Mutter (2000 - 2002)

Rammstein's album Mutter recording took place in the south of France between May 2000 and June 2000, and was later mixed in Stockholm in October of that year. During the Christmas holidays 2000, Rammstein released an MP3 of Links 2 3 4 as a taster for their new album. 2001 was a busy year for Rammstein, starting out in January and February with the band playing the Big Day Out festival in Australia and New Zealand. January also heralded the shooting of the video for their upcoming single Sonne, recorded in Potsdam at Babelsberger Filmstudios from 13th to the 15th. The video was released on 29th January 2001. The single for Sonne was released on February 12th 2001 in Europe, featuring an Instrumental version of the song, two remixes by Clawfinger, and Adios off the upcoming album. Mutter was released on April 2nd 2001, sparking another Rammstein tour through Germany, Austria and Switzerland. On May 14th, the second single off the album Links 2 3 4 was released, along with a video of the single on May 18th. After a tour throughout Europe in June, the band then toured USA, Canada and Mexico from June 2001 to August 2001. Ich Will, the third single from the album was released on September 10th 2001 and a Tour edition of the Mutter album was released, featuring alternative artwork and live versions of "Ich Will", "Links 2-3-4", "Sonne", and "Spieluhr". Between January 8th and January 12th 2002, Rammstein travelled to Prague to participate in a minor scene from the movie 'xXx'. The band is seen in the opening scene of the action movie performing a concert with their song Feuer frei!. Feuer frei! was released across Europe as first single from the Triple X Soundtrack on 14th October 2002. Rammstein released two remixes of the song, Furthermore, the single's tracklisting included "Du Hast" and "Bück Dich" cover versions by Battery. The single cover was an artwork by New York artist Robert Longo. The video for the single was cut by Rob Cohen, which is partly the Rammstein performance at the beginning of the movie and partly snippets from the movie itself.

Reise, Reise (2003 - 2005)

Rammstein recorded Reise, Reise at the El Cortijo studio in southern Spain between November 2003 and December 2003, it was later mixed at Toytown studio in Stockholm, Sweden in April and May of 2004. The first single off of the album was Mein Teil, released on 26th July 2004. The shooting for the video is shot in the Arena, in the Treptow district of Berlin. Outdoor shooting takes place at the Deutsche Oper (Opera House) U-Bahn station on Bismarckstrasse. The director is Zoran Bihac, who was also behind the "Links 2-3-4" video. The "Amerika" video is filmed on the 6th and 7th of August 2004 in the ruins of the former chemical factory in Rüdersdorf near Berlin, Germany under the direction of Jörn Heitmann (who also directed the "Ich will" video, among others). The spacesuits for the moon scenes were borrowed from Hollywood and 240 tons of ash was needed to create the moon landscape. The video premiered on 20th August 2004.

The second single from Reise, Reise was Amerika, released on September 13th 2004. With the album released on September 27th, it went straight to top 10 charts throughout Europe. According to the Billboard charts, Rammstein were now the most successful German-language band of all time. Rammstein then toured Germany through November and some of December 2004, releasing the single Ohne Dich on 22nd November.

In February 2005, Rammstein tour Europe again. Ending on February 28, 2005, Rammstein will have played 21 concerts in front of more than 200,000 spectators in 10 countries. Keine Lust was the fourth single released from Reise, Reise on 28th February 2005. From May 27th 2005 to July 30th 2005, Rammstein play festivals all around Europe and in Russia. Footage from these concerts eventually end up on Rammstein's live DVD Völkerball, released later in November 2006.

Rosenrot/Völkerball (2005 - 2006)

In August 2005, Rammstein revealed the name of their latest studio album, Rosenrot. Their first single from the new album, Benzin, was released on October 5th 2005, with its video premiere on 16th September 2005. The album Rosenrot is released worldwide on October 28th 2005. Directly following the release, the album continues the success-story of forerunner Reise, Reise and takes the top 10 charts in 20 different countries. December 16th 2005 spelled the release of the title track on the album Rosenrot. The video for Mann Gegen Mann was released on 6th February 2006, with the single being released on March 3rd. On February 19th 2006, Rammstein had the honour of having an asteroid named after them, 110393 Rammstein. Some believe their name was chosen because of the music video for "Amerika," which displayed the six members of the band floating above the moon sporting NASA's astronaut suits. On November 17th the first Rammstein Live DVD since Live aus Berlin from 1998 is released. Völkerball shows concert-performances by the band in England, France, Japan and Russia. The Special Edition is extended by a second DVD, which contains the documentaries “Anaconda in the net” by Mathilde Bonnefoy and the “Making of the album Reise, Reise” by Rammstein guitarist Paul Landers. The limited Edition is released as a large black/white photo-book with photos by Frederic Batier, who had accompanied the band through their recent tours. The Photo-book edition contains 2 DVDs and 2 Live albums.

Future upcoming album (2007 - Present)

The band took a time out in 2006, and began work again on 2007. In an interview with German rapper Bushido, who contributed to the Electro Ghetto Remix of Amerika, on January 21, 2007, Bushido reported recording a song with Rammstein called Vergiss uns nicht ("Don't forget us"). In this interview Bushido also mentioned that he was unsure of whether it would be on their "Best of" album or not. This was the first mention of a "Best of" album, or the new album all together.In addition, keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz confirmed this in an interview with Metal Hammer Germany in November, stating that they would most likely release a new album in 2008. The band didn't tour during 2007 due to current album production. Their website confirmed work on a new album, but no word of a "Best of" album has yet been mentioned.

Style

Although Rammstein is often generalized as Neue Deutsche Härte, its music spans a variety of related styles, including industrial hard rock, heavy metal and electronic music with influences of punk rock, pop music and gothic rock, due to their use of keyboards to emulate strings, choirs or pianos. The band was influenced by Laibach, a Slovenian neo-classical and industrial group. Other influences include, Oomph!, and Ministry, but the contrast between individual songs such as Du riechst so gut, Bestrafe mich, Ohne dich and Te quiero puta! makes the band difficult to classify, though most simply refer to them as industrial metal. The band's very, very diverse range of influence has, unsurprisingly, made them appealing to tastes of all kinds, but they are chiefly renowned in industrial, electronica, and heavy metal circles.

Rammstein's style has tended to divide critics, some of whom have responded with memorable comments. Jam Showbiz (April 2001) described Mutter as "music to invade Poland to." New Zealand's Southland Times (Dec. 17, 1999) suggested that Till Lindemann's "booming, sub-sonic voice" would send "the peasants fleeing into their barns and bolting their doors," while the New York Times (Jan. 9, 2005) commented that on the stage, "Mr. Lindemann gave off an air of such brute masculinity and barely contained violence that it seemed that he could have reached into the crowd, snatched up a fan, and bitten off his head." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic commented that "their blend of industrial noise, grinding metal guitars, and operatic vocals is staggeringly powerful.We just push boundaries," said Till Lindemann in an interview with rock magazine Kerrang!. "We can't help it if people don't like those boundaries being pushed."

Lyrics

Nearly all of Rammstein's songs are in German. However, the band did record English versions of Engel ("Angel"), Du hast ("You have", which is most commonly confused with "You hate", since hast and hasst sound phonetically identical, which is also why in the English version they say hate not have because you have me makes little sense), and Amerika, as well as covers of the songs Stripped (Depeche Mode) and Pet Sematary (The Ramones). In addition, the songs Amerika, Stirb nicht vor mir//Don't die before I do and Moskau ("Moscow") contain not only German verses, but also English and Russian choruses, respectively; Te quiero puta! ("I want you, whore!") is entirely in Spanish. Oliver Riedel commented that, "German language suits heavy metal music. French might be the language of love, but German is the language of anger".
The lyrics of Rammstein and above all their talk by singer Till Lindemann are an essential element of music and shape the perception by fans and a wider public. This is, among other things that are often very controversial, and taboo subjects such as sadomasochism (Bück Dich, Rein Raus and Bestrafe Mich), homosexuality (Mann gegen Mann), incest (Spiel mit mir and Tier), pedophilia (Tier and Halleluja) , Necrophilia (Heirate mich), Pyromanie (Benzin and Hilf mir), cannibalism (Mein Teil), the game with religious images (Asche zu Asche) having sex and violence (Wollt ihr das Bett in Flammen sehen).

Wordplay is a fundamental component of Rammstein's lyrics. In many instances, the lyrics are phrased such that they can be interpreted in several ways. The song Du hast, for example, is a play on German marriage vows (Willst Du, bis der Tod euch scheidet, treu ihr sein für alle Tage? - "Will you, until Death separates you, be faithful to her for the rest of your days?"). In the song, the traditional affirmative response, Ja ("Yes"), is replaced by its negation Nein ("No"). The final repetition of this line further perverts the meaning of the original vows through a minor change in the wording Willst Du, bis zum Tod der Scheide ... (Will you, until the Death of the vagina ...). The song starts, in fact, with a play on words: Du... Du hast... Du hast mich... meaning "You have me". This line is often mistaken for "You hate me", because in German, there is no clear distinction between the pronunciation of Du hasst which means "you hate" and Du hast which means "you have". The word game is later resolved as the line is completed; Du hast mich gefragt ("You [have] asked me"). Confusingly, the band did also make an English version of the song named You hate which was not translated directly from Du hast. While many arguments about 'Du Hast' are around, it is known that Rammstein used this wording to mislead and create humour in the song. It was done purposely to toy with the same pronunciation of the words, causing many confused people of the English language to not understand.

Live performances

Rammstein are known for their frequent pyrotechnic use.

Rammstein has achieved particular fame (not to mention notoriety) for its hugely over-the-top stage show, using so many pyrotechnics that fans eventually coined the motto "Other bands play, Rammstein burns!" (a quip at Manowar's song "Kings of Metal", which states, "other bands play, Manowar kill"). After an accident in the Arena in Berlin where some burning decoration parts fell on the audience (September 27, 1996) the band took to employing professionals to handle the pyrotechnics; Lindemann himself is now a licensed pyrotechnician who spends entire songs engulfed head-to-toe in flames. He has suffered multiple burns on his ears, his hair and his arms. The heat is so intense that on occasion, people have been carried out of Rammstein concerts suffering from heat exhaustion, and lighting gantries have been seen glowing red-hot from repeated fireball hits. The variety of the pyrotechnics can be seen in a recent concert playlist, which includes such items as "Lycopodium Masks", "Glitterburst Truss", "Pyrostrobes", "Comets", "Flash Trays" and "Mortar Hits". The band's costumes are equally outlandish. During the Reise, Reise tour they were wearing Lederhosen, corsets and vague military uniforms with steel helmets, while during the Mutter tour the group kept to the themes of the album artwork and descended onto the stage from a giant uterus while wearing diapers. According to Kruspe, the on-stage wackiness is entirely deliberate (Rammstein's motto according to Schneider is: "Do your own thing. And overdo it!"). The aim is to get people's attention and have fun at the same time: "You have to understand that 99 percent of the people don't understand the lyrics, so you have to come up with something to keep the drama in the show. We have to do something. We like to have a show; we like to play with fire. We do have a sense of humor. We do laugh about it; we have fun... but we're not Spinal Tap. We take the music and the lyrics seriously. It's a combination of humor, theater and our East German culture, you know?Their onstage antics have led them to trouble as well. During their stint on the American Family Values Tour 1998, alongside acts such as rapper Ice Cube, Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Orgy, the band was arrested for indecency. In one of the more infamous moments, Rammstein's vocalist, Till Lindemann engaged in simulated sodomy with the keyboardist, Christian Lorenz during their performance of "Bück dich" in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were subsequently arrested and fined $25 and spent the night in jail. The band attempted to appeal the fine, but spent more in legal fees and court fees than the $25 fine.

Covers and adaptations

Apocalyptica performing with Rammstein.

Rammstein's songs have been covered by a number of other artists, These include: "Engel" : The group Gregorian reworked Engel as a Gregorian chant for their album The Dark Side. The same song has been covered by Belgian girls choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers, resulting in a very quiet, brooding version; contrary to the original. "Mein Herz brennt" : The German composer Torsten Rasch has produced a classical symphonic song-cycle entitled "Mein Herz brennt" ("My heart burns"), based on the music of Rammstein. "Seemann" : by Nina Hagen and Apocalyptica. This cover impressed Rammstein so much, that they took Apocalyptica as co-headliner on tour with them in Spring 2005, and invited the band on stage to perform "Ohne dich" ("Without you") and "Mein Herz brennt" ("My Heart burns") together. The "Benzin" single also featured a remix of the song, called "Kerosiini" by Apocalyptica. "Ohne dich" : by Laibach. "Weisses Fleisch" : by the German death metal band Debauchery covered the song for their Back In Blood album. "Mein Teil" : A bluegrass version appears as a bonus track on the band Hayseed Dixie's 2007 album Weapons of Grass Destruction. Rammstein has also done several covers themselves, including "Das Modell" ("The model") by Kraftwerk, "Stripped" by Depeche Mode and "Pet Sematary" by The Ramones (sung by keyboardist Christian "Flake" Lorenz). Cover version of "Schtiel" ("Calm") by Aria was released by vocalist Till Lindemann and guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe as a side project, due to disagreement with Universal records label. It was recently announced that the German pop singer Nena, author of "99 Luftballons" ("99 Air Balloons"), will be doing an album of covers named Cover Me in which it will feature a Rammstein cover of the song "Ein Lied". Till Lindemann appears as a guest singer on the Apocalyptica album Worlds Collide. He takes on David Bowie's song "Heroes", which was also released in German as "Helden". Lindemann sings the German version, making his song the only German-language song on Worlds Collide.Rammstein singles traditionally also have a great quantity of remixes, particularly often from Clawfinger and Meshuggah.

Imagery

The original Herzeleid album cover.

Described by the New York Times as a "powerful strain of brutally intense rock" who "bring gale-force music and spectacular theatrics together", Rammstein has been a band with a highly controversy-prone nature.Rammstein have not been shy about courting this controversy and have periodically attracted condemnation from morality campaigners. Their stage act earned them a night in jail in June 1999 after a liquid-ejecting dildo was used in a concert in Worcester, Massachusetts. Back home in Germany, the band has faced repeated accusations of fascist sympathies due to the dark and sometimes militaristic imagery of their videos and concerts, including the use of excerpts from the film Olympia by Leni Riefenstahl in the video for Stripped. Their debut album Herzeleid, released in Germany in 1995, originally had a cover featuring the band members' upper bodies without clothing; critics accused the band of trying to sell themselves as "poster boys for the Master Race". Rammstein have vigorously denied this and said that they want nothing to do with politics or supremacy of any kind. Christian "Flake" Lorenz, annoyed by the claim, has remarked that it's just a photo, and should be understood as such. Herzeleid has since been given an alternate cover in the United States, depicting the band members' faces. The song "Links 2, 3, 4" (Links being German for "left") was written as a riposte to these claims. According to Kruspe, it means, "'My heart beats on the left, two, three, four'. It's simple. If you want to put us in a political category, we're on the left side, and that's the reason we made the song".[16] On the other hand, this is also an allusion to a military marching cadence since "Links, 2, 3, 4" is typically heard during marching practice in the German army with "links" referring to the left foot. The song is also an answer to the saying "the heart beats left", repeatedly outspoken by Oskar Lafontaine, in 2001 a famous member of the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany), now leader of the Left Party (Die Linke), and almost the title of a book written by him (the title is Das Herz schlägt links instead of Mein Herz schlägt links – "The heart beats left" instead of "My Heart beats left"). According to the German online music magazine Rammstein took with this song position on the side of Oskar Lafontaine. They write: Rammstein binden den Lafontaine-Spruch "Mein Herz schlägt links" in ihren Text ein und zitieren eine Zeile aus einem alten Hannes Wader-Arbeitersong ("Links, zwo, drei, vier; links, zwo, drei, vier; wo dein Platz Genosse ist, reih Dich ein in die Arbeitereinheitsfront, wenn Du auch ein Arbeiter bist"). (Rammstein embed the Lafontaine saying My heart beats left into their lyric and cite a line of an old Hannes Wader workers song ("Left, 2, 3, 4; left 2, 3, 4; where your place is accomplice, queue yourself into the workers united frontline, if you are a worker yourself").) Christian "Flake" Lorenz recently stated on an on-line chat that the song was created in order to show that the band could write a harsh, "evil", military-sounding song that was not about Nazi ideals. Relation to violent events Rammstein were cited in relation to the Columbine High School Massacre in 1999, when photos of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold wearing Rammstein T-shirts were revealed. Though they had absolutely nothing to do with it, the band felt obliged to issue a statement: "The members of Rammstein express their condolences and sympathy to all affected by the recent tragic events in Denver. They wish to make it clear that they have no lyrical content or political beliefs that could have possibly influenced such behaviour. Additionally, members of Rammstein have children of their own, in whom they continually strive to instill healthy and non-violent values". Coincidentally, on September 10, 2001 the single and video clip of Ich will ("I Want") was released which portrays the band as terrorists who want to get a message across and receiving a kind of terrorist award for their "actions". In the United States the video clip was broadcast only late at night after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York City although many media officials and politicians requested the video to be removed from the program completely. Following the tragic conclusion of the Beslan school hostage crisis in Russia in September 2004, the Russian authorities claimed that the hostage-takers had "listened to German hard rock group Rammstein on personal stereos during the siege to keep themselves edgy and fired up".The claim has not been independently confirmed. Band members said this about the issue: "There's been a lot of talk about that, but if there are radical feelings in people anything can wake them – a painting, a picture, whatever. It's just a coincidence that it happened to be our music. It's important to think about what caused them to make their decisions, how they became animals, not their taste in music. Whenever something like this happens it's like 'Okay, let's blame the artist'. Such bullshit. (Till Lindemann). "Our music is made to release aggression, and people listening to it are also needed to do that, but it's not our fault. Should we stop making hard music because bad people might like it?" (Christoph "Doom" Schneider). Pekka-Erik Auvinen, the perpetrator of the Jokela school shooting in November 2007 also included Rammstein in one of his favourite bands. He noted though that, the music among other things was not to blame for his decisions.

Videos

In October 2004, the video for "Mein Teil" ("My part") caused considerable controversy in Germany when it was released. It takes a darkly comic view of the Armin Meiwes cannibalism case, showing a cross dressed Schneider holding the other 5 band members on a leash and rolling around in mud. The controversy did nothing to stop (and may even have helped) the single rising to No. 2 in the German charts. Meiwes (who was convicted of manslaughter in 2004, then retried in 2006 and found guilty of murder) brought suit in January 2006 against the band for infringement of rights to the story. The outcome resulted in a loss for the band of $5.5 million.

The band's own views of its image are sanguine: "We like being on the fringes of bad taste", according to Paul H. Landers, while Christian "Flake" Lorenz comments "The controversy is fun, like stealing forbidden fruit. But it serves a purpose. We like audiences to grapple with our music, and people have become more receptive".

Not all of Rammstein's videos feature excess and pushing the limits of conventional taste. The video of Ohne Dich ("Without You") from Reise, Reise can only be described as lushly filmed and touchingly melancholy.

The video for Mann gegen Mann ("Man against man") from their latest album Rosenrot may have caused some controversy, as most of the band members are naked in the video. The lead singer Till Lindemann is wearing what can best be described as a "latex panties" - most likely because he does not have an instrument with which to cover his genitalia. In addition, there are multiple naked men in the video, with clearly visible buttocks, though genitalia can be seen at 32 seconds into the video on Christian "Flake" Lorenz through the arm of the guitarist (Richard Z. Krupse) and below the keyboard. The video has been played uncensored on MTV. The video has been rated FSK 16 in Germany and therefore can be played on television only after 10pm.

Rayna Foss

2008-07-08T04:44:00.000-07:00

Birth name Rayna Foss
Born August 26, 1970 or 1974
Instrument(s) bass
Associated acts Coal Chamber, Sevendust

Biography

Rayna Foss was born in August 26, 1970 in Atlanta, Georgia. She first started playing bass at a friend's party. His roommate had recently moved out and left the instrument behind. Rayna found it and her friend simply gave it to her.

Shortly thereafter Dez (whom she met through an ex) asked Rayna to audition for a new band. Less than 8 days later she was playing live with what was to become Coal Chamber.

Rayna played with the band on their first two albums and supporting tours. Shortly after their first album was released the band toured with Sevendust where she met drummer Morgan Rose. The two got along surprisingly well and a romantic relationship ensued. Within a year they were married. During the recording of the band's second album Chamber Music Rayna became pregnant with their first child. This led to Nadja Peulen filling in on bass when Rayna was not able to play shows. Shortly after their daughter Kayla Moray Rose was born October 5, 1999 Rayna announced she was leaving Coal Chamber for good as she and her husband had found God.

Rayna's departure was received bitterly by the band's singer Dez who went out of his way to verbally abuse Rayna and her husband.[citation needed] This was reciprocated by Morgan who described Dez as "a piece of shit who is not important to society". Morgan's distaste for Fafara is documented in 'Enemy', the lead-single from Sevendust's 2003 album Seasons.

Two years later, Rayna and Morgan divorced.

Mike Cox (Bug)

2008-07-08T03:52:00.000-07:00

Birth name Mike Cox (Bug) (ancien batteur)
Born : 31 August 1977, Los Angeles

Mikey "Bug" Cox was the drummer of Coal Chamber. The youngest also from the original line-up.

Biography

He was born in August 31st, 1977 in Detroit, Michigan. Cox joined Coal Chamber after auditioning in answer to a newspaper advertisement, and beat out his older brother Travis for the position. He recorded three albums with the band while signed on Roadrunner Records, achieving minor commercial and mainstream success with fellow nu metal bands such as Korn. Cox also toured with Coal Chamber on several headlining and festival shows, including Ozzfest. Since parting ways with Coal Chamber in October 2002, Mikey has worked with Paige Haley of Orgy to produce the first demo album of Colorado band, ION,and was in a band with Haley as well. This came to an abrupt end when Cox got into a near fatal car accident where doctors state " If he wasn't unconscious at the time of impact he would have been killed or at least would have broken every bone in his face " The injuries stemming from the accident forced Cox to take a three year absence from playing drums. In that time , expanded his education in Pro tools and audio Production.

In 2006 , fully recovered from the injuries began playing again which led to the joining of "Machine Gun Orchestra". A band who was formed by long time friend Jay Gordon. Gordon was the vocalist and creature of the multi platinum band Orgy who has producer credit on Linkin Park as well as on Coal Chamber's debut album , which is certified Gold in The united States. Cox and Gordon plan on the debut record for Machine Gun Orchestra to be finished in 2008.

Miscellaneous

Cox and Coal Chamber bassist, Rayna Foss-Rose, became close friends and eventually shared an apartment. He received the nickname "Bug" from Foss-Rose because he says she would sleep late and when he was bored he would go into her room to bug her and wake her up.

Contrary to popular belief, Cox did graduate from high school. He calls himself a kid with no friends that hated high school so much he got good grades so he could actually graduate early. He joined the band shortly after the completion of high school.

Nadja Puelen Porombka

2008-07-08T03:42:00.000-07:00

Birth name Nadja Peulen
Born October 1, 1979 (1979-10-01) (age 28), Germany
Genre(s) Nu metal
Occupation(s) Bassist
Instrument(s) Bass
Associated acts Coal Chamber, Roadrunner United

Nadja Peulen (Born October 1st, 1979) is a recording artist from Germany who replaced Coal Chamber's Rayna Foss-Rose for live performances. She did not record in the studio with Coal Chamber, simply replaced Rayna on tour due to Rayna's marriage to, and child with, Sevendust's drummer Morgan Rose.

Peulen replaced Rayna Foss Rose in 1999 during her pregnancy for almost 12 months on tour in support of Coal Chamber's second album "Chamber Music". Rayna came back to the band after her pregnancy leave and recorded their third album "Dark Days". Shortly after recording Dark Days, Rayna quit the band and Nadja was called to join the band and engage in touring in support of Dark Days. The band broke up during the Dark Days tour in 2002 and Nadja continued to play music and has been seen playing in Cypress Hill videos "Rocksuperstar" & "What's your number".

She also started her own T-shirt company called "CruelTees and her apparel can be purchased in Hot Topic stores and on the net.

In 2005, Nadja recorded bass on "The End", Dino Cazares' (ex-Fear Factory/Divine Heresy) song on the Roadrunner United: The All Star Sessions album released in October 2005. This song became the album's first single and the video featured Matt Heafy (Trivium), Dino Cazares, Logan Mader (Machine Head/Soulfly), Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour) and Nadja.

She also appeared on Joey Jordison's "Tired 'N Lonely" live TV performance for Fuse's "Metal Asylum" show. This song was also on the Roadrunner United: The All Star Sessions album . The live band for this performance was; Joey Jordison (Slipknot), Keith Caputo (Life of Agony), Matt Baumbach (VOD), and Acey Slade (Dope/Murderdolls).

Miguel Rascon (Meegs)

2008-07-08T03:34:00.000-07:00

Miguel Rascón (born August 20, 1972 in Mexico) better known by the stage name Meegs, is a rock guitarist of Chinese and Mexican descent. He has resided in Los Angeles, California since his teenage years.

Biography

Rascón is most famous for his role as guitarist in nu metal band Coal Chamber, during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Though he had previously played with vocalist Dez Fafara in a band known as "She's In Pain" which the two formed in 1992, it would be another two years before he and Fafara formed Coal Chamber in 1994.

With the group Meegs recorded three albums that were released on Roadrunner Records, which garnered commercial success. They were also apart of the first three Ozzfest tours. Rascón and the band went their separate ways, after they subsequently broke-up in 2003.

Since the break-up of Coal Chamber, Meegs formed a new band; Piñata, with a more melodic hard rock sound than music he had previously made, in 2006 the group changed their name to Glass Piñata.

Trivia

* The nickname "Meegs" was given to him by friend; Elijah Blue Allman of Deadsy.
* Jay Gordon of Orgy and Rascón lived together in an apartment for some time.
* In 2001 Meegs collaborated with Jessicka from the band Jack Off Jill on the song "Iieee", for a Tori Amos tribute album.
* For Darkwave band Switchblade Symphony's remix album "Sinister Nostalgia", he mixed the track "Cocoon".
* He is 5'7" tall.
* When he was younger he practiced guitar for as long as 7 hours per day.

Dez Fafara

2008-07-08T00:52:00.000-07:00

Birth name: Bradley Dez Fafara
Born:May 12, 1966 (1966-05-12) (age 42)
Origin: Santa Barbara, California, United States
Genre(s): Melodic death metal, Groove metal, Nu metal, alternative metal
Occupation(s): Vocalist
Years active: 1994–Present
Label(s): Roadrunner Records
Associated acts: DevilDriver, Coal Chamber

Personal life

Dez is of Italian descent. His father, Tiger Fafara, was a child actor on the Leave It to Beaver sitcom, playing the character "Tooey Brown."

Dez's wife is named Anahstasia, and she appears on the cover of the second Coal Chamber album Chamber Music. Dez has 3 sons: Tyler, Simon and Kaleb. "Tyler's Song", from the album Chamber Music, was written for Tyler. Simon, age 9, recently added backing growls on DevilDriver's third album, The Last Kind Words (2007), on the song Tirades Of Truth, during the last two lines of the chorus.

Dez has a great fondness for wine, particularly chianti.

Dez has an on going rivalry with Sevendust in particular Morgan Rose.

Coal Chamber

Dez released a total of 5 albums with Coal Chamber. Three of the albums, Coal Chamber (1997), which went gold, Chamber Music (1999), and Dark Days (2002), consisted of new material. An album of remixes, rarities, and b-sides, titled Giving the Devil His Due (2003) and a "Best Of" (2004) were also released. Coal Chamber disbanded in 2003, shortly after Dez formed his current band DevilDriver. Recently, Meegs said in an interview on VM Underground that he and Dez were in their 20s when Coal Chamber were signed.

Dez refuses to talk about his earlier years with Coal Chamber but the subject of their break up was that according to Meegs Rascon in a recent interview that their relationship was tearing down but he has mentioned that he will miss singing Coal Chamber Songs.

Compilations/Collaborations

Dez has appeared on more than 12 soundtrack records, including Scream 3, which also went gold. He also collaborated with Ozzy Osbourne for a remake of "Shock the Monkey", a song originally by Peter Gabriel, that was released on the album Chamber Music. This song propelled this record to debut 22 on the billboard charts upon release.

Fafara recently recorded a song for the compilation Roadrunner United, an album created by Roadrunner Records for their 25th year anniversary. The song, titled "Baptized In The Redemption", featured Dez on vocals with Dino Cazares (ex-Fear Factory), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Paul Gray (Slipknot) and Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour, ex-Soulfly). Dez worked with Nikki Sixx (Mötley Crüe) on a song called "Where is God Tonight?". Dez has also worked with Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down, Superjoint Ritual) on an early side project Viking Crown

Tattoos

Dez has a large assortment of tattoos, including a tribal tattoo on his chin, a Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo on his chest, the DevilDriver logo on his upper arm, the words "My God Has Horns" and 66 on his neck, and the Coal Chamber logo on his forearm.

Coal Chamber Biography

2008-07-07T23:39:00.000-07:00

Coal Chamber was an American alternative metal/nu metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band formed in 1994 and disbanded in 2003.

Origin Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre(s) Alternative metal,Nu metal
Years active 1994–2003
Label(s) Roadrunner
Associated acts Devildriver, Glass Piñata, Butterfly Knife, Machine Gun Orchestra, She's in Pain

Coal Chamber broke out of the Los Angeles alternative metal scene in 1997 with a sound often compared to Korn, although both bands formed around the same time and are quality representations of the scene's overall sound -- the heavy, detuned guitars of the murkiest Black Sabbath, grungy, noisy textures reminiscent of White Zombie or Tool, the white-knuckle intensity of Pantera and hardcore punk, and perhaps a few hip-hop-influenced beats á la Biohazard. Coal Chamber was formed in 1994 by vocalist/lyricist B. Dez Fafara and guitarist Miguel "Meegs" Rascon, who met through a classified ad; the two added drummer Mike "Mikee" Cox and bassist Rayna Foss, the latter of whom heard about auditions through her roommate, Fafara's future wife. A huge local buzz following gigs at the Roxy and the Whisky A-Go-Go, along with a demo tape championed by Fear Factory's Dino Cazares, got the band an opportunity to sign with Roadrunner Records late in 1994, but Fafara suddenly quit due to disagreements with his wife over the band. By the spring of 1995, Fafara changed his mind and returned, a decision that ultimately cost him his marriage, but a renewed sense of energy helped Coal Chamber regain their Roadrunner deal by the end of the year. Their self-titled debut was released in 1997; Chamber Music followed two years later. The album was a minor success but its mixture of goth rock imagery and nu metal thuggery made for an uneven album. They toured heavily behind it but by the time it came time to record the next album, bassist Rayna Foss-Rose was gone to raise her daughter, leaving the band with Nadja Peulen. Nadja took Foss-Rose's place during her pregnancy between the first two albums, but she accepted the invitation to come back as a full time member during the recording of the next record. The resulting album, Dark Days, was released in the spring of 2002. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Wikipedia: Coal Chamber

Originally formed in 1994 when vocalist/lyricist Dez Fafara and guitarist Miguel Rascón met through a classified ad and combined their preferred band names (Meegs like "Coal" and Dez preferred "Chamber"). Drummer Mike Cox and bassist Rayna Foss completed the Coal Chamber lineup.

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory championing a demo tape and Coal Chamber causing a huge local stir with gigs at The Roxy Theatre and the Whisky A Go Go eventually lead Roadrunner Records to offer to sign Coal Chamber in late 1994.

Fafara dropped out of the band quite suddenly due to disagreements about the band with his wife. In the spring of 1995 Dez reunited with Coal Chamber, ending his marriage but revitalizing the band. With a renewed sense of energy Coal Chamber was able to regain their deal with Roadrunner by the end of 1995.

In 1997 their debut self-titled album Coal Chamber was released. Though they toured very heavily supporting this album its mix of nu metal and goth rock imagery was not very successful.

Chamber Music followed two years later. Between the two releases bassist Rayna Foss had gotten married and become pregnant necessitating another bass player on tour; a role happily filled by Nadja Peulen.

Nadja continued playing bass for the recording of Coal Chamer's third album as Rayna chose to leave the band to raise Kayla Moray Rose. Dark Days was released in the spring of 2002.

Formation

The band gained a large following early in their career arguably because they were the first "darker" themed nu metal band with an image that had more in common with the goth subculture than hip hop culture.
The band gained a large following early in their career arguably because they were the first "darker" themed nu metal band with an image that had more in common with the goth subculture than hip hop culture.

Errata

Prior to Coal Chamber Dez Fafara and Meegs Rascón formed the band She's in Pain in 1992.

Chamber Music (1999–2001)

Chamber Music was released in late 1999 and took a step away from the nu metal image egendered in their prior release having instead a more Gothic Metal inspired feel. With the bit of commercial success Coal Chamber received after Chamber Music the band toured on headlining and festival tours. The band managed to catch the attention of Ozzy Osbourne's wife Sharon Osbourne who became their manager. Coal Chamber later parted ways with Sharon over personal and creative differences, a theme which continued within the band causing them to take a break from touring and resulting in their non-participation in the Tattoo the Earth tour in 2000.

Dark Days/Dispansion (2002–2003)

The band followed up with their third album Dark Days in early 2002 to mixed reviews. Bassist Rayna Foss had left the band to raise her daughter shortly after the album was recorded; she was replaced by Nadja Peulen who had taken Foss-Rose's place during her pregnancy between the first two albums. Rayna had a falling out with frontman Dez Fafara saying that she and her husband had "found Christ" and would be leaving Coal Chamber for good.

In May 2002, it was announced that Coal Chamber had broken up after an on-stage altercation between Dez and Meegs during a show in Lubbock, Texas. They had been fighting verbally before the show and continued to fight on-stage with Meegs hitting Dez in the head with the headstock of his guitar. Dez announced "This is the last Coal Chamber show ever!" and stormed offstage. The band attempted to continue the show with Meegs singing vocals but soon stopped the show altogether. Mikey demolished his drumkit before storming offstage. The band managed to patch things up long enough for an appearance on "Last Call With Carson Daly" and a summer tour with American Head Charge, Lollipop Lust Kill, and Medication. These would be the last shows the band would ever play.

In October 2002, Mikey "Bug" Cox was fired after several personal disputes with both Fafara and guitarist Meegs Rascón. The official release on the Coal Chamber website stated that the band was looking for a new drummer, although all band activities had come to a standstill.

Late summer 2003 saw the release of a compilation album titled Giving the Devil His Due which included several demo tracks submitted by the band prior to their signing with Roadrunner Records in 1997 along with several alternate studio recordings and remixes of various tracks from their previous releases. Coal Chamber officially called it a day in 2003 shortly after lead vocalist Dez Fafara continued with his new band DevilDriver.

In 2004 The Best Of Coal Chamber was released.

In June 2005 Fafara stated that Coal Chamber's hiatus is permanent and will not be reforming at any time in the future. He has also described a Coal Chamber reformation as "like repeating the 4th Grade again".

In September 2007 Rascon stated that "you never know what the future brings".

Members

Main Members

* Dez Fafara - Vocals
* Miguel "Meegs" Rascón - Guitar
* Nadja Peulen - Bass
* Mikey "Bug" Cox - Drums

Former Members

* Rayna Foss - Bass

After Coal Chamber

After the disbandment of Coal Chamber Fafara continued as vocalist of metal band DevilDriver, recording three albums: DevilDriver, The Fury of Our Maker's Hand, and The Last Kind Words.

Guitarist Meegs Rascon went on to form rock band "Glass Piñata", previously known as “Pinata”. The group has so far only released demos via their website.

Bassist Nadja Puelen created t-shirt company Cruel Tees sold online and through stores such as Hot Topic. She is currently selling her bass from the Chamber Music tour.

After taking 2 years off to recover from a car accident drummer Mikey "Bug" Cox joined forces with long time friend, producer of Coal Chamber's self titled début, and ORGY mastermind Jay Gordon. The band is called "Machine Gun Orchestra" and is currently in the studio working on their début album to be released in 2008.

Smelly

2008-07-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

Also known as Smelly
Real name Erik Sandin
Born July 29, 1966 (1966-07-29) (age 41)
Genre(s) Punk rock, Ska punk, Skate punk
Instrument(s) Drums
Years active 1983 - present
Associated acts NOFX

Erik Sandin, often called Smelly, is the drummer of the popular California punk band NOFX. The alias of Smelly comes from the flatulence released from him while he did heroin and acid. He was a founding member of the band when they formed in Hollywood, California, in 1983, but moved to Santa Barbara two years later, leaving the band.

In just one year without Sandin, the band had already gone through two drummers (Scott Sellers and Scott Aldahl) and in 1986 the band talked Sandin into rejoining NOFX. He was addicted to heroin since his departure from NOFX, but in 1992 before the White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean recordings, he checked into a rehabilitation facility and cleaned himself up. According to the NOFX official website: "He [Erik] won't even eat chicken if it has wine sauce on it. He made it clear that NOFX was more important to him than drugs." He has been NOFX's permanent drummer since his return in 1986, and played drums on every NOFX full-length album and EP released.

The band Dogpiss featured a song about him called "Erik Sandin's Stand In" on the Fat Wreck Chords compilation album Short Music For Short People.

Aliases

* Erik Ghint (Arrogant) - White Trash, Two Heebs And A Bean
* Erik Shun (Erection) - S&M Airlines
* Groggy Nodbeggar - Ribbed
* Chris Telmeth (Crystal meth)
* Herb Reath Stinks (Her breath stinks) - Punk in Drublic
* Seymour Butts (See more butts) - The Longest Line EP
* Smelly - So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes, The War on Errorism

Misc:

* Went to rehab in the mid 90's and has been completely sober since
* Only uses a single kick (as opposed to a double bass kick)
* Quit NOFX at one point to attend college, but later rejoined