NADA SURF ****

 
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws (guitar, vocals), Ira Elliot (drums, backup vocals) and Daniel Lorca (bass, backup vocals).

History

Early years

Nada Surf was formed in the early nineties by Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca. After meeting in Lycée français de New York (USA) and spending some of their childhood in France and Belgium. They played in many bands, including The Cost of Living and Because Because Because. Their first drummer (Dan), later alluded to in the song "The Plan" (High/Low). Dan being replaced by Aaron Conte, recorded its first 7", The Plan/Telescope (1994/Stickboy), as well as the demo tape Tafkans, the raw version of High/Low. Those raw versions were later released on their second 7", Deeper Well/Pressure Free (1995/Deep Elm Records), on the Karmic EP and on North 6th Street.

Conte left the band in January 1995 and was replaced by Ira Elliot, former drummer of the Fuzztones (1984–1985), a very active band of the eighties NYC scene, of whom both Caws and Lorca were fans. Caws and Lorca had always intended to invite him to join, but wanted to wait until they improved as musicians. Elliot's arrival infused a new energy into the band; Caws and Lorca's ambitions greatly increased, partly to ensure Ira stayed with the band.

After a show at the Knitting Factory, Nada Surf met former Cars frontman and Weezer producer Ric Ocasek. With little hope, they presented him with a copy of Tafkans. Three weeks later, Ocasek called back with the news of his intention to produce the band's album. At the same time, the band was finalizing a contract with Elektra Records, through an executive, Terry Tolkin, who was working for its indie branch, No.6 Records, on which their release, the Karmic EP had been released in 1995.

Negotiations with Elektra did not pan out, so Ocasek connected the band with Maverick Records. The band flew to Los Angeles for a hectic audition; Caws had the flu, and they had to rent gear.

High/Low was recorded and mastered in January 1996 within a 19-day period. The recording was paid for by Elektra before the band signed its contract on January 18, 1996.

Major period

During the summer of 1996, as Nada Surf toured the United States with Superdrag, their song "Popular" became a summer anthem, and the band toured overseas.

In Europe, The Proximity Effect was released in September 1998, produced by Fred Maher. However, the album did not gain commercial success in the United States.

Their record label, thinking the album lacked a hit like "Popular", had the band record many covers, including "Black & White" (The dBs) and "Why Are You So Mean To Me?" (Vitreous Humor), to use them as singles.

Tired of the requirements of the A&R director, the band judged the album was complete and perfect as-is (even though Elektra even suggested the inclusion of an acoustic version of "Popular"), and broke its contract. As a consequence, Elektra did not release the album in the US and dropped the band while they were on a promotional tour in Europe. Despite these events, this album was critically acclaimed in France, where the band made a 30-show tour in March 1999.

Independent period and resurgence

After being dropped by Elektra, the band waged a legal battle to get the rights to The Proximity Effect; the litigation ending in the year 2000, and the band released the album in August 2000 on their own label, MarDev (named after Caws' maternal grandmother, Margaret Devereux Lippitt, daughter of the painter Margaret Walthour Lippitt). Following the album's release, Nada Surf performed at their record release party at Luna Lounge in New York City and toured intensively for several months to rebuild their North American fan base.

During this three-year forced break (1999–2002), the band members took regular day jobs, Caws working at a nearby record store, Lorca working on some computer projects, and Elliot doing drums and guitar sessions for other artists. Caws would later refer to these times as a period of luxury.

In 2001, they recorded most of the songs for Let Go, produced by their friends Louie Lino and Chris Fudurich, who had engineered The Proximity Effect. The band paid them with $1 and $5 bills, the money earned from tour merchandise sales. Let Go was critically acclaimed, with the "Inside of Love" single receiving decent airplay. The release was followed by many months of touring, including many European festivals in the summer of 2003.

Nada Surf followed Let Go with The Weight Is a Gift (produced by Chris Walla, among others) in 2005. The band finished touring for The Weight Is a Gift in October 2006.

In March and August 2007, the band recorded their fifth album, Lucky, with producer John Goodmanson in the Robert Lang Studios in Seattle. The album was released on February 4, 2008 in Europe and on February 5, 2008 in the US.

Nada Surf was featured on the cover of Beyond Race magazine for the publication's winter 2008 issue.

Nada Surf's song "No Quick Fix" was featured as the Spinner Mp3 of the Day in 2008.

Their sixth album, If I Had A Hi-Fi, features their take on 12 of the bands favorite songs from other bands and artists. Milwaukee noise rock band IfIHadAHiFi plans to reciprocally title their forthcoming 2011 album Nada Surf.

MATCHBOX 20 ****

Matchbox Twenty (originally spelled officially as Matchbox 20 aka MB20) is an American rock band, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995. The group currently comprises Rob Thomas (lead vocals, piano), Paul Doucette (rhythm guitarist, drums), Brian Yale (bassist), Kyle Cook (lead guitarist) and Ryan MacMillan (drums, percussion).

Matchbox Twenty rose to international fame with their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You (1996), which was certified diamond in the United States and multi-platinum in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Their second album, Mad Season, released in 2000, charted in the top three on the Billboard 200 and was certified 4× platinum in the United States. Their third album, More Than You Think You Are, released in 2002, was certified double platinum in the United States. However, it was not as successful as the previous two albums, despite its singles receiving significant airplay.

The band then went on hiatus in 2004, and rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor left the band in 2005, after performing on the first three studio albums. As a result, Paul Doucette took over rhythm guitar, and the band re-united and released a compilation album, Exile on Mainstream, in 2007, which was certified gold in the United States. Matchbox Twenty is currently on hiatus, and its members are focusing on solo work. However, the band did perform together on January 1, 2011 and stated they are currently working on a new record.

History

Formation (1995)

Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette were part of the band Tabitha's Secret which was based in Orlando, Florida, with fellow members John Stanley and John Goff, before splitting to start a new band (what was to become Matchbox Twenty). After recruiting Adam Gaynor from Criteria Recording Studios in Miami and Kyle Cook from the Atlanta Institute of Music, the band named themselves Matchbox 20 and won a recording contract with Atlantic Records.

Yourself or Someone Like You (1996–2000)

Matchbox Twenty released their debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in 1996. While their first single, "Long Day", was a rock radio-only success, the album soon spawned several Top 40 singles throughout 1997 and 1998, including "Push", "3 A.M.", "Real World", and "Back 2 Good". "Push" and "3 A.M." did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 chart due to the rule in effect prior to 1998 that required a song to be released as a single in order to appear on the Hot 100. "Real World" and "Back 2 Good" proved to be the band's first entries into the Billboard Hot 100, after the rule was terminated. The album eventually sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone, achieving a diamond certification. In 1998, Matchbox Twenty recorded a live version of their single, "3 A.M." for release on the charity album Live in the X Lounge, benefiting autism research.

Before recording their second album, Rob Thomas collaborated with Itaal Shur on a song called "Smooth" for Carlos Santana's comeback album, Supernatural. Thomas was supposed to act only as a songwriter for "Smooth", but Carlos Santana had him sing for it after hearing the song's demo. "Smooth" was the album's lead single and became a huge hit in 1999. Thomas won three Grammy Awards for writing and performing on "Smooth": Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Popular Music Collaboration with Vocals.

 

Mad Season (2000–2002)

During 2000, Matchbox 20 renamed themselves to Matchbox Twenty and released their second album, Mad Season. The album, on the strength of several successful singles, including "Bent" (which peaked #1 on the Hot 100 chart) and "If You're Gone", was certified 4x platinum in the United States. The video for "Bent" made fun of singer Thomas' increased fame from "Smooth" by showing the other band members assaulting him. The next two singles, "Mad Season" and "Last Beautiful Girl" were not as successful.

More Than You Think You Are and hiatus (2002–2007)

For their third album, More Than You Think You Are, the band revived more of a rock sound. Thomas shared the songwriting efforts with the other band members on several songs. The album again spawned successful singles "Disease" (written with Mick Jagger), "Unwell", and "Bright Lights". The album was not as successful commercially as the previous two, and received mixed reviews from critics. However, the album had an enormous radio presence for well over a year.

During 2003, the band released EP, consisting of six songs. The EP had never before released live and acoustic versions of former songs like "Push" and "If You're Gone", and also a new track, "Suffer Me".

In May 2004, the band released a live DVD, Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty, filmed in Atlanta and featuring 20 songs, including all of their previous successful singles.

In February 2005, rhythm guitarist Gaynor officially left the group, which had been on hiatus to allow other members to pursue side projects. Rob Thomas released a solo album, …Something to Be, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. The album featured four successful singles: "Lonely No More", "This Is How a Heart Breaks", "Ever the Same", and "Streetcorner Symphony".

In January 2007, Rob Thomas released a single, "Little Wonders", which he wrote for the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons.

Exile on Mainstream and the future (2007-present)

The group reunited again and began performing during 2007, with the release of their 'retrospective' album Exile on Mainstream, on October 2, 2007. "How Far We've Come" was the first single from the new album, which was followed by the second single, "These Hard Times". "Exile on Mainstream" included four other new songs and a complete collection of all eleven of their previously released singles. The album was also released in the new MVI (Music Video Interactive) format, which included two video interviews discussing the six new songs and eleven greatest hits, plus extras including a photo gallery, U-MYX (to remix "How Far We've Come"), buddy icons and wallpapers. "How Far We've Come" was released on the band's MySpace page in July 2007, with the video released on September 6, 2007.

Matchbox Twenty toured during early 2008 with Alanis Morissette and opener Mutemath. The band began their US tour on January 25, 2008, in Hollywood, FL, and concluded in Las Vegas, NV, on March 18, 2008 before heading to Australia and New Zealand, where the Australian band Thirsty Merc was the supporting act. Following Australia, Matchbox Twenty visited the UK for the first time in five years to play six concerts in Cardiff, Wembley, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester. Matchbox Twenty performed at the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup award ceremony.

When the band finished touring later during 2008, Rob Thomas began work on his second solo album, Cradlesong. He stated in an interview to Billboard that he expected that the other members of the band might begin work on Matchbox Twenty's next album without him. At the concert at Mohegan Sun Casino on December 18th, 2009, Rob Thomas said that he was not frequently playing Matchbox Twenty songs at his 2009 tour stops because the band was planning to tour together in 2010.

At the Taste of Chicago on July 2nd, 2010, Thomas said that Matchbox Twenty would be recording this fall for their fifth studio album. On September 4, 2010, while on VH1's Top 20 Music Video Countdown, Thomas stated that Matchbox Twenty is planning to start working on their next studio album in mid September and that he was 80% sure that the album would be released sometime in 2011. Rob Thomas posted on Twitter that he was "heading out next week to start writing the new mb20 record" on September 13th 2010. It was stated on Matchbox Twenty's web site that the next show they will do together is on January 1st 2011 in Oklahoma.

MARCY PLAYGROUND ***

Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy".

 

History

Early years

The band is named after the Marcy Open grade school in Minneapolis, which is an alternative school John Wozniak attended. He chose the name because many of his songs were inspired by his childhood. Marcy Playground emerged in the late 1990s. Influences include David Bowie, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, Nirvana and the Beatles. The influences are quite clear on Marcy Playground's self-titled album, with songs like Shadow of Seattle and Saint Joe On The School Bus. Frontman John Wozniak's first effort, Zog BogBean - From the Marcy Playground, was self-produced, recorded in his bedroom studio with some help from his then-girlfriend Sherry Fraser and her brother Scott in the early nineties. A small run of CDs were self-released by Wozniak, and to this day they remain extremely difficult to find. "Our Generation" and "Dog And His Master," two songs found on Wozniak's Zog BogBean project, would appear on later Marcy Playground albums. As of April 2009, Zog BogBean is available for download at Marcy Playground's official site as well as other outlets such as iTunes.

Marcy Playground (self-titled album) (1997–1998)

After attending the Evergreen State College for two years, Wozniak moved east to New York, in order to work with Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer Jared Kotler who John had known from suburban Philadelphia. Jared believed in John's songwriting talent and put together money with his cousin Jeff White in order to pay for the duo to record at Sabella Recording Studios, in nearby Roslyn NY. After hearing the two records worth of material Jared and John had recorded of John's songs, Capitol Records became interested in the music. Kurt Rosenwinkel, a mutual friend, introduced bassist Dylan Keefe to John Wozniak and Marcy Playground began performing in NYC. The band was signed to capitol in 1995 and they performed a series of NYC club dates that would be the first incarnation of Marcy Playground as a band.

Personal problems between John and Jared reached a peak after a year of playing the New York music scene and drummer Dan Rieser was brought in to replace Jared. The self-titled album was released in 1997, with the first single, "Poppies", released soon after. Marcy Playground emerged into the mainstream with the success of the single "Sex and Candy". The song spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album went platinum and managed to spawn two other singles, "Saint Joe on the School Bus" and "Sherry Fraser". Marcy Playground is quiet and minimalist in tone. Wozniak's songs run in many different styles: some are modern folk music; many have undertones reminiscent of children's songs; the blurred sound of psychedelia makes appearances; and then there are the songs with a clear rock sound.

Shapeshifter (1999–2000)

Marcy Playground's next outing was 1999's Shapeshifter. A minor controversy came to light when Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers revealed on Marcy Playground's website forum that the cover art for Shapeshifter had originally been conceptualized and commissioned by Leary for his band's aborted After the Astronaut album. He admitted to being a fan of Marcy Playground and Leary's outrage was eased once he learned that Capitol Records, former home of the Butthole Surfers and then-current home of Marcy Playground, had pitched the artwork to Wozniak as original work from their own art department and that Marcy Playground had no knowledge of the work's origins. Upon learning the truth, Wozniak proclaimed that he was "honored" to have an album cover designed by Paul Leary. It's Saturday the album's lead single, managed to hit No. 23 on the Modern Rock Charts, and followed by a second single, Bye Bye.

After Shapeshifter, drummer Dan Rieser left the band to pursue other interests. The position was eventually filled on his recommendation by Gonzalo "Gonz" Martinez De La Cotera, a friend whose previous band Lincoln had opened for Marcy Playground.

MP3 (2004–2006)

After a considerable hiatus; "Marcy Playground" recorded a follow-up to Shapeshifter, Marcy Playground's third album, MP3, was finally released in 2004.

Marcy Playground did some touring in support of MP3. The album's first single, "Deadly Handsome Man" was a song featured on the Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back movie soundtrack a few years earlier under its original title, "The Devil's Song". The second single, "Punk Rock Superstar" surprised many fans while bringing in some new ones, when it was featured on the XBox 360's playlist upon its re-release in 2006.Other singles from the album include "Blood In Alphabet Soup" and "No One's Boy", both were featured on promotional ads for MP3. One album track, "Paper Dolls," was co-written by Jimi Haha of the alternative rock band Jimmie's Chicken Shack. On the track titled, "Hotter Than the Sun," Wozniak reflects on the band's one-time success and remains positive about the band's future. 

Leaving Wonderland (2009)

Marcy Playground's fourth album, Leaving Wonderland...in a fit of rage, was released on July 7, 2009. Originally conceived as a solo record by John Wozniak, he later brought Dylan Keefe into the project and the record was released under the bands name. Leaving Wonderland features 12 songs, including the singles "Good Times" and "Blackbird." Also included on the record is a version of "Memphis," a Marcy Playground b-side that Wozniak's wife felt deserved a second breath of life. Sherry Frasier, Wozniak's longtime friend and lead vocalist of Two Ton Boa, designed the album cover. Leaving Wonderland was Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Producer Jeff Dawson.

The band has also stated its intention to release a collection of b-sides and previously unheard tracks, culled from over a decade of recording sessions. No release date or tracklist has yet been finalized.

Indaba remixes from Wonderland (2010-present)

Marcy Playground's fifth album, Indaba remixes from Wonderland, was released on September 28, 2010. "Indaba remixes from Wonderland" is a new CD and digital collection of remixes from Marcy Playground's 2009 critically-acclaimed album "Leaving Wonderland...in a fit of rage". Marcy Playground partnered with Indaba Music to offer fans the opportunity to remix songs from their album "Leaving Wonderland". Marcy Playground then selected their favorite mixes, from hundreds submitted, to be included on "Indaba". This is the first time Marcy Playground had an album produced exclusively from fan submitted remixes to Indaba Music in which the winners will receive royalties from album sales.

Marcy Playground frontman John Wozniak stated: "I wanted to make this record to show people what the online music community is capable of. I believe the talent reflected in these tracks speaks for itself. This community is thriving. It's thriving because musicians feed on inspiration they get from other musicians. Music is not meant to be a solitary endeavor. It's something we like to do with other people."

2009-2010 Tour

After Gonzalo Martinez's departure from the band, family-friend Shlomi Lavie stepped in to fill the void as drummer for the band's 2009 tour, promoting two new albums. After a successful 4-Day Carnival Cruise show(s) in the Bahamas alongside Post-grunge band Sponge it was announced that the band would kick off an official tour for the Spring of 2009, playing in venues along the California coastline, including the notorious Key Club, as well as various cities in Canada and North Carolina. On May 8 they played at Cantina's in Sparks, Nevada with opening band "Nevada."

Marcy Playground were to tour many venues in support of their new album "Indaba remixes from Wonderland" through 2010.

LIVE ****

Live (pronounced / laɪv/, rhymes with "five", often typeset as LĪVE) was an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals and guitar), Chad Taylor (lead guitar), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), and Chad Gracey (drums). Touring members have included Ed's younger brother Adam Kowalczyk as a rhythm guitarist, British keyboard player Michael "Railo" Railton, and guitarist Christopher Thorn of Blind Melon.

Live achieved worldwide success with their 1994 album, Throwing Copper, which has sold eight million copies in the US. The band had a string of hit singles in the mid 1990s including "Lightning Crashes", which stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for 10 consecutive weeks and the Modern Rock Tracks (now Alternative Songs) chart for nine weeks from February 25 to April 22, 1995. The band has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Their last three studio albums fared only moderately well in the US, but they continued to enjoy success in The Netherlands, South Africa and Australasia.

On November 30, 2009 Chad Taylor's personal blog revealed that what had initially been termed a "two-year hiatus" was more likely a permanent break-up, due to what he felt were inappropriate and possibly illegal actions by Ed Kowalczyk, which have resulted in a lawsuit being filed against him by the other three band members.

History

Early history and Mental Jewelry: 1988–1992

Kowalczyk, Taylor, Dahlheimer and Gracey first played together at a middle-school talent show in York, Pennsylvania. They remained together throughout high school, playing new wave covers under band names such as First Aid, Club Fungus, Paisley Blues, Action Front, and Body Odor Boys. Eventually they settled on the name Public Affection and recorded a self-released cassette of original songs, The Death of a Dictionary, in 1989. In 1990 they released an EP of demos produced by Jay Healy, titled Divided Mind, Divided Planet, via their Black Coffee mailing list. The band played regular concerts at CBGB in New York City, which helped earn them a contract with Radioactive Records in 1991.

Under the new name Live, the band entered the studio with producer Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads) and recorded the EP Four Songs. The single "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" went to number nine on the Modern Rock chart and was followed by their debut album, 1991's Mental Jewelry, which Harrison again produced. Given the band's inexperience, Harrison's input was invaluable. Pat Dalheimer said that it was, "So important to have somebody else in the room to help us, especially with arrangements. I mean, we were still learning how to write songs...Jerry just seemed to know everything...this guy's a wizard!" Some of the album's lyrics, written by Kowalczyk, were inspired by Indian philosopher and writer Jiddu Krishnamurti.

Throwing Copper and mainstream success: 1993–1996

After appearances on the MTV 120 Minutes tour, at Woodstock '94 and on Peter Gabriel's WOMAD tour, Live's second album, Throwing Copper, achieved mainstream success. The album featured the singles "I Alone", "All Over You", and the number one US Modern Rock hits "Selling the Drama" and "Lightning Crashes". "Lightning Crashes" also stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for ten consecutive weeks. The band appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live, where they performed "I Alone" and "Selling the Drama".

The success of the singles eventually gained Throwing Copper the number one position on the Billboard 200 album chart on May 6, 1995, its 52nd week on the chart. It was the third longest gap between an album first charting and reaching number one, behind Fleetwood Mac's Fleetwood Mac in 1976 (58 weeks) and Paula Abdul's Forever Your Girl in 1989 (64 weeks). It is Live's best-selling album, having sold eight million copies in the US alone. In 1995 the band appeared on MTV Unplugged. Their set included a cover version of Vic Chesnutt's "Supernatural".

Secret Samadhi and The Distance to Here: 1997–2000

The success of Throwing Copper meant that 1997's Secret Samadhi (co-produced by the band and Jay Healy) debuted at number one on the US album chart. It took its name from a state of Hindu meditation. The album contained four Modern Rock hit singles, but failed to match its predecessor's success, with sales reaching two million. The band performed "Lakini's Juice" and "Heropsychodreamer" from the album on Saturday Night Live.

Jerry Harrison returned as co-producer for 1999's The Distance to Here, which entered the US album chart at number four and featured the hit single "The Dolphin's Cry". In 2000, Live embarked on a co-headlining tour with Counting Crows. On that tour, Counting Crows' lead singer Adam Duritz often joined Live for their performance of "The Dolphin's Cry", while Kowalczyk sang a verse of "Hanginaround" with Counting Crows.

V, Birds of Pray, and Awake: The Best of Live: 2001–2004

On September 18, 2001, the experimental V (originally to be called Ecstatic Fanatic) was released to mixed reviews. The first single was "Simple Creed", which featured a rap from Tricky, but the events of 9/11, which occurred a week before V was released, meant that the melancholic "Overcome" received significant airplay and became the album's selling point. V reached number 22 in the US. Also in 2001, Live contributed a live version of the song "I Alone" to the charity album Live in the X Lounge IV. "Overcome" was used at the end of the second season finale of The Shield.

In May 2003, the band released the Jim Wirt produced, Birds of Pray, which reached number 28 on the US album chart, boosted by the unexpected success of the single "Heaven", Live's first U.S. Hot 100 hit single since "The Dolphin's Cry".

In November 2004, Live released a greatest hits compilation, Awake: The Best of Live. Awake included "We Deal in Dreams", a previously unreleased song from the Throwing Copper sessions, a cover version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line", and a new version of their song "Run Away" with Shelby Lynne sharing lead vocals with Ed Kowalczyk. A deluxe version of the album included a DVD with 22 music videos and an interview with Ed Kowalczyk.

Songs from Black Mountain, rarities album, and live DVD: 2005–2008

In 2005, Live signed to Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Epic label. They released the album Songs from Black Mountain in June 2006. The album peaked at number 52 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and reached number three on the Billboard Independent album chart. The first single was "The River".

On season five of American Idol, finalist Chris Daughtry was accused of performing Live's version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" and claiming it as his own interpretation. A week later, Daughtry acknowledged this was true and said that Live was one of his favorite bands. In May 2006, Live appeared on The Howard Stern Show to address this issue. On August 2, 2008, Daughtry and Live performed Live's interpretation of "I Walk the Line" together at the Toms River Fest in Toms River, New Jersey.

On September 14, 2007, the band released Radiant Sea: A Collection of Bootleg Rarities and Two New Songs, their first album since 1989 on their own Action Front Records label. The new songs were "Beautiful Invisible" and "Radiant Sea". Live recorded their first concert DVD in the Netherlands during two shows at the Paradiso on June 30 and July 1, 2008. Live at the Paradiso - Amsterdam was released on November 11, 2008 on DVD and CD. Also in 2008 the band headlined a US tour which also featured Blues Traveler and Collective Soul.

An unreleased Live song, "Hold Me Up", features in the 2008 Kevin Smith film Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Smith said, "I first heard (the song) in ‘95 when we were putting together the Mallrats soundtrack. It was actually in the film for the first test screening, but Live decided they wanted to hold onto it as a potential single off their next album...When I was editing Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back...I put in a request for it...again, I was denied. Third time, apparently, was the charm. Needed a song for that sequence in Zack and Miri and remembered the Live track. This time, the band signed off on us using the track. Took 13 years, but was worth the wait!" In spite of Smith's endorsement, the song does not appear on the movie's soundtrack album.

Hiatus and break-up

After a concert at The Palazzo in Las Vegas in June 2009, Live announced that the band would take a two-year "hiatus" to work on other projects. Kowalczyk recorded his solo album Alive and the other band members formed a group with Kevin Martin and Sean Hennessy of Candlebox called The Gracious Few.That band proceeded to record a self-titled debut album in California for release in September 2010.

On November 30, 2009, Taylor revealed that the "hiatus" was more likely a permanent split. He alleged that the reasons for the break-up included Kowalczyk's demand of a $100,000 "lead singer bonus" at the 2009 Pinkpop Festival and a 2005 contract making Kowalczyk the sole signatory of Live's Black Coffee Publishing company without the knowledge of the rest of the band. These sentiments were conveyed in an e-mail to fans from the band (minus Kowalczyk) via the mailing list at FriendsofLive.com and on Chad Taylor's official blog. Taylor did, however, leave open the possibility of a new vocalist for Live. Following the band's split, Kowalczyk's name was removed from the list of band members on Live's official Facebook page and replaced by a question mark. In January 2011, the question mark was removed and his name was put back on the list.

At the end of May 2010, the other three members of Live filed a lawsuit against Kowalczyk and their former business manager in the New York State Supreme Court. Kowalczyk was asked about the lawsuit in a September 2010 interview but declined to elaborate, saying, "There is a (court) case that is pending, which is why I really don't want to get into it.

JIMMY EAT WORLD ***

Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind.

Jimmy Eat World has released seven studio albums, the last six featuring the current lineup. The band originally formed with a punk rock sound, first releasing a demo tape in 1993, followed by their first EP in 1994, titled One, Two, Three, Four. Their debut self-titled album (1994) was released with current guitarist Linton singing most of the lead vocals on the album. Jimmy Eat World released both their second and third albums through Capitol Records, with Static Prevails (1996) featuring their first single "Rockstar". The critically acclaimed Clarity (1999) contained the single "Lucky Denver Mint", which was featured in the film Never Been Kissed, and went onto garner a cult following.

The four piece's commercial breakthrough came with the successful release of several singles from the album Bleed American (2001), four singles charted within the top 20 of the Hot Modern Rock Tracks, "The Middle" peaked at number one. Jimmy Eat World followed up with Futures (2004), featuring another Modern Rock Tracks number one, "Pain". The RIAA certified Bleed American platinum and Futures gold, rewarding the two albums for selling over one and a half million records between them. The band's sixth album, Chase This Light, became the band's highest charting album, peaking at number five on the Billboard 200. Invented, the follow up to 2007's Chase This Light, was released on September 28, 2010 on Interscope Records.

History

Formation and name

Jimmy Eat World formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993. Singer/guitarist Jim Adkins and drummer Zach Lind, who had been friends since preschool, joined with guitarist Tom Linton and bass player Mitch Porter to try their hand at music. In its early years, Jimmy Eat World was a punk rock band, with Linton serving as their primary singer. Within the span of a couple of years, the band recorded and released three singles and a full-length on local label Wooden Blue Records.

The band's name came from a crayon drawing made after an incident between Linton's younger brothers, Jim and Ed, who fought frequently. Jim usually won, but Ed sought revenge by drawing a picture of Jim shoving the Earth into his mouth; the picture bore the caption "Jimmy eat world".

Static Prevails

Eventually, spurred by bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate, the band began to experiment with emocore. As they began writing songs and touring in the indie scene, the band encountered like-minded bands such as Christie Front Drive, Sense Field, and Seven Storey Mountain working on similar sounds.

As the band continued touring, it began to attract modest attention in the indie underground. In 1995, the band caught the ears of a talent scout at Capitol Records and was offered a deal shortly thereafter. Just prior to signing with Capitol, bass player Mitch Porter parted ways with the band and was replaced by Linton's friend Rick Burch. After a brief scouting for producers, the band joined up with Drive Like Jehu drummer Mark Trombino to record its major-label debut, Static Prevails.

In the ensuing years, the band was allowed to release singles on independent labels, including split 7-inch singles with Christie Front Drive, Jejune, Sense Field, and Mineral. Where most major-label bands were ostracized from the underground as "sell-outs", Jimmy Eat World found itself a major label band embraced by the indie community.

Clarity

The band recorded their next album, Clarity, in late 1998 to early 1999 at Sound City and Clear Lake Audio, both in North Hollywood. The tracks were mixed at One on One in Los Angeles, and mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood.

The album Clarity marks the start of Jim Adkins - as opposed to Tom Linton providing lead vocals; Tom from this point only provides backing vocals on various tracks, with the exception of "Blister". The song "Goodbye Sky Harbor" is written based on the John Irving novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Bleed American

The band decided to record its next album without the help of a label, supporting itself with touring and by compiling its previously-released singles into Singles, which was released on indie label Big Wheel Recreation. The band also took on day jobs, saving as much as they could to spend on the sessions. The band worked for a third time with Trombino, who agreed to defer payment until after the album's release in order to keep costs down. Some of the drum tracks were recorded at Cherokee, then the band moved to Doug Messenger's harddrive analog and digital in North Hollywood, where five weeks of tracking completed the recording phase. Trombino then mixed the record at Extasy in Hollywood.

The finished album was titled Bleed American. Joining with Gersh's new management company, GAS Entertainment, the band scouted for a new label. The result was a short bidding war, with interest coming from several major labels, including Capitol Records. The band eventually signed with DreamWorks. The completed album was released in July 2001 with the title track (titled "Salt Sweat Sugar" in the UK) as the lead single. (Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the band decided to re-issue the album as Jimmy Eat World out of concern that the title Bleed American might be misinterpreted, possibly as a threatening "bleed, American".)

The album's second single, "The Middle", appearing on Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour, became the band's biggest single to date, reaching #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The video for the song received significant airplay on MTV, including on Total Request Live. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.

In 2008, the album was re-released as a deluxe edition and renamed to its original title, Bleed American. This edition contains a total of 32 tracks – the original 11 as well as 21 bonus tracks, which are live recordings, demos and b-sides.

Futures

After lengthy touring in support of Bleed American, the band regrouped to work on the follow-up in early 2004. Once again, the band joined up with Trombino, but the collaboration was short-lived. As the sessions began, the band decided that they didn't have enough material for a cohesive album. The band's desire to spend more time writing songs conflicted with Trombino's availability, as he already had other projects on his schedule.

Instead, the band brought in producer Gil Norton, well-known for his work with the Pixies and the Foo Fighters. Lind explained in 2007, "After we left the studio with Trombino, we came up with 'Polaris', 'Work', 'Pain', [and] '23' – the songs that really gave Futures its heartbeat." Futures was released in October 2004, with "Pain" serving as the lead single. (By this time, Dreamworks had been acquired by Interscope Records.)

Subsequent months saw the release of "Work" and the title track as singles. Having already toured the U.S. alone and with Taking Back Sunday, the band signed on to tour in 2005 with Green Day. In September 2005, the band released the Stay on My Side Tonight EP, which contained reworked versions of demos recorded with producer Mark Trombino that were not used for the album. The album was eventually awarded Gold status in the US by the RIAA.

The band also made an appearance on the hit TV show One Tree Hill in 2005 where they played many of their new songs from this album; "23", "Kill", "Work" and "Polaris" were the songs featured in One Tree Hill in the Second Season. The single, Pain, was also featured on another WB show, Smallville.

Chase This Light

After its tour, Jimmy Eat World headed home to Tempe and started working on material for a sixth album. The band decided to self-produce the album, enlisting Chris Testa (Dixie Chicks) and John Fields (Switchfoot, Mandy Moore) as co-producers and Butch Vig (Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day) as executive producer. As Burch explained to the St. Petersburg Times, "[Vig's] role wasn't in the studio everyday. We would send Butch samples of what we were doing every couple of days." Chase This Light was released on October 16, 2007, with "Big Casino" as the lead single. "Always Be" was the most recent single off the album, released in December 2007.

Invented

On June 13, 2008, the band revealed that they would begin work on their seventh album later in the year. They also stated that, when their current contract expires with Interscope, they may consider self-releasing. Jimmy Eat World performed a tour in early 2009 to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of Clarity, making ten stops across the United States and playing the entire record. According to the band's twitter page, they are working with their old producer Mark Trombino on a new batch of songs. The band also says they are hard at work on new music and are planning on releasing their new album sometime in 2010. On March 22, the band stated that they were in the process of mixing the album. On April 19, the band posted on Twitter that they were almost done mixing the album and they cannot wait for everyone to hear it. In a recent article the band revealed that for the first time since Clarity, the upcoming album will contain a song with lead vocals provided by original vocalist Tom Linton. On June 5, the band posted on Twitter: "the new album is so close to being done, inches away. cannot wait to kick these new songs out of the nest." On June 7, 2010 late night, Jimmy Eat World stated on twitter "Our new album is officially done. Now we wait for a release date. We'll keep you posted."". On July 14, 2010 Jimmy Eat World revealed the album Invented will be out September 28, 2010 via Twitter.

Courtney Marie Andrews, a singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona, performed backup vocals on five songs on the new album, and will also be on tour with them in September 2010.

The first single from the new album was "My Best Theory". The single was digitally released on August 10, and has also hit the airwaves.

Jimmy Eat World played at the Australian Soundwave festival during February and March 2010. The band replaced My Chemical Romance as one of the festival headliners and also played two separate sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney.