Band Members

The original band members were Tim Wheeler (vocals and guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass guitar) and Rick McMurray (drums). The three were joined by Charlotte Hatherley (guitar and vocals) in 1997 who, as of 2005, also began a solo career as a side-project. On the 20th January, 2006, Hatherley's record label, Double Dragon Music announced her departure from the band.

Initially inspired by Twisted Sister and Iron Maiden in the early 1990s, Tim and Mark formed a heavy metal band called Vietnam with a few schoolfriends. After barely two gigs, they were left stranded when their bandmates left. Requiring a drummer, they had a few drinks with Rick who was a year ahead of them in school and had switched from playing the guitar to drums. With Rick on board, they ambitiously set out to develop a new style of music inspired by grunge bands such as Nirvana, Mudhoney and the Pixies.

Band History

Early 1990s

Ash officially formed in 1992. They created three demo tapes this year, Solar Happy in June, Shed in September, and the Home Demo in November. These tapes featured their earliest material and the first recordings of some songs that would later be on their 1995 release, Trailer, including "Intense Thing", "Get Out", "Obscure Thing," and their future single, "Jack Names The Planets".

In 1993, Ash made the demo tape, Garage Girl, which featured "Jack Names The Planets" and "Intense Thing" taken from Shed, as well as some new tracks including "Petrol". They released their compilation demo tape, Pipe Smokin' Brick later this year, which featured an assortment of their best demo songs from the other 4 demo tapes.

The demo tapes had not gained much attention yet and Ash was still playing small shows at local clubs, however, in early 1994, Stephen Taverner came across the Garage Girl demo tape. Suitably impressed Stephen put up the money so that they could press 1000 7″ copies of "Jack Names The Planets" on Stephen's own LaLaLand record label. The band was on its way and Stephen became their full-time manager.

Ash released their first album, Trailer, in October 1994, which only included seven songs. They received some airplay from DJ Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1 and so followed up their debut single with "Petrol", and "Uncle Pat" on their new label Infectious Records.

In 1995, Ash left school and released their breakthrough singles "Kung Fu", "Girl From Mars" and "Angel Interceptor".

Late 1990s

1996 saw them release the singles "Goldfinger" and "Oh Yeah" either side of their album 1977, which saw considerable success. On February 17, 1997, Ash released Live at the Wireless, a live album, recorded at the Triple J Studios in Australia. The UK fans could buy a limited edition CD of it on the band's own Deathstar label.

During their time touring with Weezer, Ash felt the limitation of a three-piece band. As a result they recruited Charlotte Hatherley who had previously been with the band Nightnurse and she made her gig debut at a few small gigs a week before appearing at the V97 festival. The first single that she appeared on, "A Life Less Ordinary", featured on the soundtrack to the Ewan McGregor / Cameron Diaz film of the same name.

In September 1998, Ash released "Jesus Says" the following month the second album proper, Nu-Clear Sounds, and in November "Wildsurf". The stress of near non-stop touring of 1977 and Nu-Clear sounds began to affect the band's mentality,

2000s

In 2000, Tim Wheeler disappeared for a short while following the commercial and critical failure of Nu-Clear Sounds. He eventually emerged in New York making the self-deprecating, blood, drug and sex fueled video for "Numbskull". A note for Stephen Taverner attached to the video said, "I've killed Bambi".

Ash nearly become bankrupt as they prepare to release possibly their last album. Luckily, this was not to be the case. The band retreat to Wheeler's parent's house, to play and write songs in the same garage where the band began.

The single "Shining Light" was released in January 2001, followed by the number one album Free All Angels in April. Subsequent singles released from Free All Angels were "Burn Baby Burn", "Sometimes", "Candy", and "There's a Star" . The single 'Shining Light' wins the 'Best Contemporary Song' award at the 2002 Ivor Novello awards. A new single "Envy" was released, followed shortly afterwards by the singles collection Intergalactic Sonic 7"s. Q magazine names Ash as #2 of its "50 Bands To See Before You Die".

On June 29, Ash released Meltdown. It goes top ten in the UK. The band teams up with Lucasarts for a new Star Wars game entitled Republic Commando. "Clones", taken from the album "Meltdown" is the first music to be used in anything Star Wars related that hasn't been composed by John Williams. Meltdown and Orpheus are featured on the popular British movie, Shaun of the Dead. Also featured is their cover of the Buzzcocks song Everybody's Happy Nowadays featuring Chris Martin on backing vocals. "Meltdown" gets a US release date of March 8, through Warner Bros imprint Record Collection. Also in 2005, Tim Wheeler received a companionship (a honorary degree) from LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts).

During the recording of Meltdown, Charlotte Hatherley also wrote and recorded her solo side-project album Grey Will Fade.

On January 20, 2006, Charlotte Hatherley left the band after 9 years leaving only the original members remaining. An official statement reads: "After 9 years Ash and Charlotte Hatherley have mutually agreed to part company. The decision is completely amicable and they wish each other the very best for the future." On June 6, 2006, NME reported that Ash are holed up in a New York studio and have 27 'rough' songs. Tim Wheeler hinted that the album is likely to be more retro sounding than any of their previous material. Ash are planning to start recording the follow up to 2004's 'Meltdown' later this month, with a release date scheduled for next spring. No shows are planned for the remainder of the year but Wheeler says Ash are hoping to test out their new songs 'in tiny New York bars' once the album is completed.

Resources : Wikipedia, Ash MySpace,

Regards

Verd_hatherley

In the 18 months following the announcement of the Blink-182 hiatus, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker decided not to do any interviews. During that time, their former bandmate, Tom DeLonge, did the opposite, peppering blogs and magazines with quotes


"It's some of the most positive stuff I've ever written, but it's also some of the darkest, too. And I'm incredibly proud of it all." - Plus-44's Mark Hoppus

hyping his new band and putting the blame for the Blink situation squarely on their shoulders.

While it sometimes pained them to do so, Hoppus and Barker still refrained from speaking to the media, instead burying themselves in the recording of the debut album by their new band, Plus-44.

Now, with Plus' album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, "99 percent finished," the guys are embarking on a press blitz of their own.

"We just bit our tongues and didn't say anything, and now that the record is done, we get the chance to tell the truth about everything," Hoppus said. "We want to say, 'Here's the truth about Blink, here's the truth about Plus-44.' We're not talking sh-- - we just want our fans to know the truth about everything."

"We were silent for a year, and we couldn't put into words what we were doing, so we just decided not to say anything and let the music speak for itself," Barker added. "Now it's time for people to hear that music and hear the truth."

That truth - about the past 18 months of their lives - percolates throughout Heart, a point made by Hoppus during Plus' first-ever interview last month, and one that both he and Barker expounded on in their second chat with MTV News.

"The whole album is about everything that's happened, including Blink, and the ugly feelings that were left over afterwards," Hoppus said. "Lyrically, it's some of the most positive stuff I've ever written, but it's also some of the darkest sh--, too. And I'm incredibly proud of it all."

"Ever since the whole Blink thing went down, we were left on our own, we were the underdogs," Barker added. "We had a year's worth of touring planned, we were writing a record, and all of a sudden [Tom] just dropped the ball. And while we were still on tour, he was having discussions with us about, 'Oh, I can't wait until we're doing this 20 years from now.' So now, with Plus-44, my attitude is like, 'F--- you, watch me do this 20 years from now.' "

Hoppus said there will be 11 songs on Heart - due November 14, according to Interscope - including the title track (which is shaping up to be the first single), "Little Death," "Chapter 13" (a "straight-up spastic tune," according to Barker) and "No It Isn't," a song that leaked earlier this year and created quite a stir because it seemed to address the Blink situation head-on.

"Yeah, that one is absolutely about the end of Blink," Hoppus said. "We leaked it online almost a year ago, in a demo version, and it's one of the few songs that's only changed a little bit."

With the record nearly done, Plus-44 are now gearing up to hit the road, lining up dates for a North American tour scheduled to kick off in late October. And while Barker has been dealing with some personal stuff - chiefly the divorce petition he filed against his wife (and former "Meet the Barkers" co-star) Shanna Moakler earlier this month - he maintains that he's eagerly looking forward to the time on the road.

"Anytime I'm struggling or in a place where I have to keep my head above water, it always makes me get even deeper into my music," he said. "So yeah, I'm really looking forward to getting out there and playing. In a way it's weird, because this band has been about making the best out of a f---ed-up situation, and now this tour is, too. I feel like every few years something goes down with me where I have to prove myself again. And that's what this is, but it only makes me stronger."

- James Montgomery

Resources ; News from Mtv.com

Regards

Verd_hatherley

Sum 41 is a Canadian band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed from members of several local high school bands, 41 days into the summer of 1996. The band consists of Deryck Whibley (a.k.a. Bizzy D) (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard/piano), Jason McCaslin (a.k.a.Cone) (bass and backing vocals), and Steve Jocz (a.k.a. Stevo32) (drums and backing vocals). Since signing a record deal with Island Records in 1999, the band has released 4 full length albums, 1 EP, and over 10 singles. The band's sound is a combination of classic Pop-Punk (like Green Day, The Offspring or Blink-182), Metal (like Crossover-Trash bands), Hard Rock and Post-Gunge (sounds like Lit).

History

The members of Sum 41 started out in rival bands in high school. They joke that they met while attending a Hole concert 41 days into the summer - hence the name, Sum 41 - of 1996. However the current bassist, Cone, joined the band in 1999, replacing Mark Spicoluk, who later played bass for Avril Lavigne, Deryck's wife.

The band carried a video camera with them to film their crazy antics including robbing a pizza place with water guns and performing a dance to "Makes No Difference" in front of a theater (both of which can be seen on both "Introduction to Destruction" and on some versions of the bonus DVD from "Does This Look Infected?").

The band submitted the video footage along with their demo tapes to several record labels. Island Records, wanting to capitlaize on the pop-punk fad popularized by blink-182, signed Sum 41 in early 2000.

Albums

Sum 41 released their EP "Half Hour of Power" on June 27, 2000. The first single released by the band was "Makes No Difference", which had 2 different videos. The first was put together using the video clips sent into the record labels and the second had the band performing at a house party.

Sum 41's second CD and first full length album, "All Killer No Filler", was released on May 8, 2001. The first single released was "Fat Lip" which became a huge hit during the summer, becoming the number 1 rock song in the US for a week. Performances on the Warped Tour during the year further increased the popularity of the band.

Two other singles were released, "In Too Deep", which had a comedy video of them in a diving competition, and "Motivation", a simplistic video of the band playing in classic garage band theme. The band toured for much of the year, playing 300 shows in 2001, before returning to the studio to record another CD.

On November 26, 2002, Sum 41 released their second full length album "Does This Look Infected?" Sum 41 altered their style slightly - bringing in a heavier style, while keeping the smooth harmonies they had become known for. The first single released was "Still Waiting" which had them mocking "new-garage" retro-rock under the name of "The Sums" and parodying one of The Strokes' videos.

The band followed up the release of "Still Waiting" with "The Hell Song" which had the band using dolls with their pictures on them and others such as Ozzy Osbourne and Jesus Christ. Their next single, "Over My Head (Better off Dead)", had a video released exclusively in Canada and on their website, featuring live shots of the band. The video was also on their live DVD, "Sake Bombs And Happy Endings" (2004), as a bonus feature.

After extensive touring in support of the album, Iggy Pop recruited Sum 41 for his new album, Skull Ring. They co-wrote the first single from the album "Little Know It All" and joined Iggy on The Late Show with David Letterman to promote the song.

In early 2004, the band contributed to the first Rock Against Bush album by recording the song "Moron" which was also a bonus track in the Japanese import of Chuck

In late May of 2004, the band traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo along with War Child, a Canadian charity organization, to document the civil war occurring in the country.[1] Days after arriving, fighting broke out near the hotel the band was staying at in Bukavu.[2] The band waited for the firing to die down, but it never did. A U.N. peacekeeper, Chuck Pelletier (also Canadian), called for armored carriers to take the hotel's occupants out of the hot zone. After 5-6 hours the carriers arrived and the band and the 40 other civilians were taken to safety. The band named their next album Chuck in honor of Chuck Pelletier for saving their lives. The documentary was made into a half-hour film called ROCKED: Sum 41 in Congo, which aired on MTV on September 21, 2005. War Child released it on DVD on November 29, 2005 in the United States and Canada.

Sum 41's album Chuck was released on October 12, 2004 and the first single from the album (as well as the only song written after the Congo incident) was "We're All To Blame". The song switching from a fast pace to a slow one represented the band's trip in the Congo, how one minute it was peaceful and the next there were gunshots being fired. The band followed up with "Pieces", which reached the top of the charts in Canada, and "Some Say"

While touring in support of Chuck, Sum 41 played videos before their set which were deemed "unsuitable for children". Much controversy arose over the videos.[3] In one video, Basketball Butcher, which was also included in some versions of "Chuck", Steve and Cone play basketball and Cone beats Steve badly. Following the game Steve murders Cone and later dismembers and cooks him. In another video, 1-800-Justice, Cone and Steve are drug dealing brothers, while Dave and Deryck play under cover police officers. Steve shoots Deryck as Cone stabs Dave and they make their get away. Following the Go Chuck Yourself tour, Sum 41 opened for Motley Crue on their Carnival of Sins tour.

Sum 41 released a live CD, "Happy Live Surprise" in Japan on December 21, 2005. The CD contains a full concert recorded live from London, Ontario. The same CD was released March 7, 2006 in Canada under the name "Go Chuck Yourself". The Japanese version contained a DVD with 5 songs from the live performance.

Following their September 11, 2005 show in Quebec City, Quebec, the band went on a touring hiatus. Although on April 17, 2006 Sum 41 played at a tribute to Iggy Pop, joining Iggy on stage for "Little Know It All" and "Lust 4 Life".

The next album that we wait...

Sum 41 covered a John Lennon song for an album honoring the former Beatles singer. Other artists who participated were Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas, Deftones and Duran Duran. [4] Proceeds from the album will go to Amnesty International. On the Sum 41 Q&A, Deryck Whibley said that the band recorded this cover a while ago but don't know if it will ever be released.

On, May 11, 2006, Dave Baksh (a.k.a. Dave Brownsound) announced in a statement through his management company that he was leaving Sum 41 to work with his new band Brown Brigade. Baksh's departure from the band was said to be due to artistic differences, and his goal to play music with more of a classical metal sound. [5][6]

On May 12th, Deryck made the first official comment on the subject on the official message board post addressing Dave's departure. Deryck said that they have no plans of replacing Dave, except for live shows and that the guitarist won't be in videos, photo shoots, or have any decision making power in the band.

Cone has said in the band's Q&A section, "You can probably expect a new single next spring and the album next summer. That's the plan and hopefully that happens."

Answering another question, Cone stated, "Actually the next album will be more along the lines of All Killer and Infected." Deryck, when he was asked why the band altered their sound in "Chuck", responded, "it was just a natural change. I think our new album will be more punk rock though."

During the bands touring hiatus, Cone started a side project with Todd Morse of H2O and Juliette and the Licks. The band is called The Operation and they have already begun recording demos, which can be found on their MySpace website. Cone lends his vocal talents as well as playing bass and keyboards for the band.[7]

On, July 15, 2006 Deryck married singer Avril Lavigne.

Trivia

• The band planned on having "Summer" on all of their albums as a joke, before scrapping the idea after putting it on their first two albums
• The cover for "Does This Look Infected?" was chosen months before the title was. The album was almost delayed by the label because they didn't have a name for it yet. Then, almost out of random, Deryck suddenly thought of the name "Does This Look Infected?", the whole band laughed at the idea and chose it as their album title.
• "The Hell Song" is about a friend of the band who contracted HIV.
• "88" is named for the tempo of the song which is 88
• All of the band members(and their producer, Greig Nori) have a 41 tattooed on the back of their right arm.
• The original title for "Fat Lip" was "Punk Hop", due to the song being a combination of hip-hop and punk
• On an episode of MTV Cribs featuring Steve's house, Deryck said that the majority of the songs for All Killer No Filler were written in Steve's basement.
• "A.N.I.C" from "Does This Look Infected?" is about Anna Nicole Smith. It stands for Anna Nicole is a cunt. In live performances Deryck says it's called Anna Nicole Smith is a fucking stupid cunt.

SUM-41 in movies...

Resources ; wikipedia, sum-41 official sites,

Regards

Verd_hatherley

History

The band members, Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen and the former member Johan Wohlert, who all originate from the posh neighborhood Hellerup north of Copenhagen, now reside in London, England. Whilst their music is often classified as Indie, they sometimes humorously refer to it themselves as "pretentious art rock".

Mew became a huge success in Denmark when they emerged on the scene alongside the likes of Carpark North, Swan Lee and Saybia, amongst others, in 2003. At the 2003 Danish Music Critics Award Show, Mew was awarded prizes for "Album of the Year" and "Band of the Year". After a European tour supporting R.E.M. they have begun to attract wider attention. Their latest album And The Glass Handed Kites was released in Denmark on September 19, 2005, and in the UK and rest of Europe on September 26. They are MTV Asia "Buzz-Worthy" as of January, 2006, and at the recent DMA06 (Danish Music Awards) they took home 4 statuettes. According to Columbia Records, And The Glass Handed Kites will be released in the United States on July 25, 2006. Furthermore, the band will spend the summer and early fall of 2006 touring with Bloc Party.

On April 11, 2006, Johan Wohlert decided to leave the band, as his girlfriend, Pernille Rosendahl from the now dissolved band Swan Lee, was to give birth to their child in May 2006. The band has found another live and studio bassist, who is known by the name Bastian.

The Story from the Inside...

To call Mew 'sort of surreal', of course, is like saying Bill Gates is 'reasonably well off'. If the sprawling, soaring bliss-rock of their breakthrough third album Frengers (2003) - particularly the ecstatically icy space ballets She Came Home For Christmas and NME Single Of The Week Comforting Sounds - projected a sense of glacial fairy tale wonderment (the sort of thing The Brothers Grimm might have written after a month on the road with Hope Of The States) then their fourth record 'Mew. and the Glass Handed Kites' is an even greater leap into the unknown. Redefining the concept of an 'album' - and, indeed, of a 'concept album' -and the Glass Handed Kites is an eccentric 60 minute rock headfuck, flinging musical ideas, distorted nightmare images and heartbreak choruses at the listener with what at first seems to be a random ferocity. One minute we're sailing towards Valhalla on 'Chinaberry Tree''s crusade-rock stomp, the next we're being asked "Why are you looking grave?" by J Mascis over a My Bloody Valentine throb, the next we're in the middle of an ethereal ballad about hiding foxes. Initially it sounds like ten bands playing ten different albums at the same time, which we're tuned in and out of by some insane studio engineer; repeated listening, however, reveals a remarkably unified work that picks up the experimental baton of 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac' and drenches it in Mew's unique other-worldy glisten.

"We wanted it to be one long song," says bassist Johan Wohlert. "It's difficult to do it and it's a difficult record to listen to but it'll keep you interested for a really long time."

"It's quite a mouthful," Jonas adds. "We took the idea of making a record a long journey all the way on this record."

"We knew that we had it in certain songs," says guitarist Bo Madsen. "We had the elements of it on 'Frengers' and we knew it would be a huge challenge for us as a band to spread that out over 60 minutes but we also knew it was something we'd always dreamt of doing, making a body of work, making a masterpiece that you had to listen to from A to Z in order to make any sense of. It was a fucking tough record to make but it was what we had to do. We could have made a 'Frengers Part Two' but it wouldn't have been right. We always go the hard way around, and that's what gives it its uniqueness, that we spend so much time dwelling on the details. One of the fun things about playing in this band is that it is about challenging the structures, challenging what can be done within the context of rock music. It's good that you try, for the sake of art, to push your limits as a band, and your limits of perception. The first time you think it's fucked up but the tenth time you get around to it it starts to make sense. One of the things that makes it fun for us is trying to fuck with people as to what can be done. It's all been assembled together by small parts. It was a big jigsaw puzzle, totally beyond anything we've ever done."

So how did we get from an elementary school playground in Hellerup, Denmark, to a bombastic medieval madrigal space opera track entitled Saviours Of Jazz Ballet? Mew - completed by drummer Silas Graae - first met in the seventh grade, charged with making a film for a school project about the end of the world: their film consisted of them introducing the film over and over again in slow motion. Recognising in each other a taste for apocalyptic art, they soon became the school's alternative clique and were a band long before any of them could play any instruments.

"We became very ambitious straight away," says Jonas. "We were ready to make a record after a couple of months."

Denmark, sadly, wasn't quite ready for them, and it was only after a failed outing as Orange Dog (they were booed off at their first gig) and a short sabbatical to America for Bo that the band reconvened as Mew in their late teens. By now Jonas was working part-time in a post-production company, using the facilities after hours to make his own animations which became part of the Mew live experience, illuminating their lengthy jangle-prog compositions inspired by My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, Dinosaur Jnr and, curiously, the Pet Shop Boys and Prince. At their very first gig an agent for a book publishing company caught them and was so impressed he convinced his company to completely change their business plan to record and release the debut Mew album, A Triumph For Man (1997). Limited to 2000 copies it's now a highly-valued rarity and was a critical hit in Denmark coming, as it did, a mere week after the first Aqua record.

By the time second album Half The World Is Watching Me was ready for its release in 2000, Mew's relationship with their parent company was fraying at the edges, so the band created their own label, Evil Office, to release it. No sooner did it get an initial limited release in Sweden, however, than they were snapped up by Sony for a world-wide deal and decided to pull the new record and re-record the best of their catalogue for an international audience. The result was Frengers, a tenfold leap in sales figures and suddenly Mew found themselves thrust into the 'big time' of one-bedroom London squat-holes and lengthy Transit van tours of the M6.

"Our whole England experience was pretty hardcore," Jonas remembers. "We moved to London and to begin with we didn't know if we were going to be making any money, so we moved into a small flat with two rooms. We slept in the same room in bunk beds for years. We used to drive to Glasgow and then all the way back and sleep in those bunk beds. Those tours were really tiring."

"It almost killed us but we made it through the other side," says Bo. "It prepared us for what it means to be a touring band, getting us into that whole rock'n'roll circus."

And it was cramped around that stained-formica kitchen table that and the Glass Handed Kites took on its shifting, spectacular shapes. Around the core of their trademark expansive pop operatics (The Zookeeper's Boy, The Seething Rain Weeps For You, Special and Why Are You Looking Grave? which features a crack-voiced J Mascis) and Cocteau Twins-esque, star-gazing winter balladry (White Lips Kissed) they weaved intricate freeform passages and inter-looping refrains (see first single Apocalypso, described Jonas as "not quite the end of the world and not quite Carribean dance music") to create a record that isn't just in perfect symmetry with the current Nu Gaze stylings of The Radio Dept., M83 and The Earlies but shimmered with hyper-real celestial Dance Of The Planets atmospherics that were uniquely Mew. And, um, it's all about death. Obviously.

"Each song deals with different aspects of life and fear," Jonas explains. "Sometimes it hits me that everything we do is a distraction from the fact that we will end up suffering and dying eventually, which is quite a cynical way to look at it but you can look at it like that. Music is another way to keep your thoughts elsewhere in a way, the artist wants to leave something behind. So it's trying to deal with those things without making it too obvious. There are things that run deeper but it's not really important for the listener, it's more about how you experience the record, not what was intended."

Discography Albums

A Triumph For Man (1997)
Half the World Is Watching Me (2000)
Frengers (2003)
And The Glass Handed Kites (2005)

Resources : Wikipedia, mew official band site, mew world-fan site,

Regards

Verd_hatherley

Who is she???

Band Members

The original band members were Tim Wheeler (vocals and guitar), Mark Hamilton (bass guitar) and Rick McMurray (drums). The three were joined by Charlotte Hatherley (guitar and vocals) in 1997 who, as of 2005, also began a solo career as a side-project. On the 20th January, 2006, Hatherley's record label, Double Dragon Music announced her departure from the band.

Initially inspired by Twisted Sister and Iron Maiden in the early 1990s, Tim and Mark formed a heavy metal band called Vietnam with a few schoolfriends. After barely two gigs, they were left stranded when their bandmates left. Requiring a drummer, they had a few drinks with Rick who was a year ahead of them in school and had switched from playing the guitar to drums. With Rick on board, they ambitiously set out to develop a new style of music inspired by grunge bands such as Nirvana, Mudhoney and the Pixies.

Band History

Early 1990s

Ash officially formed in 1992. They created three demo tapes this year, Solar Happy in June, Shed in September, and the Home Demo in November. These tapes featured their earliest material and the first recordings of some songs that would later be on their 1995 release, Trailer, including "Intense Thing", "Get Out", "Obscure Thing," and their future single, "Jack Names The Planets".

In 1993, Ash made the demo tape, Garage Girl, which featured "Jack Names The Planets" and "Intense Thing" taken from Shed, as well as some new tracks including "Petrol". They released their compilation demo tape, Pipe Smokin' Brick later this year, which featured an assortment of their best demo songs from the other 4 demo tapes.

The demo tapes had not gained much attention yet and Ash was still playing small shows at local clubs, however, in early 1994, Stephen Taverner came across the Garage Girl demo tape. Suitably impressed Stephen put up the money so that they could press 1000 7″ copies of "Jack Names The Planets" on Stephen's own LaLaLand record label. The band was on its way and Stephen became their full-time manager.

Ash released their first album, Trailer, in October 1994, which only included seven songs. They received some airplay from DJ Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1 and so followed up their debut single with "Petrol", and "Uncle Pat" on their new label Infectious Records.

In 1995, Ash left school and released their breakthrough singles "Kung Fu", "Girl From Mars" and "Angel Interceptor".

Late 1990s

1996 saw them release the singles "Goldfinger" and "Oh Yeah" either side of their album 1977, which saw considerable success. On February 17, 1997, Ash released Live at the Wireless, a live album, recorded at the Triple J Studios in Australia. The UK fans could buy a limited edition CD of it on the band's own Deathstar label.

During their time touring with Weezer, Ash felt the limitation of a three-piece band. As a result they recruited Charlotte Hatherley who had previously been with the band Nightnurse and she made her gig debut at a few small gigs a week before appearing at the V97 festival. The first single that she appeared on, "A Life Less Ordinary", featured on the soundtrack to the Ewan McGregor / Cameron Diaz film of the same name.

In September 1998, Ash released "Jesus Says" the following month the second album proper, Nu-Clear Sounds, and in November "Wildsurf". The stress of near non-stop touring of 1977 and Nu-Clear sounds began to affect the band's mentality,

2000s

In 2000, Tim Wheeler disappeared for a short while following the commercial and critical failure of Nu-Clear Sounds. He eventually emerged in New York making the self-deprecating, blood, drug and sex fueled video for "Numbskull". A note for Stephen Taverner attached to the video said, "I've killed Bambi".

Ash nearly become bankrupt as they prepare to release possibly their last album. Luckily, this was not to be the case. The band retreat to Wheeler's parent's house, to play and write songs in the same garage where the band began.

The single "Shining Light" was released in January 2001, followed by the number one album Free All Angels in April. Subsequent singles released from Free All Angels were "Burn Baby Burn", "Sometimes", "Candy", and "There's a Star" . The single 'Shining Light' wins the 'Best Contemporary Song' award at the 2002 Ivor Novello awards. A new single "Envy" was released, followed shortly afterwards by the singles collection Intergalactic Sonic 7"s. Q magazine names Ash as #2 of its "50 Bands To See Before You Die".

On June 29, Ash released Meltdown. It goes top ten in the UK. The band teams up with Lucasarts for a new Star Wars game entitled Republic Commando. "Clones", taken from the album "Meltdown" is the first music to be used in anything Star Wars related that hasn't been composed by John Williams. Meltdown and Orpheus are featured on the popular British movie, Shaun of the Dead. Also featured is their cover of the Buzzcocks song Everybody's Happy Nowadays featuring Chris Martin on backing vocals. "Meltdown" gets a US release date of March 8, through Warner Bros imprint Record Collection. Also in 2005, Tim Wheeler received a companionship (a honorary degree) from LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts).

During the recording of Meltdown, Charlotte Hatherley also wrote and recorded her solo side-project album Grey Will Fade.

On January 20, 2006, Charlotte Hatherley left the band after 9 years leaving only the original members remaining. An official statement reads: "After 9 years Ash and Charlotte Hatherley have mutually agreed to part company. The decision is completely amicable and they wish each other the very best for the future." On June 6, 2006, NME reported that Ash are holed up in a New York studio and have 27 'rough' songs. Tim Wheeler hinted that the album is likely to be more retro sounding than any of their previous material. Ash are planning to start recording the follow up to 2004's 'Meltdown' later this month, with a release date scheduled for next spring. No shows are planned for the remainder of the year but Wheeler says Ash are hoping to test out their new songs 'in tiny New York bars' once the album is completed.

Resources : Wikipedia, Ash MySpace,

Regards

Verd_hatherley

In the 18 months following the announcement of the Blink-182 hiatus, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker decided not to do any interviews. During that time, their former bandmate, Tom DeLonge, did the opposite, peppering blogs and magazines with quotes


"It's some of the most positive stuff I've ever written, but it's also some of the darkest, too. And I'm incredibly proud of it all." - Plus-44's Mark Hoppus

hyping his new band and putting the blame for the Blink situation squarely on their shoulders.

While it sometimes pained them to do so, Hoppus and Barker still refrained from speaking to the media, instead burying themselves in the recording of the debut album by their new band, Plus-44.

Now, with Plus' album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, "99 percent finished," the guys are embarking on a press blitz of their own.

"We just bit our tongues and didn't say anything, and now that the record is done, we get the chance to tell the truth about everything," Hoppus said. "We want to say, 'Here's the truth about Blink, here's the truth about Plus-44.' We're not talking sh-- - we just want our fans to know the truth about everything."

"We were silent for a year, and we couldn't put into words what we were doing, so we just decided not to say anything and let the music speak for itself," Barker added. "Now it's time for people to hear that music and hear the truth."

That truth - about the past 18 months of their lives - percolates throughout Heart, a point made by Hoppus during Plus' first-ever interview last month, and one that both he and Barker expounded on in their second chat with MTV News.

"The whole album is about everything that's happened, including Blink, and the ugly feelings that were left over afterwards," Hoppus said. "Lyrically, it's some of the most positive stuff I've ever written, but it's also some of the darkest sh--, too. And I'm incredibly proud of it all."

"Ever since the whole Blink thing went down, we were left on our own, we were the underdogs," Barker added. "We had a year's worth of touring planned, we were writing a record, and all of a sudden [Tom] just dropped the ball. And while we were still on tour, he was having discussions with us about, 'Oh, I can't wait until we're doing this 20 years from now.' So now, with Plus-44, my attitude is like, 'F--- you, watch me do this 20 years from now.' "

Hoppus said there will be 11 songs on Heart - due November 14, according to Interscope - including the title track (which is shaping up to be the first single), "Little Death," "Chapter 13" (a "straight-up spastic tune," according to Barker) and "No It Isn't," a song that leaked earlier this year and created quite a stir because it seemed to address the Blink situation head-on.

"Yeah, that one is absolutely about the end of Blink," Hoppus said. "We leaked it online almost a year ago, in a demo version, and it's one of the few songs that's only changed a little bit."

With the record nearly done, Plus-44 are now gearing up to hit the road, lining up dates for a North American tour scheduled to kick off in late October. And while Barker has been dealing with some personal stuff - chiefly the divorce petition he filed against his wife (and former "Meet the Barkers" co-star) Shanna Moakler earlier this month - he maintains that he's eagerly looking forward to the time on the road.

"Anytime I'm struggling or in a place where I have to keep my head above water, it always makes me get even deeper into my music," he said. "So yeah, I'm really looking forward to getting out there and playing. In a way it's weird, because this band has been about making the best out of a f---ed-up situation, and now this tour is, too. I feel like every few years something goes down with me where I have to prove myself again. And that's what this is, but it only makes me stronger."

- James Montgomery

Resources ; News from Mtv.com

Regards

Verd_hatherley

Sum 41 is a Canadian band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed from members of several local high school bands, 41 days into the summer of 1996. The band consists of Deryck Whibley (a.k.a. Bizzy D) (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard/piano), Jason McCaslin (a.k.a.Cone) (bass and backing vocals), and Steve Jocz (a.k.a. Stevo32) (drums and backing vocals). Since signing a record deal with Island Records in 1999, the band has released 4 full length albums, 1 EP, and over 10 singles. The band's sound is a combination of classic Pop-Punk (like Green Day, The Offspring or Blink-182), Metal (like Crossover-Trash bands), Hard Rock and Post-Gunge (sounds like Lit).

History

The members of Sum 41 started out in rival bands in high school. They joke that they met while attending a Hole concert 41 days into the summer - hence the name, Sum 41 - of 1996. However the current bassist, Cone, joined the band in 1999, replacing Mark Spicoluk, who later played bass for Avril Lavigne, Deryck's wife.

The band carried a video camera with them to film their crazy antics including robbing a pizza place with water guns and performing a dance to "Makes No Difference" in front of a theater (both of which can be seen on both "Introduction to Destruction" and on some versions of the bonus DVD from "Does This Look Infected?").

The band submitted the video footage along with their demo tapes to several record labels. Island Records, wanting to capitlaize on the pop-punk fad popularized by blink-182, signed Sum 41 in early 2000.

Albums

Sum 41 released their EP "Half Hour of Power" on June 27, 2000. The first single released by the band was "Makes No Difference", which had 2 different videos. The first was put together using the video clips sent into the record labels and the second had the band performing at a house party.

Sum 41's second CD and first full length album, "All Killer No Filler", was released on May 8, 2001. The first single released was "Fat Lip" which became a huge hit during the summer, becoming the number 1 rock song in the US for a week. Performances on the Warped Tour during the year further increased the popularity of the band.

Two other singles were released, "In Too Deep", which had a comedy video of them in a diving competition, and "Motivation", a simplistic video of the band playing in classic garage band theme. The band toured for much of the year, playing 300 shows in 2001, before returning to the studio to record another CD.

On November 26, 2002, Sum 41 released their second full length album "Does This Look Infected?" Sum 41 altered their style slightly - bringing in a heavier style, while keeping the smooth harmonies they had become known for. The first single released was "Still Waiting" which had them mocking "new-garage" retro-rock under the name of "The Sums" and parodying one of The Strokes' videos.

The band followed up the release of "Still Waiting" with "The Hell Song" which had the band using dolls with their pictures on them and others such as Ozzy Osbourne and Jesus Christ. Their next single, "Over My Head (Better off Dead)", had a video released exclusively in Canada and on their website, featuring live shots of the band. The video was also on their live DVD, "Sake Bombs And Happy Endings" (2004), as a bonus feature.

After extensive touring in support of the album, Iggy Pop recruited Sum 41 for his new album, Skull Ring. They co-wrote the first single from the album "Little Know It All" and joined Iggy on The Late Show with David Letterman to promote the song.

In early 2004, the band contributed to the first Rock Against Bush album by recording the song "Moron" which was also a bonus track in the Japanese import of Chuck

In late May of 2004, the band traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo along with War Child, a Canadian charity organization, to document the civil war occurring in the country.[1] Days after arriving, fighting broke out near the hotel the band was staying at in Bukavu.[2] The band waited for the firing to die down, but it never did. A U.N. peacekeeper, Chuck Pelletier (also Canadian), called for armored carriers to take the hotel's occupants out of the hot zone. After 5-6 hours the carriers arrived and the band and the 40 other civilians were taken to safety. The band named their next album Chuck in honor of Chuck Pelletier for saving their lives. The documentary was made into a half-hour film called ROCKED: Sum 41 in Congo, which aired on MTV on September 21, 2005. War Child released it on DVD on November 29, 2005 in the United States and Canada.

Sum 41's album Chuck was released on October 12, 2004 and the first single from the album (as well as the only song written after the Congo incident) was "We're All To Blame". The song switching from a fast pace to a slow one represented the band's trip in the Congo, how one minute it was peaceful and the next there were gunshots being fired. The band followed up with "Pieces", which reached the top of the charts in Canada, and "Some Say"

While touring in support of Chuck, Sum 41 played videos before their set which were deemed "unsuitable for children". Much controversy arose over the videos.[3] In one video, Basketball Butcher, which was also included in some versions of "Chuck", Steve and Cone play basketball and Cone beats Steve badly. Following the game Steve murders Cone and later dismembers and cooks him. In another video, 1-800-Justice, Cone and Steve are drug dealing brothers, while Dave and Deryck play under cover police officers. Steve shoots Deryck as Cone stabs Dave and they make their get away. Following the Go Chuck Yourself tour, Sum 41 opened for Motley Crue on their Carnival of Sins tour.

Sum 41 released a live CD, "Happy Live Surprise" in Japan on December 21, 2005. The CD contains a full concert recorded live from London, Ontario. The same CD was released March 7, 2006 in Canada under the name "Go Chuck Yourself". The Japanese version contained a DVD with 5 songs from the live performance.

Following their September 11, 2005 show in Quebec City, Quebec, the band went on a touring hiatus. Although on April 17, 2006 Sum 41 played at a tribute to Iggy Pop, joining Iggy on stage for "Little Know It All" and "Lust 4 Life".

The next album that we wait...

Sum 41 covered a John Lennon song for an album honoring the former Beatles singer. Other artists who participated were Avril Lavigne, Black Eyed Peas, Deftones and Duran Duran. [4] Proceeds from the album will go to Amnesty International. On the Sum 41 Q&A, Deryck Whibley said that the band recorded this cover a while ago but don't know if it will ever be released.

On, May 11, 2006, Dave Baksh (a.k.a. Dave Brownsound) announced in a statement through his management company that he was leaving Sum 41 to work with his new band Brown Brigade. Baksh's departure from the band was said to be due to artistic differences, and his goal to play music with more of a classical metal sound. [5][6]

On May 12th, Deryck made the first official comment on the subject on the official message board post addressing Dave's departure. Deryck said that they have no plans of replacing Dave, except for live shows and that the guitarist won't be in videos, photo shoots, or have any decision making power in the band.

Cone has said in the band's Q&A section, "You can probably expect a new single next spring and the album next summer. That's the plan and hopefully that happens."

Answering another question, Cone stated, "Actually the next album will be more along the lines of All Killer and Infected." Deryck, when he was asked why the band altered their sound in "Chuck", responded, "it was just a natural change. I think our new album will be more punk rock though."

During the bands touring hiatus, Cone started a side project with Todd Morse of H2O and Juliette and the Licks. The band is called The Operation and they have already begun recording demos, which can be found on their MySpace website. Cone lends his vocal talents as well as playing bass and keyboards for the band.[7]

On, July 15, 2006 Deryck married singer Avril Lavigne.

Trivia

• The band planned on having "Summer" on all of their albums as a joke, before scrapping the idea after putting it on their first two albums
• The cover for "Does This Look Infected?" was chosen months before the title was. The album was almost delayed by the label because they didn't have a name for it yet. Then, almost out of random, Deryck suddenly thought of the name "Does This Look Infected?", the whole band laughed at the idea and chose it as their album title.
• "The Hell Song" is about a friend of the band who contracted HIV.
• "88" is named for the tempo of the song which is 88
• All of the band members(and their producer, Greig Nori) have a 41 tattooed on the back of their right arm.
• The original title for "Fat Lip" was "Punk Hop", due to the song being a combination of hip-hop and punk
• On an episode of MTV Cribs featuring Steve's house, Deryck said that the majority of the songs for All Killer No Filler were written in Steve's basement.
• "A.N.I.C" from "Does This Look Infected?" is about Anna Nicole Smith. It stands for Anna Nicole is a cunt. In live performances Deryck says it's called Anna Nicole Smith is a fucking stupid cunt.

SUM-41 in movies...

Resources ; wikipedia, sum-41 official sites,

Regards

Verd_hatherley

History

The band members, Jonas Bjerre, Bo Madsen, Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen and the former member Johan Wohlert, who all originate from the posh neighborhood Hellerup north of Copenhagen, now reside in London, England. Whilst their music is often classified as Indie, they sometimes humorously refer to it themselves as "pretentious art rock".

Mew became a huge success in Denmark when they emerged on the scene alongside the likes of Carpark North, Swan Lee and Saybia, amongst others, in 2003. At the 2003 Danish Music Critics Award Show, Mew was awarded prizes for "Album of the Year" and "Band of the Year". After a European tour supporting R.E.M. they have begun to attract wider attention. Their latest album And The Glass Handed Kites was released in Denmark on September 19, 2005, and in the UK and rest of Europe on September 26. They are MTV Asia "Buzz-Worthy" as of January, 2006, and at the recent DMA06 (Danish Music Awards) they took home 4 statuettes. According to Columbia Records, And The Glass Handed Kites will be released in the United States on July 25, 2006. Furthermore, the band will spend the summer and early fall of 2006 touring with Bloc Party.

On April 11, 2006, Johan Wohlert decided to leave the band, as his girlfriend, Pernille Rosendahl from the now dissolved band Swan Lee, was to give birth to their child in May 2006. The band has found another live and studio bassist, who is known by the name Bastian.

The Story from the Inside...

To call Mew 'sort of surreal', of course, is like saying Bill Gates is 'reasonably well off'. If the sprawling, soaring bliss-rock of their breakthrough third album Frengers (2003) - particularly the ecstatically icy space ballets She Came Home For Christmas and NME Single Of The Week Comforting Sounds - projected a sense of glacial fairy tale wonderment (the sort of thing The Brothers Grimm might have written after a month on the road with Hope Of The States) then their fourth record 'Mew. and the Glass Handed Kites' is an even greater leap into the unknown. Redefining the concept of an 'album' - and, indeed, of a 'concept album' -and the Glass Handed Kites is an eccentric 60 minute rock headfuck, flinging musical ideas, distorted nightmare images and heartbreak choruses at the listener with what at first seems to be a random ferocity. One minute we're sailing towards Valhalla on 'Chinaberry Tree''s crusade-rock stomp, the next we're being asked "Why are you looking grave?" by J Mascis over a My Bloody Valentine throb, the next we're in the middle of an ethereal ballad about hiding foxes. Initially it sounds like ten bands playing ten different albums at the same time, which we're tuned in and out of by some insane studio engineer; repeated listening, however, reveals a remarkably unified work that picks up the experimental baton of 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac' and drenches it in Mew's unique other-worldy glisten.

"We wanted it to be one long song," says bassist Johan Wohlert. "It's difficult to do it and it's a difficult record to listen to but it'll keep you interested for a really long time."

"It's quite a mouthful," Jonas adds. "We took the idea of making a record a long journey all the way on this record."

"We knew that we had it in certain songs," says guitarist Bo Madsen. "We had the elements of it on 'Frengers' and we knew it would be a huge challenge for us as a band to spread that out over 60 minutes but we also knew it was something we'd always dreamt of doing, making a body of work, making a masterpiece that you had to listen to from A to Z in order to make any sense of. It was a fucking tough record to make but it was what we had to do. We could have made a 'Frengers Part Two' but it wouldn't have been right. We always go the hard way around, and that's what gives it its uniqueness, that we spend so much time dwelling on the details. One of the fun things about playing in this band is that it is about challenging the structures, challenging what can be done within the context of rock music. It's good that you try, for the sake of art, to push your limits as a band, and your limits of perception. The first time you think it's fucked up but the tenth time you get around to it it starts to make sense. One of the things that makes it fun for us is trying to fuck with people as to what can be done. It's all been assembled together by small parts. It was a big jigsaw puzzle, totally beyond anything we've ever done."

So how did we get from an elementary school playground in Hellerup, Denmark, to a bombastic medieval madrigal space opera track entitled Saviours Of Jazz Ballet? Mew - completed by drummer Silas Graae - first met in the seventh grade, charged with making a film for a school project about the end of the world: their film consisted of them introducing the film over and over again in slow motion. Recognising in each other a taste for apocalyptic art, they soon became the school's alternative clique and were a band long before any of them could play any instruments.

"We became very ambitious straight away," says Jonas. "We were ready to make a record after a couple of months."

Denmark, sadly, wasn't quite ready for them, and it was only after a failed outing as Orange Dog (they were booed off at their first gig) and a short sabbatical to America for Bo that the band reconvened as Mew in their late teens. By now Jonas was working part-time in a post-production company, using the facilities after hours to make his own animations which became part of the Mew live experience, illuminating their lengthy jangle-prog compositions inspired by My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, Dinosaur Jnr and, curiously, the Pet Shop Boys and Prince. At their very first gig an agent for a book publishing company caught them and was so impressed he convinced his company to completely change their business plan to record and release the debut Mew album, A Triumph For Man (1997). Limited to 2000 copies it's now a highly-valued rarity and was a critical hit in Denmark coming, as it did, a mere week after the first Aqua record.

By the time second album Half The World Is Watching Me was ready for its release in 2000, Mew's relationship with their parent company was fraying at the edges, so the band created their own label, Evil Office, to release it. No sooner did it get an initial limited release in Sweden, however, than they were snapped up by Sony for a world-wide deal and decided to pull the new record and re-record the best of their catalogue for an international audience. The result was Frengers, a tenfold leap in sales figures and suddenly Mew found themselves thrust into the 'big time' of one-bedroom London squat-holes and lengthy Transit van tours of the M6.

"Our whole England experience was pretty hardcore," Jonas remembers. "We moved to London and to begin with we didn't know if we were going to be making any money, so we moved into a small flat with two rooms. We slept in the same room in bunk beds for years. We used to drive to Glasgow and then all the way back and sleep in those bunk beds. Those tours were really tiring."

"It almost killed us but we made it through the other side," says Bo. "It prepared us for what it means to be a touring band, getting us into that whole rock'n'roll circus."

And it was cramped around that stained-formica kitchen table that and the Glass Handed Kites took on its shifting, spectacular shapes. Around the core of their trademark expansive pop operatics (The Zookeeper's Boy, The Seething Rain Weeps For You, Special and Why Are You Looking Grave? which features a crack-voiced J Mascis) and Cocteau Twins-esque, star-gazing winter balladry (White Lips Kissed) they weaved intricate freeform passages and inter-looping refrains (see first single Apocalypso, described Jonas as "not quite the end of the world and not quite Carribean dance music") to create a record that isn't just in perfect symmetry with the current Nu Gaze stylings of The Radio Dept., M83 and The Earlies but shimmered with hyper-real celestial Dance Of The Planets atmospherics that were uniquely Mew. And, um, it's all about death. Obviously.

"Each song deals with different aspects of life and fear," Jonas explains. "Sometimes it hits me that everything we do is a distraction from the fact that we will end up suffering and dying eventually, which is quite a cynical way to look at it but you can look at it like that. Music is another way to keep your thoughts elsewhere in a way, the artist wants to leave something behind. So it's trying to deal with those things without making it too obvious. There are things that run deeper but it's not really important for the listener, it's more about how you experience the record, not what was intended."

Discography Albums

A Triumph For Man (1997)
Half the World Is Watching Me (2000)
Frengers (2003)
And The Glass Handed Kites (2005)

Resources : Wikipedia, mew official band site, mew world-fan site,

Regards

Verd_hatherley

Who is she???