Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit is an American nu metal band from Jacksonville, Florida. The current members of the band include vocalist Fred Durst, bassist Sam Rivers, drummer John Otto (Rivers' cousin), and turntablist/sampler player DJ Lethal. The band's guitarist Wes Borland departed in 2001 following the release of their first three albums to be replaced by Mike Smith for the band's fourth release Results May Vary. Borland rejoined for The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) only to quit once again in 2006 to work with other projects Black Light Burns and From First to Last. As of June 2008, the band has sold over 54 million albums wordwide.

History

Early years

Fred Durst lived in Jacksonville, when he met Sam Rivers. Rivers was introduced to music by his cousin, John Otto, a drummer Keystone. Durst asked Rivers if he wanted to get together for a jam session, and Rivers accepted. Rivers brought Otto along. Together they started an early version of the band. The trio soon recruited guitarist Rob Waters. In 1994 Limp Bizkit was established.

Waters didn't stay in the picture very long. The band's first four-track demo, entitled Mental Aquaducts, was recorded with him but soon after he left the band. Otto suggested the group to consider Wes Borland, whom he had gone to school with, for the now vacant position. Otto stated Borland was an artist, but also a very good guitar player. Durst had noticed him playing at clubs and wanted to recruit him. Durst went to Philadelphia, and he instructed the other members to talk to Wes and see if he'd join the band. Wes accepted, and the very night Fred came back to Jacksonville a show was scheduled. Fred and Wes met for the first time, practiced for a half hour, and then went and played the show.

The band continued to play various shows, their most popular venue being at the Milkbar in Jacksonville. In 1995, Fred Durst met members of the band KoRn when they played a show in the Jacksonville area. Durst, a tattoo artist, gave KoRn bassist Reginald Arvizu several tattoos and the two became friends. Durst also gave KoRn the band's first demo tape with Rob Waters, and they shrugged it off as nothing special. But when Wes Borland came into the picture, a second demo was recorded and this time KoRn was impressed. This three song demo included the tracks "Counterfeit", "Stuck", and "Pollution", all of which would end up on Three Dollar Bill, Yall$. Reginald Arvizu passed the demo tape onto Ross Robinson, who produced for KoRn, and was also very impressed. Ross contacted Limp Bizkit, and stated his intent to produce for the band. Also, at a Garbage concert, Durst had met Jordan Schur and played his demo tape for him in Schur's car. He was impressed, and wanted to sign Limp Bizkit to his label, Flip Records. Around this time, the band was booked to tour with the bands Deftones and House of Pain, whose member DJ Lethal later joined Limp Bizkit.

Another major event that shaped the destiny of the band occurred before they were signed. It's not exactly clear when it happened due to conflicting accounts. Apparently it occurred after Wes had quit the band, while the remaining members still wanted to go on without him. The band had gotten an offer from major record label Mojo Records, a subsidiary of MCA. Seeing a greater opportunity with Mojo, the band decided to choose them over the smaller label, Flip. Durst called Schur, and said, regretfully, that he had decided to choose Mojo over Flip. He also said that the band was driving a van to Los Angeles to sign the record deal and that the only way they weren't going to sign was if the van flipped. These words proved to be an omen of sorts. While the group's van was driving through Texas the driver fell asleep at the wheel and the van flipped. It rolled several times before landing on its roof. While everyone managed to escape with only minor injuries, the demeanor of the band changed completely. They took it as a sign and from then on wanted nothing to do with Mojo. Everyone, including Ross Robinson, started calling Borland, trying to get him to come back to the band. Once he came back, Fred called Jordan Schur and pleaded with him, telling him how big of a mistake they had made, and about how the accident was "a sign". It cost Flip $200,000 to buy out the Mojo contracts. When that was done, Limp Bizkit was signed to Flip. Being a small label, Flip entered into a joint venture with Interscope to distribute the band's first album.

Three Dollar Bill, Yall$ (1997-1999)

Three Dollar Bill, Yall$, their first full length recording, was released in 1997 on Interscope. The album fared poorly on the Billboard 200 at the time of its release, although it did sell steadily over time due to a huge amount of obsessive touring. It wasn't until Limp Bizkit made further associations with KoRn that they were able to promote their music via MTV, Warped Tour, the Family Values Tour, the Trail of Tears, and Ozzfest, which helped the album to peak at number 25 on the chart. At Ozzfest in particular, the band made a memorable impression on viewers due to the original set they played on, which consisted of a giant toilet. The band climbed out from the toilet at the beginning of the show, with Fred saying lines during the show such as "We're coming straight to you from the sewer" and "I am a piece of shit, and my band is a piece of shit". Sam Rivers once said during MTV Driven "Our music is fueled by negativity, so by saying these things you're only fueling the fire". Wes Borland's outlandish makeup also started making impressions on fans as well. Although their first released single was "Counterfeit", they rose to fame through a cover of George Michael's "Faith". The song appeared on the soundtrack of Peter Berg's 1998 movie "Very Bad Things" starring Cameron Diaz, Christian Slater and Jeremy Piven. Apparently, the song only took around 10 minutes to arrange. Later that year, Fred lent his vocals to KoRn's third album on the song All in the Family, a rap-battle of sorts. The album also featured a second disc, with four remixes of the demo for the song and multimedia featuring interviews between Durst, Borland and the rest of KoRn.

Another unique idea the band came up with was the Ladies Night in Cambodia tour. Fred had noticed that mostly young males went to their concerts, and wanted more women to come. So, they came up with the idea to let women get in for free at this tour. The tour was a huge success, and many more women would appear at their later concerts (even though this practice lasted only for the "Cambodia" tour). The set was also fairly original, as it made the stage appear to be a jungle (hence the 'Cambodia').

Significant Other (1999-2000)

In 1999, Limp Bizkit found major worldwide success with their second album Significant Other, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and received generally positive reviews^[4]. The album sold 834,000 copies in its first week and has sold over 16 million copies worldwide. The first single "Nookie", was an enormous hit on rock radio, reaching the top 10 in both rock and rap charts. The band followed-up the single with three simultaneously released singles - "Break Stuff", "Re-Arranged" and "N 2 Gether Now" (featuring Method Man). The album also featured the song "Nobody Like You" with vocals by Jonathan Davis of KoRn and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots.

Controversies

In the summer of 1999, Limp Bizkit played at the highly anticipated Woodstock '99 show. However, violent action sprang up during and after their performance, including fans tearing plywood from the walls during a rendition of the band's single "Break Stuff". Several rapes and sexual assaults were reported in the aftermath of the concert, resulting in deliberately lit fires and looting when the Red Hot Chili Peppers played the next day. Some have blamed the band for this outbreak, although Fred Durst claimed that none of the instigations he had made at the concert were intended to cause damage.

Along with this episode, controversies involving the band's members began to arise. Durst particularly became involved in feuds with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the metal band Slipknot, Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist Zakk Wylde, physical violence with Creed frontman Scott Stapp, verbal wars with rapper Eminem, and later, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden. In addition, the band Taproot released on their website an answering machine message that Durst had left on the lead singer's phone as "revenge" for ending their record company contract with his record label.

Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000-2001)

Fifteen months later, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, a title with sexual connotations referring to the anus (“chocolate starfish”) and semen (“hot dog flavored water”), was released on October 17, 2000. The album set a record for highest week-one sales of a rock album with just over one million copies sold in the U.S. in its first week of release . "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" was certified Gold®, Platinum® and four times Multi-Platinum™. The album went on to sell almost 25 million copies worldwide. The first two singles "My Generation" and "Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)" were released at the same time in promotion of the album. "Take a Look Around" was later added to the list as the theme song to the movie Mission: Impossible 2. A remix, "Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle)" featuring Method Man, Redman and DMX was also a minor club hit. The fourth single "My Way" was commissioned as the opening theme for the World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania X-Seven. Despite its commercial success, the album received mediocre reviews from many critics.

Controversies

In late 2000, the band also stirred up some discontent by allowing the controversial peer-to-peer file-sharing network Napster to sponsor their "Back to Basics tour", advertised as a chance for fans to 'get closer to the band.'

Controversy continued with a death during a 2001 tour of Australia at the Big Day Out festival in Sydney. Teenager Jessica Michalik suffered a heart attack when fans rushed the stage in the mosh pit. It was claimed by security and witnesses that Fred Durst was urging the crowd on in a possibly violent manner, or that he failed to attempt to calm the crowd after the accident. Jessica was announced clinically dead when she was pulled out of the pit by security guards, but regained consciousness after having air pumped into her lungs as well as an epinephrine shot to her heart from paramedics backstage. She was immediately rushed to Sydney's Concord Hospital where she died a few hours later.

Durst provided the courts with testimony. During the hearing he claimed, via a video connection from the U.S., that he had warned the concert's organizers and promoter Vivian Lees of the potential dangers of such minimal security, even going so far as to say Limp Bizkit would “pull out” if the issue wasn't properly addressed. Big Day Out attorneys attempted to pin the blame on Limp Bizkit because the band did not stop playing when they received news of the incident. Although the guitars, drums and bass ceased, DJ Lethal played a quiet computer-generated loop. While admitting that Lethal took it upon himself to play the interlude, Durst claimed that the quiet melody did have a soothing effect on the crowd.

The Coroner's Court decided the band 'could've been more helpful in efforts to aid the girl'. The security practices employed by festival organizers Creative Entertainment Australia bore the brunt of the blame. After viewing videotapes and hearing witness testimony, however, Milledge, the coroner, said it was evident that the density of the crowd was dangerous at the time Limp Bizkit took the stage.

Borland's second departure

In the fall of 2001, Wes Borland left Limp Bizkit for the second time. Strained relations between him and Durst contributed to his decision. His departure was interpreted as a major blow by fans and critics to the band. He was often cited as a vital creative force in the group, due in part to his eccentricity. Ryan Dill of Houston, Tx replaced him.

Results May Vary (2002-2004)

With Borland's absence, Limp Bizkit began a nation-wide audition in 2002, for their new guitarist called Put Your Guitar Where Your Mouth Is. Durst announced at the outset that he was interested in recruiting a female or more than one new member into the band. Thousands of hopefuls were said to queue up to participate. Some controversy occurred when rumors surfaced that all contestants were required to sign a document giving Limp Bizkit the full ownership of any riffs they played. Durst said on the band's website that what they signed was only a release form so that each person's likeness could be used in a documentary if the band were to make one. Each auditioner was allowed only sixty seconds in the first round to prove themselves in the eyes of the band. The final contestants were Monte Pittman, Anoush Saboktakin and Jonas Anderson of Fresno, California.

On March 7, 2003, Limp Bizkit announced they would perform live for the first time in two years, at World Wrestling Entertainment's upcoming WrestleMania XIX taking place on March 30. They played "Crack Addict" and "Rollin'" (the Undertaker's theme song) at the show.^[11] They also signed up for several live tours, despite their lack of a guitarist. The guitarists for the Wrestlemania tour were later revealed when Durst wrote in a post on the official website: "We are playing Wrestlemania this weekend. On the guitars will be Head from KoRn and Mike Smith from Snot". This live lineup performed the song "Crack Addict", which was rumored to be on their upcoming album, although it was not. The song was later made available for download through their MySpace page.

During this time, Durst spoke of many collaborations with guitarists, with a few rap guests sprinkled in on songs for the album. Among them were Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, Page Hamilton of Helmet, Al Jourgensen of Ministry, and Brian Welch of KoRn as well as Jay-Z, Bubba Sparxxx, and Snoop Dogg. None of the songs with those guitarists would make it onto the album, except "Build a Bridge", which was written with Welch, and "Red Light - Green Light", which featured Snoop Dogg.

For whatever reason, the finalists from the "Put Your Guitar Where Your Mouth Is" contest were rejected in favor of former Snot guitarist Mike Smith. The band also changed its logo to limpbizkit to promote their change of style.

The band had already recorded an album's worth of material for an upcoming release. But with Mike Smith now in the band, it was decided that they would go back in the studio and record another album's worth of songs. The best of these tracks would make it onto the final release. Fred refers to the tracks recorded during this period that didn't make it to the album as the 'Off the Record' tracks, as if it were an album in itself.

On September 23, 2003, Results May Vary, their fourth album and last top ten recording, was released, with about half the songs featuring Mike Smith on guitar and about half having Limp Bizkit's Sam Rivers on guitar. "Build a Bridge" has Brian Welch on guitar. The album was considered a commercial flop, breaking the group's #1 spree on the Billboard 200. It received platinum certification (1 million copies sold) in the United States after fourteen weeks on the charts. In comparison, their previous work Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water sold one million albums in its first week. Results May Vary appealed more to fans of Fred-written ballads with less of a hard rock emphasis than on previous releases.^{[citation needed]}

On the other hand, the album received generally poor reviews by critics.. Although Rolling Stone's review was generally positive, Playlouder called it 'fucking crap', Yahoo! Launch labeled it 'a frightening insight into the vacuous state of 21st century culture,', and another review stated that it 'suffered from an utter lack of form and direction.'. Nevertheless, an acoustic cover of The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" was a moderate hit on mainstream radio, and its video featured actress Halle Berry. "Eat You Alive" was released as the first single off the album, cracking the top 20 of both American rock charts with an accompanying video that features actress Thora Birch being berated and actor Bill Paxton as her father who is looking for her. The album's ballad "Build a Bridge" was the official theme song of WWE's Survivor Series pay-per-view event in November 2003, although it was never released as an official single due to Mike Smith's departure. Another song from the album, "Almost Over", cracked the Rock Top 40. However it was never released as a single or video.

In 2003, Limp Bizkit toured on the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003 with Metallica, Linkin Park, Deftones and Mudvayne to promote Metallica's 2003 release, St. Anger. At the tour's stop in Chicago, IL, attendees of the concert threw items at and heckled Durst from the moment he walked on stage. With the crowd chanting "Fuck Fred Durst" and continuing their assault on him, Durst threw the mic down after six songs and walked off stage, but not before heckling the crowd back .

The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) and Greatest Hitz (2004-2006)

Throughout July 2004, various rumors began circulating claiming that Wes Borland had been playing with the band again. By July 8, a fan site released an official report that Borland was recording with the band in London. Photos appeared on the band's official website of him playing with the band, and a live video of them playing a new song "The Truth" in studio was also posted on the website.

Durst said of Borland's re-entry, "We are very content with Mike being gone. We are the type of people that stay true to our family and our instincts and at any moment will act on intuition as a whole. Mike wasn't the guy. We had fun playing with him, but always knew, in the back of our minds, that he wasn't where we needed him to be mentally."At this stage, they reverted back to the use of their original logo.

The band returned to the studio with producer Ross Robinson, who had worked with them on Three Dollar Bill, Yall$, to create a seven track EP titled The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1). Drummer John Otto was only able to contribute to one track on the album due to personal matters, with Sammy Siegler providing percussion on the remaining tracks. Durst promised fans before its release that it would be a return to the 'rawer, more abrasive style' of their first album.

The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1)

The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) was released as a 7-track EP internationally on May 3, 2005 with little fanfare or advertising, debuting at number 24 on the Billboard 200 and selling only 37,000 copies in its first week. The mini-album eventually sold over 1,000,000 copies worldwide, but just slightly over 100,000 in the US.^[18] It also received mediocre reviews, with some critics thinking that Durst was trying too hard to imitate Rage Against the Machine's lead singer Zack de la Rocha.

Greatest Hitz

Limp Bizkit's first greatest hits compilation, titled Greatest Hitz, was released on November 8, 2005. It contained material from the band's first four albums (the track "The Truth" was released in some countries). An additional DVD, which featured music videos for most of their major hits, was released in conjunction with the CD. The album and DVD were barely promoted by the band's label, even to the point where Durst claimed he was being forced to do interviews about a compilation he wasn't very excited about. The promotion did not pay off, with the album debuting at number 47.

The compilation album featured two previously unreleased songs, "Why" and "Lean on Me", which were acoustic/metal-based leftovers from Results May Vary, dropped for heavier songs^[21], and a medley of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" and Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home", which was released to radio but did not receive much airplay. Wes Borland stated that the CD was "a piece of shit and a waste of money".

Future

Rock im Park 2001 & The Unquestionable Truth (Part 2) (2007-present)

Originally, the band began working on the album directly after finishing The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1), with Fred Durst even saying on the band's official chat that Part 2 was finished before Part 1 was released.^[22] It was scheduled to be released in fall 2005 (similar to System of a Down's Mezmerize and Hypnotize).

After several months with no word, a new post on the band's website stated the band intended to release a compilation album of the band's favorite songs along with lots of brand new material as a 'greatest hits' album, followed by 'a new full length album' and 'the greatest limp tour ever'. The band had already canceled the shows they were supposed to play for the release of The Unquestionable Truth due to personal issues, specifically John Otto going to rehab.

Aside from the release of the Greatest Hitz in November, the rest of the year was stale for the band. There was virtually no relevant talk of Part 2. While Durst did numerous interviews, mostly with MTV, he seemed to simply repeat what had already been said, and provided no new insight on the album or its release date. He began speaking more and more of his interest in acting and directing, and less about releasing the album. Wes Borland seemed to be working on his solo effort in the meantime.

Eventually, Wes Borland shed some light on the situation, saying on his MySpace that the band had to write three records worth of material before they had gotten to a place where vocalist Fred Durst was happy with the music. They then recorded the music twice. Once with Sammy Siegler, and once with John Otto. Fred did vocals on six out of the 13 songs recorded, and for some reason stopped. Borland stressed the fact that lots of music had been recorded, but it was Fred's fault in not recording any vocals.

Durst then took the stage to speak about the album. He continuously reassured the fans that the album was definitely coming out. The problem was that around this time, he was getting ready to direct his first movie, The Education of Charlie Banks. This meant that the band itself would continue to be on hiatus for months. In his free time, Durst went on the band's MySpace and talked about things such as the direction the album is supposed to go in, how he continually was writing lyrics, as well as posting several unreleased tracks every once in a while so that the fans would keep faith in the band.

Soon after, some fans were in contact with Gabe Karon, a close friend of the band who has been known to go on tour with them, and releases home videos of the band he calls 'G Movies'. Gabe stated that the guitar, bass, and drums for the album are finished, and that only the vocals remain.^[23] Apparently, Durst had been editing his movie during the day, and then working on vocals for the album with DJ Lethal at night.

There has been little word from the band themselves, except for Fred Durst, who simply stated the vocals were 'coming along fine'.

A DVD of the bands 2001 live concert at Rock im Park was released on July 8, 2008, as well as a live album, the DVD includes live footage of the bands entire performance as well as an interview with DJ Lethal.

In a recent interview on the Tom Green Show ^[24], Fred Durst replied to a fan who was wondering when the band would be back on the stage again by saying: "I'm gonna get up on the stage for you man, and don't worry about it it's coming. And you better wear your panties or your diaper or whatever cause I'm gonna rock your fuckin ass off brother!" In the interview he also mentioned that The Unquestionable Truth (Part 2) is still being worked on.

Band members

Current

• Fred Durst - vocals (1994 - present)
• Sam Rivers - bass (1994 - present)
• John Otto - drums (1994 - present)
• DJ Lethal - keyboards, turntables, samples, programming (1994 - present)

Former

• Wes Borland - guitar (1995 - 2001, 2004 - 2006)
• Mike Smith - guitar (2003 - 2004)

Non-musical album appearances

• Les Claypool and Matt Pinfield - Outro Significant Other
• Ben Stiller - Outro Chocolate Starfish and the Hotdog Flavored Water

Discography

Main article: Limp Bizkit discography

• 1997 - Three Dollar Bill, Yall$
• 1999 - Significant Other
• 2000 - Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water
• 2001 - New Old Songs
• 2003 - Results May Vary
• 2005 - The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1)
• 2005 - Greatest Hitz
• 2008 - Rock im Park 2001
• (TBA) - The Unquestionable Truth (Part 2)

Guest appearances in Limp Bizkit videos

• Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), Thom Hazaert (President - Corporate Punishment Records) - "Counterfeit"
• Chino Moreno - "Counterfeit [Lethal Dose Mix]"
• Eminem, Dr. Dre, Jonathan Davis, Snoop Dogg, Pauly Shore, Seth Green and more - "Break Stuff"
• Ben Stiller, Stephen Dorff - "Rollin'"
• Bill Paxton, Thora Birch - "Eat You Alive"
• Halle Berry - "Behind Blue Eyes"
• Jonathan Davis, Fieldy, Brian "Head" Welch, Munky, Les Claypool - "Faith", footage from the Family Values Tour.
• Matt Pinfield - "Re-Arranged"
• Method Man, Pauly Shore, Redman, DJ Premier - "N 2 Gether Now"
• Bubba Sparxxx, Timbaland - "Re-Arranged (Timbaland Mix)"

Guest appearances in other videos

• Fred Durst - Lil' Bow Wow ft. Snoop Dogg, "Bow Wow (That's My Name)"
• Fred Durst - Cold, "Give"
• Fred Durst - Eminem, "The Real Slim Shady"
• Fred Durst - KoRn, "Falling Away from Me"
• Fred Durst - KoRn, "Got the Life"
• Fred Durst - Methods of Mayhem, "Get Naked"
• Fred Durst - Puddle of Mudd, "Control"
• Fred Durst - Soulfly, "Bleed"
• Fred Durst - Staind, "Home"
• Fred Durst - Staind, "Outside (Live)"
• Fred Durst - Staind, "Just Go"
• Fred Durst - 8Ball, "Quit Playin Games"
• Fred Durst - Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, "What's Going On"
• Fred Durst- Kid Rock, "Bawitdaba"
• Mike Smith - Britney Spears, "I Love Rock 'n Roll"
• Mike Smith - Five for Fighting, "Easy Tonight"
• Mike Smith - Staind, "Outside"
• Wes Borland - The Crystal Method, "Born Too Slow"
• Wes Borland - The Crystal Method, "Weapons of Mass Distortion"
• DJ Lethal - Dilated Peoples, "Worst Comes to Worst"

Avril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne Whibley (born September 27, 1984), better known by her birth name of Avril Lavigne (pronounced /ˈævrɨl ləˈviːn/), is a Canadian Grammy award-nominated rock singer, musician, fashion designer and actress. In 2006, Canadian Business Magazine ranked her the seventh most powerful Canadian in Hollywood.

Lavigne's debut album, Let Go, was released in 2002. Over 16 million copies were sold worldwide and it was certified six times platinum in the United States. Her second and third albums, Under My Skin (2004) sold 8 million copies and The Best Damn Thing (2007) currently over 5 million copies sold respectively, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Lavigne has scored six number one songs worldwide to date and a total of eleven top ten hits, including "Complicated", "Sk8er Boi", "I'm With You", "My Happy Ending", and "Girlfriend" which became hits in the ARC Top 40. In December 2007, Lavigne was ranked at #7 in the Forbes "Top 20 Earners Under 25", with an annual earnings of $12 million. Currently, Avril Lavigne has sold about 30 million albums worldwide.

Background

Lavigne was born in Belleville, Ontario on September 27, 1984, the daughter of Judy and John Lavigne. Lavigne's birth name is usually pronounced in an anglicized way as above ("La-Veen"). In French, it is commonly pronounced /avʁil laˈviɲ/ (help·info)). Avril is French for "April", while la vigne means "the vineyard". Her French-Canadian parents are devoutly Baptist. She has an elder brother, Matthew, and a younger sister, Michelle. Lavigne's mother was the first to spot young Lavigne’s talent. At the age of two, Lavigne began singing along with her mother on church songs. The family moved to Napanee, Ontario, when Lavigne was five years old.

In 1998, Lavigne won a competition to sing with fellow Canadian singer Shania Twain on her first major concert tour. She appeared alongside Twain at her concert in Ottawa, appearing on stage to sing "What Made You Say That". She was discovered by her first professional manager, Cliff Fabri, while singing country covers at a Chapters bookstore in Kingston, Ontario.^[18] During a performance with the Lennox Community Theatre, Lavigne was spotted by local folk singer Steve Medd, who invited her to sing on his song "Touch the Sky" for his 1999 album Quinte Spirit. She also sang on "Temple of Life" and "Two Rivers" for his follow up album, My Window to You, in 2000.

At the age of sixteen she was signed by Ken Krongard, the artists-and-repertoire (A&R) representative of Arista Records, who invited the head of Arista, Antonio "L.A." Reid, to hear her sing at the New York City studio of producer Peter Zizzo.^[18]

She then completed work on her first album, Let Go. The Matrix, who worked extensively with Lavigne on the album, commented on her songwriting, saying, "We had a fabulous and unique experience with Avril, who was then a 16-year-old rapidly growing songwriter with tremendous raw talent. The songs were conceived on piano and guitar by four people: The Matrix (3) and Avril. Avril was instrumental in the songs' creation. We were all very close during the making of the record."^{[cite this quote]}

Music career

Let Go (2002–2003)

Main article: Let Go (Avril Lavigne album)

Let Go was released on June 4, 2002 in the United States, it has reached number two there and number one in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This made Lavigne, at seventeen, the youngest female soloist to have a number-one album in the UK up until that time.

The album shows definite pop rock roots; however, alternative and post-grunge influences can be heard in some of the songs.

Just over one month after its release, Let Go reached multi-platinum status in late-August,^[28] and was certified triple platinum two weeks after. Before the end of 2002, just six months after its debut, it was certified four times platinum by the RIAA. It was the best selling album of the year for a female artist and for a debut album in 2002. As of December 2007 the album has sold 6.6 million copies in the U.S and more than 16 million worldwide.^[32][33]

Four singles from the album were released. The first single, "Complicated" went to number one in Australia, while reaching number two on the U.S. Hot 100, and it was one of the best-selling Canadian singles of 2002. Lavigne tied a record set by Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" when "Complicated" held the number one spot on the contemporary hit radio chart (which tracks air play on the radio) for eleven weeks in a row.^[34] "Sk8er Boi" reached the top ten in the U.S. and Australia, "I'm With You" reached the top ten in the U.S and the UK, and "Losing Grip" reached the top ten in Taiwan and the top twenty in Chile.

Lavigne was named "Best New Artist" at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, won four Juno Awards in 2003 (out of six nominations), received a World Music Award for "World's Best-Selling Canadian Singer", and was nominated for eight Grammy Awards, including "Song of the Year" for "Complicated" and "Best New Artist".

Under My Skin (2004–2006)

Main article: Under My Skin

Lavigne's second album, Under My Skin, was released on May 25, 2004, in the U.S. It debuted at number one in the U.S., the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Ireland, Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong and sold more than 380,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week. Lavigne wrote most of the album with Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, though some tracks were co-written by Ben Moody (formerly of Evanescence), Butch Walker of Marvellous 3, her former lead guitarist Evan Taubenfeld, and her former drummer Matt Brann. Kreviazuk's husband, Our Lady Peace front man Raine Maida, co-produced the album with Butch Walker and Don Gilmore.

This album has a stronger alternative feel, along with songs showing punk-pop edges (such as He Wasn't and I Always Get what I Want), or soft post-grunge sounds (Freak Out and Who Knows).

Lead single "Don't Tell Me" went to number one in Argentina and Mexico, the top five in the UK and Canada, and the top ten in Australia and Brazil. "My Happy Ending" went to number one in Mexico and it reached the top ten in the U.S. making it her third-biggest hit there, but third single "Nobody's Home" did not make the top forty in the U.S., and it only went to number one in Mexico and Argentina. The fourth single from the album, "He Wasn't", reached top forty positions in the UK and Australia, and was not released in the U.S. "Fall to Pieces" was released as the final single from the album, but did not do as well as previous singles.

Lavigne performing in Geneva on June 9, 2005.

Lavigne won two World Music Awards in 2004 for "World's Best Pop/Rock Artist" and "World's Best-Selling Canadian Artist". She received five Juno Award nominations in 2005, picking up three, including "Fan Choice Award", "Artist of the Year", and "Pop Album of the Year". She won the award for "Favorite Female Singer" at the eighteenth Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Lavigne co-wrote "Breakaway" with Matthew Gerard, which was recorded by Kelly Clarkson for the soundtrack to the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004). "Breakaway" was later included on Clarkson's second album, Breakaway, being released as the album's first single. The song peaked inside the U.S. top ten and provided Clarkson with a substantial hit.

Lavigne went on a "Live and by Surprise" twenty-one city mall-tour in the U.S. and Canada, starting on March 4, 2004, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to promote Under My Skin. Each performance consisted of a short live acoustic set of songs from the new album. She was accompanied by her guitarist, Evan Taubenfeld. The venue in each city was not announced until forty-eight hours before the show. The tour was very popular and was successful in promoting the album. The set at Indianapolis on March 25, 2004, at Glendale mall included "He Wasn't", "My Happy Ending", "Don't Tell Me", "Take Me Away", "Nobody's Home", "Sk8er Boi", and "Complicated". Selections of this tour were released on the Avril Lavigne Live Acoustic EP, which was released in U.S. Target stores.

Lavigne was touring throughout most of 2005, and pursuing her acting and modelling careers. She represented Canada at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, performing her song "Who Knows" during the eight minutes of the Vancouver 2010 portion. The album has sold more than 8 million copies.

The Best Damn Thing (2007–present)

Main article: The Best Damn Thing

Lavigne in Hong Kong, 2007.

Lavigne in the 2007 MuchMusic Video Awards.

Lavigne's third album, The Best Damn Thing, was released on April 17, 2007 and debuted at number one in the U.S. The album was produced by Dr. Luke, Lavigne's husband Deryck Whibley, Rob Cavallo, Butch Walker and Lavigne.^[40] Travis Barker recorded drums for the record. The first single from the album was "Girlfriend", which became Lavigne's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. On Ryan Seacrest's radio show Lavigne said that "When You're Gone" would be the second single. Lavigne's third single from the album is "Hot". The fourth and final single of the album is "The Best Damn Thing".

This album has a high punk-pop influence, with punk rock guitar riffs and poppy choruses.

"Girlfriend" has been used as the theme song for the Japanese idol hosted talk show Cartoon KAT-TUN. On May 2, 2007, she made a guest appearance during the show. She played a game of darts with the KAT-TUN group.

Lavigne has been doing a small tour to promote The Best Damn Thing, with tickets available only to members of her fan club. She began the tour in Calgary, Alberta, and played for a crowd of around two hundred. This show was aired on television on April 2, 2007, on the CBC Network. The album had sold a total of 5.1 million copies worldwide in by December 2007. Avril is currently on her tour "The Best Damn Tour" promoting the album and traveling the world. The tour will end in September after the Japan tour dates.

Allegations of plagiarism and criticism of songwriting

On May 25, 2007, Lavigne, her co-songwriter Lukasz Gottwald, and her record label were sued by songwriters James Gangwer and Tommy Dunbar over claims that her song "Girlfriend" infringes on their 1979 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", originally performed by The Rubinoos.

In June 2007, Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, with whom Lavigne wrote the majority of her second album, Under My Skin, spoke to Performing Songwriter magazine about Lavigne's songwriting, saying, "I mean, Avril, songwriter? Avril doesn't really sit and write songs by herself or anything. Avril will also cross the ethical line and no one says anything. That's why I'll never work with her again. I sent her a song two years ago called 'Contagious', and I just saw the tracklisting to this album and there's a song called 'Contagious' on it – and my name's not on it. What do you do with that? See, I won't [call the lawyers], I'll just tell you. Art should not be subject to that kind of controversy."

On July 6, Lavigne denied both accusations in an open letter on her website, claiming that she had "never heard the [Rubinoos] song in [her] life" and also that she is considering taking legal action against Kreviazuk with regards to her allegations, which she considers "damaging to my reputation and a clear defamation of my character".

On July 10, Kreviazuk made a full public apology and retracted the statements made in the aforementioned interview, saying "I would like to apologize for any misconceptions concerning Avril Lavigne, which may have resulted from statements I made in my interview with Performing Songwriter Magazine. It was not my intention to call Avril's songwriting ability or ethics into question. My statements and any inference from my statements, which call into question Avril's ethics or ability as a respected and acclaimed songwriter, should be disregarded and are retracted. Avril is an accomplished songwriter and it has been my privilege to work with her.". Kreviazuk and Lavigne share the same manager, Nettwerk Management.

In January 2008 Dubar and Gangwer dropped their lawsuit and retracted their allegations of plagiarism after the case was settled confidentially.

The song "I Don't Have to Try," also stirred up controversy. Similarities between this song and Peaches' 2003 song, "I'm the Kinda" has sparked further plagiarism speculations.

Other works

Covers

Lavigne recorded a cover of the John Lennon song "Imagine" as her contribution to the album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. Lavigne has also covered The Goo Goo Dolls' mega-hit "Iris", actually performing a duet of the song with the band's lead singer and lyricist John Rzeznik at the Fashion Rocks concert in 2004, which was produced by Eric Book.

Other covers which were performed live include:

• "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Bob Dylan
• "No One Needs to Know" by Shania Twain
• "Basket Case" by Green Day
• "The Scientist" by Coldplay
• "All the Small Things" by blink-182
• "Chop Suey!" by System of a Down
• "Fuel" by Metallica
• "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
• "You Were Mine" by Dixie Chicks
• "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer
• "Adia" by Sarah McLaughlin

Other appearances

• "Hundred Million" by the pop-punk band Treble Charger
• "Bethamphetamine (Pretty, Pretty)" by the hard rock singer Butch Walker
• Lavigne has also been featured in a comic series called Make 5 Wishes. She stars as herself, a pop star, who is idolized by the protagonist of the story.

Abbey Dawn

Abbey Dawn is a clothing line produced by Kohl's and designed by Avril Lavigne, scheduled to be released in the US in July. The line is named after Avril’s childhood nickname. Described as a "juniors lifestyle brand", the line will include hoodies and jeans with skull and zebra patterns similar to the artwork on Lavigne's album The Best Damn Thing.

Film career

Avril Lavigne in Los Angeles at the premiere of Over the Hedge (2006).

Lavigne made her film debut in the animated film Over the Hedge, which is based on the comic strip of same name. She worked alongside William Shatner, Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Wanda Sykes, Nick Nolte and Steve Carell. She is also acting in the Richard Gere film The Flock, as the girlfriend of a crime suspect, and her third project was Fast Food Nation, based on her favorite book. Lavigne wrote and recorded a song titled "Keep Holding On" with Dr. Luke, for the Eragon film soundtrack; it was included on her third album, The Best Damn Thing. The song was released for digital download on November 28, and made its worldwide debut on radio on November 17. It reached the top spot on the Canadian top twenty. She also recorded the theme song for The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.

Lavigne made a cameo in the film Going the Distance and also appeared in an episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, performing "Sk8er Boi" with her band.

It was reported by the British publication The London Paper that she recently landed a lead role in an upcoming film. "I've got a film role coming up - something you wouldn't expect from me, something deep and dark."

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Sabrina, the Teenage Witch	Herself	Television episode (Bada-Ping!) Guest-star; performed "Sk8er Boi"
2004	Going the Distance	Herself	Cameo; performed "Losing Grip"
2004	Madtv	Herself	Cameo; performed
2006	Fast Food Nation	Alice	College activist
2006	Over the Hedge	Heather	Voice
2007	The Flock	Beatrice Bell	Suspect's Girlfriend
2009	TBA	TBA	Lead role

Media image

In Lavigne's official MySpace page, she affirms that her music genre is Pop/Punk/Rock;^[64] but Allmusic and other reviewers consider her "Punk, Punk-pop, Pop/Rock, Alternative Rock, Alternative Pop-Rock, Modern Rock and Post-Grunge". The reason for the confusion appears to be for her punk-like appearance, however, she has frequently stated that she's "not punk", and that she never claimed to be. Lavigne cites many early punk bands and figures as influences, but her music has little in common with 1970s punk rock.

Personal life

In the January 2003 issue of Seventeen magazine, she admitted to "snagging a bite of Matt's cheeseburgers every now and again." She said also she prefers not to eat meat, but will not say she's a vegetarian "in case anyone caught her eating meat".^[66]

Lavigne has a star tattooed on the inside of her left wrist that matches the style of the one used for her first album artwork. It was created at the same time as friend and musical associate Ben Moody's identical tattoo. ^[67]In late 2004, she had a small pink heart-shaped tattoo featuring the letter 'D' applied to her right wrist, which represents her now husband Deryck Whibley.^[68]

In February 2004, she began dating fellow Canadian singer Deryck Whibley, the lead singer/guitarist of punk band Sum 41. On June 27, 2005, Lavigne and Whibley became engaged.^[69] Whibley proposed to Lavigne by surprising her with a trip to Venice, a gondola ride, and then a romantic picnic.^[69]

The couple married in a Catholic ceremony attended by about 110 guests on July 15, 2006 at a private estate in Montecito, California.^[70] When asked if they were ready for kids the couple said "not right now but somewhere down the road."

Avril once said in an interview that her favorite party song is "Hey Ya", by Outkast. She likes listening to Third Eye Blind, Oasis, Marilyn Manson, System of a Down and Blink-182, and loves especially the track "I Miss You". Asked what she would put on a mix tape to a boy she liked, Avril answered: "Iris", by Goo Goo Dolls. I'd put a few Coldplay and Oasis songs. Radiohead -- The Bends is one of my favorite albums."

Charities

Lavigne has been involved in a number of charities, such as Make Some Noise, Amnesty International, AmericanCPR.org, Camp Will-a-Way, Music Clearing Minefields, U.S. Campaign for Burma, Make-a-Wish Foundation and War Child. She has also appeared in ALDO ads with YouthAIDS to raise money to educate people worldwide about HIV/AIDS.

Lavigne worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2005 east coast tour.

Lavigne also covered 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' for War Child's Peace Songs compilation.^[75]

Avril Lavigne has also been taking part of the Unite Against Aids concert presented by ALDO in support of Unicef on November 28th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec Canada. Special guest artists also includes Marie-Mai and Sarah McLachlan. Canada's winner of the United Against Aids Video Contest, Sina Soksowath Var has won the contest with a total of 161 votes winning Avril's autographed album and photo.

Backing band

Current members Al Berry — bass guitar, backing vocals (2007 – present) Rodney Howard — drums, percussion, backing vocals (2007 – present) Stephen Anthony Ferlazzo Jr. — electronic keyboard, backing vocals (2007 – present) Jim McGorman — rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2007 – present) Steve Fekete — lead guitar, backing vocals (2008 – present) Sofia Toufa — backing vocals, dancer (2007 – present) Lindsay Bluafarb — backing vocals, dancer (2007 – present)

Past members Mark Spicoluk — bass guitar, backing vocals (April 2002 – September 2002) Jesse Colburn — rhythm guitar (2002 – January 2004) Evan Taubenfeld — lead guitar, backing vocals (2002 – September 2004) Craig Wood — rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004 – January 2007) Matt Brann — drums, percussion (2002 – February 2007) Charlie Moniz — bass guitar (2002 – February 2007) Devin Bronson — lead guitar, backing vocals (2004 – 2008)

Soon after departing Lavigne's band, Taubenfeld formed The Black List Club, later signing up Bronson as lead guitarist.

Discography

Main article: Avril Lavigne discography

• 2002: Let Go
• 2004: Under My Skin
• 2007: The Best Damn Thing

Evanescence

Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.

After recording two private EPs and a demo CD named Origin, with the help of Bigwig Enterprises in 2000, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 15 million copies worldwide and helped the band win two Grammy Awards. A year later, Evanescence released their first live album, Anywhere but Home, which sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 2006, the band released their second studio album, The Open Door, which has sold more than four million copies.

The band has suffered several line-up changes, including co-founder Moody leaving in 2003, followed by guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray in 2007. Lee is now the only original member of Evanescence remaining in the band

History

Founding

Evanescence was founded by singer, pianist and songwriter Amy Lee and former lead guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody. The two met in 1994 at a youth camp in Little Rock, where Moody heard Lee playing "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf on the piano.^[4] Their first songs together were "Solitude" and "Give Unto Me", both written by Lee, and "Understanding" and "My Immortal", both written by Moody. The songs were edited by both artists, and they shared equal credit.

Two of Lee and Moody's songs found playtime on local radio stations, raising local awareness of the group and demand for a concert. The band eventually appeared live, and became one of the most popular acts in the area. After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, they decided on Evanescence, which means "disappearance" or "fading away" (from the word evanesce, which means "to disappear"). Lee has stated she loves the name because "it is mysterious and dark, and places a picture in the listeners' mind."

Their first full-length demo CD, Origin (released in 2000), is relatively unknown. The band also released two EPs. The first is the self-titled Evanescence EP (1998), of which about 100 copies were made. The second is the Sound Asleep EP, also known as the Whisper EP (1999), which was limited to 50 copies. Origin and the EPs contain demo versions of some of the songs on their debut album, Fallen. For example, the recording of "My Immortal", found on Fallen, can also be found on Origin, minus a handful of additional string accompaniments. Only 2,500 copies of this record were produced; in response, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet.

Fallen

Main article: Fallen (album)

The band's signature font was created when Fallen was in development. The label designers used slightly modified versions of each character to make the track titles look unique.^[9]

In early 2003, the lineup was completed by Amy Lee and Ben Moody's friends, John LeCompt, Rocky Gray and Will Boyd, all of whom worked on Evanescence's earlier songs. Meanwhile, Evanescence signed on with their first major label, Wind-up Records, and began work on their next album, Fallen. While they were looking to promote Fallen, Evanescence accepted an offer from the video game company Nintendo to perform on the "Nintendo Fusion Tour" which they headlined in 2003.

Fallen spent 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 10; has been certified 6x Platinum in the United States; and has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide,^[3] including 6.6 million in the U.S. The album was listed for 104 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, and it was one of eight albums in the history of the chart to spend at least a year on the Billboard Top 50.

Evanescence's major label debut single "Bring Me to Life", which features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 Stones, was a global hit for the band and reached on the American Billboard Hot 100.^[14] It provided Evanescence with their first UK listing, where it stayed for four weeks from June-July 2003. The song also became the official theme for WWE No Way Out 2003. The equally popular "My Immortal" peaked at in the U.S. and UK charts, and both songs were featured in the soundtrack for the action movie Daredevil. "Bring Me to Life" garnered recognition for the band at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004, where they won the Best Hard Rock Performance and Best New Artist awards and were nominated for two others. The two other singles off Fallen are "Going Under" U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, UK Charts) and "Everybody's Fool" U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, UK Charts); all were promoted by a music video.

Evanescence performing at the concert in Le Zénith, Paris, featured on Anywhere but Home.

Anywhere but Home

Main article: Anywhere but Home

In 2004, Evanescence's new lineup released a DVD/CD compilation entitled Anywhere but Home. The DVD includes a concert in Paris, as well as behind-the-scenes features, including shots of the band backstage signing autographs and warming up. The CD contains a previously unreleased song entitled "Missing", which was internationally released as a single and reached in Spain. Also on the CD are the live songs "Breathe No More" (from the Elektra movie soundtrack), "Farther Away", and the band's cover of Korn's "Thoughtless".

The Open Door

Main article: The Open Door

To promote the band's second album, The Open Door, Amy Lee and John LeCompt visited cities in Europe including London, England on September 6, 2006; Barcelona, Spain on September 8, 2006; and Paris, France on Monday, September 11, 2006. At the previews, the new album was played to fans who won various competitions, Lee and LeCompt answered questions and performed acoustic versions of songs from the album before signing autographs. On October 2, 2006, the day before the album was released in the United States, Evanescence appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and performed the song "Call Me When You're Sober". The band also spent time in New York City for press and a photo shoot for Metal Edge magazine.

The 13-track album was released in Canada and the United States on October 3, 2006; the United Kingdom on October 2, 2006; and Australia on September 30, 2006. The album sold 447,000 copies in the United States in its first week of sales and earned their first ranking on the Billboard 200 album chart, becoming the 700th album in Billboard since the chart became a weekly feature in 1956.

Evanescence performing at a concert in Brazil in 2007.

The album progressed slowly for several reasons, including Amy Lee's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush production, other band members' side projects, guitarist Terry Balsamo's stroke, and the loss of their former manager. Although Lee stated on the fan forum Evboard that Evanescence's new album would be completed in March 2006, the release was pushed to October 3, 2006, allegedly because "Wind-up Records...wanted to make a few changes to the upcoming single "Call Me When You're Sober", which hit modern rock and alternative rock radio on August 7, 2006. The music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was shot in Los Angeles and is based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. The Open Door became available for pre-order on the iTunes Store on August 15, 2006; the music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was also made available.

Lee claimed that she wrote a song for the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but that it was rejected due to its dark sound. Lee went on to state that it was just "more great stuff for [The Open Door]"". Another song supposedly written for Narnia was the Mozart-inspired "Lacrymosa". The producers of Narnia, however, refuted her claim, stating this information was "news to them" and that no Evanescence music had been planned for inclusion in the soundtrack.

The tour for The Open Door began on October 5, 2006 in Toronto and included locations in Canada, the U.S. and Europe during that year. This first tour continued on January 5, 2007 and included stops in Canada (alongside band Stone Sour), Japan and Australia (alongside band Shihad) and then returned to the U.S. for a second tour in the spring (alongside bands Chevelle and Finger Eleven). As part of their tour, Evanescence performed on April 15, 2007 on the Argentinan festival Quilmes Rock 07 along with Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver and other local bands. They also co-headlined on the Family Values Tour 2007 along with Korn and other bands. The group closed their European tour with a sell-out concert at the Amphi in Ra'anana, Israel, on June 26, 2007, and finished the album tour on December 9, 2007.

Lineup changes

John LeCompt, former Evanescence guitarist.

On October 22, 2003, Moody left the band during the European tour for Fallen, reportedly because of creative differences. In an interview several months later, Amy Lee said: "...we'd gotten to a point that if something didn't change, we wouldn't have been able to make a second record." This became a point of confusion for some people, as Moody and Lee stated on the Fallen album liner notes that they were best friends. Since then, Lee has said it was almost a relief that he left because of tensions created within the band.^[33] Moody was replaced by Terry Balsamo from Cold.

A spokesperson for the band's label confirmed on July 14, 2006 that bassist Will Boyd had left the band for "not wanting to do another big tour" and wanting "to be close to his family." Amy Lee originally broke the news to the fans in a post on an unofficial Evanescence site, EvBoard.com. In an interview with MTV, posted on their website on August 10, 2006, Lee announced that Tim McCord, former Revolution Smile guitarist, would switch instruments and play bass for the band.

On May 4, 2007, John LeCompt announced that he had been fired from Evanescence, and also stated that drummer Rocky Gray had decided to quit. On his MySpace blog, LeCompt stated that Lee called his cellphone to fire him, and that no warning had previously been given nor were any negotiations made available. Gray later released a statement on his MySpace stating that he was served a gag order by label Wind-up which prevents him from discussing the reasons for his departure from the band. On the band's official website, Lee wrote that the band was still alive and that no tour events had been canceled or changed.

Wind-up issued a press release on May 17, 2007, stating that two Dark New Day members, drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn, would be joining the band to replace LeCompt and Gray. However, Lee wrote on the EvThreads.com forum that "We're just borrowing Will and Troy for a while" and that they would not be leaving Dark New Day.^[42] It was initially stated that Hunt and McLawhorn would tour with Evanescence until the end of the Family Values Tour in September 2007, but both continued to play with the band through The Open Door tour. Currently, Amy Lee has stated she and the band are on a break, and there has been no news of any future albums or tours.

Style

Evanescence has drawn comparison from critics to both nu metal acts like P.O.D. and Linkin Park. as well as gothic metal groups like Within Temptation and Lacuna Coil. The critic Cammila Albertson of the All Music Guide locates Evanescence as one step further from gothic metal, offering the description of the band's music as "a pop version of an already diluted brand of metal". Other publications such as Metal Hammer, Rolling Stone and Blender have similarly identified Evanescence as a goth metal act. Critic Bill Lamb of About.com tags the group succinctly as "pop-goth" while David Browne of Blender offers a more elaborate description of the band's music as "goth Christian nü-metal with a twist of melancholic Enya."Johnny Loftus of the All Music Guide associate Evanescence with the alternative metal genre.^[54] The band's relationship with heavy metal music is not without controversy. The vocalist Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell contends that Evanescence is not a metal band. In contrast, Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride feels that Evanescence are doing something similar to his own gothic metal group, only in a more commercial direction.

Christian controversy

Originally promoted in Christian stores, the band eventually made it clear they did not want to be considered as part of the Christian rock genre. Wind-up Records chairman Alan Meltzer issued a press release in April 2003 asking for the band's music to be removed from Christian retail outlets.

During a 2003 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ben Moody stated, "We're actually high on the Christian charts, and I'm like, What the f--k are we even doing there?" This seemed to go against earlier sentiments by Moody that "We hope to express in our music that Christianity is not a rigid list of rules to follow..." and also "The message we as a band want to convey more than anything is simple—God is Love." This has led to criticism of the band within the Christian community, even more so given that the band themselves approved of the plan to distribute Fallen to the Christian market. Terry Hemmings, CEO of Christian music distributor Provident, expressed puzzlement at the band's about-face, saying "They clearly understood the album would be sold in these [Christian music] channels." In the wake of the controversy, "Bring Me To Life" was dropped by many Christian radio stations; the song was Top 5 on Radio & Records' Christian Rock Top 30 one week, and completely gone the next. Ex-vocalist and keyboardist David Hodges eventually left the band over the controversy, with other members stating that he had been pulling them in more of a Christian direction than Lee and Moody were comfortable with.

When asked by Billboard in 2006 if Evanescence was a "Christian band," Amy Lee responded, "Can we please skip the Christian thing? I'm so over it. It's the lamest thing. I fought that from the beginning; I never wanted to be associated with it. It was a Ben thing. It's over."

References in other media

• In American military sci-fi author John Ringo's novel Cally's War, Evanescence and their debut album Fallen are mentioned twice, along with a brief consideration of writing styles and the impact the album had on youth in 2003.
• Professional wrestler Christian Cage's entrance music is an instrumental version of "My Last Breath" by Evanescence covered by Dale Oliver entitled "Take Over." It is featured on the 3rd Degree Burns album.
• In the Gilmore Girls episode "The Lorelais' First Day at Yale", Lorelai says "Bring some music, but if it's Evanescence, you will be severely mocked."

Band members

Main article: List of Evanescence band members

Current

• Amy Lee – lead vocals, piano, keyboard (co-founder, 1995–present)
• Terry Balsamo – lead guitar (November 16, 2003–present)
• Tim McCord – bass guitar (August 10, 2006–present)

Former

• Will Boyd – bass guitar (June 2003–July 14, 2006)
• Rocky Gray – drums (2002–May 4, 2007)
• David Hodges – keyboard, piano, backing vocals (1999–December 19, 2002)
• Will Hunt – drums (touring member; May 17, 2007–December 9, 2007^[30])
• John LeCompt – guitar, backing vocals (2002–May 4, 2007)
• Troy McLawhorn – guitar (touring member; May 17, 2007–December 9, 2007^[30])
• Ben Moody – lead guitar (co-founder, 1995–October 22, 2003)

Discography

Main article: Evanescence discography

Title	Date of release (U.S.)	Record label
Evanescence EP	1998	Private release
Sound Asleep EP	1999
Origin	November 4, 2000	Bigwig Enterprises
Mystary EP	January 2003	Wind-up Records
Fallen	March 4, 2003
Anywhere but Home	November 23, 2004
The Open Door	October 3, 2006

Grammy Awards

Year	Nominated work	Award	Result
2004	Evanescence	Best New Artist	Won
	"Bring Me To Life"	Best Hard Rock Performance	Won
	Fallen	Album of the Year	Nominated
	Fallen	Best Rock Album	Nominated
	"Bring Me To Life"	Best Rock Song	Nominated
2005	"My Immortal"	Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal	Nominated
2008	"Sweet Sacrifice"	Best Hard Rock Performance	Nominated

Linkin Park

Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Since their formation in 1996, the band has sold more than forty-million albums and won two Grammy Awards. Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005. Their following studio album, Meteora, continued the band's success, topping the Billboard 200’s album charts in 2003, and was followed by extensive touring and charity work around the world. They achieved mainstream success with their debut album,

Recognized for their adaptation of the nu metal and rap rock genre into a radio-friendly yet densely-layered style in Hybrid Theory and Meteora, the band moved away from this and explored a variety of other genres in their latest studio album, Minutes to Midnight. Billboard charts and had the third best debut week of any album that year. They are also known for their several collaborations, most notably with rapper, Jay-Z, in their mash-up album Collision Course, and many other artists on Reanimation. The album topped the

Band history

Early years (1996–1999)

Originally consisting of three high school friends, Linkin Park’s foundation was anchored by Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson along with Rob Bourdon.^[1][15] After graduating from high school, the California natives began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band then titled Xero. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda’s make-shift bedroom studio in 1996.^[1][16] Tensions and frustration within the band grew after they failed to land a record deal.^[1] The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield, at that time the band's vocalist, to leave the band in search for other projects.^[1][16] Farrell would also leave the band to tour with Tasty Snax and other bands.^[17][18]

After spending a considerable time searching for Wakefield's replacement, Xero recruited Arizona vocalist Chester Bennington. Jeff Blue, the vice president of Zomba Music, had referred him to the band in March 1999.^[19] Bennington, formerly of Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants on account of his unique singing style. The band changed their name from Xero to Hybrid Theory.^[17] The newborn vocal chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington helped revive the band, inciting them to work on new material.^[1] The band’s renaissance culminated with a change in name; from Hybrid Theory, the band changed their name to Linkin Park, a play on and homage to Santa Monica’s Lincoln Park.^[1] However, despite these changes, the band still struggled to sign a record deal. After facing numerous rejections from several major record labels, Linkin Park turned to Jeff Blue for additional help. After failing to catch Warner Bros. Records on three previous reviews, Jeff Blue, now the vice president of Warner Bros. Records, helped the band sign a deal with the company in 1999. The band released their breakthrough album, Hybrid Theory, the following year.^[19]

Hybrid Theory (2000–2002)

Linkin Park released Hybrid Theory on October 24, 2000.^[20][21] The album, which represented half a decade’s worth of the band’s work, was edited by music producer Don Gilmore.^[1] Hybrid Theory was well received by music fans; the band sold more than 4.8 million records during its debut year, earning it the status of best-selling album of 2001, while singles such as "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" established themselves as staples among alternative rock radio play lists during the year.^[17] Additionally, other singles from the album were featured in movies such as Dracula 2000, Little Nicky, and Valentine.^[17] Hybrid Theory was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, including best new artist, best rock album, and best hard rock performance (for "Crawling").^[22] MTV awarded the band their Best Rock Video and Best Direction awards for "In the End".^[1] Through the winning of the Grammy for best hard rock performance, Hybrid Theory’s overall success had catapulted the band into the mainstream's attention.

During this time, Linkin Park received many invitations to perform on many high-profile tours and concerts including Ozzfest, Family Values Tour and KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas.^[17][23] The band also formed their own tour, Projekt Revolution, which featured other notable artists such as, Cypress Hill, Adema, and Snoop Dogg.^[19] Within a year’s stretch, Linkin Park had performed at over 320 concerts.^[1] The experiences and performances of the precocious band were documented in their first DVD, Frat Party at the Pankake Festival, which debuted in November 2001. Now reunited with former bassist Dave Farrell, the band began work on a remix album, dubbed Reanimation, which would include works from Hybrid Theory and Hybrid Theory EP.^[17] The album Reanimation debuted on July 30, 2002, featuring the likes of Black Thought, Jonathan Davis, Aaron Lewis, and many others.^[24] Reanimation claimed the second spot on the Billboard 200, and sold nearly 270,000 copies during its debut week.^[25]

Meteora (2002–2004)

Following the success of Hybrid Theory and Reanimation, Linkin Park spent a significant amount of time touring around the United States. The band began to work on new material amidst their saturated schedule, spending a sliver of their free time in their tour bus' studio.^[26] The band officially announced the production of a new studio album in December 2002, revealing their new work was inspired by the rocky region of Meteora in Greece, where numerous monasteries have been built on top of the rocks.^[27] Meteora featured a mixture of the band's previous nu metal and rapcore styles with newer innovative effects, including the induction of a shakuhachi (a Japanese flute made of bamboo) and other instruments.^[1] Linkin Park's second album debuted on March 25, 2003 and instantly earned worldwide recognition,^[1] going to #1 in the US and UK, and #2 in Australia.^[16]

Meteora sold more than 800,000 copies during its first week, and it ranked as the best selling album on the Billboard charts at the time.^[28] Music videos for some of the album's singles, including "Somewhere I Belong", "Breaking the Habit", "Faint", and "Numb", received significant radio attention.^[29] By October 2003, Meteora sold nearly three million copies.^[30] The album's success allowed Linkin Park to form another Projekt Revolution, which featured other bands and artists including, Mudvayne, Blindside, and Xzibit.^[1] Additionally, Metallica invited Linkin Park to play at the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, which included well-known acts such as Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones.^[31] The band released an album and DVD, entitled Live in Texas, which consisted of audio and video tracks of some of the band's performances in Texas during the tour.^[1] In early 2004, Linkin Park started a world tour titled the Meteora World Tour, supporting bands on the tour include Hoobastank, P.O.D. and Story of the Year.

Meteora earned the band multiple awards and honors. The band won MTV's awards for Best Rock Video ("Somewhere I Belong") and the Viewer's Choice Award ("Breaking the Habit").^[32] Linkin Park also received significant recognition during the 2004 Radio Music Awards, winning the Artist of the Year and Song of the Year ("Numb") awards.^[32] Although Meteora was not nearly as successful as Hybrid Theory, it was the third best selling album in America during 2003.^[17] The band spent the first few months of 2004 touring around the world, first with the third Projekt Revolution tour, and later several European concerts.^[17]

Side projects (2004–2006)

Bennington appears on the band's behalf at MTV Asia Aid

Following Meteora's success, the band postponed working on a new studio album for the next few years. Instead, Linkin Park continued to tour and work on many side projects. Bennington appeared on DJ Lethal’s State of the Art and other work with Dead By Sunrise, while Shinoda did work with Depeche Mode.^[17] In 2004, the band began to work with Jay-Z to produce another remix album, entitled Collision Course. The album, which featured intermixed lyrics and background tracks from both artists' previous albums, debuted in November 2004. Shinoda also formed a new band, Fort Minor, as a side project. With the aid of Jay-Z, Fort Minor released their debut album, The Rising Tied, to critical acclaim.^[33][34] At the same time, the band's relationship with Warner Bros. Records was deteriorating rapidly on account of several trust and financial issues.^[35] After months of feuding, the band finally negotiated a deal in December 2005.^[36]

Linkin Park also participated in numerous charitable events. Linkin Park helped raise money to benefit victims of Hurricane Charley in 2004 and later Hurricane Katrina in 2005.^[17] The band donated $75,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation in March of 2004.^[37] They also helped relief efforts for the 2004 Tsunami victims by staging several charity concerts and setting up an additional fund called "Music for Relief".^[38] Most notably, however, the band participated at Live 8, a series of charitable benefit concerts set up to raise global awareness.^[39] Alongside Jay-Z, the band performed on Live 8's stage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a global audience.^[39] The band would later be reunited with Jay-Z at the Grammy Award Ceremony 2006, during which they performed Numb/Encore, en route to winning a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.^[40] They would later go on to play at the 2006 Summer Sonic music festival, which was hosted by Metallica, in Japan.^[41]

Minutes to Midnight (2006–present)

Linkin Park in Prague, 2007

Linkin Park returned to the recording studios in 2006 to work on new material. To produce the album, the band chose producer Rick Rubin. Despite initially stating the album would debut sometime in 2006, the album was delayed until 2007.^[11] The band had recorded thirty to fifty songs in August 2006, when Shinoda stated the album was halfway completed.^[42] Bennington later added that the new album would stray away from their previous nu metal sound.^[43] Warner Bros. Records officially announced that the band’s third studio album, entitled Minutes to Midnight, would be released on May 15, 2007 in the United States.^[44] After spending fourteen months working on the album, the band opted to further refine their album by removing five of the original seventeen tracks.^[11] Minutes to Midnight sold over 600,000 copies in its first week, making it one of the most successful debut week albums in recent years. The album also took the top spot on the Billboard Charts.^[14]

The album's first single, "What I've Done" was released on April 2, and premiered on MTV and Fuse within the same week.^[45] The single was acclaimed by listeners, becoming the top-ranked song on the Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.^[46] Later in the year, the band won the "Favorite Alternative Artist" in the American Music Awards.^[47] The band also saw success with singles such as "Bleed It Out", "Shadow of the Day", "Given Up", and "Leave Out All the Rest", which were released throughout 2007 and early 2008. The band also collaborated with Busta Rhymes on his single "We Made It", which was released on April 29.^[48]

Linkin Park's touring and live shows have, among other things, included a performance at Live Earth Japan on July 7, 2007.^[49] and headlining Download Festival in Donington Park, England and Edgefest in Downsview Park, Toronto, Canada. The band completed touring on their fourth Projekt Revolution tour before taking up an Arena tour around the United Kingdom, visiting Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester, before finishing on a double night at the O2 arena in London. Bennington stated that Linkin Park plans to release a "follow up album" to Minutes to Midnight.^[50] However, he stated the band will first embark on a United States tour to gather inspiration for the album.^[50] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bennington said that the band had already begun writing new material for the album.^[51] Along with writing new material for their new studio album, the entire band has also recorded two tracks for Timbaland's next album Shock Value 2.^[52]

Style

Both Hybrid Theory and Meteora intertwined the nu metal and rap rock sound with influences and elements from hip-hop, alternative rock, and electronica, utilizing programming and synthesizers. William Ruhlmann from Allmusic regarded it as "a Johnny-come-lately to an already overdone musical style,"^[53] whereas Rolling Stone called "Breaking the Habit" "risky, beautiful art."^[54]

In Minutes to Midnight the band experimented with their established sound and sees them drawing influences from a wider and more varied range of genres and styles, a process Los Angeles Times compares to a stage in U2's work.^[55] In it, only two of the songs feature rapping. It also is their first studio album to feature guitar solos.

Linkin Park's use of two separate vocalists has become a large part of their music. Chester Bennington is most known for using growling and screaming vocals common in various forms of metal, while also using more melodic singing, and has placed 46th in Hit Paraders list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists".^[56]

Mike Shinoda is the group's MC, and does all of the rapping. Mike has also done all of the backing vocals live, and in their latest album, Minutes to Midnight, he sings lead vocals on "In Between", "Hands Held High" and the B-side "No Roads Left". Shinoda has also been placed in Hit Parader's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" at number 72.^[56]

Band members

MTV Thailand interviews Mike Shinoda in 2006

Current

• Chester Bennington - vocals (1999 – present)
• Rob Bourdon - drums, percussion (1996 – present)
• Brad Delson - lead guitar (1996 – present)
• Dave Farrell a.k.a. "Phoenix" - bass guitar, back-up vocals (1996 – 1999, 2001 – present)
• Joe Hahn - turntables, programming, samples (1996 – present)
• Mike Shinoda - emcee, vocals, guitar, keyboards (1996–present)

Former

• Mark Wakefield – vocals (1996 – 1998)

Stand-in

• Kyle Christener — Bass guitar (1998 – 1999) Temporarily replaced Farrell
• Scott Koziol — Bass guitar (1999 – 2001) Stand-in bassist on Hybrid Theory

Discography

Main article: Linkin Park discography

Studio albums Hybrid Theory (2000) Meteora (2003) Minutes to Midnight (2007)

EPs/Demos Xero demo tape (1997) Hybrid Theory EP (1999) In the End: Live & Rare (2002) Live from SoHo EP (2008)