Hoobastank

Early career
Hoobastank formed in the Los Angeles County suburb Agoura Hills in 1994. According to drummer Chris Hesse, vocalist Doug Robb had known guitarist Dan Estrin for some time before competing against him in a high school battle of the bands competition and subsequently, they decided to form a band. They then recruited Markku Lappalainen and Hesse to form Hoobastank, which at the time was spelled Hoobustank (pronounced the same way as "Hoobastank"). In an interview with Launch Yahoo!, Doug Robb said the name had no particular meaning: "You're going to ask me what it means. It doesn't mean anything. And it's really cool, it's one of those old high school inside-joke words that didn't really mean anything." Rob Bourdon, Mike Shinoda, and Brad Delson of Linkin Park attended the same high school, Agoura High School, as the members of Hoobastank.Hoobastank started playing gigs in their local area, the band started out in Cobalt Cafe along with Linkin Park, Incubus, Avenged Sevenfold and others. They recorded their first full-length self-released album in 1998 called They Sure Don't Make Basketball Shorts Like They Used To. It featured a unique saxophone section headed by Jeremy Wasser, who executive produced said album and recorded the Summer Romance saxophone solo on Incubus' S.C.I.E.N.C.E. album. By this stage, Hoobastank had developed a strong reputation in Southern California. This attracted interest from Island Records, who subsequently signed the band in 2000. The band's reputation continued to grow on tours with the similar sounding band Incubus.
They covered a variety of songs, such as Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."
Career success
Hoobastank released their self-titled debut in November 2001. The first single was "Crawling in the Dark" which was a breakthrough hit reaching #68 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the modern rock chart, #7 on the mainstream rock chart and #1 on an MP3.com download chart in early 2002. The second single "Running Away" was even more successful reaching #44 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on the modern rock chart, #9 on the mainstream rock chart and #3 on the MP3.com download chart. The Hoobastank album went platinum on the back of these hits and reached #25 on the Billboard 200 album charts and #1 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart. The album also achieved recognition internationally with the band touring in Europe and Asia in support of the record. "Remember Me" the third single was a moderate hit reaching #23 on the modern rock charts and #9 on the mainstream rock charts. The band also made a song titled "Losing My Grip" for the soundtrack of the movie The Scorpion King.
The band entered the studio in 2003 with producer Howard Benson who has produced records by P.O.D., Blindside, Cold and The Crystal Method. However, recording was disrupted for a month when Dan Estrin was seriously injured in a freak minibike accident in August. Estrin had recovered by October and the band headed off on a Nokia Unwired Tour with the All-American Rejects and Ozomatli in November.
Their second album The Reason was released in December 2003.It showcased a harder-edged vocal performance from Robb.The single "Same Direction" was made available for download on the band's website. Doug Robb says on the band's website: "A lot of it is about asking questions or questioning all that people see. It's not all about religion. "Out of Control" is about that and about opening your eyes after being blinded by being devoted to anything. "Same Direction" would reach #9 on the US modern rock chart, #16 on the mainstream rock chart and #16 on a composite world modern rock chart (based on the US, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Canada and Australia).A year later, the Let It Out DVD collected the band's videos.
The title track was released as a single in the first half of 2004. It became a massive hit reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the US and world modern rock charts, #1 on a world airplay chart in May 2004 and #10 in Australia. The song was also played during the final episode of Friends
In Canada, it spent 20 weeks at the top, setting a new record for most weeks at No. 1.
The Reason received a new lease of life on the US album charts, reaching #3 on the Billboard 200.
The band's international profile was increased by a support slot on Linkin Park's Meteora world tour in early 2004.
Their third album Every Man for Himself was released in May 2006 and debuted at #12 on the Billboard chart. Three singles, "If I Were You", "Inside Of You" and "Born To Lead" have been released so far, all of which have fared poorly on the Rock charts. Despite this, the album has been certified Gold. On a 2005 co-headlining tour with Velvet Revolver, the band received a chilly reception from some audiences and rumors of a feud between Robb and VR frontman Scott Weiland were soon filling Internet message boards. "If I Were You," addressed the whole affair, Dougg later said in an interview with MTV News online that he has nothing against Scott or any other member of Velvet Revolver
As of early 2007, Hoobastank toured in America, Asia, Australia and South Africa.
The band went out to tour South Africa late April/early May for two days. They are now back in the states, working on their fourth album which is rumoured to come out late 2007, early 2008.

Luv your life -Silverchair-

artist : Silverchair
Thrust the candle to the dark of your disease
Burn the fishplate execute ill memories
Labyrinth of sympathy in which I'm lost and
can't leave
And too much truth overshadows the lime lies
And what lies beneath the clouds is an
Altered perception and I'll pay for sanity
But sanity don't come cheap
You don't know the truth and I love your life
Flinch against the fire but this ain't winter
And I'm all by myself the way I wanna be
Where I'm content to be to be all by myself
But frozen eyes are bound to melt.

Silverchair history

Frogstomp
Silverchair’s debut album, Frogstomp, was recorded in just nine days in early 1995. At the time of recording, Silverchair's members were only 15 years old. Frogstomp's lyrical concepts are fictional-based, mostly from television ("Pure Massacre", "Israel's son"), hometown tragedies ("Faultline" was based on the 1989 Newcastle eartquake, in which a childhood friend died) and perceptions of the pain of friends ("Shade", "Suicidal Dream").
A #1 hit in Australia and New Zealand, Silverchair went on to become the first Australian artist since INXS to hit the U.S. Top 10, selling more than 2.5 million copies throughout the world. As Frogstomp and "Tomorrow" propelled Silverchair to musical superstardom through 1996, the group juggled memorable performances on the roof of Radio city music hall and tours with Red Hot Chili Peppers alongside full time schooling commitments back home in Newcastle.

Freak Show and Neon Ballroom
The trio also found time that year to record their second album Freak show which was released early in 1997. It yielded three Top 10 singles in Australia - "Freak", "Abuse Me" and "Cemetery". The songs focus on the anger and backlash that the expectations of Frogstomp brought upon the band. "Freak Show" went gold in the United States and global sales eventually exceeded 1.5 million copies.
After graduating from school the band was able to spend much more time creating their next album, Neon Ballroom which was released in March 1999. The band originally intended to take a 12 month break, but according to Johns, in an interview which was part of the special Neon Ballroom release, "it felt weird not writing and making music".
Daniel Johns succumbed to an eating disorder due to anxiety "it was his means of taking control of his life". Lyrics had come before the tunes this time around and this unconventional approach had taken Daniel months to think about. The acclaimed "Ana's Song" was the second single, that described his battle with his eating disorder. The video for the track took home the best video trophy at the ARIA Music Awards The album is also notable for contributions by Australian pianist David Helfgott, Midnight Oil member Jim Moginie and ARIA-winning DJ, Paul Mac.
Silverchair toured extensively in support of the album propelling it to stronger worldwide sales than they had achieved with Freak Show. In Europe and South Americait became the group’s most successful album to date, touring live and including appearances at festivals such as Reading and Edgefest and tours with bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and blink-182. After all this touring the band announced that they would be taking a 12 month break.
Having fulfilled their three album deal with Sony Music Australia the group was pursued by labels for much of their year off. At the end of 2000 they announced that they had signed new recording agreements wit Atlantic Records for North and South America and their own indie label, Eleven: A Music Company in Australia and Asia. As a result of these new deals their former label rush released a compilation album without the band’s involvement.
Silverchair's one and only gig in 2000 was a sold out appearance at Australia’s Falls Festival on New Year's Eve. It was followed on January 21, 2001 by the biggest show of their lives - 250,000 people at Rock In Rio- a performance which the band describe as the highlight of their career to date.

Diorama
While recording Diorama, Daniel Johns, no longer simply wanted to be in a 'rock band', he thought of himself as an 'artist'. The result was a more thoughtful, professional album than previous outings. In June 2001, the band entered a studio in Sydney with producer David Bottrill (Tool, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson) to start work on their fourth album, Diorama. This time, Daniel Johns formally assumed the role of a co-producer.
The album, which Johns described as "a world within a world", came from his newfound method of writing most of the material on the piano, which he had learned during the band's break. In order to complete his vision for the album, a range of other musicians were drawn in to contribute to the disc, most notably the renowned Beach Boys and U2 collaborator, Van Dyke Parks who contributed orchestral arrangements to "Tuna in the Brine" and singles "Luv Your Life" and "Across the Night". Paul Mac and Jim Moginie also returned.
Silverchair fans got their first taste of Diorama when the first single "The Greatest View" was released to radio networks in Australia in early December 2001. The single was then released January 28, 2002, to coincide with the band’s appearance on the Big Day Out tour. Singer Daniel Johns has said he was so medicated for his reactive arthritis during the tour that he barely remembered playing.
Diorama entered the Australian charts at #1 in April and has gone on to sell over 210,000 copies and be certified 3x Platinum so far. It has also yielded the top 10 single "Without You" and the top 20 hit "Luv Your Life".
The album's international promotion was hampered by the band’s inability to tour due to Johns' ill health. The singer/guitarist spent 2002 battling a severely debilitating case of reactive arthritis from which he has since recovered. Despite the lack of promotion, the album reached #12 in Germany and inside the top 40 in other countries including Holland, Sweden and Brazil.
In October 2002, the band’s work on Diorama won them six ARIA Awards including "Best Group" and "Best Rock Album". The trio performed "The Greatest View" at the awards ceremony. Shortly after, the album returned to the national top 20. They then went on the "Across the Night" Tour, which was a 2.5 hour extravaganza, aiming to replicate many of the more complex songs of Diorama in the first hour, showcasing the more experimental works of earlier albums as well as the Diorama songs. The second hour showcased the heavy rock of Silverchair's repertoire. Silverchair announced an indefinite hiatus following the tour.

Young Modern
In November of 2006, Silverchair announced they were working on the music for their fifth studio album, Young Modern. Bass player Chris Joannou wrote a short overview about how the recordings for Young Modern went, which was published on the band's website on July 27, 2006. He wrote that the band spent five weeks in the Hunter Valley, in late 2005 to play some new tunes together. Prior to that Johns had been busy recording home demos on his own. Then the demos were recorded in a recording studio in Sydney and once the band had put it all together they headed for L.A. to start recording the songs at Seedy Underbelly Studios as they would appear on the album. Nick Launay was hired to produce the album together with Johns and during the time in L.A., some more songs were written (and possibly recorded). Van Dyke Parks was hired to do some orchestral arrangements for three new songs and these orchestrations were recorded in three days in Prague. The band mixed the album in L.A. in January 2007 with Diorama co-producer David Bottrill.
They played a limited number of 'warm-up' concerts (with Paul Mac on keyboards at the Great Escape festival, the Clipsal 500 and the Rock-It festival) to showcase some of the new material and fund the recording of Young Modern. They originally aimed to release the album around December 2006, but delays pushed it into being released on March 31, 2007 in Australia.
In the build up prior to their Homebake performance, Silverchair performed a cover of Midnight Oil's "Don't Wanna Be the One" at the 2006 ARIA Awards as part of Midnight Oil's induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame. During the end of the performance Johns spray painted PG4PM (Peter Garrett for Prime Minister) on a stage wall, paying tribute to the Oils' frontman who is now a federal MP for the ALP.
The band played at Homebake on December 2, 2006 in Sydney; at Phillip Island on December 30, as part of The Pyramid Rock Festival; and the Queen's Wharf Brewery in Newcastle on New Year's Eve. They also played some showcase events in the U.S. and Canada in early 2007, in order to attract record companies to distribute Young Modern. It was recently stated by Johns on a Channel V broadcast of Silverchair's Homebake performance that Paul Mac is his "musical soulmate" and he finds it difficult to perform without him" and that Silverchair becomes a "supergroup" with his presence.
"Straight Lines" was chosen as first single from the new album Young Modern. Footage for the video was shot in Sydney, in which fans were invited to appear. The single was released on the band's official website and their official MySpace page on February 2nd. The physical single was released on March 10th and debuted at number 1 on the ARIA charts. Silverchair became only the third Australian band to have three number 1 singles on the ARIA Charts, the other bands being The Easybeats and The Seekers. Coincendentally, Judith Durham, lead singer of The Seekers, performs guest vocals on an iTunes bonus track from Young Modern.
Young Modern debuted at number one in the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming their fifth consecutive studio album to top the chart, making them the only Australian band to ever reach five number one albums, surpassing Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil with four. It was certified double platinum by ARIA in only its third week charting. Young Modern continued to claim the number 1 position for a fourth week, becoming their fastest-selling album and holding off the Arctic Monkeys' Favourite Worst Nightmare.
Silverchair cleaned up at the 2007 Aria awards taking the coveted "Best Album" and "Best Band" gongs among their five awards for the evening