Alternative Musick

Dashboard Confessional is a Florida-based alternative rock band was the brainchild of then Further Seems Forever vocalist Chris Carrabba. It was intended to be a solo project, as it was evident to its stripped down LP 'The Swiss Army Romance.' The only sounds that you will hear from the songs on the album are Carrabba's singing and his acoustic guitar. The name of the band was said to be from a song entitled 'The Sharp Hint of New Tears,' which is on their first full length album. Following his first solo project, Carrabba joined his band mates in Further Seems Forever to record their first album. After the album came to fruition, he decided to quit the band to focus on his second Dashboard Confessional album. 'The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most' was his second LP, followed by an EP titled 'So Impossible.' All of those three albums were starting to gain some attention and many started listening to the songs and buying the records.

Along with many alternative rock bands that emerged in the ‘90s, LIVE was one of the best. This Pennsylvania-based rock outfit led by Ed Kowalczyk (vocals, guitars), Chad Taylor (guitars), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), and Chad Gracey (drums). They are said to be disbanded after a two year hiatus and lawsuits against band mates. Their legacy started when the four original band members performed as a group at a talent show in their hometown. After the said performance, their group remained intact, as they played in gigs and clubs, playing songs from new wave bands of that time. Afterwards, they decided to make their own songs and release an EP entitled ‘The Death of a Dictionary.’ They used different names before they decided to use LIVE as their official band name. In 1992, they released a single ‘Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition),’ off their debut ‘Mental Jewelry’ which made its way to the rock charts. After that, their second album ‘Throwing Copper’ was a huge suc

What will happen when you put Soundgarden vocalist/guitarist Chris Cornell and Rage Against The Machine’s guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford, and drummer Brad Wilk together in a band? It is called a formation of a superband called Audioslave. Since its inception in 2001 and its untimely disbandment in 2007, the band has been the apple of the eye of critics, with balanced doses of positive and negative comments came their way. However, the best part about all the ruckuses is the fact that the band proved everyone that Audioslave is a different band; Audioslave is not a fusion of two bands but a single and different entity. The secret to Audioslave’s own musical style is the fusion of old school rock and alternative rock, mixing it all together with their own influences and musical styles to come up with an exceptional sound only they can come up with. However, some critics say that they still sound a bit like Rage Against The Machine due to the guitar playing styl

He was the Oscar nominated composer who wrote the haunting song for the movie 'Good Will Hunting.' He was also the one who trashed his performances due to his alcoholism and drug addiction. He was also the one who allegedly took his own life because of severe depression and mental instability caused by drug abuse. He is none other than Steven Paul 'Elliott' Smith. He was born in Nebraska but he spent most of his life in Portland. He was a renowned musician, as he was very skillful in playing different kinds of instruments such as harmonica, drums, acoustic and bass guitars, piano, keyboard, and clarinet. Before he started focusing on his solo career, he started an alternative rock band in Oregon named Heatmiser together with close friend and classmate Neil Gust. The band recorded and released three albums and an EP. Smith was also working on his solo project during his stint in Heatmiser. However, the steadfast growth in his solo career's popularity caused p

There is a band that many people may not know – but I sure know this band very well. They have influenced my taste in music in such a way that I can’t explain. This Florida-based alternative rock band has made several critically-acclaimed albums and gained many fans because of their distinct sound and heartfelt lyrics, delivered by a genius songwriter named Aaron Marsh. This band is known as Copeland . Marsh, together with his long time friend and bandmate James Likeness (bassist), started out as an indie rock group back in 2001. After several band member changes, the band have decided to stick with Bryan Laurenson (guitars), Stephen Laurenson (guitars), and Jonathan Bucklew (drums). This move has been very instrumental as it made their sound very unique. Copeland released their first album titled ‘Beneath Medicine Tree’ after they have signed a recording deal with The Militia Group (an indie record label), which was released in 2003. The theme of this album was said to be

Many music lovers and alternative rock junkies might be aware of this band. The group responsible for creating ' Mr. Brightside ,' The Killers is the band from Nevada led by Brandon Flowers on lead vocals/keyboards, Mark Stoermer on bass, and Dave Keuning on guitars, with Ronnie Vannucci Jr. on drums. The name of the band was from a music video titled 'Crystal' by New Order, which was one of their early influences. The word 'The Killers' can be seen at the bass drum of a fictional band on the said video. The band was formed in 2002, after Flowers decided not to go with his bandmates at Blush Response, a synthpop group, as they moved to California. He chose to form his own rock group after he saw Brit rock icons Oasis at a performance. Afterwards, Flowers talked to Keuning after he saw an advertisement that the latter posted in the local newspaper. Additionally, the two other band members was added to the group and they started rehearsing some of t

If you ask some of the Indie pop/rock bands of today who their influences are, the band The Smiths will most likely come up. Ever wonder why? This is because they are one of the most influential bands of the ‘80s. Beg to differ? You cannot argue with success. They are the group that has influenced many indie bands of recent years and some of mainstream rock acts such as Belle and Sebastian, Modest Mouse, Oasis, Cranberries, Blur, and Suede. The band consists of Morrissey on vocals, Johnny Marr on guitars, Andy Rourke on bass and Mike Joyce on drums. According to many music historians, critics, and reviewers, The Smiths is the best thing that came out of the British music scene in the ‘80s. During their stint, most of the songs were created by the tandem of Morrissey and Marr. Rourke and Joyce were mere musicians and did not contribute much to the creation of songs; they only served as musicians to complete the overall sound of the band, which is not a bad thing. Their soun

If you are the type of person that loves positive vibes, then The Gaslight Anthem might be the band for you. This New Jersey band consisting of Brian Fallon (vocals, guitar), Alex Rosamilia (back vocals, guitar), Alex Levine (back vocals, bass), and Benny Horowitz (drums) blends alternative rock, folk, punk, country, and heartland rock to create music that is really catchy and contagious. According to many critics, the band’s sound is like ‘Bruce Springsteen playing in a punk rock band setup.’ Their first album entitled ‘Sink or Swim’ received positive reviews from many music writers, columnists, critics, websites, and bloggers all around the world. They followed up the release of this album with an EP ‘Señor and the Queen’ in 2008. 2008 became a very successful year for The Gaslight Anthem. Their next album ‘The ’59 Sound’ was also well received by music lovers all around the world. The said album got the top spot in eMusic’s music poll in the same year. They toured acros

If there is an underrated band that I could recommend to music enthusiasts especially those who are into independent and alternative rock, I would suggest this band from Florida named Between the Trees . As indie aficionados know, Florida is also the hometown of alternative rock/baroque pop heroes Copeland, but Between the Trees is also on a league of their own. Blending elements of mainstream pop, alternative, and hints of post punk, this band is truly worth your time. The sad part is, the band has already been disbanded, but many fans are hoping for a reunion so that they can enjoy the music Between the Trees brings all over again. The band consists of Ryan Kirkland (vocals, piano), Jeremy and Josh Butler (bass and drums respectively), and Stevie Benz on guitars. It all started in 2005 when Kirkland and the Butler brothers decided to form a band in Orlando. Initially, they acquired Brad Kriebel to serve as the lead guitarist of the band. Afterwards, they asked keyboardist

What happens when you put together members of This Day Forward and the former vocalist of Cali-based rock band Saosin? It results in beautiful chaos, which is popularly known as Circa Survive . This post-hardcore/progressive rock band from Pennsylvania fused all of their influences and talents to create an overall sound that will leave you astonished. Circa Survive was formed when vocalist Anthony Green was on his way to California to join Saosin (his bandmates at that time) after spending some time with his family back in Pennsylvania. During his flight to Cali, the plane had a stopover in Phoenix. That was the time when he reflected upon the situation and decided to leave Saosin. According to Green, Saosin was having several issues that have affected him and he will not be happy playing with the band if he returns. As a result, he left Saosin and went back to Philadelphia. Green met Colin Frangicetto, a guitarist that he has had jamming sessions with, and decided to start

Anberlin is one of the most popular alternative rock bands of recent years. Although the band began creating music since the ‘90s under the name of SaGoh 24/7, their popularity and success began when they decided to pursue another path musically at the turn of the new millennium. This Florida-based quintet composed of Stephen Christian (vocals), Joseph Milligan (guitars), Christian McAlhaney (guitars), Nathan Young (drums), and Deon Rexroat (bass) are currently signed with Universal Republic after their stint at Tooth & Nail Records, a recording company that is known as home to many of today’s best Christian Rock bands. All in all, the band has already sold 700,000 albums since their inception. Their first album Blueprints for the Black Market served as a precursor to what would be their bestselling album to date, Never Take Friendship Personal (this album sold more than 150,000 copies). Their third album Cities was their first album to break into the Top 20 of Bill

This American alternative/grunge rock band from Illinois has something in them that are very unique. Smashing Pumpkins is one of those bands that when you hear a song from them, your initial reaction would be “I know that song, it is from Smashing Pumpkins . Am I right?” How would you be able to recognize their sound? How did they attain their distinct sound? This article will answer all of those questions. The overall feel and sound of the band is orchestrated by the frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan. The main thing that makes the group sound so unique is Corgan’s voice. You will definitely recognize it in an instant. He is also the main songwriter for the band, often writing about the things that happened (and are happening) in his life. The lyrics that Corgan write are somewhat dark and gloomy most of the time, but there are hints of anger and frustration sometimes. The guitar parts in many Smashing Pumpkins songs are usually overdubbed, meaning the guitar parts are

Do you like listening to gloomy and eerie songs with a touch of unconventional musicianship? Look no further, Radiohead is one of the kings of innovation when it comes to musical experimentation. The band led by Thom Yorke on vocals/piano/guitars, Collin Greenwood on bass/synths, Phil Selway on drums, John Greenwood on guitars/keyboards/miscellaneous instruments, and Ed O'Brien on guitars/back vocals. The members of this band draw inspiration from some of the best musicians and bands of the past like rock legends Queen, early alternative rock/punk rock icons Joy Division, R.E.M., The Smiths, Sonic Youth, and Pixies, which proved to be very influential to the mood of their songs. They also cited music icons Miles Davis, The Beatles and The Beach Boys as some of their earlier influences. Although unusual, the band also stated that DJ Shadow was very influential to the creation of their monumental album OK Computer which was released in the 90's. In general, the music

Nirvana was one of the greatest bands in history – but due to several issues and incidents, and break ups, the reign of this Seattle-based grunge juggernaut suddenly ceased to exist. However, the last nail in the coffin was placed when Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain died as he shot himself in his Seattle home in 1994, which started the descent of grunge’s prominence in the music scene. However, Nirvana’s former drummer Dave Grohl was secretly writing songs during the course of his Nirvana years but was not telling Cobain about it. According to him, he held all of the songs because he thought that his songs were not as good as of those of Cobain. As soon as his former group disbanded, many artists and bands offered him a slot on their band but he turned them all down. He was planning on something bigger. Grohl began working on his own group named Foo Fighters . Initially, the group consists of Dave Grohl, William Goldsmith, Nate Mendel, and Pat Smear. Then other members who we

I was cynical about this band at the beginning. I did not get the point about all the ‘whiny and sleepy’ vocal styles. But trust me; there are certain artists that you really need to listen to over and over again in order to appreciate them. Once you do this, you may never notice that you are starting to get hooked to the music. This is how I started to listen to Coldplay . Honestly, I was not aware of their first single ‘Shiver’, maybe because I was currently hooked to other artists at that time. However, when I heard their single ‘ Yellow ,’ I was amazed. The melody made by the guitar was very simple yet very beautiful, a testament to how flexible and creative this band is.  Coldplay is an alternative rock band from England which was formed in the late 90’s. The members are Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Johnny Buckland, and Will Champion. Many people did not know that the band was formerly known as Starfish and the name Coldplay was from Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley’s own band. R

Maybe some of you may have heard the songs from this band recently. With such catchy hits like ’21 Guns’ and ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends,’ it is hard to ignore that the past decade has been good to Green Day . However, many people do not know that this band from Cali started out at the streets, performing for small audiences and built a fanbase from there.  It all began in 1987, when two aspiring musicians Billie Joe Armstrong (vocals, guitars) and Mike Dirnt (bass, backing vocals), together with then drummer John Kiffmeyer, joined the punk rock scene in the streets of Berkeley, California. Armstrong and Dirnt were teenagers back then and were very excited to play. Continuous gigs and performances helped them attract new fans and supporters. Then in 1989, an independent recording label Lookout! Records gave them a shot by signing them in and gave them a record deal. They recorded ‘1,000 Hours,’ an EP that will turn out to be one of the most memorable albums for them. In

If someone asks me about the things that I love about the ‘90s, my answer would probably be the emergence of alternative music that was very influential in reshaping the landscape of popular music in a positive way. Beside the grunge rock legends like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, alternative rock bands such as Third Eye Blind , Live, and Fuel became very popular in that era and inspired millions of musicians to go out and form their own bands. This article will tackle the career of Third Eye Blind. This San Francisco-based quartet is composed of Stephan Jenkins (vocals, guitar), Brad Hargreaves (drums), Kryz Reid (guitars), and Abe Millett (bass). Reid and Millett were replacements for Tony Fredianelli (guitars) and Arion Salazar (bass) who are both original members of the band. The band had their first demo in the early ‘90s and after giving their second demo to different major recording labels, they were invited to perform in Arista Records in New York. At first