Third Eye Blind and Their Semi-Charmed Career


third eye blind
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, they served as opening acts for Brit rock superstars Oasis. The promoter of the said concert asked them to play an encore performance and will pay the band double for it.

After these events, several record labels are trying to convince them in signing a record deal with them. Elektra had the last laugh, as the band agreed to sign with them. They accepted the offer because the label gave them more leeway for their artistic explorations regarding music creation.

Their self titled debut was released in 1997. The single ‘Semi-Charmed Life’ reached the fourth spot in Billboard’s Hot 100, and the album sold 7 million copies in the U.S. After the success of this album, they played with rock legends U2 for PopMart, the band’s tour at that time.

After the success of their debut, they continued the streak by releasing their much anticipated album at that time, which is titled ‘Blue.’ The album had sold 1.25 million copies in the U.S. and millions internationally.

However, things start to appear bleak for the band. Their third album ‘Out of the Vein,’ which was released in 2003, did not sell well compared to their first two albums. According to reports, the albums just sold 500,000 copies as of 2007, a big disparity when you measure it up to their self titled debut.

To follow the slump experienced by the band, they were released from their recording label’s roster, along with 80 other artists and musicians.

But according to a popular phrase, life must go on. And that was what Third Eye Blind did. They have recorded and released ‘Ursa Major,’ their fourth album. They are currently working on fifth album but the band did not disclose any information to the date of its release.

Notable Songs by Third Eye Blind:
  • Jumper
  • How's It Gonna Be
  • Never Let You Go
  • 10 Days Late
  • Deep Inside of You


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anberlin: An Alternative Rock Band At Its Finest

Image
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...
Read more

Radiohead: Their Music, Inspirations, and Songwriting Style

Image
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...
Read more