Depapepe Japanese (デパペペ), is a music group originating from Japan . The acoustic guitar duo is composed of Takuya Miura (born 5 April 1983) and Yoshinari Takuoka (born on 15 July 1977), who formed in 2002.
They made their major debut in 2005 with their album “Let’s Go!!!”, which generated sales figures of about 100,000 and ranked within the top 10 of Oricon’s Instrumental Artist Debut Chart. Before that, they had released three indie albums.
The name itself comes from the combination of both short names of the band members, by combining the Japanese word for overbite, ‘deppa’, and the name of Takuoka’s previous band ‘DERUPEPE’. Contrary to a popular rumour circulating among their fans, the two guitarists are not brothers. In their 2002 formation the pair joined with the Sony Music. They also worked on some guitar pieces for the "Honey and Clover" anime series.
History
Depapepe is the transliteration of the Japanese name (デパペペ) is a music group originating from the Japan of acoustic guitar musical duo of Takuya Miura (born April 5, 1983) and Yoshinari Takuoka (born on July 15, 1977). The duo formed in 2002.
They released three indies before their major debut, which collectively reached sales figures of about 100,000.
They made their major debut in 2005 with their album “Let’s Go!!!”, and ranked within the top 10 of Oricon’s Instrumental Artist Debut Chart.. Depapepe name itself comes from the combination of both short names of the band members, by combining the Japanese word for overbite, ‘deppa’, and the name of Takuoka’s previous band ‘DERUPEPE’. Contrary to a popular rumor circulating among their fans, the two guitarists are not brothers. Formed in 2002, they could released 3 indie albums before they joined with the label Sony Music. They worked in the "Honey and Clover" anime series music.
Blink-182 is an American pop punk band consisting of vocalist and bass guitarist Mark Hoppus, vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. They have sold over 35 million albums worldwide since forming in Poway, California in 1992. With original drummer Scott Raynor they released their debut album Cheshire Cat in 1994 and achieved moderate success with its follow-up, 1997's Dude Ranch, which went on to sell over one million copies. Raynor was replaced by Barker midway through a 1998 tour.
The band achieved greater success with 1999's multi-platinum selling Enema of the State, which reached #9 on the Billboard 200 on the strength of the singles "What's My Age Again" and "All the Small Things", the latter of which became the highest-charting song of their career by reaching #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Blink-182 gained popularity for their irreverent sense of humor, and the follow-up album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) reached #1 in the United States, Canada, and Germany. The eponymously-titled Blink-182 followed in 2003 and was a stylistic shift for the group, infusing experimental elements into their usual pop punk formula which resulted in a more mature sound.
DeLonge left Blink-182 in early 2005, sending the band into indefinite hiatus. He went on to form Angels & Airwaves while Hoppus and Barker formed +44. Blink-182 reunited in February 2009 and are currently recording a sixth studio album.
Formation (1992–93)
After being expelled from Poway High School for showing up drunk at a basketball game, Tom DeLonge attended Rancho Bernardo High School where he became friends with Anne Hoppus. DeLonge often expressed the desire to be in a band, so in August 1992 Anne introduced him to her brother Mark Hoppus, who also wanted to be in a band. The two played for hours in DeLonge's garage, showing each other songs they had previously written, and writing new songs together – one of which would become the track "Carousel". To impress DeLonge, Hoppus climbed to the top of a streetlight outside of DeLonge's home – however, he broke both ankles on the way down, resulting in being in crutches for the next few weeks. The two decided they needed to officially start a band, so DeLonge recruited friend Scott Raynor, who he had met at a party. The three began playing together and called themselves Duck Tape, until DeLonge thought of the name Blink.
The band practiced constantly, which angered Hoppus's girlfriend. She told him he had to choose between the band and her, so he left the band just as it was starting. DeLonge then informed Hoppus that he borrowed a 4-track from a friend and he and Raynor were using it to make a demo tape. Upon hearing this, Hoppus decided he would leave his girlfriend and return to the band. The demo tape, titled, was recorded in May 1993 in Raynor's bedroom. The 4-track used to record the material resulted in poor sound quality. According to Hoppus only a small number of demos were released, primarily to their family and friends. The same year, the band recorded another demo tape, this one untitled and known simply as Demo #2. It featured re-recordings of a few Flyswatter songs and also included new songs, some of which would go on to be re-recorded and re-released on the band's albums Buddha, Cheshire Cat, and Dude Ranch.
Buddha, their third and final demo, was recorded in 1993 over three rainy nights on a 24 track recording system at Double Time Studios in San Diego, California, according to the CD's liner notes. It was released on cassette in 1993 with around 1,000 copies of the tape produced by Filter Records, an independent record company headed by Hoppus's boss. The album was one of the few Blink-182 productions released with the band name as Blink. A remastered version was released on Kung Fu Records in 1998 (with three of the original tracks omitted and two new tracks added).
Early days in the band included carrying and tuning their gear at every gig and living in a van. The band's first goal was to headline SOMA, a San Diego all-ages club only (then) capable of holding 1,500 people. After eventually playing other small clubs in Southern California, Hoppus recalls "[we] worked our way up from there." DeLonge called clubs constantly in San Diego asking for a spot to play, as well as calling up local high schools convincing them that Blink was a "motivational band with a strong anti-drug message" in hopes to play at an assembly or lunch.
Early albums (1994–1998)
The band gained notoriety for humorous stage shows and eventually was signed to small record label Cargo Music, where they released their first full-length album, Cheshire Cat, in February 1994. Recorded in three days and fueled by both new songs and re-recordings of songs from previous demos, Blink began to gain fame outside of California throughout 1995 and 1996. "M+M's" and "Wasting Time" from Cheshire Cat were released as singles, but both failed to chart. Although the album never made a commercial impact, it is cited by bands and fans as an iconic release.
Shortly after the release of the album, the band was threatened with legal action by an Irish pop band of the same name. To avoid a legal dispute, the band appended "182" to the end of their name. In 1994, the band released a split EP with Iconoclasts titled Short Bus. The 3-track EP They Came to Conquer... Uranus was released the next year. The band moved to Encinitas, California in 1996, where they would record their second album Dude Ranch with producer Mark Trombino. Blink-182 recorded the album under Cargo Records, but did well on U.S. modern rock charts, so they signed with MCA in 1998 in order to handle increased distribution. The album was released in 1997 and was relatively commercially successful, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. The single "Dammit" became one of Blink's biggest hits, and the band received a small degree of mainstream success.
Thanks to the success of Dude Ranch, Blink-182 embarked on multiple worldwide tours during 1997 and 1998. Midway through a U.S. tour in 1998, original drummer Scott Raynor was asked to leave the band. Various conflicting reasons have circulated the Internet for years; a largely popular explanation is that Raynor had a serious drinking problem and was asked to leave. When he agreed to abstaining from alcohol, bassist Mark Hoppus and guitarist Tom DeLonge doubted his sincerity and he was fired from the band through a telephone call. In a 2004 interview, Hoppus described the touring for Dude Ranch as "rough", with DeLonge adding "That was the worst tour ever. At that time, our drummer had a drinking problem. One show he dropped his sticks 10 times. It was so disturbing to see someone ruining himself." Raynor, in a 2004 interview with AbsolutePunk, stated the reason for his departure was his desire to stay in a small non-mainstream band against the increasing popularity Blink-182 was achieving.
Hoppus and DeLonge asked drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182's support band The Aquabats to fill in for Raynor for the remainder of the tour. He was later offered the position of a full-time drummer and consequently left The Aquabats. Barker reportedly learned the entire setlist of the tour (which consisted of 20 songs) in less than one day. The band entered the studio in October 1998 to begin work on what would become their breakthrough album, Enema of the State.
Mainstream breakthrough and continued success (1999–2004)
After finishing up production of Enema of the State with new producer Jerry Finn, the album was released in June 1999 and became a huge success, largely due to popular singles "What's My Age Again", "All the Small Things", and "Adam's Song". The singles led to an incredible amount of airtime on music video channels, bringing the band to a new audience. The band's popularity soared to new horizons and the band made a cameo in the teen comedy American Pie (1999). A home video titled The Urethra Chronicles (1999) featured behind-the-scenes information, and was released in November 1999. "Adam's Song" caused a stir in 2000 when it was set to replay indefinitely on a stereo as 17-year-old Columbine survivor Greg Barnes hanged himself in the garage of his family's home. Enema of the State would go on to sell over 15 million copies, solidifying Blink-182 as one of the biggest pop punk acts of the era.
The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!) was released in November 2000, a live album based on tracks recorded in November 1999 in both San Francisco and Universal City, California. Although the album’s name references Blink-182’s highly publicized summer 2000 tour (The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show Tour), the album was actually recorded on the Loserkids Tour (during the tour’s arena shows early on in the tour) in 1999.[ The album quickly went out of print. Two singles were released from the album, the sole studio track "Man Overboard" and a live version of "Dumpweed".
The band continued its commercial success with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket in 2001, which was a small change from their direction in Enema of the State. The album sold more than 350,000 copies in the first week. It contains the hit singles "The Rock Show", "First Date" and "Stay Together for the Kids", while "Anthem Part 2" also received radio airplay. The album has sold approximately 4.5 million records worldwide, while going double platinum in the US. The album was released on three different CDs: yellow, red and green versions, each one featuring two unique bonus tracks. A European tour in winter 2001 was delayed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Rescheduled dates in early 2002 were also canceled due to DeLonge's back problems. In 2001, Mark Hoppus' sister released a book about the genesis of the band entitled Blink-182: Tales From Beneath Your Mom. Blink-182 co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Green Day during summer 2002, which was documented on the DVD Riding in Vans with Boys.
During time off from Blink-182, DeLonge and Barker formed side project Box Car Racer with David Kennedy of Hazen Street. Created to experiment with darker ideas not "Blink-friendly", the band recorded and released their debut album Box Car Racer in May 2002 to commercial success. The album is a salute to DeLonge's post-hardcore influences, such as Fugazi and Refused. Meanwhile, Barker was invited to join rap rock outfit Transplants and accepted; the band's eponymous debut album being released in October 2002. After finishing up the side-projects near Christmas of 2002, the band regrouped and began production of their next album.
The band rented a house in San Diego to record the album, which took much longer than expected, causing the band to be kicked out of the house before finishing the album (as seen on MTV album launch of blink 182). Whereas previous Blink-182 albums took less than three months to record, the new record would take Blink nearly all of 2003 to complete. The band embarked on a short tour in the Middle East in summer 2003, as well as co-headlining Britain's Reading and Leeds festivals for the first time, alongside Linkin Park where they performed new songs. The album was in production so late that final mixes were still being judged by Hoppus, DeLonge, and Barker in early October 2003. DeLonge described the final days of mixing the album as "crazy stressful", with "literally hours to turn [the album] to have it come it out on time."
Blink-182's eponymous fifth studio album was released on November 18, 2003 through Geffen Records, the band’s first with the label. The album was commercially successful (bolstered by hit singles "Feeling This" and "I Miss You") and received favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the band’s new direction and sound. The album represented a more "mature" Blink-182 than seen in the past, with the band infusing experimentalist elements into their usual pop punk sound, inspired by lifestyle changes (the band members all became fathers before the album was released) and side-projects (Box Car Racer and Transplants).
Shortly before the release of Blink-182, the band embarked on the "DollaBill" tour, named for the ticket cost of $1 each. They played ten club shows throughout the US and one in Canada. Barker broke his right foot after a gig in Melbourne, Australia in March 2004, forcing the band to cancel several shows there and Japan.No Doubt in the summer of 2004. Two more singles from Blink-182, "Down" and "Always", were issued during 2004, the latter celebrating the band's longevity. However, tensions were arising in the band as they completed a European tour in December 2004. Blink-182 toured with
"Indefinite hiatus", side projects, and Barker's plane crash (2005-2008)
A North American tour, in support of Blink-182 and "Always" was planned for spring 2005. Tensions, however, arose between the band members as DeLonge expressed his desire to cancel the tour and enter a half-year respite from touring. At a band meeting which coincided with the beginning of Blink-182's final European tour, DeLonge expressed his desire to spend more time with his family. In an interview published in 2006, Hoppus stated that, at this meeting, Delonge stated that he was: "'over playing music' and wanted to be with his family. The spring tour was going to be canceled. Travis and I were in shock. [...] [We] said 'okay, if you don’t want to tour, how about let’s stay home and start the next record?' We had a lot of ideas and were ready to start laying them down, and Tom could be with his family. He didn’t want to do that either. He was burned out and just wanted to stop. We asked him how long he needed, and he said he didn’t know. The conversation got heated and lasted for two or three hours. It went around in circles, and the end result was the canceled tour, with no idea when we would be doing anything with Blink-182 again."
During the band's six-month break, Hoppus expressed his desire for the band to perform at Music for Relief's Concert for South Asia, a benefit show to aid victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. DeLonge agreed to perform, and the band subsequently began rehearsing for the event. Further tensions, however, arose between the band members during rehearsals, and they began arguing about the band's "forced break, the greatest hits record, and the possibility of recording the next album."
DeLonge stated that he would only record his contributions to the band's next studio album at his home in San Diego, and that Hoppus and Barker could send him ProTools files to work on. Regarding the band's final moments together as a band, Hoppus states that: "Tom was deciding when we would tour, how we would tour, when we would have time off, when we would record, and how we could record. One person was dictating everything. We told Tom this. Things got hot. [...] We said, 'You are trying to control everything, and it’s wrong.' He said he couldn’t be a part of anything he couldn’t control, and he left the rehearsal space." DeVoe phoned Hoppus and Barker the following day to tell them that DeLonge had quit the band, stating: "As of today, Tom DeLonge is no longer a member of Blink-182." DeLonge subsequently changed his telephone number to avoid discussing the matter with Hoppus and Barker. In 2010, whilst reflecting upon the band's break-up, Tom Delonge stated that: "My biggest failure was the breakup of Blink. That was a failure of friendships, businesses and communications. In our hearts, we thought that was forever and gone. What's funny is, at the time, I looked at it as a triumph." Following the subsequent speculation as to whether the band had, in fact, broken up, Blink-182 announced that they had entered an "indefinite hiatus".
Following the band's break-up, DeLonge founded a new band, entitled Angels & Airwaves. The band, which still continues to record and tour, have thus far released three studio albums: We Don't Need to WhisperI-Empire (2007) and Love (2010). Hoppus and Barker continued working together in a new band, +44. They released their debut album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, in 2006. (2006),
Geffen Records released a Greatest Hits compilation album on November 1, 2005. A previously unreleased The Only Ones cover song, "Another Girl, Another Planet", was included. The song was used as the theme song to Barker's reality television show, Meet the Barkers. This track would be the final studio recording completed by the band prior to their hiatus. The album reached #6 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
On August 21, 2008, the band's frequent producer Jerry Finn died of a cerebral hemorrhage. This event would become one of the catalysts for DeLonge to begin communicating with both Hoppus and Barker again in September 2008.
On September 19, 2008, Travis Barker barely survived a plane crash after performing an event with Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell (see 2008 South Carolina Learjet 60 crash). Adam Goldstein (better known as DJ AM) and Barker were the only survivors. Barker sustained second and third degree burns on his lower body and torso and expected to recover within a year. While in the hospital, Mark Hoppus and former bandmate Tom DeLonge visited, allowing the band to reconcile and patch up their differences. Regarding Barker's incident, in 2010 Tom DeLonge stated that "if that accident hadn't happened, we wouldn't be a band. Plain and simple. That was fate."
Reformation (2009–present)
At the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony on February 8, 2009, all three members of the band appeared onstage for the first time since December 2004. Barker announced the band's reformation, stating that "we used to play music together, and we decided we're going to play music together again," with Hoppus adding, "Blink-182 is back!" A message appeared on the band's website the same day stating "To put it simply, We're back. We mean, really back. Picking up where we left off and then some. In the studio writing and recording a new album." The band also updated their "smiley face" logo to feature six arrows instead of the previous five.
The summer tour was at first mentioned during the reformation, though no concrete information was given until April 7, 2009 when website buzznet.com stated that Weezer would be supporting Blink-182 on their upcoming tour. The May 28, 2009 issue of Rolling Stone magazine later added Fall Out Boy, in addition to Weezer, as an opener for the tour. Official tour dates were announced on May 15, 2009 on Billboard.com; the well-received tour lasted from July 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada and ended on October 12 in Santa Barbara, California. Several additional dates were added to make up for the shows cancelled due to DJ-AM's passing. The band also toured the USA and Europe in 2010, including headline performances at the prestigious Reading and Leeds Festivals.
During an interview after their reunion announcement, Travis confirmed that they had been in the studio since December 2008 writing and recording new material. Each member had brought in their own musical ideas and songs, while also writing new material together. Blink 182 also revisited older demos they had written in 2004, before they went on indefinite hiatus. A new single, titled "Up All Night," has been announced for the new album. In addition to describing the album as weird and ambitious, Hoppus told MTV News the new Blink-182 record will be expansive. DeLonge has described the new album as a combination of the band's various side projects, and has also said that the new album will be a mixture of drum and bass, indie rockstadium rock. '"I can't say we’ve done that before, but you can see the tip of the iceberg on the last record," Delonge has commented. Hoppus stated in a November 2010 blog post that the album would be completed in April or May 2011 and the album would be released shortly after, in time for the tour. and
The band is also working on a documentary movie, currently titled The Blinkumentary, about their recent reformation, recording of their new album, and both reunion tours. The trio returned in early September 2010 to plays the Epicenter 2010 Festival, and to begin preparation for the beginning of Mark Hoppus' new weekly television series debuting September 16, 2010, A Different Spin, and the recording of their new record.
In November 2010, it was announced that the band would embark on another UK tour, starting on July 8 and continuing to July 18 with more venues than their last tour of the UK. This tour will include a headline performance at Scottish festival T in the Park 2011. More tour dates were announced for Europe as well.
Labels : Sony BMG, Capricorn, Columbia, Upbeat Associated acts Deathray
Website : CakeMusic.com
Members : John McCrea,Vince DiFiore ,Xan McCurdy,Gabe Nelson, Paulo Baldi
Past members : Greg Brown, Victor Damiani, Shon Meckfessel ,Pete McNeal ,
Todd Roper ,Frank French
Cake is an American alternative rock band from Sacramento, California. Noted for their idiosyncratic approach to music, Cake became popular in the late 1990s with their album Fashion Nugget, which spawned several singles, with "The Distance" being the highest-charting single. Cake's musical style is characterized by lead singer John McCrea's half-sung, half-spoken vocals and lyrical wordplay. The band has switched out several members in the years since its first album, Motorcade of Generosity, in 1994. Their sixth full-length album, Showroom of Compassion, was released on January 11, 2011, and debuted at the number 1 position on the Billboard 200; a first for the band.
Cake was founded in 1991 and composed of vocalist/songwriter John McCrea, guitarist Greg Brown, trumpeter Vince DiFiore, bassist Shon Meckfessel and drummer Frank French. Shon Meckfessel soon left and was replaced by Gabe Nelson. In 1993, the band released its debut single, "Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle". Although self-released, the single managed to hit number 31 on the US Modern Rock Tracks. After the moderate radio success of their first single, Cake released their debut album titled Motorcade of Generosity. Eventually, Cake signed a deal with Capricorn Records, who in turn released the album nationally on February 7, 1994. Sometime after this deal Gabe Nelson and Frank French left the band.
On September 17, 1996, Cake released their second album, Fashion Nugget. The album produced the single "The Distance", which "dominated alternative radio that fall". The next single released from Fashion Nugget was a cover of Perren and Fekaris's "I Will Survive".
Cake released their third studio album, Prolonging the Magic, on October 6, 1998. This album contained the single "Never There" which reached number 1 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks.
On July 24, 2001, Cake released their fourth full-length album titled Comfort Eagle. This was Cake's first release under Columbia records. The lead single "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" was a major hit on alternative radio stations, climbing to number 7 on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, and is now the theme song to the TV series Chuck. It was also used as the background music for an Apple iPod Nano commercial launched in September 2010.
Cake's fifth album, Pressure Chief, was released on October 5, 2004. It contained the singles "No Phone" and a cover of the Bread song "The Guitar Man".
Cake released a compilation, B-Sides and Rarities, on October 2, 2007. It features covers of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", Barry White's "Never, Never Gonna Give You Up," Singleton, Snyder & Kaempfert's "Strangers in the Night" and Piero Umiliani's "Mahna Mahna", as well as live versions of Cake songs "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "It's Coming Down". Rarities is the band's first album on its own label, Upbeat Records.
In 2008 the band removed their studio (Upbeat Studio) from dependence on Sacramento, California's power grid by installing a system of solar panels. The band subsequently announced that their upcoming studio album will be "recorded using 100% solar energy."
A new studio album titled Showroom of Compassion was released on January 11, 2011, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Album Chart with 44,000 copies sold. John McCrea describes the album's sound as "very different" from previous Cake records, also indicating that he will be playing piano much more than usual. The album was released on Upbeat Records. Cake had previously released a new song from the album in September 2010, called "Sick Of You".
Member changes
Damiani left the band in 1997, replaced by Gabe Nelson. Greg Brown left in 1998, replaced by Xan McCurdy. Brown and Damiani continued to work together when they formed the band Deathray. Todd Roper left the band to focus on parenthood after recording Comfort Eagle, and subsequently also joined Deathray, before that group disbanded in 2007. Drummer Paulo Baldi joined Cake in 2003 during the second "Unlimited Sunshine Tour". (See Band lineup for more)
Musical style
Although Cake's music is often classified as alternative rock or indie rock, it combines multiple musical genres, such as ska, funk, rockabilly, pop, jazz, rap, and country. Cake's music features droll, often esoteric lyrics rife with word play and syncopation, catchy distorted guitar riffs (courtesy of guitarist Greg Brown until 1998, and bass player Victor Damiani until 1997), prominent use of a Moog, and a solo trumpet (played by Vince DiFiore).
Labels : Universal Music Germany, Cherrytree, Interscope (US)
Website : www.tokiohotel.com
Members :
Bill Kaulitz
Bill Kaulitz (born 1 September 1989 in Leipzig, Germany is a German singer, songwriter, voice actor, designer and model. He is best known for his work from 2001 to the present as the lead singer of the band Tokio Hotel.
Tom Kaulitz
Tom Kaulitz was born on September 1, 1989 in Leipzig ten minutes before his identical twin brother, Bill. Since September 2007, Tom uses Gibson guitars and Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Heads with Mesa Boogie Rectifier 4x12 cabinets. He has stated his musical influences to be Aerosmith and German hip-hop such as Samy Deluxe. He modeled for Reebok in Germany. Kaulitz, alongside his identical twin brother, Bill, is an advocate for PETA in Germany. They participated in a photo shoot discouraging the use of animals for entertainment. He is currently with his brother, Bill Kaulitz, in Los Angeles, where they are working on producing another album.
Georg Listing
Georg (Moritz Hagen) Listing was born on 31 March 1987. His hometown is Halle. He began playing bass when he was thirteen-years-old, and, as of September 2007, uses a Sandberg bass. He has said that his playing style was heavily influenced by Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, and other musical influences include Die Ärzte and Oasis.
Gustav Schäfer
Gustav (Klaus Wolfgang) Schäfer was born on 8 September 1988 in his hometown of Magdeburg. He currently lives in Magdeburg and in the temporary home in Hamburg where the studio is. Gustav has been playing the drums since he was five. His musical influences include Metallica, Joe Cocker, and Rod Stewart.
Tokio Hotel is a pop rock band from Germany, founded in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bassist Georg Listing.The quartet have scored four number one singles and have released three number one albums in their native country, selling nearly 5 million CDs and DVDs there. After recording an unreleased demo-CD under the name "Devilish" and having their contract with Sony BMG Germany terminated, the band released their first German-language album, Schrei, as Tokio Hotel on Universal Music Germany in 2005. Schrei sold more than half a million copies worldwide and spawned four top five singles in both Germany and Austria. In 2007, the band released their second German album Zimmer 483 and their first English album Scream which have combined album sales of over one million copies worldwide and helped win the band their first MTV Europe Music Award for Best InterAct. The former, Zimmer 483, spawned three top five singles in Germany while the latter, Scream, spawned two singles that reached the top twenty in new territories such as France, Portugal, Spain and Italy. In September 2008, they won in the US their first MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. In October 2008, they won four awards including Best International Artist and Song of the year at Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica held in Mexico. Tokio Hotel became the first German band ever to win an award at the MTV VMAs and also at the MTV Latin America Awards. They also picked up the Headliner award at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 held in Liverpool on 6 November 2008 and the Award for Best Group on 5 November 2009 at the MTV Europe Music Award held in Berlin. They won an Award for Best World Stage Performance on 7 November 2010 at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Madrid.
Founding
Tokio Hotel was founded by vocalist Bill Kaulitz and guitarist Tom Kaulitz, who are identical twin brothers, drummer Gustav Schäfer and bass-guitarist Georg Listing. The four met in 2001 after a live show in a Magdeburg club, where Listing and Schäfer, who knew each other from music school, watched from the audience while Bill and Tom Kaulitz played on the stage. Under the name Devilish, the band soon began playing in talent shows and small concerts, After Bill Kaulitz's participation in a children's Star Search in 2003 at age thirteen (which he lost in the quarter-final), he was discovered by music producer Peter Hoffmann. Devilish changed their name to Tokio Hotel: "Tokio", the German spelling of the Japanese city Tokyo, due to a love of the city, and "Hotel" due to their constant touring and living in hotels. Soon after Sony BMG took them under contract, Hoffmann hired David Jost and Pat Benzner into the team of creators and authors, and had them give the teens instruction on songwriting and instrument playing; most of the songs of the first album were written by Hoffmann, Jost and Benzer (including the singles "Scream" and "Rescue me" which were completely written by them), only the single "Unendlichkeit" was written completely by Tokio Hotel themselves. However, shortly before release of their first album, Sony terminated their contract. In 2005, Universal Music Group took Tokio Hotel under contract and developed a marketing plan. The band is now one of the biggest modern acts from Germany and the biggest in 20 years.
Members : Andrew Wetzel, Andrew Whiting, John Holgado, Caleb Shomo
Genres : Metalcore, post-hardcore, electronica
Years active : 2005–present
Labels : Rise Associated acts For All We Know, Of Mice & Men, DJ Club, Lakeland, My Ticket Home, and The March Ahead
Website : www.attackattackoh.com
Past members : Johnny Franck, Austin Carlile, Nick Barham, Nick White, Ricky Lortz
Attack Attack! is a four-piece post-hardcore band from Columbus, Ohio. Attack Attack! consists of Caleb Shomo (Vocals/Synth/Keys), Andrew Whiting (Guitar), John Holgado (Bass), and Andrew Wetzel (Drums). They are currently signed to Rise Records.
Halfway through a tour supporting Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Attack Attack! kicked out vocalist Austin Carlile, Austin was replaced by Nick Barham, former screamer of For All We Know. Eventually Nick left the band and Caleb Shomo became the unclean vocalist for the band. Later when Johnny Franck left the band, Caleb became the clean vocalist as well.
History of the members :
Formation and Someday Came Suddenly (2005–2008)
Attack Attack! Was founded in 2005 by members Austin Carlile, Ricky Lortz, Andrew Whiting, Nick White, and Andrew Wetzel as a primary metalcore group. As time went on they added keyboard player Caleb Shomo. Several months later Nick White announced his departure from the group and John Holgado was added on bass. In early 2008 they self-released their debut EP titled If Guns Are Outlawed, Can We Use Swords?. Later they signed to Rise Records in June 2008 and released their debut album, Someday Came Suddenly, on the label late that year. Someday Came Suddenly peaked at #25 on the BillboardIndependent Albums chart and #193 on the Billboard 200, with sales of more than 3,600 in its first week.
Carlile's departure and Barham's arrival (2008–2009)
Later, halfway through a tour supporting Maylene and the Sons of Disaster,vocalist Austin Carlile was fired by the group due to personal differences. Carlile was replaced by Nick Barham, former vocalist of For All We Know. In 2009 for Fearless Records' eighth Punk Goes... album, Punk Goes Pop 2, Attack Attack! covered Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" with Austin Carlile performing the lead vocals, before his departure from the band. Attack Attack! then toured with Escape the Fate, William Control, Black Tide and Burn Halo early in 2009. Attack Attack! was included on Warped Tour 2009 and did signings for the non-profit organization Music Saves Lives where they met with fans who gained special access to the band by donating blood.
Barham's departure (2009–2010)
Attack Attack! at 2009's Bamboozle festival held in New Jersey.
Attack Attack! released a music video for their highly criticized song "Stick Stickly", and made its premiere on MTV2's Headbangers Ball. Two music videos were created, with one of them being produced by a company named DecembersEdge. The band decided to go with the other video featured on their Myspace profile. The "Stick Stickly" video has led to a number of criticisms, including lengthy pieces by Buddyhead and the British newspaper The Guardian. band also has a "live" video for the song "Dr. Shavargo Pt. 3".
On October 19, 2009, lead vocalist Nick Barham announced his departure from Attack Attack! just two days short of their headliner tour. He stated in his blog on MySpace that "It was just time for change," and that there was no conflict between him and the other band members. The band then made the decision of Caleb Shomo to be moved as the band's primary vocalist but still remaining at his place as the keyboardist as well.
Near the end of 2009, Attack Attack! toured with I Set My Friends On Fire, Miss May I, Our Last Night, and The Color Morale as part of the "Shred Til You're Dead" tour. Attack Attack! started playing "Sexual Man Chocolate", which was the first song leaked from their self-titled album.
Self-titled album and Franck's departure (2010–present)
Attack Attack! headlined the 2010 Artery Across the Nation Tour with support from Asking Alexandria, I See Stars, Breathe Carolina and Bury Tomorrow in early 2010. The group performed three songs off their self-titled album live during the tour before its release. The songs performed were "Sexual Man Chocolate", "AC-130", and "A For Andrew". The self-titled album was released on June 8, 2010. The working title for it was intended to be "Shazam!", but was changed due to copyright issues.
On November 11, 2010 Johnny Franck announced he had departed from the band to focus on his relationship with God. He has started a new project called The March Ahead. With this news also came a clip of a new song featuring Caleb Shomo doing both clean, and unclean vocals. During their current tour, Sean Mackowski of My Ticket Home is filling in Franck's spot, which is, according to Andrew Wetzel's Formspring, because "there are too many singing/screaming parts that overlap" and that it's "just not possible for [Caleb Shomo] to do it yet."
Score for this band :
"hear the drum , hear the vocal , hear the synth "
