White Stripes
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White Stripes

The duo, White Stripes, hailed from Detroit in the late ’90s. Former Country/Rock drummer (with Goober and the Peas) turned guitarist/vocalist, Jack White (born John “Jack” Anthony Gillis) and drummer Meg White used Punk and Blues as their base while incorporating Folk and Art Rock. The idea for White Stripes was to create simple, basic…

Garbage
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Garbage

Often bands are missing a key element and go looking for it in another band. Drummer Butch Vig, multi-instrumentalist Duke Erikson and guitarist/bassist Steve Marker first saw the Scottish-born Angelfish singer Shirley Manson on MTV’s “120 Minutes.” They hooked up with her when Angelfish toured the States. Manson went through what was termed an “introductory…

Arctic Monkeys
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Arctic Monkeys

News of the Arctic Monkeys’ U.K. success initially had to be viewed skeptically. They were yet another band who wore their Jam, Clash and Smiths influences on their sleeve. Toss in the White Stripes, Vines, Libertines and a scruffier take on Franz Ferdinand for mainstream accessibility. Yet even for the U.K., it looked as though…

Fall Out Boy
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Fall Out Boy

Three years after Chicago’s Fall Out Boy formed Island Records provided an advance for the group’s major label debut “Take This To Your Grave.” ’05 release “Under The Cork Tree” led to an extensive tour. F.O.B. even won a Road Woodie (Best Tour) at the student-selected mtvU Woodie Awards held in New York. “Infinity On…

Audioslave
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Audioslave

Breaking a new act is a crapshoot. To minimize the risk, record labels often sign musicians with proven track records. The combination of Soundgarden’s frontman with Rage Against The Machine (sans Zach de la Rocha) would seem like a sure shot. But Audioslave was one of those blue chip “marriages” that nearly blew apart before…

Hinder
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Hinder

In early ‘06, Mötley Crüe was awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. You can’t become more establishment than that. New blood was needed to carry on the wayward decadence. And that left the door ajar for Hinder. It was sex, drugs and Rock n’ Roll, not as a motto, but a lifestyle. Of…

The Pretty Reckless
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The Pretty Reckless

The Pretty Reckless happened when producer Kato Khandwala paired Taylor Momsen, Gossip Girl actress (she played Jenny Humphrey) and singer, with guitarist Ben Phillips. There are some people who seem destined for a career in showbiz. Momsen, who had been singing and acting since childhood, was one of them. Later, she added modeling to her…

The Offspring
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The Offspring

The Offspring isn’t a bad moniker but it’s sure no Clowns Of Death. Now that’s a name! Guitarist Bryan “Dexter” Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel (Greg K.), both ex-Clowns of Death, started Manic Subsidal with singer Doug Thompson and drummer Jim Benton. Two things happened when Thompson and Benton bailed. First, Holland assumed singing duties…

All Time Low
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All Time Low

Any band that starts out covering Blink 182 and takes their name from the lyrics in a New Found Glory song (“Head On Collision”) is pretty heavily steeped in Pop Punk. All Time Low started in ’03, while band members were still in high school. They hadn’t even graduated when their debut EP, ’04’s “The…