Alkaline Trio
(sometimes abbreviated as "Alk3
") is an American punk rock band from McHenry, Illinois consisting of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, backing vocals). To date, the band has released six studio albums.
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ALKALINE TRIO TICKETS
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History
Early years, Goddamnit
and Maybe I'll Catch Fire
(1996–2000)
Alkaline Trio was formed in December 1996 (see
1996 in music), originally consisting of
Matt Skiba (guitar/lead vocals),
Rob Doran (bass/vocals), and
Glenn Porter (drums/vocals), all hailing from
McHenry, Illinois, in Chicago's Northwest suburbs. 1997 saw the release of the band's first EP,
Sundials
. This was followed shortly after by the departure of Rob Doran, after which
Dan Andriano, former singer of
Asian Man Records band
Tuesday and bassist for
Slapstick, took his place and they began recording. The band released their second EP entitled
For Your Lungs Only
, in 1998, which began to build them a sizable fanbase in the American
Midwest. Later on that year, the band released their first full length
album,
Goddamnit
, followed by
Maybe I'll Catch Fire
in 2000 (both on
Asian Man Records). Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously released
EPs on their self-titled album.
From Here to Infirmary
, Good Mourning
and Dan Andriano's side project (2001–2005)
In 2001, the band released
From Here To Infirmary
on
Vagrant Records. This was their first step towards the mainstream, with music videos for the singles "Stupid Kid" and "Private Eye." Other songs from
From Here To Infirmary
that brought attention to the band were "Another Innocent Girl", "Crawl", and "Armageddon".
Their next full-length album was
Good Mourning
, released in 2003, with the album's launch single "We've Had Enough" seeing much the same success as the previous single "
Stupid Kid." The album was something of a departure from earlier works, featuring greater production values and a move toward the mainstream.
The band appeared on various compilation albums, notably
Plea for Peace
Vol. 1,
Vagrant Records: Another Year on the Streets
Vol. 1, 2, and 3, and
Rock Against Bush
Vol. 1. Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba with
Kevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the album
This is Unity Music
by
Common Rider. They recorded 2 split EPs: one with
Hot Water Music in 2000 and the other with
One Man Army in 2004.
In 2004, Dan became a member of
The Falcon, a
supergroup of sorts consisting of
The Lawrence Arms' bassist
Brendan Kelly, previously of
Slapstick (alongside Dan) and
The Broadways, and drummer
Neil Hennessy. The Falcon also saw contributions from
Todd Mohney of
The Killing Tree and formerly
Rise Against. The band released an EP,
God Don't Make No Trash / Up Your Ass With Broken Glass
in 2005 and its first full length,
Unicornography
in September 2006.
Crimson
and Matt Skiba's side project (2005–2007)
Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, titled
Crimson
, on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced by
Squirtgun and
Common Rider bassist
Mass Giorgini. The tracks "Mercy Me" and "Burn" have also been released as singles from the album.
In December 2005, a dual-disc special edition re-release of
Crimson
hit store shelves. This album features the original cut of
Crimson
released earlier in the year, while the 2nd disc has demo and acoustic/live versions of some of the songs. Additionally, an enhanced version of the lyrics and liner notes are available for download with personal messages from the band members on the history and/or inspiration(s) behind the songs.
In
September 2006,
Patent Pending
, the debut album by
Matt Skiba's side project
Heavens was released. The band consisted of Skiba on guitar and vocals, and
Josiah Steinbrick (of
hardcore punk outfit
F-Minus) on bass. On the album, the duo were joined by
The Mars Volta's
Isaiah "Ikey" Owens on organ and
Matthew Compton on drums and percussion. Skiba was playing with Heavens during a short tour in the fall of 2006.
Alkaline Trio released an album of B-sides/Rarities, Live Performances, and a DVD with Performances from The Occult Roots Tour in early 2007 called
Remains
and put out on Vagrant Records.
In October 2006, it was announced that Alkaline Trio had signed with
V2 Records.
[1] On January 12, 2007, the North America branch of the label announced that they were undergoing
restructuring to focus on their back catalogue and digital distribution. As a result, their employees were let go and their roster of artists left as free agents.
During late May 2007 the band began listing
Epic Records as its label on their MySpace. Punknews.org then also reported that band is on the Epic roster.
Agony & Irony
(2008–2009)
In February 2008, Asian Man Records released a 10th Anniversary reissue of the band's 1998 full length,
Goddamnit
. The disc was remixed and remastered, with 4 bonus tracks from their 1996 demo tape added, and the album was repackaged with new artwork and a feature length DVD documentary about the band's early days. Predictably, the release caused quite a bit of excitement for long-time followers of the group.
On Saturday, February 9, 2008, the band posted a message on their
MySpace page explaining that they had been in the studio for three weeks working on the new album without revealing a release date or title. The band later announced via their fan club, the Blood Pact, that their upcoming album, titled
Agony & Irony
, would be released on July 1, 2008.
[2] As a gift for members, they made a new song titled "In Vein" available as an exclusive. On
April 4, they posted the song on their MySpace for 24 hours.
A contest (), was announced May 6, 2008, that encouraged fans to download sheet music of "Love Love Kiss Kiss" from the official website and send Alkaline Trio footage of their interpretation of the song before it was released by the band.
As expected, the band released
Agony & Irony
on July 1, 2008. First week sales for the album placed Alkaline Trio at number 13 on the
Billboard album charts, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.
Upcoming new album (2009–present)
During a concert in May 2009, the band revealed that they are no longer signed to Epic Records and that they will release a new album through their own label later in the year. Recording began in July.
[3] Five songs from the upcoming album ("This Addiction", "Dead On The Floor", "Dine, Dine My Darling", "Dorothy", and "Fruit Please") have been debuted on their current tour with
Saves the Day.
On
July 30,
2009, the band posted a blog via MySpace, announcing that they will be entering the studio next week, and will be having a sale on their first CD in honor of their new album.
On Twitter, Alkaline Trio stated they are hoping for a January 2010 release.
Related bands
Alkaline Trio is part of a very large circle of Chicago punk/hardcore bands. Skiba played drums for Jerkwater (with Rob Doran (currently in
Pit er Pat);
Sean Seeling (currently in
Apocalypse Hoboken, ex-Tommyrot); and,
Jeremiah Klinger (currently in
Gregor Samsa), as well as the Chicago punk outfit The Traitors. Former drummer Glenn Porter played in Tommyrot and
88 Fingers Louie. Stemming from Andriano's previous bands,
Slapstick and
Tuesday, other artists in this family tree include:
The Broadways,
The Lawrence Arms,
The Honor System,
Smoking Popes (Rob Kellenberger from Slapstick, Tuesday and Smoking Popes side project Duvall briefly played drums for part of the Popes reunion tour before being replaced due to scheduling differences. Ironically, Kellenberger replaced original Smoking Popes drummer Mike Fellumlee, who played drums for Alkaline Trio on their album, From Here to Infirmary, after the Smoking Popes broke up, and now plays with
Squirtgun). With the addition of drummer Derek Grant, Alkaline Trio's family tree has grown to include ties with bands such as
The Suicide Machines, Thoughts of Ionesco, Walls of Jericho, and Gyga. In 2004 Dan Andriano joined the newly assembled group, The Falcon. The band reunites Andriano with fellow former Slapstick member Brendan Kelly (guitar and vocals) (currently in The Lawrence Arms) and expands the family to Neil Hennessy on drums, (also in The Lawrence Arms). Todd Mohney, former member of
Rise Against, played guitar on the first EP but could not attend the recording session for the band's first full length Unicornography, and his spot was temporarily filled in by Kelly and Hennessy.
In 2006 Skiba started the side-project
Heavens with Josiah Steinbrick, previously of
F-Minus. Their debut album,
Patent Pending
was released on
Epitaph Records.
Band members
Current members
- Matt Skiba - lead vocals, guitar (1996–present)
- Dan Andriano - lead vocals, bass (1997–present)
- Derek Grant - drums, percussion, backing vocals (2001–present)
Former members
- Rob Doran - bass, backing vocals (1996–1997)
- Glenn Porter - drums, percussion (1996–2000)
- Mike Felumlee - drums, percussion (2000–2001)
Touring members
- Atom Willard - drums, percussion (2000)
- Pete Parada - drums, percussion (2001)
- Nolan McGuire - guitar (2003-2007)
Discography
- Goddamnit
(1998)
- Maybe I'll Catch Fire
(2000)
- From Here to Infirmary
(2001)
- Good Mourning
(2003)
- Crimson
(2005)
- Agony & Irony
(2008)
See also
References
- http://www.punknews.org/article/20262
- http://www.absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=309793
- http://newmusicreviews.net/alkaline-trio-get-back-to-diy-roots/