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Punk-Drunk
Can't quite tell all those spiky-haired, T-shirt-wearing pop-punk bands apart? You gotta listen very carefully.
By Ráfer Guzmán
STAFF WRITER
March 30, 2003
Question: What new band has a punk-rock guitar sound, sing-along choruses and a cute boy singer with spiky hair?
Answer: Good luck finding out. These days, dozens of bands fit that description, from their teen-angst lyrics down to their black Converse sneakers.
If you're having trouble telling one pop-punk band from another, there's a reason. In the wake of platinum-selling acts Good Charlotte and Sum 41, the music industry has been signing scores of spiky-haired rock acts, hoping to find the next breakthrough success. Call it punk-lite, or even bubblegum punk, but it's becoming one of the few bright spots in the record business, which saw CD sales drop more than 11 percent last year. In the last few months, seemingly insatiable fans snapped up copies of major-label debuts, from Ataris, Simple Plan and The All-American Rejects, sending these previously obscure bands into the upper reaches of the Billboard Top 40.
Relatively new artists are generating not only impressive sales but their own clothing lines, television shows and retail stores. The result: a growing glut of same-sounding, same-looking and nearly same-named bands.
"It's tough to distinguish yourself as a band with a distinct sound," says John Nolan, vocalist with Amityville-based Taking Back Sunday. "Every band has a similar sound that mixes punk rock with sort of power pop. People are loving it, but there's just so many of them now."
The sound offers a gritty yet accessible alternative to the slick hip-hop and teen pop that dominates radio, says Kevin Lyman, producer of the Vans Warped Tour. Attendance at the traveling punk festival has nearly doubled over the last two years to more than 500,000. "Kids are saying, 'We want something different, but we're not total gutter punks,'" Lyman explains. "They just want to see some good bands and some skateboarders."
The genre's history stretches back to the late 1970s, when British bands such as U.K. Subs and Buzzcocks used the angry guitars of punk to play upbeat pop songs. The sound didn't catch on in America until 15 years later, when the Berkeley, Calif., group Green Day resurrected it as an antidote to the sludgy rhythms of grunge. Green Day not only sold millions of albums but set down a pop-punk blueprint that's in use today: chunky chords and quick tempos with tongue-in-cheek, woe-is-me lyrics.
In the late 1990s, the bands Blink-182 and Sum 41 built up huge followings with their jokey songs and fun-loving stage shows. "After that, it blew wide open," says Gregg Latterman, vice president of Aware, a Columbia Records affiliate that recently signed the Blink-inspired band Riddlin' Kids.
Even the bands themselves can't explain their success. "The kids, they know every word of every single song," says Nick Wheeler, guitarist for The All-American Rejects, whose first album on DreamWorks Records recently debuted at No. 25 on the Billboard charts. "I don't get it - we just do what we do. If people like it, whatever."
PUNK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Remember the Sex Pistols? These punk rockers don't: Most were born after 1980, making them more likely to cite late 1990s group Blink-182 as inspiration. As the pop-punk genre attracts younger and younger players, any band that stays around more than a couple of years becomes eligible for elder statesman status. Following is a look at the major groups over the last five years, from "veterans" Good Charlotte to new heirs The All-American Rejects.
Old School
GOOD CHARLOTTE
Album: "The Young and the Hopeless" (2002)
Single: "The Anthem"
Sound: Hummable hooks, sarcastic lyrics
Dress Code: On their album, the members wear T-shirts advertising their clothing labels, Level 27 and Made.
Distinguishing Feature: Frontmen Benji and Joel Madden are identical twins. (Benji has the Lady Liberty haircut.)
History: The band's 2000 self-titled debut went gold, but it was last year's release, "The Young and the Hopeless" that carried the band past the platinum mark. The hit single "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" made the band a household name - especially in households with MTV, where the twins host the show "All Things Rock."
The Latest: "Lifestyles" skewered celebs who whine about their problems in Rolling Stone magazine, but look who's talking: Good Charlotte just finished a photo shoot to appear on that mag's cover.
SUM 41
Album: "Does This Look Infected?" (2002)
Single: "The Hell Song"
Sound: Goofy, good-time punk
Dress Code: Sneakers, hooded sweatshirts, soul patches
Distinguishing Feature: Propensity for juvenile humor and vomiting
History: Sum 41 appeared in 2000 and built a reputation for aggressive live shows (and late-night drinking binges). Its 2001 disc "All Killer No Filler" became a sudden smash, selling 3 million copies and establishing the band as the fun-loving heirs to Blink-182.
The Latest: The Sums get serious: Singer Deryck Whibley wrote "The Hell Song" about a friend who contracted HIV; earlier single "Still Waiting" was inspired by the attacks of Sept. 11.
NEW FOUND GLORY
Album: "Sticks and Stones" (2002)
Single: "My Friends Over You"
Sound: Speedy and tuneful, with close harmonies
Dress Code: Multi-hued hair, elaborate tattoos
Distinguishing Feature: In photos for the new album, the members sport multiple cuts and bruises.
History: The band started out on the influential punk label Drive-Thru Records back in 1999; the following year, it released its first record on major label MCA.
The Latest: "Sticks and Stones," their major-label debut, has sold more than 800,000 copies.
Up and Coming
SIMPLE PLAN
Album: "No Pads, No Helmets ...
(2002)
Single: "Addicted"
Sound: Cute and bright
Dress Code: Months after signing to Lava/Atlantic, the band started its own clothing line, Role Model.
Distinguishing Feature: The Quebec natives speak fluent French.
History: Over the last five years, Simple Plan built up a following by touring as the opening act for bands such as Pennywise, Blink-182 and Good Charlotte.
The Latest: Now headlining its own U.S. tour.
AMERICAN HI-FI
Album: "The Art of Losing" (2003)
Single: "The Art of Losing"
Sound: Raw, loose and sloppy
Dress Code: Singer Stacy Jones collects vintage T-shirts of '80s hair bands such as Poison and Ratt.
Distinguishing Feature: In pop-punk years, the 28-year-old Jones qualifies as an old fogey.
History: Indie-rockers may recognize Jones from his days in Letters to Cleo and Veruca Salt. After those groups folded, Jones formed American Hi-Fi and scored a hit in 2001 with "Flavor of the Weak."
The Latest: The new disc has drawn critical acclaim but isn't yet seeing blockbuster sales.
THE ATARIS
Album: "So Long, Astoria" (2003)
Single: "In This Diary"
Sound: Raspy pop tinged with melancholy
Dress Code: The Santa Barbara, Calif.-based band has its own clothing and record shop called Down on Haley.
Distinguishing Feature: Recorded a heartfelt cover of Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer."
History: Though the band just signed with Columbia Records, they're no newcomers: They already have three albums on Kung Fu Records, owned by former Vandals bassist Joe Escalante.
The Latest: Look for the band on this year's Vans Warped Tour.
On the Verge
TAKING BACK SUNDAY
Album: "Tell All Your Friends" (2002)
Single: "Cute Without the 'E' (Cut From the Team)"
Sound: Catchy songs punctuated by atonal screaming
Dress Code: Jeans and T-shirts - or no shirts
Distinguishing Feature: Two vocalists: Adam Lazzara mostly sings, John Nolan mostly screams
History: The Amityville band formed in 2000; despite its complicated song structures, the band became a local phenomenon and is on the verge of commercial success. The "Cute" single is frequently popping up on MTV2.
The Latest: Recently received the punk-pop seal of approval: a main stage slot on this year's Warped Tour.
RIDDLIN' KIDS
Album: "Hurry Up and Wait" (2002)
Single: "I Feel Fine"
Sound: Traditional: less punk, more rock
Dress Code: Surprisingly normal, with parentally acceptable haircuts
Distinguishing Feature: Originally called Ritalin Kids, after the drug used to treat hyperactive children. The name was altered to avoid possible lawsuits.
History: A disc jockey in the Kids' hometown of Austin, Texas, passed a demo tape to Gregg Latterman at Aware/Columbia. The band was signed in 2001; its disc came out last year.
The Latest: Touring nearly nonstop throughout 2003.
THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS
Album: "The All-American Rejects" (2003)
Single: "Swing, Swing"
Sound: Simple and earnest
Dress Code: Singer Tyson Ritter admits Converse sent him 10 pairs of Chuck Taylors for free.
Distinguishing Feature: Embarrassingly sensitive lyrics ("The nights are long / And I am left while the tears fall")
History: The Rejects came out of nowhere (actually, Stillwater, Okla.) last year with a self-titled release on a tiny Midwestern label. Within months, it was snapped up and reissued by DreamWorks Records.
The Latest: Success has come quickly: The album debuted at No. 25 and spawned the hit single "Swing, Swing." The video recently reached No. 8 on MTV's "TRL."
(The All-American Rejects play Wednesday at Irving Plaza in Manhattan. Tickets are $11. Call Ticketmaster at 631-888-9000, or go to www.ticketmaster.com.)
-Rafer Guzmán