After changing their name twice and recruiting several new members, including current vocalist Chester Bennington, the band settled on the name Linkin Park and began recording much of the material for their debut album “Hybrid Theory”, which was released shortly after the band signed with Warner Brothers in 1999.
“Hybrid Theory” was a breakthrough success for Linkin Park and quickly sold almost five million albums in its first year, with single “One Step Closer” demonstrating Chester Bennington’s dynamic vocal range and style. Linkin Park’s ability to bring nu metal to a mainstream, radio-listening audience has meant that the release of its five subsequent studio albums has bought the band ever-increasing success, and has turned Linkin Park into one of the most successful rock bands of the new millennium.
Singles “In the End” and “What I’ve Done” have been hugely successful across the globe and have demonstrated the band’s range and growth over the years. Linkin Park’s influences come from various sources, but Mike Shinoda has noted that Public Enemy has been a huge inspiration to them. The band has attempted to emulate Public Enemy’s three-dimensional sound by experimenting with the interplay between Mike Shinoda’s rap, Chester Bennington’s melodic rock voice and the band’s accompanying hard rock sound.
Linkin Park has collaborated with numerous other artists over the years including Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, and Steve Aoki, among others. The versatility of their music has won them fans all over the world and it is no surprise that Linkin Park was the first rock band to attain over one billion views on YouTube.
In addition to this, the group has won two Grammy Awards and multiple MTV awards for their extensive discography. No strangers to hard work, the band has toured extensively promoting their own albums as part of their own Projekt Revolution – which has featured acts such as Snoop Dogg and Cyrpess Hill – and to raise money for various charitable causes over the past few years. With this level of talent and such a strong work ethic, one thing is for sure: Linkin Park won’t be going away anytime soon.
Before Phantogram was established its two main members, Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, who had been childhood friends since junior high both had brief artistic stints in New York City before they returned to their hometown of Saratoga Springs. After the two returned home they reunited and began to work on some of Josh Carter’s musical ideas.
The duo began performing their music to live audiences around their hometown under the name Charlie Everywhere, but later changed their name to Phantogram after signing with the record label BBE. After signing with BBE the band was quick to release two EPs labeled “Phantogram” and “Running From the Cops”, both which came out in 2009.
Phantogram’s debut album “Eyelid Moves” was released under the independent record label Barsuk Records in 2010 and received generally positive reviews. The album was full of classic songs like “Mouthful of Diamonds” and “When I’m Small”. The album was loaded with jangly guitar riffs, electronic soundscapes, and ethereal sounding vocals that drew comparisons to artists like the Cocteau Twins, Death Cab For Cutie, and My Bloody Valentine.
Phantogram’s “Voices”, which was the follow up to their debut album was released in 2014 and showed the duo experimenting with more aggressive electronic sounds as well as elements of trip hop. The music magazine, Alternative Press, highly praised the album noting that the electronics and electric guitars were impeccably mixed to create a sound that was both exceptionally complex and catchy.
Phantogram’s infectiously catchy sounds quickly garnered them mainstream attraction and has led to their music being placed in several popular television shows and movies such as Teen Wolf, Catching Fire, and Pitch Perfect. Phantogram have also made appearances on many well-regarded late night television shows like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Phantogram has already had the privilege of playing the Hollywood Bowl when they opened for M83 and have played many large festivals such as Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Coachella. Other musical artists are also highly fond of Phantogram’s music, which has led to artists such as Big Boi and The Flaming Lips asking Phantogram to collaborate with them.
I have seen Linkin Park 11 times and by the end of Summer 2014, I'll be up to 14 shows.
The reason why I am always so eager to see Linkin Park live is something that can't be explained by simply one element. Upon arriving to the show, you can literally feel the energy from the LP fans in the air which always hypes me up. Their fans are always so excited and eager for the show that you can't help feeling exactly the same way. Once the band takes the stage it is electrifying. Their entrance to the stage is never the same, they change up their set lists while on tour - so you are always in for a surprise - and their live performance is incredible. The amazing light show, fireworks and actual fire manipulations, complement the music in such a way that you can't help but feel the chills when you experience Linkin Park live.
I will always recommend seeing Linkin Park live because not only is their music legendary but so is the hard work that goes into their live show by not only themselves, but their entire crew.
Alabama favourites Remy Zero float effortlessly between alternative and experimental rock – it’s no surprise then that Radiohead championed them during the US tour for The Bends in the late 90s. The relentless energy of drummer Gregory Slay was a magnetic accompaniment to the moody yet ethereal nature of front man Cinjun Tate, who produced the kind of vocal prowess typified by the era. There are few shows I’ve witnessed where I’ve felt as hypnotised by a singer. Tate’s ability to command the attention of an audience is sublime, with singles such as "Gramarye" quite wonderfully conveying perpetual angst. This was clearly relatable to the audience who had their eyes closed and arms punching the air throughout the performance. The rendition of "Save Me" from last album 'The Golden Hum' (2001) was the standout for me though. It featured as the opening song for series Smallville, and is perhaps their most well-known and goosebump-inspiring singles to date, with the whole of the Spaceland venue screaming “somebody save me” in perfect unison. Following the unfortunate death of drummer Gregory Slay in 2010, the band cemented their camaraderie as a band, performing tribute shows in Slay’s hometown of New Orleans. The subsequent shows between October 7 – 12 at Dante’s (Portland, Oregon) The Crocodile Café (Seattle, Washington) Café Du Nord (San Francisco) and Spaceland (Los Angeles, California) were confirmed as their last via the band’s Twitter page.
You can see Cinjun Tate perform today in alternative rock duo Spartan Fidelity.
When I was in Philadelphia, PA I had the chance to see Phantogram with CHVRCHES and Cherub at The Piazza at Schmidt's, a beautiful outdoor venue with a huge screen that enhanced the performance and helped engage those further away from the stage.
From the first note, Phantogram dazzled the audience with a skillful blend of beautiful, lyrical vocals and melodic electronic music that shows the softer, gentler side of electronic music as a whole. With just two performers, Phantogram manages to produce a wide range of sounds. Then they ratcheted up the energy, and in front of a dazzling light show created an atmosphere and sound that didn't leave a single person sitting still. I had always thought to myself that because they played electronic music, Phantogram's music was cleaned up through so many filters and programs that when I saw them live they would sound nothing like they did on recording, but I couldn't have been more wrong.
Sarah, the lead vocalist, has a voice as beautiful and clear in person as she does on any recording, which is positively amazing. Also, in addition to the electronic music, the guitar is real, another treat for the live performance. And Phantogram never missed a beat - they were every bit as in tune, in time and melodic in person as they are on recording.
Add that to the energy of the crowd and the great showmanship, this is one band that is better live than they are recorded or in video any day. I would love to see them again.