Alkaline Trio

Guitarist and singer Matt Skiba, bassist and singer Rob Doran and drummer Glenn Porter came together in the Illinois suburb of McHenry to form the original incarnation of Alkaline Trio in December 1996. They got as far as recording and releasing their debut E.P “Sundials” in 1997 before Doran departed to focus on a career in visual arts. However, the E.P was a hit in the Chicago underground scene, and soon after Doran left, Dan Andriano joined to fill the void. With Andriano on board, the band were able to sign with Asian Man Records, as he was already signed to the label with his band Tuesday.

They released a second E.P in 1998 entitled “For Your Lungs Only” and in the same year came “Godamnit”, their debut album which is considered by many to be their absolute peak. Their second effort, “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire” came in 2000 and was enough of a big deal to secure them a record deal with Vagrant Records, making them label mates with The Get Up Kids, Dashboard Confessional and Saves The Day. On that label they released 2001’s “From Here To Infirmary” which, along with the band’s first genuine hit single “Stupid Kid”, was a major success for the band due to the way it unwittingly rode the waves of the burgeoning mainstream acceptance of Emo rock.

This was despite the fact that Trio had always had an absolutely jet-black sense of humour to their lyrics; this should have put them completely at odds with the blindingly sincere likes of Jimmy Eat World and Saves The Day. Instead, however, it saw their subsequent album, 2003’s “Good Mourning” sell 40’000 copies in its first week, chart at number 20 on the Billboard album charts, and give the band their second hit single in the form of “We Had Enough”. By the mid-2000’s the band had become one of the most acclaimed rock acts of the time, selling out clubs and concert halls the country over and playing to an absolutely devoted following.

Very little has changed ever since then, they’ve settled into the role of punk rock elder statesmen with aplomb, and have released stellar album after stellar album in the years after that. They should be an inspiration for punk bands the world over, and are still in the peak of their powers as I type. Highly recommended.

Whilst still attending high school, Green formed his first band, Junction 232, with friend and classmate Tommy Dougherty. With drummer J.D. Foster, the band was renamed to Audience of One, and recorded and released the LP “I Remember When This All Meant Something” in 1999 on Break Even Records. After recording a four-song demo EP in 2000, due to members heading off the college and enlisting in the military the band was deemed to be on a break.

Subsequently Green recorded and performed with the hardcore metal band Jeer at Rome, and the pop rock band Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer. Green sung on six songs from Zolof’s debut album and has remained a loyal collaborator with the group. After this period the musician experimented with solo work and recorded the four track EP “High & Driving” in 2002, released online and later appeared with the deluxe version of the album “Avalon”.

The next project Green applied himself to was the scremo outfit Saosin, through which he earned immediate online success with the release of the EP “Translating the Name”, however quit the band before they signed to Capitol Records. From 2004-2008 Green formed the American rock supergroup The Sound of Animals Fighting, subsequently recording and releasing the albums “Tiger and the Duke” in 2004, “Lover, the Lord Has Left Us…” in 2006, and “The Ocean and the Sun” in 2008. Seemingly never satisfied, during this time Green also founded the group Circa Survive, an outlet for the musician's indie/experimental side.

As a solo artist, Green released the album “Avalon” in 2007, aided by the singles “She Loves Me So” and “Dear Child (I’ve Been Dying to Reach You)”, which peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard 200. This was followed by the EP “Jackie Haenn” in 2008 to help fund medical transport for his cousin-in-law. Green subsequently released “Beautiful Things” in 2012 which charted at No. 27 on the Billboard 200, and “Young Legs” in 2013.