| Linkin Park |
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| Linkin Park is dedicated to the music they make and the listeners who support them. Blending hardcore rock, hip-hop, and electronic music, Linkin Park has established a sound that is difficult to classify, but easy to identify. The LA-based band combines provoking rhymes and melodic vocals with neck-snapping beats, vicious guitar riffs, and dizzying scratches. Formerly named Hybrid Theory, the band describes their music as "a constantly evolving experiment." "Our goal is to bring seemingly distant elements together," says emcee Mike Shinoda, describing Linkin Park’s sound and its fan base. Since its inception in 1996, the band has attracted a diverse and dedicated following. Its grassroots fan base has grown rapidly, fueled by the efforts of hundreds of street teamers across the country, hardcore listeners committed to building Linkin Park. Friends since school, Linkin Park is Rob Bourdon (drums), Brad Delson (guitar), Joe Hahn (turntables), Mike Shinoda (vocals), and Chester Bennington (vocals). MTV.com |
| OK so I have read a lot of different bios on LP from a lot of web sites so I am going to post a few here along with the sites I got them from. |
| Origins The band Linkin Park goes back all the way to Junior High School. Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson both went to school in Agora, Southern California. Brad and Mike became fast friends sharing there love for music with each other. Vague ideas of starting a band came up during recess and after school hours. Mike and Brad were both well adjusted students, popular among friends, but didn't belong to any particular group. Instead finding there identity in the music they created. Brad and Mike both were friends threwout junior high and high school. During Mike's first year of college at Pasedena Art Center, he met up with Joe Hahn, who had a passion for electronic music and turn tables. The two became friends and met up with Brad on many occasions and jammed. The ideas of creating a band became more serious with the three friends. Joe dropped out of school for a job producing special effects for movies. Mark Wakefirld and Dave Farrell(Pheonix) joined up, and the group adopted the name "Super Xero" or "Xero" for short. Xero began as just something to do in the band's spare time. They played at parties, get togethers, and other small events for fun. Super Xero, though one band, played separatly. First Mark, Dave, and Brad would play hard rock, next Mike and Joe would do a hard core hip hop session. Eventually the different parts jelled together and the unified "Super Xero" was created. The Early Years Super Xero had formed, and was creating music and sending it to record companies, but the main focus was still on having fun. The song "esaul" that eventually became "A place for my head" was sent out, plus the demo for "By Myself". The band mentioned later that these songs showed the self doubt and uncertainty they felt during this time. The band emerged from this period with a new sense of determination, changing there name to Hybrid Theory to reflect there desire to get serious. The band continued to play gigs around the San Fransico area, one time playing in front of 6 recording companies. During this time Mike was taking his finals and said he didn't sleep for 2 weeks he was so nervous. Despite the band's touring, none of the record companies were willing to sponsor Hybrid Theory. Again a sense of doubt began to wash over the band, causing Pheonix and Mark to jump ship, both for different reasons. Hybrid Theory, knowing they needed a vocals, began sending out demo tapes to various singers. By the time Chester was recommended to Hybrid Theory he had been singing solo and with different bands, for 9 years. He had even made two records with a band called Grey Daze. Chester recieved the demo tapes from Hybrid Theory and was so inspired he missed his own birthday to complete recording his voice overs. He sent them back and 3 days later he was on a plane to join the band. Chester and Mike's singing clicked and they became fast friends. The band, now with a 2 singers, guitarist, drummer, and turn-tablist began working hard on there album. The band used the internet to create Street Teams across the USA to distribute material and send out demo tapes. The band would then come to the town of one of the Street Team's and play there. Claim to Fame The band continued to tour in different areas of the United States. Soon the band released two 3 track EP's in 1998. They were sent out to contacts among the Industry, and only around 1,000 copies were created. Hybrid Theory finally was noticed by a major Recording Company, Warner Brothers. Hybrid Theory signed with them in 1999 and continued working on there album with a new sense of confidence. The title of the band became a problem, because of signing with a major label. Warner Brothers notified them that conflicts could arise because of bands with similar names. The band needed a new name and Chester provided it. He had a park near his home called "Lincoln Park", which spawned the idea of Linkin Park. The spelling was changed so the band could have a unique domain name. On October 24th 2000 Linkin Park completed there album "Hybrid Theory." Within the first month 300,000 copies had been sold and after 6 months the album had gone platinum MaximumLinkinPark.com |
| The Band "The biggest misconception about us is that we're just a rock band," describes Linkin Park's guitarist Brad Delson. "We think our music is a cross-section of many genres; a hybrid of what the six of us have grown up on." The title of the band's debut album and its original band name, Hybrid Theory, describes both the six-piece's artistic goals and its approach to making music. Linkin Park's sound, a melting pot of heavy alternative rock, hip-hop, and electronic flourishes, is utterly their own, an accomplishment strengthened by the band's remarkably powerful, organic songwriting. But almost everything about Linkin Park has been unforced, including their Southern California origins. Origins The band saw its beginnings in emcee/vocalist Mike Shinoda's small bedroom studio, where he and Delson recorded the band's first material in 1996. The two had attended high school together, where they met the band's drummer, Rob Bourdon. Shinoda hooked up with DJ Joseph Hahn while studying illustration at Art Center College in Pasadena. Meanwhile, attending UCLA, Delson shared an apartment with bassist Phoenix, who left the band after college and returned a year later. The final piece of the puzzle was singer Chester Bennington, a transplanted Arizona native who started making records when he was 16. "When I was two, I used to run around singing Foreigner songs--there's tapes of me doing that...Since I learned how to talk I've been telling everybody I was gonna grow up to be a singer." laughs Bennington. The Album The combination of Bennington's rich, mammoth vocal style with Shinoda's rapid-fire emceeing helps to define Linkin Park's sound. "I think one of Chester and Mike's goals is to be as integrated as possible," offers Phoenix. "Although the styles we're mixing can be very different, we want the combination to feel natural--that is a big part of our band's identity." Weaving influences as diverse as Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, Aphex Twin, and The Roots into a unified whole, Linkin Park "want everything to come together without feeling forced," explains Shinoda. "As part of the writing process, I record everyone directly into a computer to best integrate our digital and live elements. We spend countless hours mixing and matching parts until we get the right combinations and composition." The band immersed itself in the writing process until the spring of 2000, when they inked with Warner Bros. Records and immediately went into the studio. To help record their work, they enlisted producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Apex Theory, Sugar Ray). "We met with a lot of people and had a very difficult time choosing a producer," says Bennington. "But Don, aside from making things sound good, stood out as someone who could really push us to work harder as songwriters." The end result is an album that is as well-crafted and melodic as it is confrontational, with a strong lyrical message. "Chester and I write about universal emotions, whether it's feeling insignificant, optimistic, or frustrated," Shinoda describes. "We write about everyday life, because sometimes it's good to know there are other people going through the same things that you are." These lyrics, along with the diverse instrumentation in which they are embedded, result in a powerful musical statement: Linkin Park's debut album, Hybrid Theory. Touring Following the completion of Hybrid Theory and the return of Phoenix, the band has played incessantly, introducing crowds worldwide to their explosive live performance. "I've always wanted our show to be energetic," says Hahn. "We use drum pads, samplers, and turntables with original vinyl to perform all the sample parts live on stage, which I think brings an exciting uniqueness to the songs." The energy and tightness of the band's performance, on tours with Deftones, P.O.D., and Papa Roach, and as a headliner itself, has secured Linkin Park a strong foundation of dedicated fans worldwide, and helped propel the band's record sales into the millions. When asked about the secret behind the Linkin Park's rapid success, Bourdon responds, "Ever since the beginning, we've always tried to maintain a strong relationship with our fans. From our close-knit street team family, to our videos, to designing quality merchandise, to our hands-on website activity with www.linkinpark.com, we stay involved in order to put our fans first." Linkin Park's reputation for being fan-oriented is best exemplified in their dedication to interacting with listeners at shows: the band obsessively sign hundreds of autographs at every concert. When asked about this phenomenon, Shinoda explains, "It's just a way of giving back. Our fans have helped us to realize a dream we didn't know was possible." It's taken Linkin Park five years to become an overnight success, and in the process, they've proven that a fresh combination of talent, unwavering dedication to craft, and pure artistic vision can, as Bennington describes, "get you through anything and help you realize your dreams." Sophomore albums are famously tricky affairs. Musicians have their entire lives to pen their debut album, the theory goes, and a relatively short time to follow it up. But what if the debut in question is the biggest selling album in recent memory? And what if the music industry has Hollywood-like expectations for another instant blockbuster? That was the scenario Linkin Park faced when they entered the studio to record Meteora, the follow-up to their multi-platinum debut Hybrid Theory. That album-which Rolling Stone called "twelve songs of compact fire indivisibly blending alternative metal, hip-hop, and turntable art"--has shipped 14 million units worldwide to date. It was the Number One selling album of 2001. It launched three chart-topping singles including "In The End." And in 2002 it received a Grammy® for Best Hard Rock Performance for "Crawling," as well as nominations for Best Rock Album and Best New Artist. After diligently pursuing their craft since the band's humble origins in Southern California circa the mid-'90s, Linkin Park now had the world's ear. To those outside the band, the pressure to follow up that success might have seemed insurmountable. But within Linkin Park, vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, turntablist Joseph Hahn, drummer Rob Bourdon, and bassist Phoenix weren't sweating it in ways you might expect. Instead of dwelling on outside expectations, they set to work, meticulously crafting each moment of each song to their own exacting standards. The bigger picture developed accordingly. "We don't ever want to have the mindset where we need to sell 10 million albums each time out. That's ridiculous," says Bennington. "It's a blessing to sell that many albums; it doesn't happen very often in this business--even once in your career is an achievement. Our obligation is to our fans. We're not going to get too comfortable and say it's a given that people will run out and buy our albums." "And if you know us, you know the biggest pressure came from within the band," says Shinoda. "We just wanted to make another great album that we're proud of," says Bourdon. "We focused on that, and worked hard to create songs we love. We're our own harshest critics." If you doubt that, consider this: Shinoda and Bennington wrote 40 unique choruses for Meteora's poignant first single, "Somewhere I Belong," before arriving at the best possible version. "We knew we needed to fix a couple things on that song," says Shinoda with a shrug. "So we'd write a new chorus, record it, mix it. Then we'd listen to it the next day, and Chester and I would look at each other and say, 'I don't know... I think it could be better.' And then we'd start again from scratch. It was a lot of work. We probably wrote and scrapped our sophomore jinx album somewhere in the mix. But we took our time, remained critical, and wrote songs we knew were good. Some people might have expected us to write a weaker version of Hybrid Theory--water it down, stagnate. But that's not what we're about." The winning results of that painstaking approach are instantly apparent on Meteora. The twelve lean tracks display immense growth from the road-honed band, while still showcasing the rare chemistry that's been in place since Bennington completed the line-up in 1999. Working once again with Hybrid Theory co-producer Don Gilmore, the album came to life in a variety of studios, including the band's beloved tour-bus facility and each member's respective home set-up. This time Linkin Park had the opportunity to experiment with a wider palette sound, and an even more diverse array of styles. They married wildly distressed samples to heavy guitars on songs such as "Somewhere I Belong." They arranged live strings and piano for "Breaking The Habit" and "Faint." They experimented with complex beats on songs such as "Easier To Run." They even added a Japanese flute called a shakuhachi to the hip-hop-driven "Nobody's Listening." Throughout, the rich textures and dynamic arrangements serve to enhance the moods created by Bennington's and Shinoda's powerful vocals--and vice versa. The synergy invites repeat listens. The guiding vision for the 18-month recording process was evoked by the album's title, Meteora. During a European tour in 2002, the band stumbled upon a travel magazine featuring destinations in Greece. On the cover, the word "Meteora " and the accompanying photo caught their eye, and subsequently fired their imaginations. Meteora is a group of six monasteries perched atop rock pinnacles rising 1500 feet above the plains of central Greece. As Bennington puts it, "they don't seem of this planet." And it's true. (To see for yourself, rent the Bond flick For Your Eyes Only, in which Roger Moore kicks ass at one of the mountain fortresses.) The Greek word literally translates as "hovering in the air." It's a fitting term for the otherworldly region, as well as for the album Linkin Park created with the image in mind. "We wanted to write songs that lived up to the energy that name exudes," says Bennington. "It's really epic and beautiful. It totally embodies the sense of timelessness and expansiveness we wanted the album to have," says Shinoda. "We've since met people who've visited Meteora," adds Hahn. "People go there for solitude now--to find themselves. And that's what the album is about--finding yourself. Each song is about looking within and letting out emotions." This time out, Bennington and Shinoda expanded the emotional range heard on Hybrid Theory. That album dealt with frustration, anger, fear and confusion from a younger person's perspective, according to Shinoda. The goal: catharsis. By contrast, Meteora reflects the accelerated lives the band members have led since recording their debut. "We toured the world for two years. That alone makes you step back and take a look at the bigger picture," says Shinoda. "We've always been interested in universal feelings, and that's what we focused on with this album. But Meteora is different in the sense that we're dealing with more facets of the human condition." "It's still a very dark album, but there's definitely more optimism," says Bennington. "We're still the same people, but now there's a light at the end of the tunnel." On "Somewhere I Belong," for example, the verses describe fear and confusion, but the chorus takes that crucial first step toward arriving at a solution. Bennington sings, "I want to heal. I want to feel like I'm close to something real. I want to find something I've wanted all along, somewhere I belong." And on "Breaking The Habit," he sings, "I don't know what's worth fighting for. Or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way. I know it's not alright. So I'm breaking the habit tonight." Once again, the vocalists worked closely together to deliver a broad spectrum of emotions as a unified front. Now, however, Bennington and Shinoda draw upon a longer shared history. Their voices and sentiments are practically indivisible. "Mike is a computer whiz, and a formally trained musician," says Hahn, distinguishing the difference between the two vocalists. "Chester brings the rawness--the emotion that needs to come out. They complement each other that way. It's a true yin-yang thing." The entire band, in fact, sounds more fully realized on Meteora. It's a rare achievement: A full integration of six members that still retains the unique qualities of each individual. The end result is the thumbprint style known as Linkin Park. "We don't really analyze the chemistry," says Bourdon. "We're just lucky and grateful that we found each other and that we work so well together." "The collaborations are more seamless now," agrees Bennington. "Mike, for instance, knows more about me as a person, and I know more about him, so it's easier to write lyrics together. It's not possible to have secrecy in our relationship. You have to open up, because you want the other person to be on the same page. We're all that way with each other." And with collaborators like these, who needs a therapist? "Exactly," says Bennington with a laugh. "That's why I joined a band in the first place." LP.com |