Oceans Calling

After bonding over their shared musical creativity, Joseph and Salih decided to form a band. Before their first performance, Joseph invited Thomas to join.

The trio named itself Twenty One Pilots and began playing a variety of venues around Columbus. The band became known for its attention-grabbing costumes and on-stage antics. Joseph’s mother helped promote the shows by giving away tickets outside of Ohio State.

Twenty One Pilots released its debut, self-titled album independently in 2009, recording from the basement of the house where its members lived at the time. The album peaked at number 139 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 115,000 copies.

Just two years later, in 2011, Thomas and Salih left the group to focus on school and work, respectively. Twenty One Pilots became a duo, with Joseph on vocals and Josh Dun on drums. The new Twenty One Pilots self-released its second album, Regional at Best, that July. Just a few months later, the band played its first sold-out show at Newport Music Hall, catching the attention of several record labels. The band then embarked on the Regional at Best Tour alongside the rock band Challenger, documenting the journey on YouTube.

In April 2012, Twenty One Pilots announced a deal with Fueled by Ramen, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. The band released its first record under the label, an EP titled Three Songs, in July. The next month, the band joined Neon Trees and Walk the Moon on tour.

Twenty One Pilots’ third album dropped in January 2013. Vessel climbed to number 21 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 10 in the Alternative Albums Chart. The single, “Holding on to You,” became the band’s first charting single and reached number 11 on the Billboard Alternatives Songs charts.

Later that year, Twenty One Pilots joined Panic! at the Disco as a supporting act on Fall Out Boy’s Save Rock and Roll Arena Tour. The band continued to tour and play festivals throughout 2014.

In March 2015, Twenty One Pilots announced its upcoming album, Blurryface. The third single, “Stressed Out,” dropped that April. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the band’s biggest-selling single. The music video was also a hit, surpassing 2.5 billion views on YouTube.

Blurryface was released in May 2015 and became a breakout success. It was the band’s first number-one album, selling 134,000 copies in the first week. It’s also the first album ever to have every single track certified at least Gold by the RIAA. Blurryface won Top Rock Album at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. Twenty One Pilots also took home the award for Top Rock Artist that year.

Twenty One Pilots’ popularity continued to surge throughout 2016. In June, the duo released “Heathens,” a song for the DC Comics film Suicide Squad. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made Twenty One Pilots the third artist after The Beatles and Elvis Presley to have two Top 5 singles charting at the same time.

Since the success of Blurryface, Twenty One Pilots has released two more albums. Trench dropped in 2018, followed by Scaled and Icy in 2021. The latter is the band’s first album to feature Joseph’s younger brother Jay, who performs vocals on three tracks. Both albums were received positively by critics and fans alike. In 2022, Twenty One Pilots took the show on the road with The Icy Tour, to promote and support Scaled and Icy in North America.

Be sure to catch the band live on their newly announced Bandito world tour as well.

Featuring Marcus Mumford (vocals, guitars, drums), Winston Marshall (vocals, banjo, dobro), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards) and Ted Dwae (vocals, bass), the band came together in 2007, soon becoming a recognized name in London's growing folk scene. Persitent performing and songwriting led to an appearance at 2008's Glastonbury Festival, gaining many new fans in the process. Shortly after, their self-titled debut EP was released, establishing their name in the indie rock scene.

Two more EPs followed, "Love Your Ground" (2008) and "Cave and the Open Sea" in 2009, attracting the interest of major label, Island Records, who were quick to sign the promising act to their roster. Working with Markus Dracs, producer of Arcade Fire and the Maccabees, Mumford & Sons started work on their debut album. Releasing the single "Little Lion Man," anticipation for their debut grew feverish, with the track being named 'Hottest Record in the World This Week' by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Zane Lowe. Mumford & Sons were then named part of BBC's 'Sound of 2009' poll, making them one of the most talked about acts in the UK at the time.

Their debut album, "Sigh No More," was released later that year, achieving commercial success. The following year, the album was issued in America, on Glassnote Records, finding further commercial success, selling a million copies. Yet it was with their second record, "Babel," that Mumford & Sons became international stars, with the album topping the Billboard Album Chart in the US in 2012, before then selling multi-Platinum. A live album, "Road to Red Rocks," recorded at Colorado's Red Rock amphitheater, was released shortly after that same year.

In 2013, Mumford & Sons were awarded with a Grammy Award for 'Best Album of the Year' with "Babel."Extensive touring followed, which saw the band headline many festivals across the globe, including Bonnaroo Music Festival and Glastonbury Festival. They then embarked on a hiatus, before returning to live performance in 2015, with the promise of a new album.

Born in Fullerton, California in the United States on 3 October 1969, Gwen Stefani got her start in music when her brother, Eric, invited her to provide backing vocals for the newly formed band, No Doubt. In 1992 they released their first album, but it wasn’t until their third album “Tragic Kingdom” in 1995, that the band found huge popularity; in fact, the album sold more than 16 million copies and garnered several Grammy nominations in 1997. No Doubt’s release of “Rock Steady” in 2001 meant some of the highest singles of the band’s career.

In 2004, Stefani released her first solo pop album, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” Despite mixed reviews, the album sold over 300,00 copies in its first week. The album also garnered Grammy Award nominations both in 2005 and in 2006. Additionally, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby’s” fourth single, “Hollaback Girl” became the first US digital download to sell more than one million copies. Also in 2004 Stefani launched her own clothing line named “L. A. M. B,” followed by a less expensive line called “Harajuku Lovers.”

In December 2006 she released her second solo album, “The Sweet Escape.” The title track, released as the album’s second single, earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with vocals, for the work with Akon on the song. Stefani promoted the album by embarking on a world tour.

While balancing her clothing line, her family life, her solo music career, Stefani and the other members of No Doubt reunited in 2008, where they set out for various shows around the world. By 2012 the band released their “Push and Shove” album; however, the band went on another hiatus the following year. By 2014 Stefani added another item to her long list of career paths by becoming a coach on the singing competition, “The Voice,” and has been finding time to get into the studio to record new solo music.

After working as a disc jockey at the Atlanta-based station Hot 97.5, under the moniker DJ Chris Lova Lova, Bridges met producer Timbaland and earned a rapping credit on his song “Fat Rabbit”. The high profile contribution led Ludicrous to release his debut independent album “Incognegro” in 2000 on his own Disturbing tha Peace label. With the help of a production team of Shondrae and Organized Noize, the album reached the Billboard 200, and led to Ludacris signing with Def Jam Records.

Def Jam spruced “Incognegro” up with five more songs and released it as “Back for the First Time” in 2000, which spawned the hit single “What’s Your Fantasy”. The hit proved to be the first in a successful stream including the likes of “Southern Hospitality”, “Area Codes”, “Move Bitch”, “Stand Up” and “Splash Waterfalls”. “Back for the First Time”’s follow-up “Word of Mouf” was release in 2002, followed by the Disturbing tha Peace collaborative album “Golden Grain” in 2002.

Ludacris’ third official album “Chicken -N- Beer” was issued in 2003 and was his first album to reach the top spot on the Billboard 200. Its successor “The Red Light District” managed the same feat, aided by the hugely popular singles “Get Back”, “Number One Spot” and “Pimpin’ All Over the World”. In a follow up to “Golden Grain”, a second label collaborative album emerged in 2005, entitled “Disturbing tha Peace”.

After remaining quiet for almost a year, Ludacris returned in 2006 to release his most thoughtful and introspective album to date. “Release Therapy” proved to be another chart-topper led by the singles “Money Maker” and “Runaway Love”. On top of his own releases the rapper has become a tried and tested guest contributor to the likes of Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey, Fergie, LL Cool J, Usher and Jamie Foxx among a host of others acts, and has made inroads into the film industry with roles in “2 Fast 2 Furious”, “Crash” and “Fred Claus”. Ludarcris went on to release “Theatre of the Mind” in 2008, “Battle of the Sexes” in 2010, and the mixtape “Ludaversal” in 2013.

The band was formed by John Rzeznik on lead vocals and guitar, Robby Takac on the bass guitar and George Tutuska on the drums. The band took their name from a toy advert the band saw when they were preparing for a gig in the same evening, and to this day Rzeznik swears blind that if he had five more minutes then he would have picked a better name.

However, this was the late 80's leading into the early 90's. A banner time for bands with really stupid names. This was the age of Foo Fighters and and The Lemonheads, and the Goo Goo Dolls became one of the biggest names in American rock by their fifth album "A Boy Named Goo".

The album was the first on their indie label Metal Blade to go double platinum and suddenly, the band had the whole of the music world at their feet. And they were going to get even bigger.

Soon after, they were asked to write a song for the motion picture "City of Angels", and despite Rzeznik going through a serious period of writers block, the song he came up with was "Iris". A worldwide hit that's still on the radio to this day, this turned them into one of the biggest bands in the country.

They remain at this level to this day, their last four albums having debuted in the top ten and "Iris" is still a staple of radio playlists and American Idol auditions. They may not be the coolest band around but they remain at the top of their game, able to pull off a killer live show in front of any crowd they find themselves in front of. Highly recommended.

The band have maintained the same lineup ever since they started; talismanic frontman Alex Gaskarth sings and plays rhythm guitar and keyboards, Jack Barakat takes care of lead guitar and backing vocals, Zack Merrick does the same on the bass, and Rian Dawson is behind the drum kit. Over the course of their decade-plus career to date, they’ve pretty much become poster boys for pop punk as a genre; it’s a style of music that permeates every aspect of their back catalogue, right from their early days playing Blink-182 covers in school, through to their rise to prominence through the Vans Warped Tour, which is to pop punk and emo bands what Download Festival is to metal.

When promoting their debut full-length “The Party Scene” back in 2005, they were happy to play on the undercard to bands like Plain White T’s and Forever the Sickest Kids, but their follow-up “So Wrong, It’s Right” - released in September of 2007 - saw them genuinely break through, and become one of the best-loved pop punk bands on the circuit. Album number three “Nothing Personal”, was another huge step up, landing at number four on the Billboard charts, and their fourth record, June 2011’s “Dirty Work”, saw them begin to flirt with alternative rock influences - not that it lost them many fans. 2012’s “Don’t Panic” continued that approach, and why not? It’s served them impressively well so far.

Shaggy is mostly known for his hit singles "Boombastic", "It Wasn't Me" and "Angel". It's said he got his idea for his stage name from the look of his hair.

He was born in Jamaica, but at the age of 18 he moved to Booklyn, New York with his family, which is where he began taking singing courses.

He originally enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and throughout his time in the military service he carried on singing, which he decided to officially pursue in 1993.

In the year 2000, he released the album "Hot Shot", which included the single "It Wasn't Me". Shaggy actually went on to remake the Scooby-Doo theme tune and titled it "Shaggy, Where Are You?".

In 2007 he performed at the ICC Cricket World Cup and sung "The Game of Love and Unity" next to the likes of Bajan and Rupee.

In 2008 he had completed a six date arena tour with Natalia, a belgian singer. The following year he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2009 IPL tournament in South Africa.

In January 2010 he released "Rise Again", which collaborated with Sean Paul and other artists. And in 2012 he confirmed that he was working on a new album.

The band consists of, founder of the band, singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bass guitarist Stefan Lessard, drummer, Carter Beauford and saxophonist Jeff Coffin.

However, the band is ever growing and later Boyd Tinsley joined as a violinist, with Rashawn Ross and Tim Reynolds also becoming full-time touring members of Dave Matthews Band.

Dave Matthews Band’s first public performance was in 1991 was on a rooftop warehouse in Charlottesville, America.

Interestingly, the name of the band comes after the members simply could not decide on a suitable name.

DMB finally released their first EP, named Recently, in 1994. The album consisted of five records which were taken from their shows which they had performed at venue, The Birchmere, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Later that year the band went on to successfully release their second album, named creatively to match their style of music, "Under the Table and Dreaming". The band made the album in tribute to Matthews's sister and dedicated it in memory of her after she was killed by her husband that year.

The band have gone to record a further seven studio albums with great success. They established their own charity BAMA Works Fund which is claimed to have raised over eight and a half million dollars to disadvantaged youths, the disabled, environmental charitites, and arts and humanities appeals in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia.

All the band members Charity Rose Tielen, Chris Zasche, Kenny Hensley, Tyler Wilson, Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell met after a series of open mic nights in a pub in Seattle. The band name, as explained by Johnson is based on the concept that “your head is telling you to be stable and find a good job, you know in your heart that this [the band] is what you're supposed to do even if it's crazy.”

The band spent most of their formulative years touring around the Northwest region of the United States, and released their first self-titled album in 2010, and then was re-released when they signed with Sub Pop Records in 2011. Having gained a lot of popularity, the band toured the United States, as well as Europe as the supporting act for various other bands such as Vampire Weekend, Dr. Dog, Iron and Wine and Death Cab For Cutie. They even made their debut television appearance on Conan at the end of 2011.

The band’s music was also featured on various, widely popular television shows. “Rivers and Roads” was used for both Chuck as well as How I Met Your Mother, and “Down In The Valley” was used for the British television show, “Beaver Falls.” Following the success of the first album, they released their sophomore album, “Let’s Be Still” in October 2013, which was entirely produced by all members of the band with the help of Shawn Simmons.

Prior to forming Third Eye Blind, musician Stephen Jenkins had become popular around the San Francisco area following a series of solo shows. After deciding to expand his sound with a band, by 1995 the singer was joined by former-Fungo Mungo bassist Arion Salazar, former student of Joe Satriani Kevin Cadogan, and former-Counting Crows drummer Brad Hargreaves. In the wake of burgeoning late ’90’s post-grunge scene, Third Eye Blind's music drew greater influence from the classic rock/pop of the 1980s, with Jenkins gaining significant attention for producing The Braids’ cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

By this point the band had developed a devoted following across San Francisco for a series of well-received shows and a 14-track demo tape. Following a pined-over slot opening for Oasis in 1996, and a band showcase in Los Angeles, California, Third Eye Blind signed with Sylvia Rhone of Elektra Records.

The group’s debut full-length “Third Eye Blind” was issued in 1997 peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard 200. Aided by three Top 10 Singles, “Semi-Charmed Life”, “Jumper”, and “How’s It Going to Be”, the album earned strong reviews and has been certified 6x Platinum. As a result, Third Eye Blind became one of the most popular U.S. rock bands of the tail-end of the millennium, and opened a number of shows on U2’s PopMart Tour.

Third Blind Eye released their sophomore album “Blue” two years later in 1999. Despite failing to reach the success of its predecessor, “Blue” was deemed the band’s strongest release by fans and eventually sold over 1.25 million. The album spawned the singles “Anything”, “Never Let You Go”, and “10 Days Late”, however shortly after the album’s release, writer and guitarist Kevin Cadogan left the group. Following a worldwide tour, the band took a hiatus from recording and performing, and built a recording studio in anticipation of subsequent releases.

The full-length “Out of the Vein” arrived in 2003, however due to Elektra Records’ merger with Atlantic Records, the album received no promotion. Third Eye Blind were later dropped from Atlantic Records, and a serious case of writer’s block for Jenkins made any new material look unlikely. A compilation album entitled “A Collection” appeared in 2006, supported by extensive touring of past releases, along with the EP “Red Star” in 2008. The group’s long-awaited fourth full-length album “Ursa Major” finally arrived in 2009, topping the Billboard Rock, Alternative, and Digital Albums charts.

Born 4 February 1977 in South Fallsburg, New York, US, Gavin began his music endeavors at the age of 8 singing and playing the piano. Though his parents were not involved in music (his father was a prison guard and his mother was a detox specialist) he did receive musical inspiration form his older brother Joey, who is also a musician in addition to a venue owner and founder of a record label.

Gavin’s older brother gave him the push to pursue music and with him he formed several cover bands. Later on Gavin moved to Massachusetts to attend Berklee School of Music. By the late 90s Degraw rigorously began writing his own material and started to gain a following through his frequent live performances. It was not long until he was recognized by labels. Degraw eventually ended up signing a contract with Clive Davis and put out his 2003 debut album “Chariot” through J Records. The album was an instant critical and commercial success and became even more popular once the hit single “I Don’t Want to Be” was used as the theme song for the 2005 television show “One Tree Hill”. With the resurgence of that single, “Chariot” reached platinum status and charted No. 1 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers.

Degraw’s next album did not come out until 5 years later. Despite the wait, his self-titled sophomore release debuted at No.1 on the digital sales chart and No.7 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart. Degraw wasted no time at all putting out his third full length album. He recorded the entire album at the studio of his producer, Camus Celli, in less than two weeks and released it on 6 May 2009 (making it less than a year between the release of his last album). “Free” was not as commercially successful as his last two albums; however, it still managed to do commercially well, peaking at No. 19 on the US Billboard 200 charts.

Degraw switched record labels with the release of his fourth album and contrary to “Free” he recorded the album in multiple studios around the world, recruiting the help of producers Ryan Tedder, Butch Walker, Eric Rosse and Ron Aniello. The album contained the widely acclaimed single “Not Over You”, which became his first song to reach the top spot on the Adult Pop Songs chart.

In 2012 DeGraw collaborated with pop star Colbie Cailat for “Baby It’s Cold Outside” on her “Christmas in the Sand” album and did another joint effort with her for the Grammy nominated song “We Both Know”; which was featured in the “Safe Haven” soundtrack.

Degraw released his second album for RCA, “Make a Move” on 15 October 2013. Like his previous releases it did well on the charts reaching No. 79 in the UK and climbing all the way to No.10 on the US Billboard 200. The success of this album was followed by a US tour in support of Train. In 2014 Degraw released his greatest hits album “Finest Hour: The Best of Gavin DeGraw”. This compilation featured a well distributed mix of material including newer songs such as “You Got Me”, which was originally written for the “Dolphin Tale 2” movie.

Formed in Florida in 1997 the band took its name from their high school days when ‘yellow cards’ were handed out for party fouling. The year they formed they released their debut album ‘Midget Tossing’ and then followed up 2 years later with ‘Where we stand’.

At this point however, after a bit of line up shifting, the band ended up with a fresh start and radically changed its sound from hardcore leaning, to a more melodic, pop punk sound. With this new start they were able to build up enough buzz to sign with Capitol records who, in 2003, released ‘Ocean Avenue’ which would go on to become the band’s finest achievement.

When it spawned hit singles like ‘Way Away’ and ‘Ocean Avenue’, the band’s popularity sky rocketed and before they knew it they were experiencing successes they never could have imagined. The album went platinum and soon enough the band were doing everything from headlining the Warped tour to picking up MTV awards.

With newfound fame, the band continued forward releasing albums until in 2008 they went on hiatus for personal reasons leaving fans heartbroken however they needn’t have worried as in just a couple of years they were back together releasing albums and continuing to tour. So while many may write off Yellowcard as just ‘that band with a violinist’, to their fans they are so much more and that’s what counts.

Formed of vocalist/guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson, bassist Aaron “P-Nut” Wills, and drummer Chad Sexton, the band derived their name from the Omaha Police Department’s code for indecent exposure after the band’s original guitarist was arrested for streaking. That guitarist, Jim Watson, departed the group shortly after the band's conception and was replaced by Tim Mahoney. The band began honing their skills, performing in the local area before moving to Los Angeles, California and signing with Capricorn Records in 1991.

During the 1990s, 311 released a string of albums including the well-received “Music” in 1992, “Grassroots” in 1993, and 1995’s eponymously-titled album, otherwise known as “The Blue Album”. The latter peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200, helped by the singles “All Mixed Up” and “Down” eventually selling over three million copies in the U.S.

311’s 1996 was consumed by nonstop, relentless touring, which the band showed off with their live home video “Enlarged to Show Detail”. Subsequently the modern rockers released the album “Transistor” in 1997, a platinum selling release, which led to the the album “Live” cataloging 311’s live shows. “Soundsystem” arrived in 1999 before the group switched to label Volcano Records for their sixth studio album “From Chaos”, which was issued in 2001.

The band’s seventh album “Evolver” turned out to be their worst ever performing material in 2003, however went on to release a “Greatest Hits” compilation of hit singles to celebrate over 10 years as a group together. New material arrived in 2005 with the band’s eighth full-length album “Don’t Tread on Me” followed by “Uplifter” in 2009, “Universal Pulse” in 2011, and “Stereolithic” in 2014.

Two original members remain in My Morning Jacket - frontman Jim James, and bass player Tom Blankenship. Over the course of their sixteen year career to date, the band have proven themselves to be one of the most versatile and stylistically diverse rock groups on the planet, with their unique style of psychedelic rock usually punctuated by a flurry of other influences; country, folk and even the blues have seeped into their sound as time has gone on. They’ve released six records to date; their second, ‘At Dawn’, was released in April of 2001, and marked the point at which they began to really nail down the fundamentals of their sound - tracks like ‘Death Is the Easy Way’ and ‘Just Because I Do’ laid down the blueprint for future albums.

‘It Still Moves’, released in September 2003, marked their real critical breakthrough, with ‘Run Thru’ being ranked as one of Rolling Stone’s ‘100 Greatest Guitar Songs’. They expanded their burgeoning fanbase in October 2005 with the considerably more polished ‘Z’, and ‘Evil Urges’, from June 2008, cemented their place as one of the premier indie rock bands in America. They received rapturous reviews for their latest LP, ‘Circuital’, in 2011; since then, the individual members have taken some time away from the band to focus on other projects, with James releasing a solo album in 2013.

Originally formed in 1981 by the rhythm duo of Brian Richie on bass and Victor DeLorenzo on drums, they selected the name originally as a joke but by the time Gordon Gano joined to round out the line-up, it had stuck and the band was in place. They started out gigging at cafes and busking on street corners. On one such street gig they impressed members of The Pretenders who asked the band to open for them at their set that evening.

Their 1983 self-titled debut album slowly but surely became something of a cult classic, with songs like ‘Blister in the sun’ and ‘Kiss Off’ helping it to turn gold long after its initial release. The albums unique sound resonated with audiences and is now considered one of the best alternative albums of the decade.

They followed this with 1984’s ‘Hallowed Ground’ which saw the band head towards a more country driven sound, led by Gano’s religious lyricism. This was followed by the more mainstream leaning ‘The Blind Leading the Naked’ which saw the band enter the charts for the first time and even spawned a minor hit in their cover of T-rex’s ‘Children of the Revolution’.

From this point on, they had many break ups and reformations but the band always managed to release new music and continue playing shows worldwide.

Throughout their career, this colourful band have actively diversified their sound while retaining their recognisable poppy rock sound. Inspired by the likes of Queen and Cheap Trick, OK Go have tried to emulate the same happy-go-lucky atmosphere those bands were so eloquently able to create. Taking advantage of the rising popularity of online platforms such as YouTube, this DIY band began making homemade quirky and extravagant music videos and soon they became a viral sensation.

It took until 2005 for OK Go to garner the attention they needed to catapult them into the spotlight. Self-releasing their first material in the form of “Brown EP” (2000) and “Pink EP” (2001) the band experimented with a more electronic sound, hoping that these releases would land them a record deal. Despite not signing any deals, the band caught the attention of booking agent Frank Riley who helped them secure several support slots with They Might Be Giants.

Moving to the big smoke New York, US in 2001, the band relentlessly played small shows and plastered their posters all over the city creating an excitable buzz from both media and fans alike. Soon they caught the attention of Universal Music Group subsidiary Capitol Records and signed with them in April 2001. Their self-titled debut album released in 17 September 2002 hit number one on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers Album chart featuring their popular hits “Get Over It” and “Don’t Ask Me”.

The 2006 video for “Here It Goes Again” became an internet sensation as it went viral across the world. With a simple yet ingenious concept of the band performing a quirky dance routine on treadmills in one single take, OK Go managed to notch up over 50 million YouTube views. In 2007 the band were awarded a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video and continues remain a memorable visual piece.

Touring across the world, the band have also had the privilege of performing at President Barack Obama’s 50th birthday celebration on 3 August 2011 playing alongside Jennifer Hudson and Herbie Hancock.

With their trademark low budget quirky videos and infectious pop rock, as long as there are video sharing platforms OK Go will continue to outdo themselves creating wacky, inventive and unforgettable music videos.

Strangely enough for a musician of her magnitude, KT Tunstall did not grow up in a musical household. Her parents' only tape was a Tom Lehrer album on tape, leading Tunstall to discover the world of music entirely on her own while she spent her late teens travelling the world. Once she hit her twenties she had learnt enough about performing to start playing in a number of indie bands, where she developed a particular interest in songwriting. By her mid-20's she had struck out on her own as a singer/songwriter and after a brief dalliance with an American major label, she signed with the British indie label Relentless Records. #

Wisely, she and the label decided to spend a few years working on her material and her live performances before she debuted, and in 2004, her debut album “Eye To The Telescope” was released. The album received warm reviews from the start, but it was in danger of slipping under the radar until Tunstall was tapped to be a last minute replacement performer on a Later... With Jools Holland episode after Nas (of all people) cancelled. The solo performance of “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” that she played with only a guitar, a tambourine and a loop pedal utterly upstaged everyone else on the show, which included The Cure, Embrace and The Futureheads.

Relentless re-released the album soon after the episode aired, and the album rocketed into the charts at number three, the single also became one of the biggest radio hits of the year in the U.K, and on its release in the United States, became a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. She also had huge hits in the form of the singles “Other Side Of The World” and “Suddenly I See”, both of which actually bettered the chart performance of “Black Horse...”, charting at number 13 and number 12 respectively. That kind of success has stayed with Tunstall ever since, with her debut certified five times Platinum and three of her other studio albums certified Gold. More so than any sales certificate, however, she is an artist well on her way to national treasure status, and for that, KT Tunstall comes highly recommended.

Dashboard Confessional was originally conceived as a solo side project of musician Chris Carrabba. The singer’s debut output, 2000’s “The Swiss Army Romance” was released whilst Carrabba was still a member of Further Seems Forever, however after their debut “The Moon Is Down”, the singer left the group to focus on Dashboard Confessional. In 2001 the sophomore album “The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most” was issued by Vagrant Records, and marked the arrival of a band in support of Carrabba. Now a group, with Chris Carrabba at its introspective core, Dashboard Confessional gripped the emo genre by the scruff of its neck and shook it back to life.

After a several month tour in support of the album, Carrabba et al. began collaborating with Dan Hoerner, which resulted in the EPs “So Impossible” in 2001 and “Summers Kiss” in 2002. Also in 2002 the band recorded and released an instalment for the MTV Unplugged series, which represented the band’s biggest breakthrough, with the album “MTV Unplugged 2.0” going platinum. With a line-up now consisting of Carrabba, bassist Scott Schoenbeck, guitarist Johnny Lefler, and drummer Mike Marsh, the band released the full-length “A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar” in 2003. Charting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the album earned strong reviews from critics, and spawned the singles “Hands Down” and “Rapid Hope Loss”. The band’s song “Vindicated” was later used on the “Spider-Man 2” soundtrack and subsequently at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The full-length “Dusk and Summer” followed in 2006 featuring production from Daniel Lanois and Don Gilmore. Once again the album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and was supported by a North American tour alongside Say Anything and Ben Lee. The band’s fifth full-length “The Shade of Poison Trees” arrived in October 2007, followed by “Alter the Ending” in November 2009.

The group originally consisted of the trio Alexakis as lead vocalist and guitarist, Craig Montoya on bass and Greg Eklund on drums. They found success with their first three full length albums, 'Sparle and Fade', 'So Much for the Afterglow' and 'Songs from an American Movie Vol. One: Learning How To Smile' which were all released on Capitol Records.

All three of these releases were certified platinum selling in the States, yet the band couldn't maintain the success for their next two releases and in 2003 both Montoya and Eklund decided to leave the project. Although Alexakis decided to persist with Everclear and released a further two albums with other musicians. Everclear have struggled with promotion campaigns and record label support throughout their career, one of the main reasons American Movie Vol. Two wasn't considered a successful album was due to the fact it was released just four months after the first and the public became confused as to why the band were releasing original material whilst singles were still being promoted from the predecessor.

Similar disputes occurred during the promotion of Slow Motion Daydream due to Alexakis demanding an early solo track that had been toured the previous year be chosen as the lead whilst record bosses were far more keen on 'The New York Times'. The end result meant that neither received consistent backing and the album stalled after passing 100,000 copies and the demise seemed unavoidable after both Greg and Craig decided they were leaving. However Alexakis managed to salvage the reputation of the band and worked on the successes they achieved in the 1990s.

Despite having one of the silliest names in rock (and that's saying a hell of a lot), there was a period of time in which Hootie & the Blowfish were one of the biggest and most inescapable bands in America. Not bad for a band who formed because Darius Rucker liked singing in the shower. The band formed in 1986, when all four members met each other as freshmen at the University of South Carolina. Rucker and lead guitarist Mark Ryan shared the same dorm, and after Ryan heard Rucker singing in the shower, the two young men decided to start playing music together, covering a number of songs as The Wolf Brothers. Before long they teamed up with fellow freshmen Dean Felber and Brentley Smith on bass and drums respectively, and took a combination of two nicknames of their friends from university as their name. The first incarnation of Hootie & the Blowfish had formed.

However, that incarnation of the band wouldn't last, as Smith left the group on good terms in 1989. Jim Sonefield joined as his replacement and by 1991, the band had released their first of two demo tapes, the second of which was released a year later. With five years of preparation behind them the demos were an astonishing success, leading to the band having to independently press 50'000 copies of their debut EP “Kootchypop” in 1993 to meet demand. The EP's success lead to a major label record deal with Atlantic Records, and even though the band were riding a huge wave of hype, nobody could have predicted what happened next. Their debut album, “Cracked Rear View”, was released in July 1995, and was the kind of success that seemed reserved for Led Zeppelin at their prime.

It sold ten and half million copies in its first year of release, making it the highest selling album of its year by a mile, and would later go on to sell a further five and a half million copies by the end of the decade. It stands to this day as the joint 16th best selling album of all time in the United States, and four of its singles were huge hits on the pop charts. Only such a mind-boggling debut could make a follow up selling four million copies with a top 15 hit single seem like a disappointment, but Hootie & the Blowfish had nothing left to prove. They spent the rest of the 90's and most of the 2000's as one of the biggest draws in rock, selling out arenas wherever they went, until after a further three albums they went on semi-hiatus in 2008. To this day, they reunite for sporadic live shows, most notably a yearly set of shows at South Carolina's Family Circle Cup Stadium, and remain a live band to be reckoned with. As one of the true legends of rock music in the 90's, Hootie & the Blowfish come highly recommended.

The band was formed in 1996 with Marc Roberge and Chris Culos, they would then go on to recruit members Richard On and Benj Gershman. During this period they recorded their debut album "The Wanderer" this has received the ratings of 3 stars by AllMusic.

After graduating from high school the band members moved to study at he Ohio State University, while there they met Jerry DePizzo and soon he joined the band. With Jerry now in the band they would go on to record their second album "Soul's Aflame"

After the release of their albums the band played at many shows, relying purely on word of mouth they slowly built themselves up an audience that were interested with them after playing at various events and for sororities. This buzz about the band made sure that their third album was a success as it went straight to number 11 on the Billboard Top Internet Sales.

It was all uphill from here as the fifth album "Stories of A Stranger" received a 3 out of 5 stars rating from Allmusic and managed to peak at number 40 on the Billboard 200.

In 2008 the bands song "Love Is worth the Fall" could be heard on the deluxe edition soundtrack for the film Twilight.

Beginning his rap career at the turn of the 90's, Everlast (real name Erik Francis Schrody) certainly didn't achieve success immediately and his début album “Forever Lasting” failed to get as many sales as expected. But since joining up with Danny Boy and DJ Lethal in the group House Of Pain, he has managed to get respect as their front-man. House Of Pain are most well known for their self-titled album, which went multi-platinum, and also for their most recognisable hit "Jump Around", where Everlast features prominently on vocals.

Erik departed from the band on the same day they released their third and final album "Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again" to continue his work as a solo artist. His second studio album "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" proved to be a massive improvement from his first release, selling over three millions copies and going double platinum in the process.

None of Everlast's following solo albums proved to be as successful as his second, but he did hit the top 50 with the albums "Eat At Whitey's" released in 2000 and the more recent "Songs Of The Ungrateful Living". Everlast once again teamed up with Danny Boy and DJ Lethal in the hip hop supergroup La Coka Nostra alongside Ill Bill and Slaine. They gathered huge respect from the rap community following the online releasing of singles and eventually made an album which featured the likes of Snoop Dogg, Bun B and Immortal Technique.

Erik has now moved away from hip hop since starting his own label Martyr Inc. and has been known to experiment with a more bluesy and relaxed style, shown by some of the releases from his most recent albums.

After years of honing their skills around the dinner table, singing the likes of Jackson 5, Chuck Berry and other staples of rock, R&B and gospel, the Hanson brothers made their debut performance at the 1992 Mayfest Arts Festival in Tulsa. Shortly after a performance at South By Southwest, Hanson impressed music attorney Christopher Sabec enough for him to become their manager and in waiting for a label contract, released the pop-infused full-length “Boomerang” in 1995. After the release the brothers began playing their own instruments, which radically improved the band’s songwriting and led to Hanson appealing to a wider, hipper audience. The independent album “MMMBop” followed in 1996, featuring a number of songs which found their way onto Hanson’s label debut “Middle of Nowhere”.

After a performance at the Wisconsin State Fair, A&R representative Steve Greenberg instantly signed Hanson to Mercury Records and recruited the Dust Brothers to produce their first album. “Middle of Nowhere” arrived in May 1997, mixing pop sensibilities with hip production and a fierce publicity machine. Charting in over 25 countries, selling over 10 million copies worldwide, the album proved to be the band’s commercial breakthrough, turning the brothers into teen idols. The band were subsequently nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1998, released the Christmas album “Snowed In”, and embarked on the extensive Albertane Tour, playing at stadiums and arenas across the U.S.

Following Island Records’ merger with Def Jam, Hanson released their sophomore album “This Time Around” in 2000, however it lacked the promotional funding of their debut. Ultimately sales for the album were low and Island Def Jam pulled the capital for a subsequent tour, and the brothers were forced to tour on their own funds. After leaving Island Def Jam due to lack of creative freedom, Hanson released the documentary film “Strong Enough to Break” in which the brothers discuss their difficulties with the label. Prior to the release of their third full-length, “Underneath” on their own label 3CG Records, Hanson embarked on an acoustic tour ending at a show at Carnegie Hall in 2003. “Underneath” was released on April 20, 2004, topping the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart and charting at No. 25 on the Billboard 200 – an impressive feat for an independent act.

To promote their forthcoming album “The Walk” Hanson went on a preview tour, performing at a number of venues within six days followed by question and answer sessions. “The Walk” was eventually released in July 2007 on 3CG Records and earned positive reviews from the musical press. Shortly afterwards the band rerecorded their “Middle Of Nowhere” album with acoustic instrumentation, which was released on Hanson’s website in late 2007.

The group’s eighth studio album “Shout It Out” was issued in 2010 which was supported by a co-headlining tour alongside Hellogoodbye. Hansen subsequently released the album “Anthem” in 2013, which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200, aided by the single “Get the Girl Back”.

Born on 29 May, 1985, Shwayze has achieved enormous success in the music industry, making quite a name for himself.

Shwayze, Aaron Smith at the time, came from a poor background. He lived in a trailer park during adolescence and juggled several jobs. His introduction in to the music industry was unusual to say the least. He was discovered during a Whitestarr performance in a nightclub, when he jumped on to the stage and started freestyle rapping. The unexpected move landed him a deal with Suretone records, as Whitestarr frontman Cisco Adler was so impressed with him. Adler and Smith soon formed the duo Shwayze, meaning ‘not white’ (Smith identified himself in an interview as the only non-white kid in Malibu).

After recording several tracks together, the duo was signed to the label Geffen. Adler helped with the song writing, production and back-up vocals for Smith. The self-titled album, Shwayze, was released as the result of the collaboration and the first single off the album, ‘Buzzin’ became an instant hit. It was released on 19 August 2008 and was the start of Shwayze’s rise to success. His second single, ‘Corona and Lime’ peaked even higher on the Billboard Charts, topping the success of the first single.

Some of Shwayze’s musical influences include A Tribe Called Quest, Crazy Town and Atmosphere. Smith himself admitted that he grew up wishing to be like Snoop Dog. Shwayze’s musical style is unusual in that, despite sounding relatively mellow and pleasant, his lyrics revolve around the stereotypical rap content of women, drugs and heavy partying. Since his start, stint as a duo and decision to keep the name Shwayze as referring solely to himself rather than to both himself and Adler, Shwayze has released an impressive handful of studio albums and has come to be known as the quintessential Southern Californian rapper.

When it comes to rock and roll, nothing forces a band to prove themselves quite like tragedy. With the passing of a band member, the rest of the group is immediately presented with two possibilities, to stop or to continue. In this case, stopping is the easy, understandable option. Absolutely no-one would begrudge any band to split due to the loss of one of their band-mates, but if they do continue and mess up, then they’re liable for more abuse than they could possibly get any other way. However, if they continue and make it work, then you know without question that the band is something very special indeed.

In the form of Better Than Ezra, we have one of the best examples of the latter scenario rock and roll has ever provided us. The trio formed as a four piece in 1988, with Kevin Griffin on guitar and vocals, Tom Drummond on bass, Joel Rundell on lead guitar and Cary Bonnecaze on drums. The quartet met while studying at the Louisiana State University, and cut their teeth performing at assorted college bars and fraternity houses around their campus. The band made their first demo tape the same year they formed and started to generate a substantial local following, and by 1990 they’d self-released their first album “Surprise” on cassette.

“Surprise” was very well received by the local press and started to gain the band some serious attention, but the very same year was when tragedy struck the up-and-coming band. On August 8th, Joel Rundell took his own life, upturning the lives of his bandmates and throwing their future as a band into serious doubt. The band decided to press on by the end of the year as a trio, and started again from scratch, playing the kind of fraternities and house parties that they’d made their name doing. By the early 90’s, the band had learned enough about the music industry to up sticks to Los Angeles, California and form their own label, Swell Records.

With their own label and their new stomping ground in the City of Angels, the band recorded their first nationally distributed album “Deluxe” and released it in 1993. The album was rapturously received and along with the bands celebrated live show, it got them their first record deal with Elektra Records in 1995. “Deluxe” was re-released the same year and it went platinum by that winter, thanks in no short part to the success of their debut single “Good” which reached the top spot of the Billboard Modern Rock Songs chart and stayed there for a whole month. After more hardship in seven years than some see in a lifetime, Better Than Ezra had arrived.

Bonnecaze left in 1996 to be replaced by Travis McNabb, and ever since then the band have been one of the most dependable rock acts around. Never seeing the mainstream success that “Deluxe” brought them again but continuing their run of critically acclaimed records with the likes of 1998’s “How Does Your Garden Grow” and 2014’s “All Together Now”, among many others. They still remain one of the most respected bands around, even having their song “Breathless” covered by the all-conquering Taylor Swift in 2010 as part of a charity telethon. They’re a band who has earned every scrap of goodwill they’ve got and are still at the top of their game. Highly recommended.

Born and bread in the American south, friends and bandmates Tony Scalzo, Miles Zuniga, and Joey Shuffield hall all previously played in the rock group Big Car. Scalzo, Zuniga, and Shuffield subsequently decided to form their own group, which despite being unable to decide on a moniker, developed a devoted following in and around Austin. In 1996, after signing with Hollywood Records, the band settled on the name Fastball, and issued their debut album “Make Your Mama Proud”. The record went on to win the “Best Pop Band” award at the Austin Music Awards and spawned the radio single “Are You Ready For the Fallout?”.

Whilst still working day jobs in January 1998, by April, Fastball had appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” to promote their sophomore album “All the Pain Money Can Buy”. Earning a string of positive reviews and platinum certification, the record was led by the singles “The Way”, “Fire Escape”, and “Out of My Head”, the former of which topped Billboard’s Modern Rock chart for seven weeks. The following year the record was nominated for two Grammy Awards, “Best Rock Performance” and “Best Long Form Video” (This Way”, and was supported by an extensive tour alongside Marcy Playground and Everclear.

The band’s third full-length, “The Harsh Light of Day”, arrived in September 2000 produced by Julian Raymond. Led by the single “You’re an Ocean”, the record features the likes of Billy Preston, Brian Setzer, and Michael Ward, and was again supported by generous touring. The studio album “Keep Your Wig On” followed in 2004, as did the full-length “Little White Lies” in 2009.