My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 1

Top 1: Flyleaf

Flyleaf is an American alternative rock band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005. The album went platinum after selling more than one million copies. The band won an online poll on yahoo.com and was named Yahoo!'s Who's Next band of the month in March 2006 and they were named MTV's artist of the week on December 24, 2007.

Early on Lacey Mosley started playing with James Culpepper. Guitarists Jared Hartmann and Sameer Bhattacharya were later recruited. "Sameer and Jared are really experimental with melodies and pedals, and we all had different influences that were all blending together with the same passionate and hopeful heart, and that brought out this beautiful feeling. It was magical," said Mosley.Bassist Pat Seals joined in 2002 after leaving his previous band The Grove.

As Passerby, the band released three EPs and played over 100 shows in Texas alone over the span of two years under the booking and promotion company Runt Entertainment.[citation needed] In 2004, Passerby played a showcase for RCA Records in New York City in hopes of getting signed. RCA passed on the band, but the president of Octone Records was very interested in the band. They waited for two days in their van at a truck stop for a phone call about an Octone showcase. They were signed after the showcase, and on January 7, 2004, Octone Record's website announced their arrival to the label.

In March 2004, Flyleaf traveled to Seattle, Washington to record an EP with Rick Parashar. Afterwards, they toured with Breaking Benjamin, Staind and 3 Doors Down to promote their self-titled EP. In October, the EP was released to stores, spawning their first official single and video for the EP version of "Breathe Today".

In 2005, the band recorded their first full-length album with Howard Benson. On October 4, 2005, the record was released under the title Flyleaf. Appearances on the album include Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction and Ryan White of Resident Hero. The first mainstream single from their debut album was "I'm So Sick", "Fully Alive" was the second, "All Around Me" was the third, and "There For You" was the fourth.

In the summer of 2006, the band played on the mainstage of the Family Values Tour 2006 and in late 2006, Flyleaf toured with Disturbed, Stone Sour and Nonpoint on the Music As A Weapon III Tour. The band issued an exclusive EP, which was sold at the tour called Music As A Weapon EP which features an acoustic version of "Fully Alive", and three previously unreleased tracks: "Much Like Falling", "Justice And Mercy", and "Christmas Song" (Much Like Falling and Justice and Mercy later appeared on Much Like Falling EP). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the EP went to World Vision.

Lacey Mosley and Flyleaf at Cornerstone Festival, 2007

In 2007 Flyleaf toured with Three Days Grace and throughout Australia with the Soundwave festival, and also toured Europe with Stone Sour and Forever Never. In the spring of 2007, Flyleaf headlined their Justice & Mercy Tour which first featured Skillet and Dropping Daylight. Later on they did a second leg of the tour which featured Sick Puppies, Kill Hannah and Resident Hero. Flyleaf again joined the Family Values Tour in 2007.[9] The music video for "I'm So Sick" appeared briefly in the 2007 film Live Free or Die Hard. Also a remix of the song "I'm So Sick" is on the Soundtrack to the movie Resident Evil: Extinction. "Perfect" was also released as a single in late 2007 to Christian radio stations.

Flyleaf also released a song entitled "Tina" which first debuted in the release of Guitar Hero 3 which appears on the Companion Disk Set. Also, the song "I'm So Sick" appears in Rock Band. On October 30, Flyleaf also released a digital EP titled Much Like Falling EP. The songs included on this EP were "Much Like Falling", an acoustic version of "Supernatural", the limited release song "Tina", and "Justice and Mercy." The EP is available on iTunes along with the expanded edition of their debut album.

On April 26, 2008, the band released their fourth video "Sorrow" from their debut album on MTV2. The band toured with Seether in late spring, but had to cancel five shows due to a problem with Lacey Mosley's voice. The members of Flyleaf took the fall off to write new music, hoping to begin recording by January.

Flyleaf Playlist

References: wikipedia ; imeem

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 2

Top 2: Paramore



The combination of musical energy between brothers and Hayley’s bold charisma earned them instant attention, particularly from Florida indie Fueled by Ramen, who signed the band and put them to work recording their debut. Says Hayley, “Some of our favorite bands are on Fueled by Ramen. We knew that they would know exactly how to carry out the vision for our band and music.” Paramore went into the studio with producers James Wisner (Dashboard Confessional, Further Seems Forever, Underoath) and Mike Green (Yellowcard, The Black Maria) and blew them away with their sincerity and enthusiasm.

Paramore, the rapidly emerging pop-punk quintet from Tennessee, has been building a near-deafening “next big thing” buzz. Driven by riveting live shows and the undeniable charisma of their frontwoman, 18-year-old Hayley Williams, they have captivated an increasingly rabid following. Confronted by the double-edged sword of overwhelming early praise, Paramore has risen to the challenge and recorded an album that happily delivers on all the claims made on their behalf. With their new Fueled By Ramen collection, “RIOT!,” they announce that they have the talent, the passion, and the songs to take themselves to the next level.

The band’s rise has been the result of consistent hard work since Hayley first met Josh Farro (guitar, age 20) and his younger brother Zac (drums, age 17) while they were together in school four years ago. After adding Jeremy Davis (bass, age 22), Paramore was formed in 2004. They played their first show in Nashville, and were soon building a local fanbase. After just a few months of gigging, the band had their first big break in early 2005, when Fueled By Ramen founder John Janick saw them at a gig in Florida. He was instantly struck by their presence and their dedication, and he immediately signed the band to the label. As Hayley says, “Fueled By Ramen has been amazing to us. So many kids started checking us out because our name is on their roster. It’s like a big family; we all share such a massive unit of fans.”

Upon the release of their debut album, “ALL WE KNOW IS FALLING,” in the summer of 2005, the music community began taking immediate notice of the band. The New York Times and Spin hailed the album, singling out Hayley as a star in the making. Nonstop touring throughout 2006 with bands such as Straylight Run and Simple Plan, combined with show-stealing festival performances at Warped and Bamboozle, continued to build the momentum. The year culminated with a sold-out headlining tour of North America in the fall of 2006, as well as successful tours of both Europe and Japan.

The accolades continued as 2006 came to a close. After an overwhelming response to a U.K. tour at the end of the year, Kerrang! readers voted Paramore as the “Best New Band” and Hayley as the #2 “Sexiest Female.” NME named Paramore one of the ten acts to watch in their “New Noise 2007” feature, proclaiming Williams as “young, articulate and with plenty to say.” Some bands would begin to get nervous with those kinds of accolades. Not Paramore. “I love getting all the ‘Next Big Thing’ notices,” says Hayley with a grin. Josh continues, “The first few years everything was new to us and we made a name for ourselves as a band in a lot of places. But with ‘RIOT!,’ we’re really ready to blow people’s minds.”

It only takes one listen to “RIOT!” to see the depth of the band’s growth in the past two years. Produced by David Bendeth (Hawthorne Heights, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Killswitch Engage), the music has taken on a richer, deeper, more intense tone, without sacrificing any of the melodicism that has been their trademark. As Hayley explains, “For us, the title ‘RIOT!’ literally means an unbridled outburst of emotions. When we were writing, it seemed like our thoughts and emotions were coming out so fast that we couldn’t control them. It felt like there was a riot within us. So the album takes our passion to a new level; it’s just all raw energy.”

That raw energy and passion is evident in “Misery Business,” a song that has its origins in a message Hayley put on the band’s Live Journal page, asking her fans to post what they’re ashamed of. “I found that people really were reaching out to someone to spill their guts to,” she recalls, “So I did the same thing lyrically in the song and let everything out. It’s more honest than anything I’ve ever written, and the guys matched that emotion musically.”

The wryly titled “For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic” stems from what Josh reflects as “putting your faith in someone and they blow it.” But in the writing of the song, he saw that his faith in his bandmates was not misplaced: “I wrote the music specifically to be awesome live and to be extremely energetic. It all came out at once. I showed it to Hayley and she just nailed it lyrically. She completely got the feeling I wanted the song to have.” And “Hallelujah” serves as one of the album’s true anthems. As Hayley recounts, “It’s one of the oldest songs we’ve got, but we wanted to save it for this record, and it’s the perfect home for it. It’s a claim of victory for both ourselves and our fans.”

That connection with their audience is most evident in “Born For This,” a song that was specifically written for their fans. “We wrote it as a message to them,” Hayley explains. “They’re going to take us to the next level. Everything they’ve done has helped us so much… it’s really kept us going.” And to drive that point home, the band held an online contest for fans, with the winners getting to sing gang vocals on the song.

“Next big things” come and go, but it is obvious that Paramore has something special – both talent and staying power. “RIOT” is the band’s declaration of ambition, musical growth, and dedication. “We all have such a love and passion for this music,” says Josh. “We’re lucky to have made such a connection with our fans that we’re making a difference in their lives.” Hayley concludes, “We want everyone to hear this album. We want to take it as far as we can. ‘RIOT!’ is everything we ever wanted to say on one album. If it all ended today, this is what we’d want to be remembered for.”

Paramore Playlist

References: paramore.net ; imeem

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 3

Top 3: Breaking Benjamin

Breaking Benjamin is an American hard rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Breaking Benjamin is currently working on their fourth studio album yet to be titled, with David Bendeth.

Breaking Benjamin in popular culture

Breaking Benjamin has been regularly featured in video games and on television, most notably with the song Blow Me Away appearing on Bungie's Halo 2. The song was not only used as the theme to the video game, but was also used during one of the game-play levels in an intense fighting scene. Their first single, "Polyamorous," appeared in the game Run Like Hell, and in in WWE Day of Reckoning, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw, and WWE Wrestlemania 21 with the song "Firefly" from the album We Are Not Alone. "Firefly" was also used in the well known video HPC4L, and is the final song, opening with Psycho's ridiculous BG clip. "Wish I May" was played during the credits of the horror film Wrong Turn. As the band began to see more mainstream success, with the first single So Cold appearing in the film Hellboy. The track "Forget It" was featured on an episode of the TV show "Smallville" and during a scene in the movie "American Pie Presents: Band Camp." The band contributed a cover of Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" to Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen. Another song the band made "The Diary of Jane" was previewed on "Step Up 2: The Streets"

Breaking Benjamin has also appeared on a number of talk shows to perform songs with each album release, such as The Tonight Show.

breaking benjamin

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Benjamin

http://www.imeem.com/people/R7sdJdY/playlist/Opwji9HZ/breaking-benjamin-music-playlist/

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 4

Top 4: New Year's Day

New Years Day is an American rock band formed in 2005 in Anaheim, California and currently recording for TVT Records. After building a reputation through promotion on the social networking website MySpace, the band released their debut EP in 2006. Their debut album My Dear followed in 2007. The band's music is categorized as pop punk and incorporates elements of emo.

History
New Years Day formed in 2005 after bassist Adam Lohrbach left the band Home Grown. Home Grown's final EP, 2004's When it All Comes Down, had diverged from the band's previous style of humorous pop punk and incorporated many emotional elements that Lohrbach carried over into New Years Day. Meeting with vocalist Ashley Costello and guitarist/keyboardist Keith Drover, the three began rehearsing songs that Costello and Lorhbach had written. These songs were heavily influenced by the members' shared emotional experiences, as Lohrbach and Costello had both recently been through difficult relationship break-ups. The group soon added guitarist Mike Schoolden (formerly of Wakefield) and drummer Russell Dixon and took the name New Years Day.


The band began building a reputation through promotion and posting songs on the MySpace social networking website, and were featured on the MySpace Records Volume 1 compilation CD and in the soundtrack of the video game Saints Row. After considering an offer from the Pete Wentz-run Decaydance Records label, the band signed to TVT Records and released a debut self-titled EP in 2006. Originally referred to as the Razor EP, it was primarily a digital release made available through download services such as iTunes, though CD copies were also available at the band's performances. They also performed at the South by Southwest music festival that same year.


From 2006–2007 New Years Day self-financed and self-produced their debut album My Dear, recorded over an eight-month period at the home of producer Eugene Perreras. The album was released on May 8, 2007 and includes collaborations with members of Reel Big Fish and Motion City Soundtrack. The band's debut music video for the lead single "I Was Right" won an MTVU "Freshman Face" poll and was added to the channel's playlist.

New Years Day


References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Years_Day_(band) ; http://www.imeem.com/people/HzlyVJ/playlist/PCbVLZ-m/new-years-day-music-playlist/

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 5

Top 5: Hey Monday

Hey Monday is an American pop punk band from West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. The band consists of Cassadee Pope (lead vocals), Michael "Jersey" Moriarty (bass guitar), Mike Gentile (lead guitar), Alex Lipshaw (rhythm guitar) and Elliot James (drums.)

History
Lead singer Cassadee Pope was first discovered by Richard Reines of Drive-Thru Records before having recorded any music. She sang to Drive-Thru at age 17. After graduating high school, she formed the band Hey Monday with Mike Gentile, Elliot James, Alex Lipshaw and Jersey Moriarty.[2] Alex Wilhelm of A&R Website CrazedHits.com discovered Hey Monday, after the band was formed by Pope.[3].

The group started touring on September 22nd, 2008 with The Cab, The Academy Is..., We The Kings, A Rocket to the Moon, This Providence and Carolina Liar, to support the release of their debut album.[4]

Their debut album Hold on Tight was released worldwide on October 7th, 2008 via Decaydance and Columbia Records.[5][6] Their first single from the album, "Homecoming", was featured on the CitizensFOB mix-tape Welcome To The New Administration. Lead singer Cassadee was also featured in the song "Take My Hand" by The Cab on the mixtape. Cassadee also made an appearance in Fall Out Boy's video "America's Suitehearts". Hey Monday will be supporting Fall Out Boy throughout 2009 on their tour, which takes place in the U.K. and many parts of mainland Europe, as well as Japan, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Hey Monday will also be performing in the Believers Never Die Part Deux tour through April and May of 2009, touring with Fall Out Boy, Cobra Starship, All Time Low, and Metro Station. The band was recently added to the lineup of the 2009 Bamboozle show in East Rutherford, New Jersey.[7] On April 30th the band annouced on their myspace that they would be going on their first headlining tour called the "Let's Make a Mess Tour", sponsored by Myspace Music. The tour will take place June/July 09. Supporting bands will be This Providence, The Friday Night Boys, Stereo Skyline, and The Bigger Lights. Also, Cassadee has a guest appearance as herself in the Degrassi: The Next Generation TV Movie, Degrassi Goes Hollywood along with Pete Wentz.

Hey Monday - Hold On Tight

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Monday

http://www.heymondaymusic.com/

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 6

Top 6: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is an American rock band that formed in 2001 in Middleburg, Florida.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Is:

Ronnie Winter: Lead Vocals
Elias Reidy: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Duke Kitchens: Guitar, Piano, Vocals
Joey Westwood: Bass, Vocals
Jon Wilkes: Drums, Vocals

What's in a name? Well, it depends who came up with it. In the case of Middleburg, Florida quintet The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, it might mean anything. Jumpsuits can be sleek and fashionable, tight and revealing. Or they can be loose and homogeneous, suggesting redundancy and confinement befitting a jailbird. Red is often flashy and easily noticeable, but it's also the color of blood. And an apparatus allows a jumpsuit to be used for a specific purpose, such as leaping from an airplane - or it could be something sexual. After all, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are ballsy and emotional, pulsing with vibrancy and tenacity. They're strong, yet vulnerable, and they shift between musical styles with the confidence of superstars.

Strange then that The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus means...absolutely nothing. "It's 100 percent completely arbitrary," laughs singer Ronnie Winter. "When we started the band, we only cared about having a good time and writing good songs far more than coming up with some symbolic, incredibly intelligent name."

"I think it's funny when bands scramble their brains to try and come up with some unique, untouchable band name," adds guitarist Elias Reidy. "Why waste time thinking of something when we could be concentrating on music instead? The locals loved it, so we went with it."

A brief listen to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' debut and it's obvious that these boys have spent a lot of time concentrating on their music. Their songs are flush with the determination, hunger and energy of youth (the average age in the band is 21). And while they tap into elements of pop-punk, pop, screamo, and metal, they combine them in a way that's both surprising and invigorating. "In a time when everything's labeled and categorized, you kind of have to try your best to step outside the box and be as unpredictable as possible to separate yourself," explains Reidy.

"Yeah, but we like to mix unpredictability with the comfort and melody people want to feel when they hear a song," clarifies Winter. "You can't just be crazy, ridiculous. You have to stick to the point musically and make the song catchy to the listener."

No worries there. On just their first record, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus already have mastered the difficult art of ensnaring the listener, whatever particular style they're delving into. "Face Down" blends propulsive, chugging guitars, a steady beat and yearning pop vocals and climaxes in a detonation of dissonance and a volley of screams. "In Fate's Hands" (the name of Reidy and bassist Joey Westwood's former metal band) starts with plangent acoustic strumming then abruptly shifts into overdrive with start-stop guitars, tumbling drums and a chorus as angry as it is infectious. And "Cat and Mouse" is a melancholy ballad anchored by a repeating delicate piano line that surfaced as if by magic.

"We were at a showcase for a record label, and we were pretty sure we weren't ready, so everyone was on edge," recalls Winter. "So, to calm his nerves, [guitarist] Duke [Kitchens] sat down with his guitar and just started playing. I walked up to him and said, "'Dude what is that?' And he said, 'I just came up with it.' So I said, 'Keep playing it. Don't stop.' And I made him play for two hours straight while we wrote the entire song all the way through.'"

In addition to being musically adventurous, Winter doesn't shy away from confessional, confrontational lyrics. The cantankerous "Seventeen Ain't So Sweet" addresses a female friend who has an amazing voice but has been unable to make a dent in the music industry because she doesn't look like a plastic pop idol, and the reflective, flowing "Your Guardian Angel" shows Winters letting down his guard and trying to express what it really feels like to be in love. But it's "Face Down," a scathing indictment of domestic abuse, which hits hardest.

"Where I come from, you see it when you go to the store, you see it when you stop for a smoke, you see it all the time," Winter says. "It's something everybody sees and doesn't do anything about because they're just so accustomed to it. I was the same way and I was a victim of it. So the best way I could think of to get people to not make the same mistake I did was to write about it."

Winter and Kitchens, the only original members left in the band, formed The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in 2003 just for kicks. For 18 months they wrote and rehearsed with no real intention of playing shows or recording an album. When some friends who heard them jam suggested they play out, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus started booking gigs and were immediately embraced by the local scene. "We played this place called The Art Bar twice, and the second time we played it, we sold it out," Winter says.

Encouraged by the response, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus contacted the owner of a local studio to see if they were ready to start recording. When the response was a resounding yes, they recorded their first EP, using it to promote themselves wherever they could - online and at local concerts, high schools, colleges, malls, beaches and other locations across Florida. Although the reaction was undeniable, the industry wheels didn't start turning right away. The band showcased for several labels to no avail, leading to discouragement between members, some of which left or were removed from the band.

Determined not to give up, the remaining members posted ads around town looking for new members with the same level of dedication and motivation. After auditioning several dozen guitarists, Winter accidentally returned Reidy's phone call about the opening one night at 2 AM and the conversation eventually led him to meet up with the guys an hour later. The group clicked immediately - Reidy's playing style complimented Winters' while providing a fresh perspective on the band's sound, and by the morning, the band had taught Reidy five songs.

Their fan base continued to build to an almost unheard-of level for a local band, in-turn attracting New York-based management. Winter then added drummer Jon Wilkes (whom he met years ago when his old band jammed with Wilkes group), and the current lineup was then completed when Elias brought in his childhood friend and former band mate Joey Westwood. "The whole situation was solely based on fate," recalls Reidy. "Originally, Ronnie randomly approached Joey in a record store and told him they needed another guitarist. After joining the band I re-introduced them to Joey who became the new bass player. It only made sense." Just a few months later, following a flurry of industry attention, the band signed with Virgin Records.

With their line up in place, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus entered the studio last year with producer David Bendeth, who has previously worked with Hawthorne Heights and Breaking Benjamin. "We were blown away with the sonic-quality of the Breaking Benjamin album, so we were really excited to work with him," Reidy says. "Plus, he really understood our vision."

"He really challenged us to make us a better band," Winter adds. "It wasn't always easy, and when we did something he wasn't happy with, he'd say, 'That's not good enough. You can do better and you're going to do better.' And you know what? We did."

From the chugging riffs and serpentine guitars of "Atrophy" to the steely rage of "Justify" to the tender lament of "Cat and Mouse," The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are determined to get their music across to the masses. There may have been a time when they didn't know if they were ready to be heard, but those days are gone, and now they're eager to tour the world and beyond with the conviction that, when your music speaks so eloquently, who cares what's in a name.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Migz Music Playlist

References:http://www.redjumpsuit.com/;http://www.imeem.com/johnrichristian/playlist/dA2CnqR4/the-red-jumpsuit-apparatus-migz-music-playlist-music-playli/

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - Top 7

Top 7: Secondhand Serenade

Secondhand Serenade is an American acoustic rock solo project fronted by vocalist and guitarist John Vesely. The solo project began in Illinois, USA, in 2004. Vesely has released two studio albums to date under the name Secondhand Serenade, Awake in 2005 and A Twist in My Story in 2008. The debut album used multitrack recording to create the sound of a band using technology, while the second album took a different path, using a proper band and an orchestra to establish a more accomplished sound.

History

John Joseph Vesely formed Secondhand Serenade in his home town of Menlo ParkCalifornia, USA, in 2004. Vesely was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area in a musical family and as the son of a professional jazz musician father, commenting that "getting into music was a natural thing" for him. He spent 8 years playing as a bassist in local bands, featuring in a number of acts ranging in style from ska and hardcore to rock and pop. After years of playing bass, he opted for an acoustic guitar and began writing his own songs when he met his wife Breanna Russell. She had wanted him to play a song and "serenading her with a bass guitar was out of the question", he has admitted he found his "true calling" when he picked up the guitar. inThe pseudonym Secondhand Serenade is a reference to the way in which his songs are 'serenades' sung to his wife. People around the world are merely getting to hear the songs 'second-hand'.

In 2005, Vesely released his debut album titled Awake. It was recorded as a demo, after booking a few days at a San Francisco studio earlier in 2005, "using just an acoustic guitar and his multi-tracked vocals".The album was promoted through the Secondhand Serenade Myspace page and by playing local shows. The CD's were originally sold through mail order with a PayPal account by Vesely, eventually he signed up with distributor TuneCore, making Secondhand Serenade's songs available on music portals including iTunes. The album experienced tremendous online support, and by the end of 2006 Secondhand Serenade had received millions of plays on Myspace and had been the social-networking site's No. 1 Independent Artist for months. Financially, he was said to be bringing in up to $20,000 a month from downloads and merchandise sales out of his home. and on the strength of these sales and the support, naturally, the labels came knocking. Secondhand Serenade was signed by longtime label executive Daniel Glass, on his new label Glassnote Records, which is distributed through Warners Independent Label Group. In 2006, Rolling Stone announced Secondhand Serenade as #3 in the magazine's reader's poll for Best Myspace Artist. He sold over 15,000 copies of the album on his own.

Secondhand Serenade

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondhand_Serenade
http://www.secondhandserenade.net/
http://www.imeem.com/arthe/playlist/67vHOJhz/secondhand-serenade-music-playlist/

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 8

Top 8: FM Static

FM Static is a two-piece Toronto-based pop punk band currently signed to Tooth Nail Records. The band was started as a side project by Thousand Foot Krutch frontman, Trevor McNevan and drummer Steve Augustine. The lineup included John Bunner on guitar and Justin Smith on bass. Their first album "What Are You Waiting For?" was produced by Aaron Sprinkle, who also produced Thousand Foot Krutch's album Phenomenon, and featured the singles "Definitely Maybe", "Something to Believe In", and "Crazy Mary." FM Static toured through 2003 to 2005, John Bunner quickly retired after playing a few shows and so Justin asked his brother Jeremy to fill in for them. On August 1, 2006, FM Static released their second album entitled "Critically Ashamed", which featured the single "Waste of Time." Originally, a cover of Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" was to be included in this album, but it was removed later in the production process. The band did not tour in support of their second album as the Smith brothers had stopped playing for them, so FM Static became a two-piece band with studio musicians filling in for the other parts. While their second album featured only the single "Waste of Time," the songs Tonight and Moment of Truth went on to become huge unadvertised internet hits, as well as hits on some radio stations. The song Tonight had garnered over 6 million hits on Youtube as of April 2009, while Moment of Truth had over 3 million. FM Static have been nominated for GMA Canada Covenant Awards.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FM_Static ; image source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/FM_Static_in_NY.JPG/800px-FM_Static_in_NY.JPG

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - Top 9

Top 9: Slipknot

Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa, formed in 1995. Slipknot consists of nine members, the current band members are Sid Wilson, Joey Jordison, Paul Gray, Chris Fehn, Jim Root, Craig Jones, Shawn Crahan, Mick Thomson, and Corey Taylor. Each member of the band wears a unique mask.

Slipknot formed in 1995 and underwent several line-up changes following the independent release of their first demo Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat. in 1996. That album featured original lead vocalist, Anders Colsefini. Their self-titled, major label debut, Slipknot, was released in 1999, featuring permanent new lead vocalist, Corey Taylor, and was followed by Iowa in 2001 and Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) in 2004. On August 25, 2008, the band returned to release their fourth studio album, All Hope Is Gone, which debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 charts. The band has released three DVDs, including Disasterpieces, which was certified quadruple-platinum in the United States.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slipknot_band

My Top 10 Favorite Foreign Bands - top 10

Top 10: Dashboard Confessional

Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The band started out as Carrabba playing intimately personal acoustic songs by himself, but eventually the outfit became a full band ensemble.

History

The band originated as Chris Carrabba's solo side-project for his previous band Further Seems Forever. He recorded his first album Swiss Army Romance in 2000. The following year, he recorded Further Seems Forever's debut album The Moon Is Down. However, he left the band soon after the album's release, instead recording and releasing his sophomore album The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, as well as a follow-up EP titled So Impossible.

By 2002, three other musicians had joined the band, including former Further Seems Forever band mate Jerry Castellanos and started the process of recording the band's next album. After the success of his second album, Carrabba was asked to perform on MTV Unplugged, and the subsequent release marked the first time many of the songs were recorded with a full band.

Also in 2002, the music video for "Screaming Infidelities" won the MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards, beating out Norah Jones, The Strokes, The Hives, Nappy Roots and Musiq. This video starred Chris in both the performance and the storyline. The video was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry.

In 2003, the band released its third album A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. Peaking at #2 on the United States Billboard charts, the album proved to be the band's most commercially-viable album yet. In the summer of 2004, Dashboard Confessional recorded the song "Vindicated" for the film Spider-Man 2. The song was featured on the soundtrack and played over the film's end credits. Because of this, the band gained a sizable audience for their next release the following summer.

In May of 2005, Dashboard Confessional entered the studio to record their fourth album with acclaimed producer, Daniel Lanois. The album was released on June 27, 2006; its first single was "Don't Wait". Following the release of Dusk and Summer, Dashboard Confessional went on a summer tour of the U.S. with special guests Say Anything and Ben Lee, followed by a co-headlining arena tour with alternative rock band Brand New.

In 2007, the band released its follow-up to Dusk and Summer, The Shade of Poison Trees.

During an interview with Billboard posted on September 11, 2007, Carrabba stated that he is 14 tracks into what would be the band's sixth studio album.[2] He is also unsure about when it would be recorded, but plans to have 30 tracks to draw from. It may be a concept album: "only with the last three has it become, like, 'All right, these have a continuity and there's something going on,' so I'm excited to see where that leads".

During Chris' current UK solo acoustic tour, he has mentioned whilst introducing a new song that the band has completed the recording stage of the new album.

On February 14, 2009, as a special Valentine's Day gift to fans, Chris released a free download on his Myspace page entitled "Even Now (Acoustic)" from their forthcoming studio album.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashboard_Confessional