The Rasmus

On a cold winter day nine years ago The Rasmus, (now one of Finland’s most respected bands), stepped on stage for the first time at their high school in the Finnish capital Helsinki. Never did these guys expect that nearly ten years later they would be receiving several gold and platinum records as well as several Finnish Grammy awards and a following of tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans.
IN THE BEGINNING
At the sprouting age of sixteen, they reached their goals quickly and their dreams of rock stardom become a reality. The four friends made a conscious conclusion that the music scene in Finland sucked and needed a change or at least a fresh approach.
In 1996, The Rasmus released their debut album Peep. It did not take longfor the album sell gold. The timing was right for this new generation ofrock bands and The Rasmus took the listening public and critics by storm."We were just kids who were let loose on a playground", singer Lauriremembers.
The band passed the grueling limit of performing over one hundred gigs in a year’s time. Shortly after this, the band crawled back into the studio to record their second album Playboys. Yes, it also sold gold very quickly. By then, The Rasmus had established themselves as a household name in Finland. Soon after, The Rasmus received their first Finnish Grammy, (called Emma in Finnish), in the category of Best New Act. The tempo of success built momentum and The Rasmus supported shows with Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Garbage during at these artist’s shows in Finland.
In 1999, The Rasmus, as energetic and productive as they are released their third album Hellofatester. The Single, Liquid, was voted, by both critics and fans as The Year’s Best Single.
MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH ON NEW RECORD LABELIn 2001, The Rasmus were ready for a major breakthrough. After signing toPlayground Music Scandinavia in Stockholm, Sweden the band came back with asmash hit single F-f-f-falling.
"We were so nervous about that song. It was obviously either a hit or aflop", The Rasmus’ members remember.
A flop it was not! The single shot like a bullet straight to number one, selling Platinum and being the biggest hit of the year in Finland. The album Into followed a couple of months later and charged the charts like a rocket. Into has sold over 67 000 to date, which is well over double platinum! After the success of Into and F-f-f-falling, The Rasmus performed at every major music festival in Finland.
Up to this point, any international releases had been minimal. With the great story building in Finland, The Rasmus went abroad supporting acts such as: HIM, Roxette and the Spanish rock band Dover in Germany, Scandinavia andLatvia. The Rasmus traveled in Europe, did promotion and performances on TVshows and were interviewed by European music press and they sure charmedeveryone they met.Following the tour with the Spanish rock band Dover the band flew to Italyto record a live acoustic performance with Viva TV and do severalinterviews. The Rasmus then flew quickly to Finland for the Finnish GrammyAwards Show where they performed a song and swept all the major categoriesby collecting new Grammies for:Best band, Best single (F-f-f-falling), Best rock/pop band and Album Of The Year.
THE BAND
Energetic, rambunctious and powerful are three words that describe TheRasmus best. Lauri, a singer whose voice is full of fire and soaring beauty,is also one of the most appreciated composers in Finland today.
"My lyrics are always personal and every word has a meaning that reminds meof something that has happened", the singer says. Pauli is an excellent guitarist, but he has also been recognized as a producer (Producer of the year at the Finnish Grammy 2001). He has helped Finnish bands like Killer and Kwan to create number 1# hits!
"The best advice I've been given is that if you have knowledge, share it", Pauli answers, when asked why he wanted to become a producer. Aki joined the band in 1999. Before that, he was selling The Rasmus merchandise at their shows.
"Pauli asked me to join after we had jammed together. Which is great, because I pretty much suck in everything else but playing the drums", Aki laughs sarcastically.
Eero, who is definitely the calmest man in the band, plays the bass. He finds his strength in meditation and music. "Sahaja yoga gives me a peace of mind", the soulful bass player explains.
THE NEW ALBUM 'DEAD LETTERS'
The first single from the album is entitled: In The Shadows, released January 10th 2003 in Finland and a few weeks later in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Baltic countries.
“Each song is a letter to somebody. It could be an apology, confession or cry out for help", singer Lauri explains his lyrics on the album, entitled: Dead Letters.
The Rasmus returned to Sweden to record, because they wanted to work again with Mikael Nord Anderson and Martin Hansen at Nord Studios, who were also responsible for producing the massively successful album Into.
"Martin and Micke made me smoke cigarettes, if my voice didn't sound rough enough", Lauri says with a wink. In addition, the band endlessly watching horror movies colored the making of the album.
"We watched so many horror movies that each of us had nightmares", the band members laughed.
The Rasmus play rock, but in every song there is a strong melody flavored with a catchy chorus. Dead Letters touches with its raw and naked sounds. "The album is darker, moodier and dreamier than anything we have done before", Eero (bass) concludes.
Taken from The Rasmus's page...
Thanks to Eliis Bj?rksdottir for submitting the biography.

source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Rasmus-Biography/C5FF59459D2DC2C148256D450009CB03

The Pussycat Dolls

“Inside every woman is a Pussycat Doll,” says Robin Antin, the innovator behind the singing-and-dancing ensemble that has risen from underground cool to major label hot. “It’s about female empowerment, about being confident with who you are. It’s about singing and dancing in front of a mirror by yourself and having fun.”
With their debut album, PCD, set for release by A&M Records on September 13, 2005 (led by the #1 smash “Don’t Cha,” a duet with Busta Rhymes and produced by Cee-Lo), The Pussycat Dolls go beyond being extraordinarily beautiful. With tremendous voices, and after working with today’s top songwriters and producers (including Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, Timbaland, Rich Harrison, Sean Garrett and Ron Fair), The Pussycat Dolls are ready to stamp their mark on music and on attitudes.
“To me, a Pussycat Doll is fearless but also vulnerable,” says lead singer Nicole Scherzinger. “We’re strong but we like to play too. The line in ‘Don’t Cha’--‘don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me’--is meant to be empowering. The Pussycat Dolls are not about just being hot but also about saying something with real feeling.”
From triple-threat Scherzinger, to Jessica Sutta, the one-time captain of the Miami Heat dance troupe; from Carmit Bachar, the “La Vida Loca” girl on Ricky Martin’s world tour, to Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt, two of the most talented young dancers in Hollywood, and Melody Thornton, a young powerhouse singer, these Pussycat Dolls represent the next step for the group whose Sunset Strip performances became the hippest ticket in Hollywood.
The Pussycat Dolls were born in a tiny dance studio in the L.A. garage of actress Christina Applegate, with whom Antin was rooming in the early ‘90s. Antin had appeared in commercials, and did choreography for music videos for the likes of Smash Mouth, The Offspring and No Doubt. “But I wanted to do something creative and different,” she says.
So Antin invited over a few girlfriends who were also tour/music video dancers and they began to play around with her own choreography, a style endowed with the spirit of famed choreographer Bob Fosse (“Sweet Charity,” “Cabaret”) but also music from Led Zeppelin to punk rock, Siouxsie and The Banshees to Bjork, and fashion as well. Meanwhile Applegate suggested they perform at the Sunset Strip’s renowned Viper Room. Owner Johnny Depp saw them rehearse and reportedly said, “This is why I opened a club.” The Pussycat Dolls, which have seen many members in its evolving lineup since debuting in 1995, became the Thursday night opening act for the next six years.
A turning point came in 2000 when No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani came to a show and said she’d love to do a guest spot, not just to dance but to sing. So did Christina Aguilera. In 2002 it was time to take the show to a bigger venue and so The Pussycat Dolls moved to The Roxy. For two shows a week, for seven weeks, the place was sold out. Other guest performers included Brittany Murphy, Charlize Theron, Nikka Costa, Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson. All of them appeared without pay, just for the fun of it, including emcee Applegate.
That same year, Antin joined forces with Jimmy Iovine, Chairman, Interscope Geffen A&M, who in turn brought in A&M President Ron Fair to executive produce the project and help take the concept to a higher level.
Their “We Went As Far As We Felt Like Going” was heard in 2004’s Shark Tale, their cover of the standard “Sway” (helmed by Fair, also producer for Aguilera and the Black Eyed Peas, among others) was heard in 2004’s Shall We Dance? The Pussycat Dolls were also seen in 2003’s Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Pink’s “Trouble” video as well as 2005’s Be Cool. Scherzinger was featured with Will Smith on “If U Can’t Dance (Slide)” on his 2005 Lost And Found album.
Today, there is a Pussycat Dolls line of makeup from Stila and The Pussycat Dolls Lounge opened in April 2005 inside Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, featuring a different roster of performers. The future may hold a line of clothing, lingerie, perfume, videogames, TV and movie projects, and other lounges.

source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Pussycat-Dolls-Biography/043E52E7069DF1564825707D00233F53

The Offspring

Vocal/Guitar --- Dexter (Bryan Holland)
Drums --- Ron (Ron Welty)(Left the band in 2003) Atom Willard (Atom Willard (Joined the band in 2003)
Guitar --- Noodles (Kevin Wasserman)
Bass --- Greg K (Greg Kriesel)

By 1984, when what would have become the Offspring formed, the original Orange County punk scene had fractured. We used to go this dance club called Circle City, and there'd be 10 different cliques, " says Kriesel."In our high school there was a rockabilly scene, as well as a mod scene and a New Wave scene, as well as a punk scene," Holland adds. But at Pacifica High, a large public school in Garden Grove, Calif. Holland wasn't a member of any of those groups. The third of four children born to a hospital administator father and a schoolteacher mother, he kept busy being a "good kid" and hoped to be a doctor. sports were a really big thing," Holland says, "I was on the cross-country team." He also happened to be class valedictorian (thus his nickname, Dexter). His senior year, Holland's older brother gave him a Rodney on the ROQ compilation album.

Before then, Holland was a casual listener. But soon after, he was devouring Flipside and Maximumrocknroll, fanzines out of Pasadena, Calif., and Berkeley, Calif., respecively, that are virtual how-to guides to punkdome. His favorite bands were T.S.O.L. (particulary 1981's Dance With Me), the Adolescents and Agent Orange County bands that weren't as hung up on politic as their Bay Area counterparts. Holland's cross-country teammate Greg Kriesel discovered punk even later. His investment-banker father saw law school in his son's future. And for most of high school, Kriesel was a sports fan and self-proclaimed jock (he also played baseball). The first punk records he ever heard were the ones the ones Holland played for him. "Music wasn't something that meant a lot to me," he says. "But I started listening to it because it was around, and I got used to it."

Holland and Krisel formed their first band, Manic Subsidal, with two other cross-country teammates one night in 1984 after failing to get in a Social Distortion show. At the time, the two didn't even own instruments, much less know how to play them. "Bryan and I both learned together," says Kriesel, "and he wasn't even playing chords at the time, so he'd play on one string, and I tried to do the same thing. By the summer we were actually playing songs, but it took a while." Kriesel's house was the site of the band's first gigs. "It's just always a hangout," Kriesel says, "on any given weekend night up to 20 people could drop by. I had a big upstairs that was pretty much mine, and my mom was downstairs. But she's always been really cool about it.

That fall, Holland began premed studies at USC (he's currently a Ph.D. candidate in molecular biology). Kriesel was attending Golden West Junior College and later recieved a B.A. in finance from Long Beach State while working part time in a print shop (he's planning to attend law school). Weekends were the only time the band could rehearse. Once Holland had written a handful of songs with self-explanitory titles like "Very Sarcastic" and "Sorority Bitch," the fledgling band headed for a cheap studio. Momentarily waylaid when its guitarist jumped ship, the band recruited Kevin Wasserman, an older Pacifica grad who then worked as the school janitor. Pretty soon, Wasserman was "not doing a hell of a lot except practicing at Greg's house on weekends and drinking excessively." Being the only member of the band over 21, Wasserman was particularly useful when it came to buying beer.

"I remember being amazed by Bryan," Wasserman says, "He was valedictorian, he was such a math geek. So when I first saw him with black hair and plaid bondage pants, I was like 'What are you doing?' But I thought it was cool, going beyond what I thought was society's role for him." Ron Welty moved to Garden Grove for part of high school, and it was there that his older stepsister introduced him to Holland. "My mom's been through a few divorces," Welty says. "She'd get remarried and we'd move, and then she'd get divorced, we'd move." Welt was only 16 when he begged Holland to let him substitute for Manic Subsidal's drummer who had started medical school and wads missing lots of gigs.

In 1987, the Offsping paid to release their own 7-inch single. Unable to afford the additional quarter per copy it cost to paste the front sleves to the backs, the band bought a case of beer and glue sticks and held a party for its friends. "To this day the covers don't hold together too well," says Holland. It took the band two and a half years to get rid of the 1,000 copies it printed. Two years and a pile of rejections later, the Offspring scored a contract with Nemesis, a small punk label distributed by Cargo.

After tracking down producer Thom Wilson, who had crafted their favorite albums by T.S.O.L., the Vandals and the Dead Kennedys, the Offspring recorded another 7-inch single, called Baghdad, and an album debut titled The Offspring. "All punk bands back in '84 wrote about was police, death, religion and war," says Holland. "So that's what we did." While recording a track for a Flipside compilation with Brett Gurewitz - owner of Epitaph records and then Southern California's biggest punk success story, Bad Religion - the Offspring glimpsed a rosier future. "A little after that, I got a tape," says Gurewitz. "But I have to admit I passed on it."

A year later, when the Offspring began circulating demos for what would become their next album to every punk label they could think of, Gurewitz reconcidered. "It definitely had what people call the Epitaph sound," he says. "High energy, rebelleous punk with great melodies and cool economical song structures. "In 1992 Epitaph released Ignition, 12 brief but energetic Offspring songs that summed up the previous decade of Orange County Punk. Other Epitaph bands include Rancid and NOFX.In 1994 their breakthough single Come out and Play and top hit Self Esteem helped push thier third album, Smash to the best selling independent record of all time (9 million plus), and heavy MTV rotation.

After the success of Smash, new fans discovered Ignition as it reappeared in stores. Due to the amount of overpriced, poor quality bootlegs, they rereleased their self titled The Offspring in 1995 with thier own label, Nitro. Nitro has released albums for several other bands, including The Vandals and Guttermouth. In 1996, the Offspring signed with Columbia records after disputes with Epitaph.Their next album, Ixnay on the Hombre, was released in February 1997. Dexter and Jello Biafra stared their own benefit foundation, FSU this year. They are currently on tour

THE OFFSPRING TIMELINE
DISCOGRAPHY

The Offspring (Nemesis/Cargo 1989 reissued on Nitro 1995)
Ignition (Epitaph 1992)
Smash (Epitaph 1994)
Ixnay on the Hombre (Columbia, 1997)
Americana (Columbia, 1998)
Conspiracy of One (Columbia, 2000)
Splinter (Columbia, 2003)

HISTORY

1984: Orange County high school classmates Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel are inspired to form a band after an Irvine concert by local punk-rock heroes Social Distortion. With Holland the vocalist, Kriesel takes to the bass.

1985: School custodian Noodles joins up, allegedly for his ability to legally procure alcohol for the underage trio. The threesome practice in Kriesel's parents' house and play their first shows in Santa Cruz and San Francisco.

1986: The band, originally called Manic Subsidal, changes its name to The Offpsring. They press up 1,000 copies of the debut vinyl single, "I'll Be Waiting" b/w "Blackball," on their own Black Label. The band pioneers its DIY method by glueing the sleeves together at Kriesel's house.

Sixteen-year-old Ron Welty becomes the fourth member of The Offspring after the original drummer leaves to devote more time to school.

1989: Band signs to independent label Nemesis/Cargo. With punk producer Thom Wilson (T.S.O.L., The Vandals and Dead Kennedys), they release The Offspring, their debut album, which sells 3,000 vinyl copies.

1991: The band put out a 7" EP, Baghdad (Nemesis/Cargo) and records "Take It Like a Man" for a Flipside magazine compilation, The Big One, produced by Epitaph Records owner (and Bad Religion guitarist) Brett Gurewitz.

1992: The band signs to Epitaph and record their second album, Ignition. After a record release party in Fullerton, CA draws 25 diehard fans, the album goes on to sell more than 1 million albums worldwide.

1993-'94: The band tours the U.S. once with Lunachicks and next with Pennywise. They also do a European jaunt supporting NOFX.

1994: Smash, their second album for Epitaph, is released. Featuring the mega-hits "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)," "Self Esteem' and "Gotta Get Away," the album is a phenomenon. The disc sells more than 11 million copies worldwide, the most ever for a band on an indie label, after "Come Out and Play" becomes a gigantic MTV hit. The album peaks at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart.

1995: Dexter and Greg start Nitro Records. The Huntington Beach-based label forms a roster that includes such California stalwarts as the Vandals, AFI, Guttermouth and others. Nitro also reissues the band's self-titled debut on CD for the first time. The Offspring's cover of the Damned's "Smash It Up" is featured on the best-selling Batman Forever soundtrack.

1997: The Offspring sign with Columbia Records, and release the Dave Jerden-produced Ixnay on the Hombre in February. The album sells more than 3 million worldwide and peaks at #9 on the Billboard 200, with singles "All I Want," "Gone Away," and "I Choose" all hitting the Modern Rock charts. Spin raved: "Punk-rock zealots can take their rage to the grave, but what this band cares about beyond everything else is what zealots can abide least: songs." The L.A. Times praised the album as "richly varied and thoroughly smart.. a mature, sometimes daring and always enticing effort by a band that constantly offers far more than meets the ear." Jello Biafra makes a cameo appearance on Ixnay and joins the band on-stage to perform version of Dead Kennedy classics "Chemical Warfare" and "Holiday in Cambodia."

1998: An MP3 file of "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)," from the band's yet-to-be-released Americana album is downloaded a record 22 million times over a 10-week period, landing it the #1 spot on Rolling Stone's Top Pirated Internet Songs chart. When Americana is released in November, worldwide sales climb past the 10 million mark, thanks to the catchy single and MTV video. Other singles include "Why Don't You Get a Job?," "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "She's Got Issues." The band's touring schedule takes them to Woodstock '99 for an acclaimed performance captured on film and the 1999 Reading/Leads Festivals in the U.K. "We love what we do," says Holland. "We want to make the best music we can and try to top what we did before."

1999: The group follows its tour of the U.S. with shows in Australia and Japan. The Offspring makes a cameo appearance in the cult horror/comedy Idle Hands, playing a cover of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated" and "Beheaded" from their self-titled debut before Dexter is killed after speaking his one line.

2000: The group is hit with a cease-and-desist order from file-sharing service Napster after offering T-shirts sporting the company's famed logo for sale on the band's website. The band defends its actions, claiming they were simply "sharing" the logo with fans.

The band spawns more controversy when they decide to offer their new album Conspiracy Of One free of charge via the Internet prior to its initial November release date. Fans downloading the record were automatically registered in a contest to be awarded $1,000,000 directly from the band (live on MTV) on the day of the album's release. Fans who go on to buy the record are awarded membership in the Offspring Nation digital fan club, receiving exclusive downloads of unreleased material, advance ticket sales, guarded chats with the band and more. Sony Music doesn't agree and threatens a lawsuit. The band avoids the lawsuit by making individual singles available on their official website and MTV Online. "The reality is this album will end up on the Internet whether we want it to or not," Holland tells the L.A. Times. "So we thought, 'Why don't we just do it ourselves?' We're not afraid of the Internet. We think it's a very cool way to reach our fans."

2001: The Offspring headline KROQ's Inland Invasion at Blockbuster Pavilion in Devore with Incubus, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Pennywise, Social Distortion, Weezer, Mike D and Mixmaster Mike on July 18. In December, the band record "Defy You" with Brendan O'Brien for the soundtrack to Orange County, starring Colin Hanks and Jack Black. Dave Meyers directs the video.

2002: In March, The Offspring play the Las Vegas premiere of Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam, with an array of action sports champions like Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Dave Mirra, Mat Hoffman and Carey Hart, then go on for four more dates that fall. In July, they play a benefit concert with T.S.O.L. at the Anaheim House of Blues for They Will Surf Again and Life Rolls On, not-for-profit organizations formed by professional surfers dedicated to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. In September, they open the Kerrang! Awards in London before being presented with the Classic Songwriter award by Garbage's Shirley Manson. Said the venerable metal mag: "They have influenced and continue to influence new generations of K!-heads. Tonight's award nails not only The Offspring's glorious past, but their ongoing relevance."

2003: The Offspring cover the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated," which they first did for the film Idle Hands, on the tribute album We're a Happy Family (Columbia), joining Metallica, Eddie Vedder, Marilyn Manson and KISS and among others.

The band lay down demos for the new album at Holland's D-13 studios in his native Huntington Beach, then continue recording with producer Brendan O'Brien in Atlanta at Southern Tracks Recording and Henson Recording Studios in L.A. Drummer Ron Welty leaves the band. Former Vandals and A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese takes over duties for the recording process. The group is also joined in the studio by two old-school SoCal punk pals, Pennywise's Jack Lindberg and T.S.O.L.'s Jack Grisham, who takes time off from his campaign for Governor of California to lay down some background vocals.

Holland announces the record will be called Chinese Democracy as an obvious tweak to Axl Rose, who had previously announced that was the title to the new Guns N Roses album he's been working on for much of the past decade. "It was so damn funny," says Dexter. "We felt like we had to do it. The idea of stealing the title of an album someone else has been working on for so long was very funny to us. You snooze, you lose. Axl ripped off my braids, so I ripped off his album title." But ultimately, the band announced on their website that the decision to title the album Chinese Democracy had somehow caused production to come to a halt. "That album title jinxed us," said Dexter.

The band visit Hawaii, where they film a surfing video with Da Hui, a notorious gang of native Islanders who welcome them to their North Shore turf. The footage will appear as extra footage on their upcoming CD.

The group decide to name the album, Splinter, which is now scheduled to come out Dec. 9 and choose the first single, "Hit That." In October, they bring in drummer Atom Willard, who was in Rocket From the Crypt for 10 years as well as playing with Moth and the Alkaline Trio.

Thanks to Thefinalthoughts@aol.com for submitting the biography.

source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Offspring-Biography/EA978BBCDADE713C4825689E00096AA9

The Fray

From the sleepy sprawl of America's Mile-High City comes The Fray, a Denver-based foursome whose melodic pop-rock songs and soaring vocals resonate with sprawling tapestries and tales of hopefulness and heartache.

Formed in 2002 by Isaac Slade (vocals, piano) and Joe King (guitar, vocals), The Fray earned a loyal grassroots following through impressive area gigs and the support of local radio which led a listen-driven campaign to get the band a record contract. With strong word-of-mouth, the band won "Best New Band" honors from Denver's Westword Magazine and garnered substantial airplay on two of Denver's top rock stations - the demo version of "Over My Head (Cable Car)" became KTCL's top 30 most played song of 2004 in just 4 months. The band signed to Epic Records in 2004 and will release their debut album "How To Save A Life" this September.

"Three years ago, I thought I wanted to start a real estate company," laughs co-founder King. A serendipitous encounter with former schoolmate Slade at a local music store begat an impromptu jam session that begat an impromptu songwriting session that begat The Fray. It wasn't your usual rock n' roll lineup - vocals, guitar and piano - but it worked. The uplifting, melody-driven songs were catchy enough to attract two former bandmates of Slade's - drummer Ben Wysocki and guitarist Dave Welsh. "Ben and I were basically a package deal at the time," explains Welsh. "Ben joined first, but I think he felt lonely without me."

It didn't hurt that the boys were all consummate musicians. A pianist from an early age, King competed in the local recital circuit before dropping piano altogether and picking up the guitar in junior high. "The coolest guys in my eighth grade class all played guitar," confides King. "I wanted to fit in." Slade began singing when he was eight, but temporary voice problems led him to discover the piano at age 11. After regaining his vocal abilities a year later, he continued studying piano and learned guitar in high school. "I wrote my first song at 16," explains Slade, "which is when I first picked up the guitar." Wysocki began taking drum lessons in the sixth grade, but only after having endured piano lessons at his parents' request. Welsh grew up in a musical household, and struggled with piano and saxophone before settling on guitar at age 12.


The lineup secure, all the band needed was a name. Jokes about the boys' tendency to battle it out over song composition led to the suggestion of "The Fray," and the name stuck. So did The Fray's style - a sophisticated, emotional blend of tinkling pianos, acoustic and electric guitars, and gently insistent rhythms that serves as an ideal backdrop for Slade's pitch-perfect, achingly beautiful vocals. The band's first single, "Over My Head (Cable Car)", echoes the poignant lyricism of Counting Crows and the melodic intensity of U2. The title track, "How To Save A Life", is a heartbreaking meditation on salvation inspired by Slade's experience as a mentor to a crack-addicted teen. Both songs employ an epic sweep, speeding up and slowing down so effortlessly that the listener can't help but become emotionally involved by the time the crescendo hits.

Considering the quality of songwriting involved, the band's rise to local prominence within the span of a year doesn't seem so implausible. In January of 2004 The Fray were no-namers trying to find gigs. By December, they were getting radio pick-up and playing sold-out shows at 500-capacity venues. With a series of U.S. tour dates supporting legendary geek rockers Weezer in July, The Fray will have the opportunity to make even more new fans by the time "How To Save A Life" drops in September 2005.
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Fray-Biography/A4414F8E4A32993B48257090008164BF

The Feeling

Dan Gillespie Sells - vocals & guitar
Richard Jones - bass
Kevin Jeremiah - guitar
Ciaran Jeremiah - keyboards
Paul Stewart - drums

The Feeling are five twentysomethings from Sussex and London who love pop music. Great big no-nonsense, hook-filled, giant-chorused pop music – music for the masses, only intelligent, with sunshine hooks and killer choruses that everyone can hum, from plumbers to professors.

Singer Dan Gillespie Sells, who admits to having had an indie phase once, says: "There are no guilty pleasures anymore. You're allowed to like Andrew Gold, ELO, Supertramp or 10cc. It's really liberating."

The Feeling are pop and proud. They're reclaiming the term.

Like The Raspberries or, more recently, Jellyfish or The New Radicals, The Feeling are premier exponents of prog pop meets nouveau soft-rock.

GET THE FEELING 2: THE MUSIC
"You can get away with murder in pop music," says Dan. "We like getting away with murder. We like great big choruses with great big hooks."

If there's a Lennon & McCartney - or rather, Becker-Fagen, Gouldman-Stewart, or Godley & Cr?me - in The Feeling, it's the hydra-headed Dan Gillespie Sells, who handles the music and the words. The band, they say, have to "wrestle the songs out of him."

As a Queen fan, Dan admits he doesn't just like "concise pop songs" - he's also a bit partial to "prog epics with ludicrous outros."

This perfect blend of pop and prog will soon see the light of day on The Feeling's debut album "Twelve Stops And Home". It will be a 12-track affair "with no fillers, all stonkers - a classic album."

It will also, explains Richard, be "lush and epic," while at the same time being, in Dan's words, "stripped-down." The singer cites early Elton John records, The Beatles' swansong and The Carpenters as examples of the feel The Feeling are after.

"They were epic but not lavishly orchestrated," says Dan. "'Rocket Man' is just bass, guitar, piano and drums, but it's vocally driven with not much else going on. ‘Let It Be’ was still powerful without the orchestration. It still had epic-ness; a melodic strength to it. Or 'Solitaire' by The Carpenters: that's a great example of a song that's epic but stripped down. The Carpenters were a big influence on me."

GET THE FEELING 3: THE HISTORY
The Feeling, who are all between 25 and 27, are overnight sensations with a bit of a past, cutting their teeth as session musicians on a variety of mainstream and marginal recordings. They're all from Sussex, except Dan, who's from London. Paul, Kevin and Ciaran even went to the same school: Paul and Ciaran were in the same year. The Sussex axis of the band have been friends for 13 years. They met Dan and Richard at music college in Croydon 10 years ago, and they've been working together in various forms ever since.

Five years ago they went through their "Hamburg era" when they appeared for several seasons in the Alps as a covers band who specialised in versions of Rolling Stones, Kinks, Stevie Wonder and Beatles songs as well as rocked-up versions of '80s hits like "Take On Me" by A-ha, "Walk Like An Egyptian" by The Bangles and "Jump" by Van Halen: "Whatever got the crowd going."

The band still go back there, to try out new material.

"It's our spiritual home," says Richard, adding more seriously: "That's how
we got good at playing."

GET THE FEELING 4: THE PLAYERS
The Feeling are, let's not be coy, superb musicians who have spent years honing their craft. That's not to imply that virtuoso expertise and dexterous professionalism in rock'n'roll are a necessity. But it certainly helps if you can play your instruments. And these cats can play.

But who inspired them, as individuals?

Paul?
"Loads of people! Mick Fleetwood, Bernard Purdie, Roger Taylor and Ringo are all big influences. There seems to be a misconception that Ringo was crap, but some of his parts were genius," says the drummer. "I’d love to contribute as much to our sound as he did to The Beatles."

Dan?
"Karen Carpenter was one of the greatest vocal technicians ever. She had a clean, pure voice, only filled with oodles of emotion. It was heartbreaking. But it doesn't have to be flourish-y or over-elaborate. I'd choose Freddie Mercury for his stage presence, and Neil
Young for his guitar-playing. I'd like to be Karen Carpenter in Neil Young's body. With Freddie Mercury's trousers."

Richard?
"I like to get involved with the whole arrangement and see how I can complement it with my part. Bassists like Paul McCartney or John Deacon were great in this way. For technicality, I'd pick Jaco Pastorius [jazz-rock fusion supremo] or James Jamerson [Motown] "

Kevin?
"Slash and Brian May - Slash for the sheer attitude of his playing, and Brian May for the fact that his solos are always an indispensable part of every Queen song."

Ciaran?
"Maybe Joe Zawinul," says the quiet but deadly keyboardist, and you've got
to admire a band that reference groups like Earth Wind & Fire and Weather
Report. "But my favourites would be Garth Hudson of The Band and Tom Waits."

GET THE FEELING 5: THE FUTURE
The Feeling have an assured future. With dead-cert smash hits like "Fill My
Little World", the joyous harmonies of "I Want You Now", the lilting acoustic and electric guitars and micro-melodies of "Never Be Lonely", the surging keyboard refrains and pop riffs of "Love It When You Call", touching piano ballads like "Strange" and "Spare Me", and the awesomely infectious "Helicopter", pretty soon you won't be able to - hey! - fight The Feeling. They'll just be there, on our radios, a part of all our lives.

Believe it.
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Feeling-Biography/1B76A8D10370D2704825719A00483C85

The Corrs

The Beginning

Many moons ago, Jean and Jerry Corr were given a grand piano as a wedding present by Jerry's father. Jerry used play this grand piano as a child, little did Jean and Jerry know that this same Grand piano was going to change the face of the popular music - forever.

Jean and Jerry Corr began their lives togheter in the small town of Dundalk, Ireland just 30 miles away from Dublin. They were a musical couple who traveled around Ireland filling the pubs with their renditions of old favorites. After then were married it wasn't long before the first of their four children was born.

James Steven Corr (otherwise know to us all the master himself Jim) came to life in July 31st 1964 and started playing the grand piano at the tender age of four. Jim furthered his musical skills by his next door neighbor teaching him to play the guitar at the age of 9. By that time that Jim was joined by the first of his three little sisters.
Sharon Corr was born on March 24th 1970 and started to play that same old piano around about the age of 4 as influenced by watching her parents play in pubs. Sharon started taking Violin lessons at the age of 7 from a local priest, only missing one lesson her whole life. Jean and Jerry Corr intended for the violin lessons to be for Caroline who was then aged 3, but she was more interested that the local priest had ginger color hair so Sharon decided to take up the violin lesson.
Caroline Corr came into the world on March 17th 1973 and got her teeth into playing the piano round about the age of four. Caroline started to play the drums quite late at the age of 18 when she was taught by a former boyfriend. Within a year of Caroline being born came the youngest of the Corr family. Andrea Jane Corr was born may 17th 1974 who also successfully tried her hand on the piano when she was a toddler.

The Corrs get a Record deal

The eighties came and the Corr children gazed at their mother and father belting out old favorites in their band call sound affair as they were preparing themselves onto the international stage. While the girls were in their teens listening to 80 teen idols especially Andrea who had big crushes on Nick Kershaw and Prince. Jim however, was tour with his first band for a while in Germany but Jim's main dream was to get the family band together. And the wheels started to get rolling in 1990 when the four of them played together for the first time as The Corrs for an aducation for Alan Parker's move the Commitments which became to be a worldwide box office success. All four members got miner parts; Andrea got to say a few lines especially the phrase "go and shite" quite a few times.

But The Corrs aduation caught the attention of musical director of the movie John Hughes when signed the band up and became their manger. Within a year he got The Corrs a publishing deal with polygram. The band got a regular slot playing at the waterfront club in Dublin but it wasn't until 1994 when The Corrs got a record deal. Jean Kennedy Smith saw the band played and was overwhelmed by their performance that she flew the band to American to play to get attention from record companies. The Corrs first got the attention of Jason Flom, head of lava records which is a subsidiary label for Atlantic records who passed the word onto David Foster, who is on paper the best producer around with no less than 12 Grammies to his name and produced hit songs for Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston to name but a few. David Foster was unable to get a meeting with the band as he was locked in a studio with Michael Jackson recording his 1995 History album. So on their last day in America, The Corrs manage to get th


emselves in the recording studio and played a redaction of runaway and love to love you and David Foster signed the on the spot to Atlantic records.

The 1990's-2000

September 1995 was the release of the Corrs debut album "forgiven not forgotten", produced by Foster and Jim Corr. The first single to be taken off the album was runaway which was a hit all over the world especially in their native Ireland, Australia and Spain. The album sold 2 million copies worldwide within a year while the right time, love to love you and the album's title track was big successes as singles. The corrs toured and showed the world their breath-taking performance, which got them many fans. However, the Corrs and their first album made little impact in the UK, even tough they were supported by radio station radio 2 and music channel VH1, but all that was about to change.

In October 1997, the band released what was to be their breakthrough album "Talk on Corners". Within a week of release the album went straight in at #7 on the UK album chart, only to fall out of the top forty within weeks. The first three singles off the album only when I sleep, I never loved you anyway and the original version of what ca I do fail to reach the UK singles chart while they were all huge hits across other parts of the world, something had to be done. John Hughes got the BBC to broadcast the bands St Patrick's day gig at the Royal Albert Hall in London which was classed as a sell-out three weeks after tickets were on sale. The show was televised on BBC1 late on St Patrick's day 1998, only about half a million people saw it but it made a huge impact to the fab fours success. Within day of the gig being broadcast, talk on Corners when back in the UK album charts top twenty at #13. Then rob Dickens who was then head of Warner brothers music heard a dance remix of The corrs version of Fleetwood Mac'


s dreams who they recorded for a tribute. Rob Dickens decided for it to be a single and was released in May 1998. In its first week of release, dreams entered the UK singles chart at #6, their first singles chat position in the UK after getting huge radio and TV airplay. And just a few weeks after, Talk on corners hit the top of the album chart and going to number one no fewer than nine time in the UK. It became the biggest selling album of 1998, out selling the likes of George Michael and Madonna to name but a few. And the rest they say is history. A further three top ten hit singles followed in the space of nine months, a sell out 38 date UK arena tour, a Brit. award, a Grammy nomination, several Irish music awards.

Recently they've released an MTV unplugged album, which has hit double platinum in the UK and a third studio to hit the record shops round about June 2000. Andrea being voted the third sexist women in pop music behind Louise and Britney Spears and beating off the likes of Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.

So there you have all you need to know about the greatest band to ever exist on planet earth.
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Corrs-Biography/3CC088D22EB945EB482569310011B23E

The Cardigans

In the post-grunge, pre-electronica world of apathetic audiences, flat sales, and No Big Thing, the pure pop of the Cardigans has hit like a virus that circumvents all rational defenses and goes straight for the central nervous system. The lighter-than-air melodies and samba-inflected dance beats, combined with the unflappable soprano of vocalist Nina Persson, deliver the punch of some weird amalgam of Blondie and Burt Bacharach.
In Boston, where the Swedish quintet recently played two sold-out shows at the 600-capacity Paradise with the local trio Papas Fritas, the Cardigans' rise has been so meteoric, that they short-circuited the usual radio market pattern, jumping from modern rock pioneers WFNX 101.7 to top-40 WXKS (Kiss 108) faster than you could say ABBA. After the indie debut American release Life (Minty Fresh), the major label "First Band on the Moon," powered by the single "Lovefool," is leapfrogging up the album charts. So much for the mid-'90s distinction between "alternative" and anything else.

At the Paradise, the band defied other expectations as well. Papas Fritas (another Minty Fresh act) is a quirky guitar-bass-drums outfit, well-suited to the club scene. But confections like the Cardigans with their piping synth lines, girlish vocals, and bric-a-brac of strings, horns and other sweeteners generally fall flat live, like a souffle in a thunderstorm.

But the Cardigans, if anything, were stronger than on record. Drummer Brengt Lagerburg's snare and cymbal patterns easily shifted between rock shuffle and samba glide. Songwriter/guitarist Peter Svensson and bassist Magnus Sveningsson drove big steamy riffs through the bridge of the bittersweet breakup song "Been It." Bassist Sveningsson, in particular, is a rhythm player whose lines have a flowing melodic snap, perhaps nowhere more so than on "Lovefool," where the economy and drive of his dancing, repeated figures recalled the heyday of Motown genius James Jamerson.

None of which is to underestimate dimpled, cat-eyed blonde beauty Persson. On disc, her tone has the artificial purity and consistency of a Nilla Wafer. Live, wearing a camouflage-pattern tank top and leather pants, she gave the songs' arcing melodies a steely presence. Delivering the line "Has he lost his mind, can he see or is he blind?," she made the lead-off "Iron Man" as delicate a lament as "Fool on the Hill." When you can float Ozzy Osbourne in as rarefied an atmosphere as Lennon and McCartney, your sense of pop has to be downright fearless.

source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Cardigans-Biography/D6B30877BA34185D482568A8001CD249

The Calling

Biography

The Calling started out as an army of two, a binary band of brothers, and from the beginning, they never doubted that their music would touch a global audience. Today, two years after the lavish success of "Camino Palmero," the Calling's 2002 premiere album, the partnership between Alex Band and Aaron Kamin remains as vital as ever. Now, it's showtime again, as they follow up with "Two," the band's new RCA CD.



Why Two? "Obviously, because it's our second record," says singer/songwriter Alex Band, "and also to restate the fact that there are two people in the band and we write/do the music." He could have added a third reason. Throughout the album's 10 tracks, the Calling reflect on life's dual nature: hope and despair, love and loss, sense and spirit.



Written by Aaron and Alex, and co-produced by them with Mark Tanner and Clif Magness, "Two" reveals a pronounced artistic maturity. And why wouldn't it? The pair wrote the first album when they were teenagers. Now in their 20's, both have experienced much of what life has to offer- the good, the bad, and the insane- and the new album embodies it all.



"We grew up," explains guitarist/songwriter Aaron Kamin. "We mastered the tools. We're very different now, but clearly we lift each other up when it comes to the creative process." Adding immeasurably to the making of Two, music industry legend and BMG Chairman and C.E.O. Clive Davis came aboard to collaborate on several tracks. Recalls Aaron, "In the beginning, it was intimidating, because he's someone we look up to. Clive was so inspiring, he reminded us that musically anything is possible and anything can happen."



The music on "Two" bears that out.



With Aaron's versatile guitar front and center, the album's songs blend acoustic intimacy with a grand pop vision. Alex Band, one of the most distinctive and expressive young singers in music, has never sounded better. Though probing serious themes, the album is, ultimately, a rocking meditation on hope and love, starting with the inspiring and upbeat debut single, "Our Lives."



Songs like "Chasing the Sun," "If Only" and the erotically charged "Surrender" offer ironic views of love, while others, like "Somebody Out There" and "Your Hope" throw lifelines to the lost and lonely. Notes Alex, "I like making a song a little twisted and realistic, because real life does not always have a happy ending." For Aaron, a key track is "Things Will Go My Way." Says the guitarist, "That song means the most to me. The chorus is really simple, and the song is optimistic at its heart."



The same could easily be said of both Alex and Aaron, who formed a close working relationship years ago in their native Los Angeles. They met when Aaron was dating Alex's sister. Though that romance didn't last, the musical link between Alex and Aaron did. The two recorded countless demos, which they then brazenly pitched to next door neighbor Ron Fair, a top industry A&R veteran. Impressed by their potential, Fair signed them to RCA Records, but led them through a long apprenticeship-- over five years, in fact -- which forced Alex and Aaron to painstakingly perfect their art. "At the time it was a nightmare," remembers Alex, "but now we can't help seeing that there was a point to waiting to create that first record. Things happen for a reason." Adds Aaron, "Ron said to us, 'You do not want to put out your record and have it fail. Make it as bulletproof as you can because you may only have one chance."



They took that chance with "Camino Palmero" in 2002. It took a few months to catch on, but once it did, Alex and Aaron were hurled into a vortex of fame and adulation. Hit singles like "Wherever You Will Go" and "Adrienne" propelled the album past the 2 and a half million mark in global sales, while the band toured worldwide, building fan bases everywhere, from Brazil to Thailand.



The Calling's music has been featured in various films such as "Coyote Ugly", "Kate and Leopold", "Daredevil", "Sweet Home Alabama", and "Love Actually", to name a few.



They were later named Best New Act at the MTV European Music Awards, while the single "Adrienne" was voted Best New Rock Song at the Teen Choice Awards.



And last summer, Alex had an opportunity to record and perform the #1 hit single "Why Don't You and I?" with Carlos Santana, while Aaron wrote and produced songs with blues great Johnny Lang and other up and coming artists, and scored two short films, including Shaina Fewell's "Ghosts of Genius".



Both agree, after many tumultuous months on the road, it was good to get back to where they once belonged. "You fly over the city and can't see it because it's too smoggy," says Alex. "Then you say, "Good old L.A". You go back to cleaning the cat box, doing the dishes, and just being a normal human being."



Adds Aaron, "It's great being home, having that safety and security. To be in that relaxed atmosphere is the way to create and write."



That's exactly what they did, putting everything into creating the new album. "We wanted to make a better record," recalls Alex, "and step up the songwriting. The last record was written five years ago, so naturally these new songs dealt with bigger issues. A lot of bands go backwards, and we clearly didn't want to do that."



Adds Aaron: "We all want the same things in life, fear the same things in life. This album is meant to be a reminder of the commonality of peoples' emotions, dreams and hopes."



By any standard, with "Two" the Calling hit the mark.

Thanks to Brandi Refsell for submitting the biography.
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Calling-Biography/FBD145153A4ED83B48256AEA000FD178

The Best Of Elvis

Elvis Aaron Presley, in the humblest of circumstances, was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in a two-room house in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. His twin brother, Jessie Garon, was stillborn, leaving Elvis to grow up as an only child. He and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948, and Elvis graduated from Humes High School there in 1953.

Elvis’ musical influences were the pop and country music of the time, the gospel music he heard in church and at the all-night gospel sings he frequently attended, and the black R&B he absorbed on historic Beale Street as a Memphis teenager. In 1954, he began his singing career with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis. In late 1955, his recording contract was sold to RCA Victor. By 1956, he was an international sensation. With a sound and style that uniquely combined his diverse musical influences and blurred and challenged the social and racial barriers of the time, he ushered in a whole new era of American music and popular culture.

He starred in 33 successful films, made history with his television appearances and specials, and knew great acclaim through his many, often record-breaking, live concert performances on tour and in Las Vegas. Globally, he has sold over one billion records, more than any other artist. His American sales have earned him gold, platinum or multi-platinum awards for 131 different albums and singles, far more than any other artist. Among his many awards and accolades were 14 Grammy nominations (3 wins) from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received at age 36, and his being named One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United States Jaycees. Without any of the special privileges his celebrity status might have afforded him, he honorably served his country in the U.S. Army.

His talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humor endeared him to millions, as did the humility and human kindness he demonstrated throughout his life. Known the world over by his first name, he is regarded as one of the most important figures of twentieth century popular culture. Elvis died at his Memphis home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977.

source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Elvis-Presley-Biography/E8864DFA7B8D438048256874001D2396

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift (born December 13, 1989) is a country music singer-songwriter from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.

At 15 years old she became the youngest recruit to Big Machine Records, a joint venture between former Dreamworks executive Scott Borchetta and country superstar Toby Keith.

She has appeared on Good Morning America, and at the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards. Her pursuit of country music stardom was the subject of "GAC Short Cuts," a part-documentary, part-music video series that aired during the summer of 2006 on the country music channel Great American Country. Her debut single, entitled "Tim McGraw" after the country superstar, was released in June, 2006.

Her self-titled debut CD was released on October 24, 2006.
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Taylor-Swift-Biography/EC6F7194A4B67AA1482572150029A68A

Tata Young

She was Thailand’s youngest pop sensation and now Tata Young is ready to spread her talent to the world with her debut English album, “I Believe”, which will be released by Columbia Records on February 23. “I Believe”, Tata’s seventh album, is the much awaited crossover album that is set to catapult the star into the international arena.

Despite being only 23, the nine-year music veteran has already sold more than 12 million albums and established herself as a symbol of change for the Thai music industry. Trendy and energetic, Tata is part of the new wave of Asian talent that is making its mark on the world stage.

Tata Amita Marie Young was born in Thailand on December 14, 1980, the only daughter of an American father and a Thai mother. In a childhood filled with singing and dancing, Tata had already shown the early signs of the talent that would take her from being Thai’s biggest teenage pop sensation to an international recording artist.
At the tender age of 11, Tata beat 5,300 other young children to be crowned winner of the International Division of the nationwide Thailand Junior Singing Contest by belting out “One Night Only”.

The victory brought her an entertainer’s contract with Yamaha Music in preparation for the impending debut into showbiz. In 1994, the 14-year-old caught the eye of A&R people at Grammy Entertainment, Thailand’s biggest entertainment conglomerate, which snapped her up with a recording artist contract.

Within a short year, Tata had recorded and released her debut Thai album “Amita Tata Young” which shot up the charts and sold more than a million copies in less than five months. Almost overnight – and at only 15 - Tata had become the biggest pop sensation in Thailand.

The reputation was cemented when sales of her follow-up album “TATA 1,000,000 Copies Celebration”, containing the hit single “Chan Rak Thur” (I Love You), also hit the million-copy mark. 1995 brought the teenage wonder a collection of top awards and accolades, included being named Entertainer of the Year by the Bangkok press, as well as Best Recording Artist 1995, Music Video of the Year, Number One and Two Singles of the Year, and Album of the Year for “Amita Tata Young”, at the Radio Vote Awards in Thailand.

Tata’s cosmopolitan background helped her set new standards for the Thai music industry. Despite singing in Thai, Tata’s popularity took her not only around Thailand but also to concerts abroad.
She was chosen to represent Thailand on the Australian Television program "World Telly Broadcast", which featured Youth in Asia and broadcast in February 1996. The programme was seen by audiences in Australia and throughout Southeast Asia.
In April 1996, Tata held her “Tata Live In Hollywood Concert” at the renowned Hollywood Palladium. It was a rare event for an Asian singer and the concert received outstanding reviews.

Tata was selected by the Chinese Government to represent Thailand at the Handover Concert for the Hong Kong Handover Ceremonies held on July 5, 1997 along with international acts such as Wet Wet Wet, Michael Learns to Rock, Lisa Stansfield, All 4 One, and the Brand New Heavies.

That same year, Tata became the first entertainer in 14 years to receive the coveted Golden Pikkanes God Award presented by the Musical Artist Association of Thailand under the patronage of His Majesty The King of Thailand.

In 1998, Tata was also chosen to sing the opening song “Reach For The Stars” at the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok.

Tata’s talents have not been limited to just singing and performing live on stage. Trendy, beautiful and vivacious, she has also developed a highly-successful modelling and acting career.

Tata made her film debut in 1997 in the youth drama “The Red Bike Story” which broke the all-time attendance record in its release for any movie in the history of Thailand. Her stunning debut garnered her the Best Female Actress Award (Thailand) presented at the 4th Annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards 1997. She followed that up with two other celluloid hits, “O-Negative” and “Plai Tien”.

She has modelled and endorsed topnotch products such as Fuji Film and Yamaha motorcycles and has been featured in top international media and on the covers of many magazines around the region.

In 1997, Elle Magazine named her one of Thailand’s “10 Most Influential People”; in 1998, Asiaweek selected Tata as one of 25 most influential trend-makers in Asia; and in 2001, Tata was featured on the cover of Time Magazine in their study of successful Eurasians in Asia.

Tata formed the Tata Young Fan Club in 1997 under the auspices of her company TATA Entertainment to gather support from her fans to provide assistance to “The Human Development Foundation”, a charitable foundation serving underprivileged children in Thailand.

In her spare time, Tata plays squash, computer games, and enjoys spending time with friends and her pet dogs, travelling and listening to music. Her favourite artists are Madonna and Bird Thongchai M
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Tata-Young-Biography/A644DA2280D9E29648256E60000BB89F

T.A.T.U.

A WORD FROM THE GIRLS:

I, Julia Volkova, and I, Elena Katina, admit, that being under drinking age, we have been persuaded to take part in the girl-band called Tattoo by band’s future producer Ivan Shapovalov.

As far as we know, before this band was made, Ivan Shapovalov never had anything to do with music business. He used to make TV commercials and do all kinds of advertising activities.

We (Elena and Julia) used to sing together in a kids-band called “Neposedi”, and I, Julia Volkova, was asked to leave the band for “misbehaving and molesting other band members”.

We (Elena and Julia) met again during audition at MOSFILM studios, when Ivan Shapovalov was looking for girls for his new band. He’s chosen us and we were happy because he promised to make us huge stars.
He made us to sign contracts with him, and according to these contracts we didn’t have any rights to even speak. We just had to do whatever he was telling us to. For example, for “Ya Soshla S Uma” video shoot, I, Lena Katina, had to lose almost 10 kilos, and I, Julia Volkova, had to cut my hair really short and dye it black. And for the next video shoot Shapovalov made us both shave our eyebrows!

However, we admit, that for us to sign a contract with I.Shapovalov was an act of free will. We always wanted to sing together, and now our dream came true. During a past year we became so close, then now feel something more than just friendship towards each other.

Agree with all said above

Julia Volkova Lena Katina

A WORD FROM THE RECORD COMPANY

On May 16th, 2001, Universal Music Russia signed a band, that critics, music journalists and record companies call the most outrageous and scandalous thing to ever happen to Russian show-biz.

Who are Tattoo? Julia and Lena, 2 girls, one is 15 and the other one is 16 years old. Both of them got into this project by accident, and instantly became national heroes.

November 2000. Tattoo, an unknown act, brought their first-ever video to MTV Russia. Despite (or, maybe, thanks to) its controversial character, MTV were brave enough to put it on air, and… Tattoo took Russia by storm.

“Ya Soshla S Uma (I’ve Lost My Mind)”, their first self-released single, is a song describing turmoil in a girl’s soul. She is in love with another girl, she does not understand what is going on, she is both scared and happy, and everyone around her refuses to even try to understand her.

Although there is a number of acts trying to reflect loneliness and angst of a teenage soul, Tattoo sing and perform with such sincerity that immediately compels kids.

Ya Soshla S Uma has had an incredibly long shelf-life for a debut single. The video was in MTV Russia’s Top 10 playlist for 2 months, for 3 months was in Top 5 most requested videos chart, and is still on air.

The audience was first shocked to see two girls kissing in the video, and after they came to their senses, everyone realized there is much more than lesbian appeal behind this track. It’s the lyrics, the music, and, most importantly, the message the girls deliver.

This track did to the act what usually is achieved by staying at the scene for years. Tattoo have very established fan base, and are well-known by everyone else. Everything they do immediately creates media buzz.

While kids were going crazy about Julia and Lena, the Tattoo girls, Universal Music Russia were negotiating a record deal with their manager. We felt that such act as Tattoo has enormous potential not only for the local market, but for the world.

The second video, released simultaneously with the album, is called “Nas Ne Dogoniat” (“They’re Not Gonna Get Us”), and it’s proving Tattoo is not a one-hit wonder. After one week of hot rotation on MTV Russia it went straight to #1 in MTV “Russian Top 10” (weekly chart show with only Russian videos competing with each other) and #7 in MTV Top 20 (leaving behind Jennifer Lopez, Eminem and Backstreet Boys!!!). Single is receiving major success at radios as well, A listed on 1st National Radio “Russian Radio” (Russian music only) and 7 other national radios.

An autograph signing, organized on the day of the album release, brought more than 3 000 kids to one of Moscow’s entertainment centers and even caused some concern among police officers around the area. Girls spent 3 full hours giving autographs and were so tired at the end, that apologized and left, leaving a huge crowd screaming their names, behind.

Universal Music Russia proudly presents – TATTOO and their debut album “200 Po Vstrechnoi” (200 Miles An Hour In A Wrong Lane).
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/T-A-T-U-TATU-Biography/6079C831DA59887948256C3D0028865D

U2

FORMED: 1976, Dublin, Ireland


In autumn 1976, drummer Larry Mullen put a note on the notice board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, looking for people to join a band. Four friends joined up: Paul Hewson (aka Bono Vox), Dave Evans (aka The Edge), Dik Evans, and Adam Clayton. Dik soon left to join the Virgin Prunes, while the remaining four formed 'Feedback' before changing to 'The Hype' and then settling on U2.

The band's first break came in 1978, winning ?00 in a talent contest on St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) in Limerick. Bono later recalled that they had beaten off many technically better bands because of what he called 'a spark', which had produced a great atmosphere on stage. One of the judges that week was Jackie Heyden of CBS Records, who was impressed and arranged their first demo session. It was not a great success - the band's inexperience and lack of studio time combining to hinder their efforts - but it was a start.

Their reputation for intense and electrifying live shows meant that U2 soon built up a dedicated following of fans. One was Bill Graham, a journalist with the music paper 'Hot Press', who was an early champion of the band and also introduced them to their manager, Paul McGuinness. A three-year contract with CBS Ireland soon followed, and with it the release of their first record in September 1979 - a three song EP entitled 'U23' comprising Out of Control, Boy/Girl, and Stories for Boys. A second single followed, before the band signed a world-wide contract with Island Records in March 1980.

Having secured the all-important record deal, the rest of 1980 was spent touring extensively. Despite this, the band also found time to record their first LP, 'Boy', which received widespread critical acclaim on its release in October. A year later came 'October' a much more mellow and spiritual record that reflected the Christian beliefs of Bono, Edge and Larry, and built on the success of 'Boy'.

U2 really hit the big time with the 'War' LP, released in March 1983. Boosted by the success of the 'New Year's Day' single, the record entered the UK charts at Number 1, and established the band as a mainstream act. Further tours followed through the US and Europe, where the songs for the mini Live LP 'Under A Blood Red Sky' were recorded. This record marked the end of an era, as it was the last record before Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois were engaged to work on future LPs.

The next record to be released, 'The Unforgettable Fire', marked a distinct change in direction towards a more complex style, moving away from the 'anthems' of the War era. Despite a few teething problems incorporating the newer songs into the band's live set, the material was well received on the subsequent European and US tours. The mini LP 'Wide Awake in America' was comprised of 2 new tracks and 2 live recordings from the European tour. It was at this time, in April 1985, that 'Rolling Stone' magazine dubbed U2 "The Band of The Eighties".

That summer U2 played in the Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium in London, where they gave a memorable performance, as the song 'Bad' over-ran to about 12 minutes! Bono actually considered leaving the band at that point, as he feared that his antics during that show (dancing with girls from the audience while leaving the band to play on regardless) had ruined the set for the rest of the band - Pride had to be dropped from the set due to lack of time. Only when a friend told him that it was one of the high points of the day did he come round. The following year U2 played Self Aid, a benefit for Ireland's unemployed, and joined the Conspiracy of Hope tour for Amnesty International.

U2's 7th LP was 'The Joshua Tree', another Eno/Lanois collaboration which was released in March 1987. This was to be their most successful record to date, becoming the fastest selling record ever in the UK on its release, and reaching number one in 22 countries. The accompanying sell-out tour included over 100 shows, and cemented their reputation as what what 'Time' magazine called "Rock's hottest ticket". During the tour, director Phil Joanou was chosen to put together a film which would capture the live shows, and also depict the band's perceptions of America. Filmed chiefly in Denver Colorado and Tempe Arizona, the resulting movie ('Rattle and Hum') and the LP of the same name were released in October 1988. Taken from this LP, the single 'Desire' gave U2 their first UK mumber one single. Other songs on the record, such as 'When Love Comes to Town' featured blues legend BB King, and he joined U2 on the Love Town tour which concentrated on Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

At the end of the 1980s, U2 played a series of 4 concerts at The Point Depot in Dublin, culminating with a show on New Year's Eve which was broadcast throughout the world. Bono announced that night that it was "time to go away and dream it all up again". This led some to believe that U2 were considering splitting up, but those fears proved to be unfounded with the release of 'Achtung Baby' in November 1991. A much more electronically processed record than their earlier releases, it marked a new beginning in U2's career. The subsequent ZooTV tour was a huge extravaganza which used giant video screens to create a stunning visual spectacle, and at the end of each show of the tour Bono attempted to call VIPs such as Bill Clinton, Pavarotti, or Princess Diana.

On a break from the tour, U2 recorded 'Zoooropa' which was released in July 1993. Less commercially successful than previous releases, it was called U2's most experimental work to date. It was to be 4 years before their next LP was released, although they continued working on various outside projects, such as the soundtrack for Batman Forever which yielded the single 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. Larry and Adam worked on the 'Mission Impossible' soundtrack, while Bono and Edge worked on 'Goldeneye'. U2 also donated songs to good causes such as the AIDS fundraiser 'Red, Hot and Blue' and 'A Very Special Christmas'.

In March 1997 U2 released 'Pop' which Edge described as being "about as far away from U2 as it is possible to be". Yet another massive world tour followed, which utilised the world's largest video screen at 150 feet wide and 50 feet tall to show live pictures of the band performing, along with computer generated animation sequences. Other props included a giant rotating lemon shaped mirrorball (from which the band would emerge for the encores) and a huge olive on a 100 foot high cocktail stick. According to recent reports, this was to be the last tour of such proportions that the band would undertake. Future shows are more likely to be 'back to basics' in terms of the sets used etc.

A new LP entitled 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' was released on the 30th October 2000 (31st in the US). In a recent interview, manager Paul McGuinness stated that because of the high price of CDs in the UK and Ireland and because U2's earliest fans came from those countries, there would be a bonus track (The Ground Beneath Her Feet) on the UK release of the album. A new single taken from the album (Beautiful Day) was released and went straight into the British charts at number one, and 'Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of' has been released everywhere except the US, where no singles are due to be released at all. The new LP reached number one in the British album charts in its first week of release, but did not manage this feat in the America, where sales were not what many had hoped.

In support of All That You Can't Leave Behind, the Elevation tour started in Florida on March 24th 2001 and the first three legs have so far covered North America, Europe and back to North America, where the shows seemed to take on a new meaning in the wake of September 11th. More dates are expected to be announced for Europe in the near future, probably for large outdoor venues. Sadly, Australasia and South America have so far missed out on the tour for economic reasons. The weakness of the currencies in those regions means that a tour would not be financially viable at the moment.

Thanks to Armsey01@netscape.com for submitting the biography.
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/U2-Biography/305B87FB8A2812FD482568960029CCED

Velvet Revolver

Velvet Revolver began with a spring 2002 jam session that reunited ex-Guns N' Roses bandmates Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Matt Sorum (drums) on-stage. With the discovery that their chemistry was still going strong, the trio began pushing around some new music and auditioning singers for what became known as "The Project." Early entries included ex-Buckcherry shouter Josh Todd, and Neurotica's Kelly Shaefer; both became acquainted with the cutting room floor. By early 2003, "The Project"'s existence -- and its quest for a singer -- was common knowledge, so much so that VH1 sent cameras to document the search. Dave Kushner (Wasted Youth; Dave Navarro) also joined up as second guitarist. Troubled STP-er Scott Weiland came on board next. He and the band clicked immediately, and recorded a hyper piece of glitter metal for the Hulk soundtrack called "Set Me Free." By June, "The Project" had been renamed Velvet Revolve ...read more
source:http://www.djangomusic.com/item_music.asp?id=R+++691400#Biography

Vanessa Carlton

In my own words...

I was born 8/16/80 and raised in Mitford, PA by my parents Ed and Heidi Carlton. My Dad is a pilot (he plays fiddle on the side), and my mom is a pianist and teacher. My childhood was unconventional. When I was two I was enrolled into a Montessori school. I just remember running around and drawing pictures all the time. Music and art were the main focuses of my childhood.

My mom was my first music teacher. I suppose the first sign that I was "musical" came when I figured out "It's A Small World" on the piano when I was two years old. We had just returned from Disneyland. After that, my mother began exposing me to a variety of classical composers, from Eric Satie, to Mozart, to Debussey. At eight, I wrote my first piece of music. I wasn't writing lyrics or anything, just little piano songs.

I was nine when I fell in love with ballet. I was obsessed with it actually. Fortunately my mom made me keep up the piano during that time. At thirteen, I started travelling to New York to study with some of the great ballet dancers and teachers such as Grelsey Kirkland and Madame Nenette Charisse.

At fourteen, I was accepted to study at the School of American Ballet in New York City. I left my family and moved into a dorm at Lincoln Center. I enrolled in the Professional Children's School for high school and began a new life.

The life of a ballet dancer is neither easy nor fair. The pressure is intense and the competition extreme. Surprisingly, I had always been a confident dancer, almost fearless, but as I approached my senior year things began to unravel. I became frustrated and lost. I was on the brink of becoming a professional when everything feel apart. At seventeen feeling broken and isolated, I started writing songs again.

It was the dilapidated piano in the kitchen of my dorm that brought me solace. Sometimes I would skip ballet class to go upstairs and play. All these songs just poured out of me. This time, I wasn't simply writing piano pieces, I was writing lyrics I had always loved to sing growing up, but I never thought of myself as a singer until I sang my lyrics. I put my voice and piano together I couldn't imagine it any other way.

The fall after I graduated I got an apartment with a friend, became a waitress and started playing gigs downtown. A year later, I signed with Interscope, Geffen, A&M Records.

I am currently in the studio recording my debut album., Be Not Nobody, which should be out in early March. I'm going as fast as I can! The single, A Thousand Miles, will be out in early February.

Last but not least, I got into Columbia University and I have started dancing again, just for my self.

Peace.

By: Vanessa Carlton
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Vanessa-Carlton-Biography/52EC73C83924307448256B8400179EAB

Whitney Houston

FROM the moment Whitney Houston first opened her mouth to sing, it was obvious that she was bound for greatness. As the daughter of Cissy Houston, a successful rhythm-and-blues backup singer, and a cousin of the even more renowned singer Dionne Warwick, young Whitney grew up steeped in music. She dutifully sang in the New Hope Baptist Junior Choir, aspiring to nothing higher than being a backup performer like her mother. But by the time she was 11, it was readily apparent that hanging in the background wasn't in the cards for her.

When Whitney took center stage one evening to sing a solo, the power of her performance moved many in the congregation to tears. Despite her shrinking-violet tendencies, Houston's combination of exceptional beauty and her stunning, church-inflected soprano propelled her into the spotlight.

Houston first put her talent to use professionally as a teenager by singing backup for Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls. A sleek and exotic-looking young woman, Houston dabbled successfully in teen modeling, gracing the covers of such magazines as Seventeen and Glamour. At the same time, she studied acting and dancing, appeared in television commercials and sitcoms, and made occasional singing dates. But these diversions were mere warm-up exercises for the singing career she was destined for. Adequate preparation for her inevitable rise to global pop superstardom was the ultimate concern of Houston and her family, and several weeks after her 18th birthday she signed a management contract with Gene Harvey. Under his guidance, Houston continued her modeling career, took more acting and dancing classes, and worked on her voice.

After a couple of years spent developing her vocal virtuosity and making industry contacts, Houston was ready for the big time. In 1985, she signed with Arista Records, because its president, Clive Davis, had a proven track record of picking hits for his singers, not to mention a reputation for letting artists take their time to mature. A period of two years passed before her debut LP was released, and in the interim, Houston increased her profile by performing for industry bigwigs, appearing on television shows, and helping her advisers choose songs for her album. Applying a fluid, soaring technique to R&B, soul, and disco arrangements, Houston's eponymous debut spun off three No. 1 singles—"Saving All My Love for You," "How Will I Know," and "The Greatest Love of All"—and sold more than 13 million copies to become the best-selling debut of all time by a female solo artist.

(Houston's multiplatinum titleholder was toppled by Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill in 1996.) "Saving All My Love for You" earned Houston her first Grammy award (she has won a total of five thus far), and she spent the next two years touring in support of the album.

More record-setting success was to come with Houston's 1987 follow-up effort, Whitney. Not only was it the first album by a female to enter the charts at No. 1, but she became the first artist in history to score seven consecutive No. 1 hits, surpassing milestones set by the Beatles and the Bee Gees. Houston's acting and dancing lessons paid off in her dynamic MTV videos, and her galvanizing rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" at the 1990 Super Bowl. Houston promoted Whitney by heading back out on tour, and in 1990, she released I'm Your Baby Tonight, a more danceable, technically impressive effort.

Five years of constant touring had begun to take their toll, however, and Houston decided to take some time off to acquaint herself with the palatial, $11 million Mendham, N.J., mansion she had purchased. Houston's down time allowed her a chance to get her personal life in order. After being romantically linked with Jermaine Jackson, Eddie Murphy, and quarterback Randall Cunningham, Houston took up with bad-boy rhythm-and-blues artist Bobby Brown.

In 1992, the Prom Queen of Soul and the bad-ass captain of the glee club were married before 800 well-wishers. Many in the crowd couldn't help but be skeptical. Brown brought a certain amount of baggage into the marriage—like three out-of-wedlock children by two women, for starters—but despite all the couple's highly publicized contretemps since the wedding day, Houston continues to profess her love for Brown. She once offered this vehement assessment of her husband: "I've got a good man. He takes care of me. I don't have to be scared of anything because I know he will kick every ass…disrespect him and you've got a problem."

Brown's boozing and womanizing ways and sporadic run-ins with the law may have made Houston an occasional object of pity and criticism in some observers' eyes, but others argue that she is the one who is hard to put up with. She has earned a reputation as a prima donna for her frequent episodes of tardiness—in one unpleasantly conspicuous instance, she arrived two hours late to a White House dinner honoring Nelson Mandela, at which she was the featured performer (she breezed in with the excuse, "I just got off tour," even though her final appearance had been four days previously). During an Anaheim, Calif., concert appearance in August 1994, Houston tearfully requested that the spotlight be turned away from her and onto audience members Sidney and Justin Simpson, the children of O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson. Considering the fact that Nicole had been murdered just two months before, the request seemed bizarre, and singularly mortifying.

Since 1990, Houston has managed to maintain her easily won eminence, despite the fact that she has greatly curtailed her output. Not that she hasn't been busy: navigating through some perilous straits in her personal life, the pop diva managed to bear a daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and conquer the world of film. Her first feature, The Bodyguard, banked more than $400 million worldwide, and boasted the most successful soundtrack ever released, with sales in excess of 33 million units, due largely to Houston's soaring interpretation of the Dolly Parton classic "I Will Always Love You." In 1995, Houston rounded out the cast of Waiting To Exhale, a film about successful black women looking for good men. Exhale became something of a phenomenon, as did its Whitney-heavy soundtrack. Her third and most recent film, The Preacher's Wife, didn't fare quite as spectacularly at the box office, but the soundtrack for the film presented her with an opportunity to get back in touch with her gospel roots.

Houston is known for her charitable bent, making significant contributions to the United Negro College Fund, the Children's Diabetes Fund, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, and several AIDS-related organizations, and she established the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, Inc., a nonprofit organization whose work assists homeless children and children with cancer and AIDS.

One noncharitable appearance the diva was supposed to make was at "Blessing '97" on Nov. 29, 1997. The event, billed as the largest mass wedding ever, was to earn the diva a cool $1 million for 45 minutes onstage. But when the press seized upon the pending appearance for the Moonies (the controversial Unification Church started by Reverend Sun Myung Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han Moon), Houston released a statement declaring that she didn't know "Blessing '97" was a Moonie affair. Two hours before the wedding began, she backed out citing "illness," leaving both the Moonies and her own band, which had already set up, in the lurch.

While rumors still cloud the rocky Bobby Brown union, the pairing persists, despite ongoing legal troubles. In June 1998, various tabloids reported that the two were on the verge of officially separating, a month shy of their sixth anniversary. They were proved wrong when the two singers celebrated that occasion, their marriage still intact several months later, and apparently remaining that way.

In August, news of a significant duet in divadom was made public: Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey were in the studio together. The strong-lunged, octave-jumping singers recorded "When You Believe," the theme song from the animated DreamWorks pic The Prince of Egypt, which tells the story of Moses. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds was on hand to referee, er, produce the single. Dispelling rumors of competitiveness, the Houston and Carey appeared together at the MTV Video Music Awards in September—wearing the same dress no less. After some canned banter ("Nice dress," Carey offered. "Yeah, you look pretty good, too," Houston answered) the women presented Will Smith with the Best Male Video Award.

The The Prince of Egypt soundtrack landed in stores Nov. 17, the same day as Houston's new solo album, My Love Is Your Love. Guests on her first full-length studio recording in eight years include Missy Elliott, Faith Evans, and Wyclef Jean. The disc also sports a special hidden track, "My Love," produced by Lauryn Hill. As for "When You Believe," the track appears on the movie soundtrack, Houston's album, and Carey's new hits collection, #1's—all released the same day. Octave overload? Hardly. Retailers the world over will undoubtedly make plenty of room on store shelves for the dueling—and dueting—divas.
source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Whitney-Houston-Biography/8B1E71812CF244474825686200281068

Westlife

Back Home Albume Best Seller by Westlife

The Greatest Hits Tour: Live from Men Arena [Region 2]

Westlifes original members hail from Co. Sligo in Ireland.Out of those original members only three remain;Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily.Bryan McFadden and Nicky Byrne joined the group when Louis Walsh showed interest in the band, he then introduced ex-Boyzone member Ronan Keating to the band and the pair now co-manage the group.

The first single to be released was "Swear It Again" which went in straight to number one in the U.K. and in Ireland, it then went to tne top spot in numorous other countries.They followed it with "If I Let You Go" which also went to number one in those countries.They have released nine singles altogether off their previous two albums,"Westlife" and "Coast To Coast". Their next single is called "Queen Of My Heart" and it is on their upcoming album "World Of Our Own". They have been entered in the "Guinness Book Of Records" for having their first seven singles go straight to number one in the U.K. and for having five number one singles in Ireland.

Their tour earlier this year was so successful that tickets are already for sale for their next one in 2002, which is in big demand.Westlife have tried, and unfortunatly failed, in conquering America but the lads have vowed to try again and their fans are certain that the American public will realise, sooner or later, how great Westlife really are.

Thanks to tweety1987_2010@yahoo.com for submitting the biography.

source:http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Westlife-Biography/383076E50879F4844825691000173155

The Click Five

It's been said that you can tell a lot about people by looking at the company they keep. So what, then, could you say

about a band that's collaborated with members of Kiss, Fountains of Wayne and The Cars, opened for Alanis Morissette

and Ashlee Simpson and honed their craft at Berklee School of Music?

Well, you could say they're conversant in all 57 varieties of pop-rock. You could say they're as unlikely to be pigeonholed

as any band around. Or you could simply say "yeah!" as you pop on Greetings From Imrie House, the Lava Records

debut from The Click Five, the Boston-based quintet that's managed to grab all the brass rings mentioned above - all in

less than two years together.

"We all love melodies," says bassist Ethan Mentzer. "If I can't sing it, I'm not crazy about it. I like songs that are so

damn catchy that you wake up in the morning with them in your head. When I started playing the guitar at age 12, I

wanted to listen to music where you could really hear the guitar - bands like Green Day and Weezer and Stone Temple

Pilots became my favorites, so when the direction of this band started going towards rock, even though the songs were

pop, it only felt natural."

Greetings From Imrie House collects 11 timeless power-pop confections, odes to both the good, clean and naughtily

winking sorts of fun. They capture the former in the sunny tones of the artfully sleek first single "Just The Girl," and the

shimmering "Catch Your Wave" (which layers Beach Boys-styled harmonies atop a contagiously jittery new wave

melody) and dive into the latter on the young lovers lust-fest "Friday Night."

The quintet - none of who is older than 23 - stands out from the current pop pack on several levels. First, there are

those snappy suits (a look that dates back to the days of playing mod covers during off-time at Berklee). The more

important distinctions, however, come in the aural realm - in the ringing five-part harmonies that vein just about every

song, and in the alternately peppy and atmospheric keyboard parts contributed by Ben Romans.

"I'm a keyboard player trapped in a guitar player's body," he laughs. "I think it's almost comical what we do with

keyboards, maybe a little off the wall. It may shadow a band like The Cars or something and we're aware of that, but in

the making of this album, we got introduced to a lot of really cool stuff from around 1977-82 that we really weren't

aware of before."

Quick learning and stellar instincts earned The Click Five - originally known as The Click - the endorsement of several

musicians who were active during that golden era, notably Paul Stanley of Kiss, who co-wrote the strutting "Angel to

You (Devil To Me)" with Romans, and Elliott Easton of The Cars, who blazes through the guitar solo on the track.

"We went to see Kiss the day before Thanksgiving of 2003 and then we got to have Thanksgiving dinner with Paul,

which was an experience in itself," recalls Romans. "Paul and I sat down to write and it went amazingly well. He taught

us a lot about being onstage and about songs - a lot of people forget that someone like Paul Stanley doesn't just write

Kiss songs."

The Click Five's members learned a lot about songcraft while playing in a wide variety of high school bands, shifting

from covers to originals and from style to style. The core of the band solidified under the roof of the apartment building

that lends its name to their debut, a place that Romans remembers as "a rock and roll frat house" with a dozen

residents, intermittent heat and a lobby adorned with a huge replica of The Who's logo.

While they were all in different bands at the time, they gravitated towards each other after discovering how huge a

swath of musical common ground they shared. And even some they didn't- as guitarist Joe Guese remembers, "We had

to study a lot of jazz at Berklee, and while it's a noble style and I certainly learned a ton about the technicalities of my

guitar playing, we all really wanted to play music that just gets people out of their seats." The only missing piece was a

frontman - a problem that drummer Joey Zehr thought could be solved by recruiting childhood pal Eric Dill, who'd just

finished a stint at Purdue University.

"From day one, we decided that this band was going to be our lives - priorities number one, two, three and down the

line," says drummer Joey Zehr "I don't even think we realize how successful we are at this point simply because our

method of operation was to have a huge goal but then achieve hundreds of small goals to get there."

The band cut its teeth on Boston's notoriously tough club scene (including a three month residency at the legendary

Paradise rock club), promptly winning over tastemakers who put them on arena-sized bills with acts like Alanis

Morissette, Rod Stewart and Fleetwood Mac. "I was a little worried when we were booked to do those last two," admits

Romans. "It was for people my parents' age, but it went over great. I guess a lot of the older folks thought it reminded

them of something from their past."

They fared just as well when they played a one-off show with teen sensation Ashlee Simpson - who later tabbed them

as one of the opening acts on her 2005 North American tour. "That audience is very young and enthusiastic," says

singer Eric Dill. "What's cool is that they're looking for reasons to like you, not reasons to be aloof."

Produced by Mike Denneen (Fountains of Wayne, Aimee Mann, Letters to Cleo), Greetings From Imrie House opens the

door to 11 inviting reasons to be fond of The Click Five - from the soaring balladry of "I'll Take My Chances," to the

sensual throb of "Resign" and the starry-eyed pining of "Pop Princess." And to prove those pop history lessons stuck

with 'em, they even include a cover of the Thompson Twins favorite "Lies," which would make any new wave fan proud.

"That's the song that probably got us to turn in the direction we're in now," says Romans. "We were almost kidding

about it, saying 'let's pretend we're in New York in 1978,' but then we realized it's a really great song. Working that out

helped us stop worrying about being the coolest band in the world, and to just start trying to be the best."

Eric Dill - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Joe Guese - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Ethan Mentzer - Bass, Vocals
Ben Romans - Keyboards, Vocals
Joey Zehr - Drums, Vocals

(Bio courtesy of Atlantic Records)

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Click-Five-Biography/972FE70B15D5543A48257034000C5B1D

Greetings from Imrie House

Greetings from Imrie House collects 11 timeless power-pop confections, odes to both the good, clean and naughtily winking sorts of fun. They capture the former in the sunny tones of the artfully sleek first single "Just The Girl," and the shimmering "Catch Your Wave" (which layers Beach Boys-styled harmonies atop a contagiously jittery new wave melody) and dive into the latter on the young lovers lust-fest "Friday Night." And to prove those pop history lessons stuck with 'em, they even include a cover of the Tommy James classic "I Think We're Alone Now," done up new wave style.