Alkaline Trio

All Music Guide:

Formed by ex-Jerkwater and Traitors drummer Matt Skiba (vocals/guitar), former 88 Fingers Louie percussionist Glenn Porter, and Rob Doran (bass/vocals), Alkaline Trio was brought together in 1997 by heartbreak, angst, and the companionship of drinking. The original lineup issued a short EP, For Your Lungs Only, just prior to Doran's departure in late 1997, and Sundials followed one year later on Johann's Face Records. Slapstick's Dan Andriano climbed aboard to handle bass duties, adding a complementary voice and songwriting style to Skiba's that would soon become the group's signature dynamic. The three then started making a name for themselves all throughout the Midwest with their emotion-fueled, angst-ridden, dark pop-punk. With this lineup firmly in place -- and with Skiba and Porter working as bike messengers to make ends meet -- Alkaline Trio made its full-length debut in 1998 with Goddamnit!, an album whose heartbreak tales and anti-cop rants earned a modest following.

Both Maybe I'll Catch Fire and a self-titled singles collection followed in early 1999. Glenn Porter left the band early the following year and ex-Smoking Popes drummer Mike Felumlee joined in his absence, making Alkaline Trio a three-piece again. From Here to Infirmary arrived on the Vagrant label in spring 2001 and was met with a lukewarm fan response, but a split EP released by Jade Tree one year later found the Trio in top form alongside Hot Water Music, with both bands contributing original tracks and covers of each other's songs. Good Mourning was released two years later, marking the band's first album with drummer Derek Grant (ex-Suicide Machines, Thoughts of Ionesco). Good Mourning fared well, grazing the Billboard charts and scoring Alkaline Trio several spots on late-night TV and summer tours. Crimson followed in 2005 and prompted the band to return to the road that summer, both as a headliner and as an opening act for My Chemical Romance.

As their 10 year anniversary approached, Alkaline Trio hit the road in 2006 with a set that emphasized material from their earliest releases, including an entire run-through of the fan-favorite Goddamnit! By that fall, they'd also found a new home at V2 Records and began work on their next album, although label restructuring problems in January 2007 led to the band's dismissal from the label before any material was released. That same month, Vagrant issued a CD/DVD compilation named Remains, which rounded up B-sides and rarities, and the Trio used their downtime to secure new home with Epic Records. They also worked on a new album, Agony & Irony, which was relesed that summer and debuted at number 13, marking Alkaline Trio's highest chart placement to date. Despite such success, the band left Epic's roster one year later and launched their own label, Heart & Skull, which they used for the release of This Addiction in 2010. The following year the band released their eighth album, Damnesia, which featured acoustic renditions of some of the bands most beloved songs, as well as a pair of new tracks.

Wikipedia:

Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from McHenry, Illinois, formed in 1996. The band consists of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass), and Derek Grant (drums).

Founded in late 1996, by Matt Skiba, bassist Rob Doran and drummer Glenn Porter, Alkaline Trio released its debut single, "Sundials", in 1997. Following its release, Doran departed from the band and was replaced by Dan Andriano. The band subsequently recorded an EP, For Your Lungs Only (1998), and its debut studio album, Goddamnit (1998). Following the release of the band's second album, Maybe I'll Catch Fire (2000), Glenn Porter left the band and was replaced by Mike Felumlee for its subsequent album, From Here to Infirmary (2001).

Backed by the singles "Stupid Kid" and "Private Eye", From Here to Infirmary significantly increased the band's exposure, and its follow-up, Good Mourning (2003), charted highly on the Billboard 200. Good Mourning marked the recording debut of current drummer Derek Grant. In 2005, the band released Crimson which expanded upon the band's punk rock influences, with prominent overdubs and additional instrumentation, and continued with this direction on Agony & Irony (2008), with was released on V2 Records.

In 2010, the band released This Addiction on its own label Heart & Skull and Epitaph. Recorded in the band's hometown of Chicago, with early producer Matt Allison, the album was a conscious effort to return to its punk rock roots, and became the highest charting album of their career, debuting on the Billboard 200 at #11. In 2011 the band celebrated its 15-year anniversary with the release of Damnesia, which featured new, acoustic-based recordings of songs from across the band's career.

History

Early years, Goddamnit and Maybe I'll Catch Fire (1996–2000)

Alkaline Trio was formed in December 1996 (see 1996 in music), originally consisting of Matt Skiba (guitar/lead vocals), Rob Doran (bass/vocals), and Glenn Porter (drums/vocals). They all hailed from McHenry, Illinois, in Chicago's Northwest suburbs. 1997 saw the release of the band's first EP, Sundials. This was followed shortly after by the departure of Rob Doran, after which Dan Andriano, former singer of Asian Man Records band Tuesday and bassist for Slapstick, took his place and they began recording. The band released their second EP entitled For Your Lungs Only, in 1998, which began to build them a sizable fanbase in the American Midwest. Later that year, the band released their first full length album, Goddamnit, followed by Maybe I'll Catch Fire in 2000 (both on Asian Man Records). Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously released EPs on their self-titled album.

From Here to Infirmary, Good Mourning and Dan Andriano's side project (2001–2005)

In 2001, the band released From Here To Infirmary on Vagrant Records. This album inspired music videos for the singles "Stupid Kid" and "Private Eye." The album was the band's first album to reach above Billboard top 200 mark and the first to gross six figures in sales.

Their next full-length album was Good Mourning, released in 2003, with the album's launch single "We've Had Enough" seeing much the same success as the previous single "Stupid Kid". The album was something of a departure from earlier works, featuring greater production values.

The band appeared on various compilation albums, notably Plea for Peace Vol. 1, Vagrant Records: Another Year on the Streets Vol. 1, 2, and 3, and Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba with Kevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the album This is Unity Music by Common Rider. They recorded 2 split EPs: one with Hot Water Music in 2000 and the other with One Man Army in 2004.

In 2004, Dan became a member of The Falcon, a supergroup of sorts consisting of The Lawrence Arms' bassist Brendan Kelly, previously of Slapstick (alongside Dan) and The Broadways, and drummer Neil Hennessy. The Falcon also saw contributions from Todd Mohney of The Killing Tree and formerly Rise Against. The band released an EP, God Don't Make No Trash / Up Your Ass With Broken Glass in 2005 and its first full length, Unicornography in September 2006.

Crimson, Remains, and Matt Skiba's side project (2005–2007)

Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, titled Crimson, on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced by Squirtgun and Common Rider bassist Mass Giorgini. The tracks "Mercy Me" and "Burn" have also been released as singles from the album.

In December 2005, a dual-disc special edition re-release of Crimson hit store shelves. This album features the original cut of Crimson released earlier in the year, while the 2nd disc has demo and acoustic/live versions of some of the songs. Additionally, an enhanced version of the lyrics and liner notes are available for download with personal messages from the band members on the history and/or inspiration(s) behind the songs.

In September 2006, Patent Pending, the debut album by Matt Skiba's side project Heavens was released. The band consisted of Skiba on guitar and vocals, and Josiah Steinbrick (of hardcore punk outfit F-Minus) on bass. On the album, the duo were joined by The Mars Volta's Isaiah "Ikey" Owens on organ and Matthew Compton on drums and percussion. Skiba was playing with Heavens during a short tour in the fall of 2006.

In October 2006, it was announced that Alkaline Trio had signed with V2 Records. On January 12, 2007, the North America branch of the label announced that they were undergoing restructuring to focus on their back catalogue and digital distribution. As a result, their employees were let go and their roster of artists left as free agents.

January 30, 2007 marked the release of Remains an album of B-sides, rarities and live performances. An accompanying DVD contained performances from The Occult Roots Tour. This marked the end of their association with Vagrant Records.

During late May 2007 the band began listing Epic Records as its label on their MySpace.

Agony & Irony (2008–2009)

In February 2008, Asian Man Records released a 10th Anniversary reissue of the band's 1998 full length, Goddamnit. The disc was remixed and remastered, with 4 bonus tracks from their 1996 demo tape added, and the album was repackaged with new artwork and a feature length DVD documentary about the band's early days. Predictably, the release caused quite a bit of excitement for long-time followers of the group.

On Saturday, February 9, 2008, the band posted a message on their MySpace page explaining that they had been in the studio for three weeks working on the new album without revealing a release date or title. The band later announced via their fan club, the Blood Pact, that their upcoming album, titled Agony & Irony, would be released on July 1, 2008. As a gift for members, they made a new song titled "In Vein" available as an exclusive. On April 4, they posted the song on their MySpace for 24 hours.

A contest ("Settle The Score"), was announced May 6, 2008, that encouraged fans to download sheet music of "Love Love Kiss Kiss" from the official website and send Alkaline Trio footage of their interpretation of the song before it was released by the band.

As expected, the band released Agony & Irony on July 1, 2008. First week sales for the album placed Alkaline Trio at #13 on the Billboard album charts.

This Addiction and Damnesia (2009–present)

During a concert in May 2009, the band revealed that they were no longer signed to Epic Records and that they would be releasing new material through their own label later in the year. Recording began that July. Four songs from the album ("This Addiction", "Dead On The Floor", "Dine, Dine My Darling", and "Dorothy") were debuted on that tour with Saves the Day.

On November 18, 2009, the band announced that they would be releasing their new album on their own newly formed label, Heart & Skull, a joint venture with Epitaph Records. In the same article, Skiba also confirmed that the new album would be released on February 23 in 2010, with another new song announced, entitled "The American Scream." The trio went back to their home in Chicago to record This Addiction after recording their last few albums in L.A. The band worked hard to go back to their roots with the album, Atlas Studios being the place they recorded their first three albums.

On December 1 Alkaline Trio confirmed to Rock Sound that the title of their new album would be This Addiction:

"It is the first song on the record and the title of our new album," said vocalist Matt Skiba. "The song takes heroin addiction as a metaphor for love. The whole record is really personal, all three of us have been through quite a bit since our last album [2008's Agony & Irony] and it is all expressed through this, all the songs are about the relationships we've been in and so the record has a constant theme."

The album debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.

Alkaline Trio's eighth studio album, Damnesia, was released July 12, 2011. Consisting of "a selection of beloved fan favorites selected from the group's extensive catalogue and presented in an intimate semi-unplugged format", the album also included two new songs, "Olde English 800" and "I Remember a Rooftop", as well as a cover version of the Violent Femmes' "I Held Her in My Arms". The band has planned a fifteenth-anniversary United States tour in support of the album.

Related bands

Alkaline Trio is part of a very large circle of Chicago punk/hardcore bands. Skiba played drums for Jerkwater (with Rob Doran, currently in Pit er Pat); Sean Seeling (currently in Apocalypse Hoboken, ex-Tommyrot); and, Jeremiah Klinger (currently in Gregor Samsa), as well as the Chicago punk outfit The Traitors. Former drummer Glenn Porter played in Tommyrot and 88 Fingers Louie. Stemming from Andriano's previous bands, Slapstick and Tuesday, other artists in this family tree include: The Broadways, The Lawrence Arms, The Honor System, Smoking Popes (Rob Kellenberger from Slapstick, Tuesday and Smoking Popes side project Duvall briefly played drums for part of the Popes reunion tour before being replaced due to scheduling differences. Ironically, Kellenberger replaced original Smoking Popes drummer Mike Fellumlee, who played drums for Alkaline Trio on their album, From Here to Infirmary, after the Smoking Popes broke up, and now plays with Squirtgun). With the addition of drummer Derek Grant, Alkaline Trio's family tree has grown to include ties with bands such as The Suicide Machines, Thoughts of Ionesco, Walls of Jericho, and Gyga. In 2004 Dan Andriano joined the newly assembled group, The Falcon. The band reunites Andriano with fellow former Slapstick member Brendan Kelly (guitar and vocals) (currently in The Lawrence Arms) and expands the family to Neil Hennessy on drums, (also in The Lawrence Arms). Todd Mohney, former member of Rise Against, played guitar on the first EP but could not attend the recording session for the band's first full length Unicornography, and his spot was temporarily filled in by Kelly and Hennessy.

In 2006 Skiba started the side-project Heavens with Josiah Steinbrick, previously of F-Minus. Their debut album, Patent Pending was released on Epitaph Records.

On September 16, 2009 bassist and co-vocalist Dan Andriano announced he would be playing a series of solo shows across the US under the name The Emergency Room. The band announced on twitter that Andriano will be releasing his debut solo album under the same name in summer 2011. The album, "Hurricane Season", was released on August the 9th, 2011 under the moniker 'Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room'.

Skiba was set to release his debut solo album on February 14, 2010, but it was delayed until the summer of 2010 due to the new Alkaline Trio album. The album's name is Demos.