Hoobastank

http://www.trikiwiki.com/Hoobastank

Hoobastank is a post grunge quartet that started in a Los Angeles suburb of Agoura Hills in early 1994, when vocalist Doug Rob met guitarist Dan Estrin at a battle of the bands contest in high school. Not long after joining forces Markku Lappalainen and drummer Chris Hesse joined the band and Hoobastank came into existence. With the heavy alternative sounds of acts like Tool and Alice in chains as their inspiration, they created their own niche by adding gloomier elements to their music. They first self released song titled "They sure don't make Basketball shorts like they used to" grew to be very popular locally upon release in 1998 paving the way for them to go from backyard gigs to shows up and down the California coast. The people at Island records took notice signed Hoobastank in August 2000, and began to tour with the like-minded groups like Incubus and Alien Ant Farm. When Hoobastank's debut was released in November 2001,it produced the hit singles "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running away." helping the LP to go gold, and they went on to tour endlessly through Asia and Europe that summer. Hoobastank was back in the studio working on their sophomore effort in early 2003. They were forced to cancel the remainder of summer tour in 2003 when Estrin was injured in a freak mini bike accident, but by October was back on his feet. After Erin had a clean bill of health Hoobastank then went out on a the All-American Rejects and Ozomatli for the Nokia Unwired tour. Their follow-up lead single "Out of Control" was offered for free download from their Web site, showcased a harder-edged vocal performance from Robb proving that this band has some staying power.