Bio

It’s been nearly two decades since blink-182 first burst upon the scene, emerging from a garage in Poway, CA (the San Diego suburbs) to take over the world with their signature sound. A strange thing also happened over those years: while singing along to hit after hit and laughing out loud to a myriad of new terms for various bodily functions, a generation of fans grew up right along with the band. Every step of the way, they followed Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker’s epic journey — both musical and personal.

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With thirty-million-plus records sold worldwide, the trip’s been a global one. The trio is recognizable nearly everywhere. They’ve reaped awards, played the top television programs and graced the covers of top publications in the U.S. and numerous countries. Crowds have
lined up at arenas around the globe to see them play live. Each member has since become a brand-building star, exploring the worlds of fashion/clothing, TV, various musical projects and —most importantly— fatherhood. Yes, the very same guys who once stunned parents with wildly raunchy jokes are now dads themselves.
Blink-182’s sound was immediately evident by the time they released their breakout 1997 album Dude Ranch, which went platinum by the next year on the strength of their first hit, “Dammit (Growing Up).” Enema of the State followed in the summer of 1999 and went multiplatinum, reaching #9 on the Billboard 200 and eventually selling over 15 million copies worldwide. The tour that spawned the Mark, Tom & Travis Show sold over 350,000 concert tickets. Their next studio album, the multi-platinum Take Off Your Pants and Jacket was released in 2001 and reached #1 in the United States, Canada and Germany. 2001 also found the band headlining the inaugural Honda Civic Tour.
By the time the band dropped the humor from their album titles for their eponymously-titled blink-182 in 2003, a marked stylistic shift had taken place for the group. With a broad spectrum of varied influences brought into the recording studio, blink-182 took shape as each member infused more experimental elements into their familiar sound—Travis’ devotion to hip-hop, Tom’s ethereal arena rock leanings and Mark’s indie flavor. Left-field elements yielded surprising results, such as the inclusion of Robert Smith of The Cure appearing on “All Of This.” Commercial success validated the risks as the album went double-platinum in the U.S., and has since sold more than four million records worldwide.
After the members took a five-year hiatus from blink-182, the threesome appeared at the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2009 to announce that they had returned to revive a band that just couldn’t stay quiet for too long. A hit international tour followed.
Now, self-producing their first album and recording together for the first time since 2003, the band is actively pushing their musical boundaries, all while keeping firm hold of the classic blink-182 sound that took them to the top in the first place. And, with the dual added benefits of age and life experiences since the recording of blink-182 to draw upon, the results of these sessions will surely set the tone for the next blink decade.
This is growing up.

Bio

The public has two different perceptions of Jimmy Eat World. One is the band known for the classic pop single “The Middle” — the ubiquitous summer smash hit of 2002 and that propelled the 2001 album “Jimmy Eat World” (originally titled “Bleed American”) to multi-platinum status, as years of slogging it out under the radar were finally rewarded with sold out tours, an appearance on Saturday Night Live, an MTV Video Award nomination, invitations to tour with Green Day, Weezer and Blink-182, and critical acclaim on year-end lists from Spin, Rolling Stone, USA Today, Blender and Alternative Press among others.

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The other is a band who made it the hard way and continues to do so: paying their dues, toiling for years outside the mainstream, releasing records on indie labels, building a dedicated fan base through incessant touring and by crafting albums like 1996’s formative “Static Prevails,” 1999’s “Clarity,” a pioneering record that resonated immediately with young listeners who wanted (read: needed) a little substance with their rock and roll, and 2004’s “Futures,” which featured the irresistible singles “Pain” and “Work” and marked the band’s second taste of gold sales and year-end best lists.

The pressure of successfully reconciling two such disparate images, making music that appeals to both constituents, has made lesser bands implode. Jimmy Eat World however has risen to the challenge, and for its new album “Chase This Light” the band regrouped in its native Arizona, built a home studio and methodically crafted the most emotionally and sonically expansive record of its 13-year career.

“Our goal,” says singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Jim Adkins, “has always been to get songs to a place that is accessible without being insulting.”

Straight away, from the opening riff of the first track and single “Big Casino,” the listener can tell this is a record that exudes confidence. Bold, crunchy modern rock riffs sit alongside clear vocals with direct first-person lyrics. It’s a skillful and fearless band that can successfully combine soaring guitar solos and textured feedback with call-and-response vocals, sing-a-long choruses and hand claps. The result is an album that seamlessly combines deep, heartfelt expression with the razor sharp hooks that have always been the band’s stock in trade.

Taken together, the eleven songs on this record form Jimmy Eat World’s most stylistically varied, musically ambitious and lyrically bravest effort. Highlights include the irresistible anthem “Electable (Give It Up),” “Carry You” (cited as a highlight of their recent warm-up tour), sure to be future live staples “Let It Happen” and “Always Be” and the haunting ballad—and perhaps most striking song on the album, “Gotta Be Somebody Blues,” described by Adkins as “the creepiest thing we have ever done.” The result is the proudest moment of the Jimmy Eat World catalog.

“It feels great,” Adkins concludes. “We have the album and we have the studio we made it with. Whatever happens in the future, we will always be able to make records on our own without compromise.”

Bio

Matt & Kim are a two-piece: Matt plays keys and Kim plays drums.

The two met at Pratt Institute. Despite Kim having never played drums before and Matt having never played keyboard, they started the band in 2004.

Sidewalks is Matt and Kim’s 3rd full length, set for release Nov. 2nd on FADER Label. The songs were written by Matt & Kim and recorded in both Atlanta and NY with producers Ben Allen and Oliver Straus, respectively. The first single from the new album, “Cameras”, was released Aug. 31st and jumped to the number 14 spot on the iTunes Alternative Chart within the first hour its release.

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The new album is the follow up to Grand, released in early 2009 via FADER Label. Grand achieved iTunes Top 10 single and album placements, as well as spots on both the Billboard Single and Album Charts. To date, Matt and Kim have been on the Billboard New Artist chart for 78 weeks and the single “Daylight” is certified gold, having sold over 500K.

Matt and Kim graduated with art school degrees from Pratt Institute and as such, stay closely involved in all the visual elements of the band. Kim designs the album covers and band merch. Matt develops the concepts for their music videos, including the one for “Lessons Learned,” which won an MTV VMA for Breakthrough Video and an mtvU Woodie award for Best Video.

The band’s first recording was a self-released EP titled To/From that came out in 2005.

Their second recording was their debut full-length titled Matt and Kim, released on iheartcomix records in 2006.

If Matt & Kim spent any time at home, they’d own a dog. Visits to dog parks suffice in the meantime.

Kim has a constant smile on her face during shows because she loves beating the shit out of the drums.

Matt is a bad driver (says Kim).

Kim doesn’t like spicy food.

Matt loves Mexican food.

Today, they each call Brooklyn, NY home.

http://mattandkimmusic.com/

PRAISE FOR MATT & KIM:

“Sidewalks at last translates that in-person oomph.” – SPIN, 8/10 Stars

“a bigger, more pumped up sound.” – Entertainment Weekly

“floor-shaking beats” – Marie Claire Magazine

“exuberant dance-punk” – New York Magazine

“live shows are unbridled explosions of good vibes and raucous energy.” – Pitchfork

“it’s impossible not to enjoy their shows” – Washington Post Express

“It can’t be said enough that Matt and Kim are professional fun-havers” – Denver Post

“It’s undeniable, Matt and Kim put on one of the best shows out there” – Seattlest

“Brooklyn’s premier party-starting electro-pop duo” – Spinner.com

“Live, it’s just the two of them, but two is always enough — having cut their teeth at warehouse parties and basement shows, Matt & Kim are expert entertainers. Best of all, it’s service with a smile.” – LA Weekly

“Matt and Kim have gone from two simple-named Brooklynites to indie-rock Gods.” – New York Post

“I have never before witnessed such genuine enthusiasm from a national touring act.”-Creative Loafing

“Infectious, danceable techno punk with a DIY attitude”-Arizona Republic

“Matt & Kim’s reputation as a live act precedes them – and justifiably so. Simply put, they are a two-person dynamo, frantic, tightly wound and full of good cheer. Their performances are as physical as they are musical. Kim, who is generally beaming from ear-to-ear for the duration, spends half the set standing atop her drum kit, pointing her sticks heavenward, egging the crowd into increasingly raucous behavior. Matt’s no slouch, either: He pounds the keys, pogos in place and eventually launches himself into the audience. For the sheer adrenaline-per-second, no other band comes close.” – Rolling Stone