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The Used

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The Used

The Used is a rock band from Orem, Utah. Their sound has been classified under many genres and subgenres of rock. They signed with Reprise Records in late 2001 and rose to fame in June 2002 after releasing their debut self-titled album, The Used. They followed up with their second album, In Love and Death, in September 2004 and their third album, Lies for the Liars, in May 2007. An EP, Shallow Believer, was released in February 2008 that featured the band's b-sides. They are currently working on their fourth studio album, due out in late 2008. The band has achieved both Gold and Platinum status in over 6 countries worldwide.[4]

Band biography

Previous bands and the formation

The Used officially formed in January of 2001[5] but some members had played in previous bands since the early 1990s which helped lead to the formation of The Used. Under the name Strange Itch in 1994, the band consisted of Branden Steineckert on drums, Jeph Howard with the vocals, Joel Pack on bass, and Matt Brown on guitar. They released one self-titled album in 1998 and remained under that name until Quinn Allman took over guitar and Ashton Johnson took over the bass in 1999. At this point they changed their name to Dumb Luck.[6] In 2000, an EP called The Naked Truth was released. Dumb Luck was short-lived and not long after the release, there was another line up change as Johnson had left the band and Howard took over as the bass player leaving the band with no singer. Tryouts for singers were held in Branden's bedroom, but they weren't satisfied with anyone they heard until Quinn remembered Bert McCracken from school and called him to see if he was interested in trying out. Bert met up with the other members and liked the music they wrote. After being given music that the band had written, Bert wrote the lyrics to what would become "Maybe Memories" and returned the next day with a newly recorded version of the song. The band welcomed him immediately. Bert wrote the lyrics to the songs they had, taking over the vocals, and the band was renamed Used. The name comes from their friends who claimed they were being used when contact was lost between them and band members due to them becoming more involved in the band.[5] Although it may seem like these early bands were The Used under a different name, Jeph stated in an interview that the bands were so bad that they weren't real bands and didn't have anything to do with The Used. He did say, however, that if it weren't for them, The Used would have never formed because they learned so much about music and each other playing in those bands.[7][8]

2001: Demos from the Basement and getting a record label

Used wrote songs together and made a demo album known as Demos from the Basement. Drummer Branden Steineckert sent their songs to producer John Feldmann from the pop punk group Goldfinger. After he heard "A Box Full of Sharp Objects", he wanted to get them signed because he believed this band had something no other band had and could change what's happening in the music world. John played the songs for various record executives to try and get them signed, however, the first few weren't interested and it left John discouraged because he felt this band was like no other. Throughout all of this, the band members suffered from poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse. They panhandled for change in order to buy food to stay alive while at the same time hating the Mormon town that they lived in and the people that lived there.[9] Eventually, more people got hold of the demo and a few record companies were eager to sign them, they decided to sign with Reprise Records in late 2001.

2002-2003: The Used and Maybe Memories

In 2002, it was discovered that a Boston band had already trademarked the name "Used," so they decided to add "The" to their name, thus becoming The Used. Their self-titled debut album was released on June 25, 2002. The album received mixed reviews and featured four singles: "A Box Full of Sharp Objects", "The Taste of Ink", "Buried Myself Alive", and "Blue and Yellow", with the latter three entering the charts. The album has been certified gold.[10] The Used would go on to play Warped Tour, Ozzfest, and Projekt Revolution, as well as Box Car Racer's first and only tour. During these tours, they had a 5th member, a touring guitarist by the name of Greg Bester. He was forced to return to his home country when he couldn't get a working Visa. The band also got recognized when Bert McCracken dated Kelly Osbourne.[11] These events would bring them much fanfare and popularity. In July 2003, The Used released a compilation CD/DVD combo package titled Maybe Memories. The CD featured live, rare, previously unreleased tracks, and demo material. The DVD featured the history of the band, member bios, and part of a live concert. This release has been certified platinum.[10]

2004-2006: In Love and Death and a new drummer

Tragedy struck The Used in 2004 when lead singer Bert McCracken's ex-girlfriend, who was pregnant with his child, died of a drug overdose. Their second studio album was thus named In Love and Death, released as a reference to the tragedy Bert dealt with during the recording. The song "Hard to Say" was a reference to Bert's ex-girlfriend; although he wrote the song years earlier, it fit the moment and Bert felt that it was the right time to release it.[citation needed] The album received generally favorable reviews[12] and spawned three singles: "Take It Away", "All That I've Got" (which earned them their first MuchMusic Video Award nomination), and "I Caught Fire". "Under Pressure" (a David Bowie and Queen cover song performed with My Chemical Romance) was featured as a bonus track on later pressings of the album. The album has been certified gold.[10] After finishing up an international tour for the album, The Used took about 7 months off before starting to work on their next album. Throughout the summer of 2006, rumors spread among fans that Branden had left the band. Then on September 12, 2006, The Used announced and confirmed that Branden was no longer a member of the band.[13] They said they felt they needed to move forward without him, and that there was a personality conflict between Branden and another band member; however, they did say that they love Branden and wish him the best in whatever he does in the future.[13] In late 2006, it was announced drummer Dan Whitesides of New Transit Direction would replace Steineckert. Branden has since joined Rancid to replace former drummer Brett Reed.

2007: Berth and Lies for the Liars

On February 6, 2007, The Used released a live CD/DVD package, Berth, which included a full live concert shot on the 2005 Taste of Chaos tour in Vancouver. It continued where Maybe Memories left off and showed what the band had been up to since they released In Love and Death. It also gave a preview of Lies for the Liars. Berth has been certified gold.[10] The Used spent most of the early part of 2007 on the Taste of Chaos tour, before their third album, Lies for the Liars was released May 22, 2007. They also headlined the Give it a Name festival. In June, The Used played the MuchMusic Video Awards for the first time ever, and also received their second nomination for Best International Group Video, for "The Bird and the Worm". The Used were scheduled to play Warped Tour in June and July, in support of their album, but had to cancel because Bert required surgery to remove a node from his vocal cords. After Bert recovered, they played the Reading and Leeds festivals in August, and went on to tour the United States in September. Lies for the Liars charted in the top 5 in over seven countries,[4] and there were 4 singles released: "The Bird and the Worm", "Liar Liar (Burn in Hell)", "Pretty Handsome Awkward", and "Paralyzed". Although Dan Whitesides was chosen as the new drummer, Dean Butterworth of Good Charlotte recorded drums for the album. The recording session for this album was the longest of any The Used album, as it took them over six months to record. Lies for the Liars received mixed reviews[14] and has 8 B-sides. The Used had considered making a double album since 19 songs were recorded, but this idea was dropped after they decided to save the songs for a future release.

2008: Shallow Believer and the fourth studio album

Before Lies for the Liars was even released, The Used had planned on releasing an EP of the album's B-sides not long after it dropped. However, it was delayed due to problems with their label, and for a time it didn't appear that it would be released at all. Finally on February 19, 2008 the long-awaited EP was released, titled Shallow Believer, which featured B-sides from all their studio albums. It was only released on digital music stores and it has charted as high as #13 on iTunes top 100 albums.[4] The Used worked on demos for their fourth studio album from January to March.[15] They were then the headlining band on the inaugural "Get a Life Tour", that lasted all of April and the first half of May.[16] The band originally intended to begin recording immediately after the tour ended,[17] however due to the studios being already booked, they were not able to start recording until late May and will finish around September. During the recording sessions they took a one week break the last week of June for an international tour [18] and will take a day off in August to play a show in Seoul, South Korea.[19] The album will be produced by Panic at the Disco producer Matt Squire,[20] making this their first studio album not produced by John Feldmann. They decided to go with a different producer because they want the album to sound different from everything else that they've done in the past.[21] This will also be the first studio album by The Used to feature Dan Whitesides as the drummer. The first single should be released in winter as they aim to have the album released in late 2008 along with a possible DVD release at the same time.[22]

Band members

Current members

Former members

Touring members

  • Greg Bester - guitar - Played with the band on tour in early 2000s. (2001-2002)

Temporary members

Discography

Main article: The Used discography

Studio Albums

References

  1. ^ Jerry Gordinier (2004-10-26). "The Michigan Daily - The Used take emo to new levels on 'Death'". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  2. ^ Andy Greenwald (2003-11-21). "Screamo 101". EW.com. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  3. ^ Jonathan Dee (2003-06-29). "The Summer of Screamo". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  4. ^ a b c "The First Annual ROCKSTAR Energy Drink GET A LIFE TOUR Presented by Samsung Mobile Announces Artist Lineup and Tour". Reuters.com. 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  5. ^ a b Used Quit Using; Life Becomes 'Unreal' - MTV News
  6. ^ MySpace.com - Dumb Luck
  7. ^ Backbeat Online - Q&A With Jepha Howard of the Used
  8. ^ NowOnTour - Interview with The Used
  9. ^ allmusic ((( The Used > Biography )))
  10. ^ a b c d RIAA - Gold & Platinum - May 30, 2008
  11. ^ The Used Pictures, Biography, Discography, Filmography, News, Videos
  12. ^ The Used: In Love and Death (2004): Reviews
  13. ^ a b c Branden Leaves the Used
  14. ^ The Used: Lies For The Liars (2007): Reviews
  15. ^ Slappy New Year - Here's to a great '08 - woowoo! - The Used
  16. ^ Rockstar Get a Life Tour | News
  17. ^ "New directions for The Used". Boston Music Spotlight. 2008-04-14.
  18. ^ The Used at pickRset
  19. ^ MySpace.com - The Used
  20. ^ The Used Team With Panic at the Disco Producer
  21. ^ You Sing, I Write: Q&A with Jeph Howard of The Used
  22. ^ The Used Interview
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