+44 (band)
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+44 |
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+44 (pronounced "plus forty four"), also known as (+44) and (Plus 44) is a pop punk[2] band formed by former Blink-182 members Mark Hoppus (vocals and bass guitar) and Travis Barker (drums, percussion and keyboards). The group also consists of former Transplants touring guitarist Craig Fairbaugh and the lead guitarist of The Nervous Return, Shane Gallagher. The band name refers to the international dialing code of the United Kingdom, the country where Hoppus and Barker first discussed the project.[3]
History
Formation (2004-2005)
Originally, +44 was only going to be a side project to Blink-182 when Mark and Travis were talking about it during the Europe tour in late 2004[4], when they noted that Tom DeLonge was acting more and more distant and was becoming less and less interested in Blink-182. However, the events that followed in February 2005 caused +44 to become Mark and Travis' main focus rather than a side project. The project consisted of elements not usually present in Blink-182's work, namely electronic drums, keyboards, and direct computer recordings. Barker later stated that the whole electronic element of the band was derived from "155", the first song he and Hoppus wrote as a band.[5]
As work continued on the demos, Get The Girl vocalist Carol Heller was invited by Hoppus and Barker to try out her vocals. Heller's performance was agreeable enough to the band and as a result the three kept working on more songs together. The band's lineup changed again early 2006, with the addition of guitarist Shane Gallagher. In order to progress with their demos, Barker and Hoppus acquired a studio, a move which marked a "turning point for +44." [3] The band began working solely in the studio they had purchased, playing live drums, guitars and vocals. The band's sound had started with an electronic element which became less evident, but still remained a key feature. As a result, Heller found she wasn't compatible with the band's direction, and with the addition of her wish to start a family, she left the band. The vocal work that Heller contributed is still present in the songs "Make You Smile", "Weatherman", and the early mix of "No, It Isn't". After this, Hoppus, Barker, and Gallagher were left to find a new backing vocalist. Guitarist Craig Fairbaugh of Mercy Killers then joined the band.
Work continued on the band's first record, with members, Hoppus, Barker, Fairbaugh, and Gallagher.
When Your Heart Stops Beating (2006-2007)
As the projected release date started to draw in, speculation on the title of the band's debut album began to circulate. At first, it was believed that the album would be called Little Death which was later revealed to be one of the tracks of the album. Hoppus finally settled on When Your Heart Stops Beating. A song, entitled "Lycanthrope" was released on the +44 website in early September 2006. This was only the second song that fans had heard other than "No, It Isn't" and had more of a "punk" feel to it.
Later in September 2006, to early October KROQ radio played the title track of the forthcoming album after a message from Mark Hoppus through his MySpace blog, alerting fans to this fact. The band played their first gig on the September 7, 2006 at The Roxy Theatre in Hollywood; Hoppus stated it was the first show he had performed in two years. The band, followed this up by their second ever gig and first ever UK gig at the Astoria venue in London. Both gigs were met with very encouraging reactions from fans, considering that at that time, only one completely recorded and mastered song, "When Your Heart Stops Beating" had been heard.
+44 officially released their first studio album entitled "When Your Heart Stops Beating" on November 14, 2006 in North America, November 13, 2006 in Europe, and November 11, 2006 in Australia.
During the shooting of the video for When Your Heart Stops Beating, Travis Barker injured his arm, which was discovered weeks later after playing a whole European promo tour. This forced him to cancel drumming in the upcoming Australia and Europe tours. Gil Sharone filled in for him in these tours.
+44 also covered The Smashing Pumpkins' song "I Am One" for a Myspace tribute to the band and also participated in the iTunes Foreign Exchange. For this they covered Wir Sind Helden's song "Guten Tag" with an English translation and Wir Sind Helden covered "When Your Heart Stops Beating" in a German translation, entitled "Wenn Dein Herz zu Schlagen Aufhört".
In 2007, +44 set off on the Honda Civic Tour with Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is..., Paul Wall, and Cobra Starship. During the tour they filmed themselves playing for their upcoming single "155." On the same tour they began playing old Blink-182 songs. They covered "Dammit", "The Rock Show" and "What's My Age Again?"
Second studio album (2007-present)
The first mention of +44 pulling out of their European festival and show appearances was on August 6, 2007 by Mark Hoppus on his blog site HiMyNameIsMark.
The music website NME then released the following statement from the band on August 8, 2007 with the official reason of studio commitments for their follow up to their 2006 debut, When Your Heart Stops Beating.
"We want to start writing new songs and we are really excited about the direction we have planned.
So we're going into the studio instead of playing these few dates. We hope our fans will forgive us for the cancellation; in the end, this will make for an even better live show when we come back."
Following on from these statements Mark Hoppus revealed on his blog site some information regarding the writing of the follow up to When Your Heart Stops Beating, he stated:
"Now we are starting to write the next record. We’ve got a bunch of ideas; a studio full of stuff, microphones, and effects; and a soundboard from the 1970’s. We’re really excited to start putting together a new album."
On October 23, 2007, Hoppus stated that +44 had officially signed a deal with Interscope Records to start recording +44's second studio album.[6]
On April 9th, 2008, on his blog site www.himynameismark.com, Mark stated that the delay of the second studio album was due to the lack of funding by the label.
On May 25, 2008, Mark Hoppus stated that the new +44 album was still in pre-production. He has been considering releasing demos of the songs on his website, but claims that label management would sue him. Hoppus is also producing the upcoming new New Found Glory album.
Band members
Current line-up
- Mark Hoppus — lead vocals, bass Guitar (2005–present)
- Shane Gallagher — lead guitar (2006–present)
- Craig Fairbaugh — rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2006–present)
- Travis Barker — drums, percussion, keyboards (2005–present)
Former
- Carol Heller — vocals, guitar (2005–2006)
Injury replacement
- Gil Sharone — drums (2006–2007)
Touring member on the Honda Civic Tour
- Victoria Asher — vocals on Make You Smile
Discography
Albums
| Date of Release | Title | Label | U.S. | UK | FR | AUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 November 2006 | When Your Heart Stops Beating | Interscope Records | 10 | 50 | 144 | 22 |
Promotional CDs / 7"s
| Year | Title | Format |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "No, It Isn't" | CD |
| 2006 | "Cliff Diving" | 7" |
| 2006 | "Lycanthrope" | 7" |
| 2006 | "When Your Heart Stops Beating Album Sampler" | CD |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. Modern Rock | U.S. Pop 100 | UK | AUS | |||
| 2006 | "Lycanthrope" | - | - | - | - | - | When Your Heart Stops Beating |
| "When Your Heart Stops Beating" | 89 | 14 | 78 | 47 | 47 | ||
| 2007 | "Baby Come On" | - | - | - | - | - | |
Internet released
ITunes Foreign Exchange - Covered Wir Sind Helden's song Guten Tag.
Various artists albums
| Date of Release | Title | Label | +44 song |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Kevin & Bean's Super Christmas | KROQ | Christmas Vacation |
| 2006 | MTV Presents Laguna Beach: Summer Can Last Forever | Interscope | When Your Heart Stops Beating |
| 2007 | Helio Presents: The Smashing Pumpkins Tribute CD | MySpace Records | I Am One |
| 2007 | Punk Goes Acoustic 2 | Fearless Records | Baby Come On (Acoustic) |
Music Videos
| Song | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "When Your Heart Stops Beating" | 2006 | When Your Heart Stops Beating |
| "Chapter 13: Live At The Roxy" | ||
| "155" | 2007 |
Other songs
Unreleased rough mixes or demos
- Make You Smile (rough mix)
- Little Death (demo)
- Cliffdiving (demo)
- When Your Heart Stops Beating (Electronic Remix)
- Little Death (Chris Holmes Mix)
Unreleased live covers
- The Metro (originally by Berlin)
- Nervous Breakdown (originally by Black Flag)
- What's My Age Again? (originally by Blink-182)
- The Rock Show (originally by Blink-182)
- Dammit (originally by Blink-182)
References
- ^ http://www.rockfeedback.com/article.asp?nObjectID=3868
- ^ http://www.rockfeedback.com/article.asp?nObjectID=3868
- ^ a b "Mark Hoppus Tells All to B182.com". b182.com. Retrieved 2006-08-14.
- ^ Plus 44 by Atomik (+44 plus44) - Biography band (Mark Hoppus Travis Barker Shane Gallagher Craig Fairbaugh)
- ^ http://www.44disasters.com/scans/drummer_issue40/drummer_issue_40-page07.jpg
- ^ himynameismark.com
