Linkin Park is a band from Agoura Hills, California. They achieved mainstream success in 2000 with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which has since sold well over fifteen million copies.[2] The band’s following studio album, Meteora also garnered success, topping the Billboard 200’s album charts in 2003.[3] The band’s latest album, Minutes to Midnight, is slated to be released internationally on May 14, 2007 and on May 15, 2007 in the United States
Background information
Origin
Agoura Hills, California, USA
Genre(s)
Alternative rock Nu metal Rapcore
Years active
1996–present
Label(s)
Warner Bros. RecordsMachine Shop Recordings
Associatedacts
Fort MinorDead By SunriseGrey DazeRelative Degree
Website
www.linkinpark.com
Members
Chester Bennington
Joe Hahn
Mike Shinoda
Brad Delson
Rob Bourdon
Dave "Phoenix" Farrell
Former members
Scott Koziol (Stand-in)
Kyle Christener (Stand-in)
Mark Wakefield
Background information
Origin
Agoura Hills, California, USA
Genre(s)
Alternative rock Nu metal Rapcore
Years active
1996–present
Label(s)
Warner Bros. RecordsMachine Shop Recordings
Associatedacts
Fort MinorDead By SunriseGrey DazeRelative Degree
Website
www.linkinpark.com
Members
Chester Bennington
Joe Hahn
Mike Shinoda
Brad Delson
Rob Bourdon
Dave "Phoenix" Farrell
Former members
Scott Koziol (Stand-in)
Kyle Christener (Stand-in)
Mark Wakefield
CHESTER
+Bennington.jpg)
Name : Chester (Chazy Chaz) Bennington
D.O.B. : March 20, 1976
Instrument : Vocals
Gear :
- Audio Technica Wireless Mics
- Yamaha SPX 990
- Takamine guitars
-VS/Matix action figure steelo
MIKE
Name : Mike Shinoda
D.O.B. : February 11, 1977
Instrument : Vocals, Beats + Samples, Keyboards, Guitar
Gear :(on stage)
- Audio Technica wireless mic
- PRS guitars
- Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier heads
- Mesa Boogie cabinets(studio)
- Digidesign Protools software & hardware
- Anteres software
- Waves software
- Emagic hardware
- Roland keyboard modules
- AKAI S-900 & MPC 2000 samplers
BRAD
Name : Brad Delson
D.O.B. : December 1, 1977
Instrument : Guitar
Gear :
- Ibanez guitars
- PRS guitars
- Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier heads
- Mesa Boogie cabinets
- D'Addario strings (10XL)
- Boss Pedal effects
- D'Addario cables
- Dunlop picks (.83)
- Shure wireless
ROB
Name : Rob Bourdon
D.O.B. : January 20, 1979
Instrument : Drums
Gear :
- Gretsch kit
- Gibraltar Hardware
- Zildjian cymbals
- Remo heads
- Vater sticks
- Rane headphone amp
- Alesis DM-5 drum module
- Shure E-1 in-ear monitors
- D-drum trigger pads
JOE
Name : Joe Hahn
D.O.B. : March 15, 1977
Instrument : Turntables, Samples, Beats, & Sounds
Gear :
- Motor-driven Turntables
- Rane TTM 54 DJ mixer
- AKAI MPC 2000
- Emagic Logic Audio
- Various effects
- Shure M44-7 needles
- Custom-made vinyl
PHOENIX
Name : David Michel Farrell (Phoenix)
D.O.B. : February 8, 1977
Instrument : Bass
Gear :
- Ernie Ball Music Man Sting Ray basses
- Ampeg SVT Classic heads
- Ampeg SVT Classic cabinets
- Dean Markley Blue Steel strings
- Dunlop Picks (.88)
- DBX 160 compressor
- Monster cables
- Sans Amp
- Boss pedals
- Whirlwind direct boxes
- Shure wireless
Who are they? - Time for some introductions.
Old-school hip-hop, traditional classic rock, and spooling electronic vibes were the initial factors behind the building of the alternative metal quintet, Linkin Park. The band's southern Californian musical roots were also an underlying basis, for drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, and MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda formed a tight friendship while still in high school. Shortly after graduation, art student and DJ Joseph Hahn hooked up with bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Shinoda for the band, Xero. Hybrid Theory came later, but the band opted on the name Linkin Park when singer Chester Bennington was the last piece added to the band in 1999.
Soon the band became a noticeable face at the Whisky as well as favorites in and around Los Angeles. Zomba Music's Jeff Blue was one of the few who didn't turn the band down for a contract at the turn of the millennium - Linkin Park signed to Warner Bros. after being turned down three times in late 1999 and got to work on their debut album. Taking a piece from their past, they named the album Hybrid Theory. It was released in fall 2000 and it showcased their likes for fellow alternative acts such as the Deftones, the Roots, Aphex Twin, and Nine Inch Nails. The Dust Brothers also collaborated on the record, as well as producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Eve 6, Tracy Bonham).
Singles such as "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" were massive radio hits and video favorites among the TRL crowd on MTV. Joint tours with Family Values and the Project: Revolution Tour with Cypress Hill led the band to play 324 shows in 2001. Linkin Park was in demand. Come January 2002, Hybrid Theory received three Grammy nominations for "Best Rock Album" and "Best New Artist." A month later, Linkin Park walked away with an award for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for "Crawling." They spent the remainder of the year hold up in the studio, again working with Gillmore, recording a follow-up to their eight times platinum debut Hybrid Theory.
Linkin Park's sophomore effort Meteora was released in March 2003; the first single "Somewhere I Belong" was an instant hit. The second annual Projekt Revolution tour got underway in spring 2003 with Linkin Park joining Mudvayne, Xzibit and Blindside; Summer Sanitarium dates with Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and the Deftones followed in July and August.
Old-school hip-hop, traditional classic rock, and spooling electronic vibes were the initial factors behind the building of the alternative metal quintet, Linkin Park. The band's southern Californian musical roots were also an underlying basis, for drummer Rob Bourdon, guitarist Brad Delson, and MC/vocalist Mike Shinoda formed a tight friendship while still in high school. Shortly after graduation, art student and DJ Joseph Hahn hooked up with bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Shinoda for the band, Xero. Hybrid Theory came later, but the band opted on the name Linkin Park when singer Chester Bennington was the last piece added to the band in 1999.
Soon the band became a noticeable face at the Whisky as well as favorites in and around Los Angeles. Zomba Music's Jeff Blue was one of the few who didn't turn the band down for a contract at the turn of the millennium - Linkin Park signed to Warner Bros. after being turned down three times in late 1999 and got to work on their debut album. Taking a piece from their past, they named the album Hybrid Theory. It was released in fall 2000 and it showcased their likes for fellow alternative acts such as the Deftones, the Roots, Aphex Twin, and Nine Inch Nails. The Dust Brothers also collaborated on the record, as well as producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Eve 6, Tracy Bonham).
Singles such as "Crawling" and "One Step Closer" were massive radio hits and video favorites among the TRL crowd on MTV. Joint tours with Family Values and the Project: Revolution Tour with Cypress Hill led the band to play 324 shows in 2001. Linkin Park was in demand. Come January 2002, Hybrid Theory received three Grammy nominations for "Best Rock Album" and "Best New Artist." A month later, Linkin Park walked away with an award for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for "Crawling." They spent the remainder of the year hold up in the studio, again working with Gillmore, recording a follow-up to their eight times platinum debut Hybrid Theory.
Linkin Park's sophomore effort Meteora was released in March 2003; the first single "Somewhere I Belong" was an instant hit. The second annual Projekt Revolution tour got underway in spring 2003 with Linkin Park joining Mudvayne, Xzibit and Blindside; Summer Sanitarium dates with Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and the Deftones followed in July and August.
How did they meet?
- Xero was formed in 1996 by Mike and Brad.
- Xero was made up of: Mike, Brad, Joe, Rob, Phoenix and Mark.
- Mark left the band before they were called "Hybrid Theory" because things didn't work out, but he has always been a really good friend of theirs. - Mark is now Taproot's manager.
- The guys played around for fun and started getting attention from friends. So they set up a show at LA's Whisky and got signed to Zomba Music Publishing their 1st show. They were with the bands: System of a Down and SX-10.
- They started getting serious from there but "labels weren't really catching on" so they changed a few things and were looking for a new singer. About 2 yrs later or so Chester joined the band. That's when they changed their name to "Hybrid Theory".
- Chester had previously been in the band Grey Daze which had done pretty well and had some offers...so he met Mike and the guys through mutual friends in the industry. They met through their law firm Miniet Phelps and Phelps.
- The firm told "xero" that they had a guy in Phoenix (Chester) who might be good for the job and sent Chester a demo. He was asked to sing/make up something to the demo.
- He really wanted the job so he went to a recording studio to do it professionally. Within 3 days he had finished recording it.The guys were surprised when Chester called and said he was done and would fly to South California because it was his birthday. He supposedly left people at his party or birthday and worked on the tape. They asked to hear the tape over the phone first. Once they heard it,they were blown away and told him to fly over.
- Once Chester was in the band, they focused on making demos and used their connections at Zomba to get their demos out to people who would listen.
- Eventually after a buzz started, Warner Brothers was interested and signed them to their label. Then "Hybrid Theory" changed their name to "Linkin Park" to avoid legal hassles with another band who had the same name.
- They chose "Linkin Park" because Chester used to drive by Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, CA (which was a middle class neighborhood where lots of homeless people hung out) after practice and it grabbed his attention & the guys in the band liked how it sounded. They changed the spelling so that they could buy the domain; lincolnpark.com was already taken and too expensive to buy. They also think it's cool because there are so many Lincoln Parks that everywhere they play people think they are a local band.
- Also while Phoenix was with the band when they were "Xero" he left the band at some point to tour with another band Snax. He is not the bassist on the Hybrid Theory ep, Kyle Christner was bass. Once Phoenix finished up w/ the Snax tour he came back as a permanent member of Linkin Park. Kyle is now in the band NoseDive. So basically Phoenix was the bassist for "Xero", Kyle was the bassist for "Hybrid Theory" and Scott was just a temporary bassist for linkin park until Phoenix came back. (Scott can be seen in the 'One Step Closer' video).
- Xero was made up of: Mike, Brad, Joe, Rob, Phoenix and Mark.
- Mark left the band before they were called "Hybrid Theory" because things didn't work out, but he has always been a really good friend of theirs. - Mark is now Taproot's manager.
- The guys played around for fun and started getting attention from friends. So they set up a show at LA's Whisky and got signed to Zomba Music Publishing their 1st show. They were with the bands: System of a Down and SX-10.
- They started getting serious from there but "labels weren't really catching on" so they changed a few things and were looking for a new singer. About 2 yrs later or so Chester joined the band. That's when they changed their name to "Hybrid Theory".
- Chester had previously been in the band Grey Daze which had done pretty well and had some offers...so he met Mike and the guys through mutual friends in the industry. They met through their law firm Miniet Phelps and Phelps.
- The firm told "xero" that they had a guy in Phoenix (Chester) who might be good for the job and sent Chester a demo. He was asked to sing/make up something to the demo.
- He really wanted the job so he went to a recording studio to do it professionally. Within 3 days he had finished recording it.The guys were surprised when Chester called and said he was done and would fly to South California because it was his birthday. He supposedly left people at his party or birthday and worked on the tape. They asked to hear the tape over the phone first. Once they heard it,they were blown away and told him to fly over.
- Once Chester was in the band, they focused on making demos and used their connections at Zomba to get their demos out to people who would listen.
- Eventually after a buzz started, Warner Brothers was interested and signed them to their label. Then "Hybrid Theory" changed their name to "Linkin Park" to avoid legal hassles with another band who had the same name.
- They chose "Linkin Park" because Chester used to drive by Lincoln Park in Santa Monica, CA (which was a middle class neighborhood where lots of homeless people hung out) after practice and it grabbed his attention & the guys in the band liked how it sounded. They changed the spelling so that they could buy the domain; lincolnpark.com was already taken and too expensive to buy. They also think it's cool because there are so many Lincoln Parks that everywhere they play people think they are a local band.
- Also while Phoenix was with the band when they were "Xero" he left the band at some point to tour with another band Snax. He is not the bassist on the Hybrid Theory ep, Kyle Christner was bass. Once Phoenix finished up w/ the Snax tour he came back as a permanent member of Linkin Park. Kyle is now in the band NoseDive. So basically Phoenix was the bassist for "Xero", Kyle was the bassist for "Hybrid Theory" and Scott was just a temporary bassist for linkin park until Phoenix came back. (Scott can be seen in the 'One Step Closer' video).
Band history
Early years
Originally consisting of three close high school friends from Agoura High School, Linkin Park’s foundation was anchored by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, and Rob Bourdon. After graduating from high school, the Agoura Hills natives later began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band, then titled Xero. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda’s make-shift bedroom studio in 1996. Tensions and frustration within the band began to increase after the band failed to land a record deal. The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield, at that time the band’s vocalist, to leave the band in search for other projects.Later, Farrell would also leave the band in order to tour with Tasty Snax and other bands.
After spending a considerable time searching for Wakefield’s surrogate, Xero, now known as Hybrid Theory, recruited Arizonian vocalist Chester Bennington. Jeff Blue, the vice president of Zomba Music, referred Bennington to the band in March 1999. Bennington, formerly of Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants for his unique and vivid singing style. The newborn chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington helped revive the band, inciting them to work on new material. The band’s renaissance culminated with a change in name; from Hybrid Theory, the band changed their name to Linkin Park, a play and homage to Santa Monica’s Lincoln Park. However, despite these changes, the band still struggled to sign a record deal. After facing numerous rejections from several major record labels, Linkin Park turned to Jeff Blue for additional help. After failing to catch Warner Bros. Records on three previous reviews, Jeff Blue, now the vice president of Warner Bros. Records, helped the band sign a deal with the company in 1999. Now aside with Warner Bros. Records, the band released their breakthrough album, Hybrid Theory, the following year.
Breakthrough success
Linkin Park released Hybrid Theory on October 24, 2000. The album, which represented nearly half a decade’s worth of the band’s work, was edited and polished by music producer Don Gilmore. Hybrid Theory was well received by music fans; The band sold more than 4.8 million records during its debut year, while singles such as Crawling and One Step Closer established themselves as staples among Alternative Rock radio playlists during the year. Additionally, other singles from the album were featured in movies such as Dracula 2000, Little Nicky, and Valentine. Hybrid Theory was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, including best new artist, best rock album, and best hard rock performance (for Crawling). MTV also awarded the band their Best Rock Video and Best Direction awards for In the End. Through the winning of the Grammy for best hard rock performance, and for Best Rock Album, Hybrid Theory’s overall success had catapulted the band into the mainstream's attention.
During this time, Linkin Park received many invitations to perform with many recognized tours and concerts including Ozzfest, Family Values Tour and KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas. The band also formed their own tour, Projekt Revolution, which featured other notable artists such as, Cypress Hill, Adema, and Snoop Dogg. Within a year’s stretch, Linkin Park had performed at over 320 concerts. The experiences and performances of the precocious band were documented in their first DVD, Frat Party at the Pankake Festival, which debuted in November 2001. Now reunited with former bassist Dave Farrell, the band began work on a remix album, dubbed Reanimation, which would include works from Hybrid Theory and Hybrid Theory EP. The album debuted on July 30, 2002, featuring the likes of Black Thought, Jonathan Davis, Aaron Lewis, and many others. Reanimation claimed the second spot on the Billboard 200, and sold nearly 270,000 copies during its debut week.
Early years
Originally consisting of three close high school friends from Agoura High School, Linkin Park’s foundation was anchored by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, and Rob Bourdon. After graduating from high school, the Agoura Hills natives later began to take their musical interests more seriously, recruiting Joe Hahn, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, and Mark Wakefield to perform in their band, then titled Xero. Though limited in resources, the band began recording and producing songs within Shinoda’s make-shift bedroom studio in 1996. Tensions and frustration within the band began to increase after the band failed to land a record deal. The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield, at that time the band’s vocalist, to leave the band in search for other projects.Later, Farrell would also leave the band in order to tour with Tasty Snax and other bands.
After spending a considerable time searching for Wakefield’s surrogate, Xero, now known as Hybrid Theory, recruited Arizonian vocalist Chester Bennington. Jeff Blue, the vice president of Zomba Music, referred Bennington to the band in March 1999. Bennington, formerly of Grey Daze, became a standout among applicants for his unique and vivid singing style. The newborn chemistry between Shinoda and Bennington helped revive the band, inciting them to work on new material. The band’s renaissance culminated with a change in name; from Hybrid Theory, the band changed their name to Linkin Park, a play and homage to Santa Monica’s Lincoln Park. However, despite these changes, the band still struggled to sign a record deal. After facing numerous rejections from several major record labels, Linkin Park turned to Jeff Blue for additional help. After failing to catch Warner Bros. Records on three previous reviews, Jeff Blue, now the vice president of Warner Bros. Records, helped the band sign a deal with the company in 1999. Now aside with Warner Bros. Records, the band released their breakthrough album, Hybrid Theory, the following year.
Breakthrough success
Linkin Park released Hybrid Theory on October 24, 2000. The album, which represented nearly half a decade’s worth of the band’s work, was edited and polished by music producer Don Gilmore. Hybrid Theory was well received by music fans; The band sold more than 4.8 million records during its debut year, while singles such as Crawling and One Step Closer established themselves as staples among Alternative Rock radio playlists during the year. Additionally, other singles from the album were featured in movies such as Dracula 2000, Little Nicky, and Valentine. Hybrid Theory was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, including best new artist, best rock album, and best hard rock performance (for Crawling). MTV also awarded the band their Best Rock Video and Best Direction awards for In the End. Through the winning of the Grammy for best hard rock performance, and for Best Rock Album, Hybrid Theory’s overall success had catapulted the band into the mainstream's attention.
During this time, Linkin Park received many invitations to perform with many recognized tours and concerts including Ozzfest, Family Values Tour and KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas. The band also formed their own tour, Projekt Revolution, which featured other notable artists such as, Cypress Hill, Adema, and Snoop Dogg. Within a year’s stretch, Linkin Park had performed at over 320 concerts. The experiences and performances of the precocious band were documented in their first DVD, Frat Party at the Pankake Festival, which debuted in November 2001. Now reunited with former bassist Dave Farrell, the band began work on a remix album, dubbed Reanimation, which would include works from Hybrid Theory and Hybrid Theory EP. The album debuted on July 30, 2002, featuring the likes of Black Thought, Jonathan Davis, Aaron Lewis, and many others. Reanimation claimed the second spot on the Billboard 200, and sold nearly 270,000 copies during its debut week.
Meteora debuts
Following the success of Hybrid Theory and Reanimation, Linkin Park spent a significant amount of time touring around United States. The band began to work on new material amidst the saturated schedule, spending a sliver of their free time in their tour bus' studio. The band officially announced the production of a new studio album in December 2002, revealing their new work was inspired by Meteora, a historic monastery in Greece. Meteora featured a mixture of the band's previous nu-metal and rapcore styles with newer innovative effects, including the induction of a Japanese Flute and other instruments. Eponymous to Meteora, the Linkin Park's sophomore album debuted on March 25, 2003, instantly earning worldwide recognition.
Meteora sold more than 800,000 copies during its first week, and ranked as the best selling album on the Billboard charts. Music videos for some of the album's singles, including Somewhere I Belong, Breaking the Habit, Faint and Numb, received significant radio attention. Eventually, Meteora sold nearly three million copies by October 2003. The album's success allowed Linkin Park to form another Projekt Revolution, which featured other bands and artists including, Mudvayne, Blindside, and Xzibit. Additionally, Metallica, a famed heavy metal group, invited Linkin Park to play at the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, which included well-known acts such as Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones. The band released an album and DVD, entitled Live in Texas, which consisted of audio and video tracks of some of the band's performances in Texas during the tour.
Bennington appears on the band's behalf at MTV Asia Aid
Meteora also earned the band additional awards and honors. The band won MTV's awards for Best Rock Video (Somewhere I Belong), Viewer's Choice Award (Breaking the Habit). Linkin Park also received significant recognition during the 2004 Radio Music Awards, winning the Artist of the Year and Song of the Year (Numb) awards. Although Meteora was not nearly as successful as Hybrid Theory, it was the third best selling album in America during 2003. The band spent the first few months of 2004 touring around the world, first with the third Projeckt Revolution tour, and later several European concerts.
Following the success of Hybrid Theory and Reanimation, Linkin Park spent a significant amount of time touring around United States. The band began to work on new material amidst the saturated schedule, spending a sliver of their free time in their tour bus' studio. The band officially announced the production of a new studio album in December 2002, revealing their new work was inspired by Meteora, a historic monastery in Greece. Meteora featured a mixture of the band's previous nu-metal and rapcore styles with newer innovative effects, including the induction of a Japanese Flute and other instruments. Eponymous to Meteora, the Linkin Park's sophomore album debuted on March 25, 2003, instantly earning worldwide recognition.
Meteora sold more than 800,000 copies during its first week, and ranked as the best selling album on the Billboard charts. Music videos for some of the album's singles, including Somewhere I Belong, Breaking the Habit, Faint and Numb, received significant radio attention. Eventually, Meteora sold nearly three million copies by October 2003. The album's success allowed Linkin Park to form another Projekt Revolution, which featured other bands and artists including, Mudvayne, Blindside, and Xzibit. Additionally, Metallica, a famed heavy metal group, invited Linkin Park to play at the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003, which included well-known acts such as Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and Deftones. The band released an album and DVD, entitled Live in Texas, which consisted of audio and video tracks of some of the band's performances in Texas during the tour.
Bennington appears on the band's behalf at MTV Asia Aid
Meteora also earned the band additional awards and honors. The band won MTV's awards for Best Rock Video (Somewhere I Belong), Viewer's Choice Award (Breaking the Habit). Linkin Park also received significant recognition during the 2004 Radio Music Awards, winning the Artist of the Year and Song of the Year (Numb) awards. Although Meteora was not nearly as successful as Hybrid Theory, it was the third best selling album in America during 2003. The band spent the first few months of 2004 touring around the world, first with the third Projeckt Revolution tour, and later several European concerts.
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