Their band doesn't have a normal name, but the four guys of Hoobastank are normal guys. They have normal lives, they do normal things, and they have the same sense of humor as their fans. That's why Hoobastank - guitarist Dan Estrin, bassist Markku Lappalainen, drummer Chris Hesse, and singer Doug Robb - connect with them. Their songs have that intangible ability to speak for and to the things that normal kids think and feel.

 

 

"When we're on tour and pull up somewhere, we're wearing shorts and flip-flops, and we look like average Joes. I like that. We don't have to make ourselves up to leave the bus," Robb says. "We never take ourselves too seriously and we're not afraid to make fun of ourselves. When we talk to the kids at shows, we end up talking about ordinary things. It's not 'fan talking to rock star.' The band is what we have in common, but it's not all we talk about."

 

 

OK, they're not completely normal, everyday guys. Their first album went platinum thanks to the hit singles "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away," and they do work their asses off to get their breaks. But with their second album, The Reason, it shows that they're songwriters of uncommon talent, with a broader palette of songs, moods, and emotions than their self-titled debut. It's called progressing.

 

 

Formed in the mid-1990s in the Los Angeles suburb of Agoura Hills, while the quartet was still in high school, Hoobastank has since grown into a songwriting machine. Lots of time on the road has made them tight and the meticulous nature of Estrin and Robb - both of whom holed-up in their home studios, trading demos back and forth - guaranteed that The Reason's songs would have both muscular rock and melodic finesse. According to Robb, "the heavier songs are heavier and the softer songs became softer. If the first album was sort of middle-of-the-road, this one rides on both side of the road."

 

 

"Yeah," adds Estrin. "Some of the songs might come off as cheesy at first when I write them, but then Doug takes them and makes them…even cheesier."

 

 

Cheese jokes aside, the record benefited from the holistic approach of producer Howard Benson (P.O.D, Cold, and Crystal Method). "Howard focused on the lyrics and melodies and song structure, not individual parts," Robb explains

 

 

The album's first single, "Out of Control," presents the more aggressive side of the quartet. It was the last song the band recorded for the disc, and was written after they thought they were finished. The track touches on a common theme of the album.

 

 

"A few songs on this record are about religion and my complete lack of interest in it," say Robb. "A lot of it is about asking questions or questioning all that people see. It's not all about religion. 'Out of Control' was based on that and about opening your eyes after being blinded by being devoted to something. It could be about the person who devotes their life to their job and ends up feeling lost and, well, out of control.

 

 

There's plenty of hard-ass rock on The Reason, from the torrential guitar and lofty hook of "Just One" to the blast of "Same Direction" and the near-epic "Disappear," there's a lot to rock about. As for the softer side, there's the sweeping grandeur of the title track, which features a circular guitar arpeggio and Robb's soaring vocal line, it's an apology cum love song that they don't make too many of these days. They also recorded a version of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," which didn't make the record. They were originally asked to cover it for Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo "It's not something we want to be known for, but we're holding it for something good. Maybe for the sequel…Deuce Bigalow, Electric Boogaloo."

 

 

It hasn't been all fun, games and Pro Tools, however. In August 2003, the guys were riding miniature motorcycles outside of the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach. Estrin, who bought the bike that day, was going about 10 miles an hour when he ran into a chest-high rope and hit his head on the pavement. It didn't look that bad at first. He got up, got back on the tour bus, but it was obvious that it was getting worse, so they went to the hospital. Estrin had a tiny skull fracture, with a blood clot forming underneath it. If it hadn't been removed that night he could have died.

 

 

The guitarist calmly explains, "It wasn't a real motorcycle accident. If I'd been wearing a helmet, I would have gotten up and everybody would have laughed at me. My head wasn't even five feet off the ground. It was such a joke, but it freaked me out that something that simple could cause something so serious."

 

 

It didn't slow him down too much though. "I've realized that I'm one of those people that can't wait for things to be handed to me. When I was injured, I should have been resting and getting better, but I was working just as hard as I would have if I had been fine. Aside from canceling a few dates, I kept working."

 

 

So in less than a month, it was back to normal. Because the music is the reason they do everything else.

 

 

 

It'd be easy to recap the career of Hoobastank: a couple of guys meet in a Battle of the Bands in Agoura Hills, CA, in 1994. They grab a bassist and a drummer, damn themselves with a weird band name, build up a local following, get signed, put out two records that earn accolades like "post-grunge ear candy," release a monster ballad ("The Reason"), get nominated for three Grammys ... well, we can go on. But here's why you should really give a damn about Hoobastank, and their third album Every Man for Himself.

 

Seven Amazingly Fascinating Things About Hoobastank

 

 

1) Guitarist Dan Estrin has a great story involving brain surgery and a catheter.

 

In 2003, during the band's tour for its multi-platinum second album The Reason, Estrin made a fateful purchase. "Everyone in the band rides street bikes and motocross bikes," says the guitarist. "I was fucking around on a mini-bike that I just bought. I was riding one around after a show ... and I smashed my head into concrete." The result? "They had to cut my head open. I just remember, before the surgery, I had two fears: they'd have shave my head and I'd wake up with a catheter in me. So I wake up, and lo and behold, my head's shaved and there's a tube in my dick."

 

 

2) There are flutes and seven minute songs on the new album (blame Pink Floyd).

 

If you liked the infectious pop-rock stylings of the last two Hoobastank albums, you'll enjoy Every Man for Himself just as much, if not more. That said, Every Man does offer up some variety, even while maintaining the band's core sound. The epic "More Than a Memory", for example, features flutes, accordion, chimes and trumpets. "I was listening to a lot of Pink Floyd at the time, especially The Wall," remembers Estrin. "I like albums, and songs, that take you on a journey, that almost come across as a movie. And that song definitely does - it's like Floyd, the Beatles, and even tails off like "Sir Psycho Sexy," that old Red Hot Chili Peppers song. I just like applying lessons from bands I admire."

 

 

3) Did we mention the Journey influence?

 

Listen to "Moving Forward" and prepare to recognize a very familiar classic rock refrain. "We wrote that song when Doug was driving one day and heard Journey's 'Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin' on the radio," says Estrin. "We like Journey; we're not huge fans, but I really liked that 'na na na na' part of the song." He laughs. "I don't think it's stealing. We made it our own style."

 

 

4) Music critics despise them. The feeling is mutual.

 

"The album comes out in April. I expect we'll do some shows, meet fans, and have critics ready to tear it apart," says Robb. "Honestly, I want to go 'fuck it, it's not for you, it's for me and the guys in the band.' If we're happy with it, that's what counts. We get a lot of shit because we don't go out of our way to be 'different' ... we're just trying to be who we are. And that's actually the theme of the album - being yourself."

 

 

5) Speaking of message boards, you can find a lot of fun, weird stuff about Hoobastank on theirs... and some of it might be true.

 

 

* Dan used to be a roadie for Incubus.

 

* Chris worked in a plant nursery for 5 years.

 

* Doug and Dan used to be counselors at the YMCA.

 

* The name of the band? It's the "H" in Jesus H. Christ. At least, that's what Doug will tell you.

 

 

6) That's a real drill sergeant on the album. He's there for a reason.

 

"Born to Lead" features the barking cadence of Sgt. Dale Guy. "I wouldn't want him there all the time, but he was cool," says Robb. "The song was about people wishing and praying for things instead of doing something to accomplish their dreams. It's about getting off your ass, and I think the Sarge added a lot to the song's vibe."

 

 

7) They recorded Every Man for Himself in a really backward, inefficient, grueling kind of way.

 

The band started work on the album during Hooba's last mega-tour. Estrin would come up with musical ideas during sound checks, then record a demo later, hand it off to Doug for melodies and lyrics, and finally, fly home with the whole band to record the finished product during non-tour weekends. "It wasn't an ideal way of doing things," admits Robb. "But I think, strangely, it affected us in a positive way. Maybe it was the energy of being on tour, but I think the results came out far better than our previous two records."

 

 

 

 

Биография: Происхождение Hoobastank относится к ранним 90-м, когда Доуг Робб и Дэн Эстрин нашли друг друга во время соревнования двух конкурирующих школьных групп. Каждый был впечатлен умениями своего конкурента. В итоге они покидают свои группы, чтобы объединить усилия и начали сотрудничество. С приходом Марку Лаппалайнена и Криса Хесе их творческая активность только усилилась. Эти годы они выступают по всей Калифорнии и Аризоне, играют в различных местах, даже в таких экзотических, как Дворец и Амфитеатр.

В 1998 году Hoobastank своими усилиями выпускают свой первым альбом ''They Sure Don't Make Basketball Shorts Like They Used To''. В то время как диск продавался хорошо в местах выступлений и местных торговых точках, у группы стали появляться фаны и за пределами США - в Англии, Израиле, России и Бразилии. Парни продали все копии.

''Это неповторимое чувство, когда узнаешь, что наша музыка находит путь к слушателям во всем мире. Мы бы не поверили, пока не получили email от паренька из Бразилии, в котором он сообщил, что после прослушивания нашего альбома создал свой сайт, посвященный группе'', - говорит Эстрин.

В 2001 году, после успешного дебюта, Hoobastank готовятся выполнить обещания своим слушателям. Теперь они будут наслаждаться мелодическим резонансом нового альбома, над которым работали Джим Вирт (Jim Wirt) и Джей Баумгарднер (Jay

Baumgardner). Через стилистику жанра прямо на эмоциональное ядро, объединяя мелодичность и острый, резкий ритм электрогитар.
Альбом ''Hoobastank'' выставляет на витрину таланты квартета и устанавливает их как группу с собственным звуком и видением. В итоге он стал платиновым, благодаря синглам: ''Crawling in the Dark'' и ''Running Away''.

''Я никогда не забуду, как мы загружали наше оборудование в звукозаписывающую студию в первый день'', - говорит Крис Хесе, - ''я не мог поверить, что это происходит. Тогда это было таким сильным чувством узнать, что наконец-то мы получили шанс сделать настоящую запись''. ''Это было коллективное чувство возбуждения и предвидения в первый день записи'', - добавляет Марку
Лаппалайнен, - ''мы находились в студии шесть дней в неделю, десять часов в день в течение двух месяцев и это было замечательно. В конечном итоге, после прослушивания еще грубых и необработанных записей, мы все были такими счастливыми, что наконец-то закончили наш первый настоящий альбом. Мы ждали этого дня так долго''.

К своему третьему альбому ребята подошли осмысленно. За работу взялся Говард Бенсон (Howard Benson) (P.O.D, Cold, Crystal Method). Он сосредоточился на лирике, мелодичности и песенной структуре, а не на индивидуальных элементах. Релиз ''The Reason'' состоялся 9 декабря 2003 года. Первый сингл ''Out of Control'' представляет более агрессивную сторону квартета. Она была последней записанной песней и касается общей темы альбома...