Panic At The Disco

Ryan Ross (vocals/guitar) and Spencer Smith (drums) attended the same High School in Las Vegas.  With a friend Brent Wilson (bass, ex-member) they started jamming together in the evenings. The informal practice sessions soon morphed the group into a rock band,  christened Summer League.  After a few gigs, the friends reckoned their band’s sound was a bit on the ‘thin’ side, so a search started for an extra guitar player. Brent met Brendon Urie, inviting him along to audition to play guitar.  But when it was realised that Brendon’s singing voice was the best of the group, he was persuaded to take over lead vocals. To celebrate their new line-up, a new name was called for.  The foursome settled on Panic! at the Disco (the ! was later discarded).

Pete Wentz (see Fall Out Boy Songs) saw PATD performing, and suggested to the band that they approach the Fueled by Ramen  label. Pete’s intincts proved correct as the record company offered PATD a contract.   The band’s first album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out came out late in 2005. Their first single - I Write Sins Not Tragedies - was released from the album.  The single’s video included a mock circus wedding – the circus idea is a constant theme of the band’s tours.  To raise their image, the band embarked on a protracted US tour, as a support act.  By the end of the tour their popularity had increased to such an extent that they became the headline act.  A second single from the album,  But It’s Better If You Do was released early in spring 2006, rising to number 26 in the charts. This single is many people’s favorite of all Panic At The Disco songs.

On tour though, the internal squabbling in the band turned from playful to resentful.  Eventually Brent Wilson made the decision to quit.  This left the group short of a bass for the UK and European leg of their tour.  Fortunately Jon Walker, who was a friend from school days, stepped up to fill the role.

The band’s sophomore album, Pretty. Odd came out early in 2008. It reached #2 in both the US and UK albums chart. Key tracks off the album include Nine in the Afternoon and That Green Gentleman.

Best Band’s (from 100BestEverything) ratings for PATD: Music 5 stars out of 5. Character 4 stars out of 5. Live Performance 3 out of 5.

Flyleaf

Lacey Mosley spent her early years in Arlington (TX).  As a young teenager, she was given at bass guitar on Christmas day.  The guitar became a passion.  At the age of 16, after a series of fights with her mom, she went to live with her grandmother in nearby Gulport.   Attending Gulport highschool she made a new circle of musical friends, and soon she was playing in a school band.

Lacey took to going with her grandmother to church - through which she found a new sense of purpose to her life.

A couple of years later Lacey moved to Temple.  Here she me James Culpper (drums), Sameer Bhattacharya (guitar), and Jared Hartmann (guitar).  Toghether they formed and band, with the name Passerby.

The band became a popular live act, playing over 100 gigs around Texas, and releasing 3 EPS.  By this time Lacey had dropped playing the bass, and was concentrating on fronting the band vocally.  After a couple of short-term stand-in bass-players, Pat Seals joined the band to become permanent. 

Soon the record label Octone Records had signed them up on a record deal.  Someone found out that the name PasserBy had already been trademarked, so the group chose a new name, Flyleaf.  In 2004, the band released the popular single, Breathe Today, which was promoted with a brill video.

The band’s first proper album, self-titled, was released in fall 2005. Singles from the album include I’m So Sick, Fully Alive, and All Around Me.  A hectic tour schedule followed, throughout the US, Europe and Australia.

Best Band’s ratings for Flyleaf: Music 4 stars out of 5. Character 4 stars out of 5. Live Performance 4 out of 5.

Coldplay

Shortly after arriving at University College London (in fall 1996), Chris Martin bumped into Jonny Buckland.  They both loved playing music, and between them formed a band, called Pectoralz.   Soon they recruited a third member, Guy Berryman.  The band practiced daily, and soon were playing to small venues in the Camden area. 

In 1998, Will Champion was enlisted to play the drums (he was a total novice, but a talented musician, so quickly picked them up).  The band was complete muscially, but they still weren’t happy with the name, so tried <i>Starfish</i> before eventually settling on - Coldplay.

The first release from the the band was the <i>Safety</i> EP, of which only 500 copies were made - which nowadays change hands for a small fortune ($5000 plus).   In the summer of 1999, the band played Glastonbury - great for word-of-mouth marketing.

After some bust-ups in the band (Will Champion once stormed out, only to return when begged to do so by the rest of the band), the foursome decided on some band democracy - all revenues would be divided 4ways, and everyone’s name would appear on song credits.

Late 1999 also saw the release of their first album Parachutes. The hit singles Yellow and Trouble came from the album.  The band hit the US for a promotion tour.

The band’s second album A Rush of Blood to the Head was released in 2002 to worldwide success.  Singles taken from the album include In My Place, Clocks and The Scientist. A Rush of Blood to the Head went on to achieve chart success – hitting number one both sides of the Atlantic. The band embarked on a megatour, with over a 100 live performances.

X & Y, Coldplay’s third album, came out in 2005. Wonderful tracks off the album include Speed of Sound and Fix You.

Chris Martin is now married to Gwyneth Paltrow, the Hollywood actress, who has taken title roles in lots of blockbuster movies, like Emma.  (A talented couple!)

Best Band’s ratings for Coldplay: Music 5 stars out of 5. Character 4 stars out of 5. Live Performance 4 out of 5.