Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind |
|---|
Third Eye Blind (frequently abbreviated 3eb) is a rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The band's current line-up is Stephan Jenkins (vocals, guitar), Brad Hargreaves (drums, percussion), Tony Fredianelli (guitar, vocals), and Leo Kremer (bass guitar, vocals).
The band's original line-up changed shortly after the release of the their second album, 1999's Blue, when guitarist Kevin Cadogan was released under circumstances that still elicit controversy among fans. More recently, bassist Arion Salazar has not been playing with the band, and his future as part of the quartet is unclear. Leo Kremer has been filling in for Salazar during concerts, but it is not yet known if he will become a full-time member.
History
Beginnings (1993-1996)
Third Eye Blind recorded their first demo in 1993. In 1996, the band landed an opening gig for Oasis. They were invited out for an encore, even after Oasis had already played, sparking the friendly rivalry that would form between the two bands. The band was paid double what they were promised for the gig. In addition, Stephan Jenkins' production of The Braids' cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" gained major-label attention [1]. Afterwards, the band found themselves in a bidding war among record labels, in which they settled on Elektra because they believed it offered the most artistic freedom. The contract was one of the largest ever given to an unreleased artist. Jenkins' outspoken behavior after signing the deal earned him the title of "the biggest mouth in music" by many critics. Jenkins has spoken out many times against several different artists, later leading to a heated feud with Rob Thomas of the band Matchbox Twenty. [citation needed]
Success (1997-2000)
Third Eye Blind's first album, Third Eye Blind, became an immediate success after its release in 1997. The album had 5 singles, "Semi-Charmed Life", "Graduate", "Losing a Whole Year", "Jumper", and "How's It Going to Be". "Semi-Charmed Life" hit as high as #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for 8 weeks. The band also played "How's it Going to Be" on Saturday Night Live. To date it has been the most successful Third Eye Blind CD, selling 6 million units worldwide. Smash Mouth drummer Michael Urbano also appeared on the album, playing drums on 4 songs. During this period they also opened a number of shows on U2's Popmart tour. Additionally, this album includes the track "Motorcycle Drive By" which despite receiving only limited radio play, has gained significant popularity especially amongst the band's close followers.
In 1999 the band released Blue. Although not received as well as Third Eye Blind, the album sold 150,000 copies the first month of release and 2 million total sales. 4 singles were released from the album, "Anything", "Never Let You Go", "Deep Inside of You", and "10 Days Late". In early 2000, shortly after the release of the album, Kevin Cadogan was released from the band.
Hiatus (2001-2002)
After extensive and exhaustive touring around the world the band took a break. The band took a year off, only playing for charity events. They put on shows for the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Breathe Benefit Concert in Los Angeles after Jenkins' mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. During the hiatus the band also built a recording studio in anticipation of their next album.
Out of the Vein (2003)
In 2003 the band released Out of the Vein. Two singles were released from the album; "Blinded", and "Crystal Baller". Despite positive reviews the album was a commercial disappointment, selling only 500,000 copies worldwide. There were no music videos created for the singles and Elektra Records, who were being absorbed into Atlantic Records, did little to promote the album. Stephan Jenkins commented, "I worked really hard on Out of the Vein . . . Elektra was imploding as we were making it, so we didn't make a video and didn't do a marketing campaign, but as far as critics go, it was my best-reviewed album."
Recent activity
Recent live performances have revealed a majority of the new tracks being worked on, including "Campfire", "Don't Believe a Word", "Alright Caroline", "Lay Back (and the Water Will Hold You)," "In the Skin", "Summer Town", "Second Born", "Monotov's Private Opera", "Break Me", "Stevie Ray Vaughan", "Red Star", "Standing Up For You", and "A Sharp Knife." Other tracks mentioned for the album by Fredianelli are "Away", "Captain of Emo", "Swimming", "Now I Don't Know" and "Jesse 2k."[citation needed] He also confirmed that "Captain of Emo" and "Lay Back" have been scrapped.[citation needed]
A number of previously unreleased recordings were made available, including "Persephone", "Carnival Barker" (an instrumental), and numerous instrumental sessions declined by Jenkins for inclusion on the fourth album.
For the 10th anniversary of the release of Third Eye Blind's debut album the band performed at the Fillmore on March 13 & 14. The shows were filmed for broadcast on HDNet as well as normal broadcast and release on DVD.
A fourth album, tentatively titled The Hideous Strength, is scheduled for a 2008 release. [2] Jenkins claims that this album will be "more political" than others they have done [2]. The album name is derived from the title of a 1945 novel by author C.S. Lewis.
Since April 2007, Third Eye Blind has been touring extensively throughout the US, playing dozens of sold-out shows as a build-up for the release of their new album. They will be touring with Counting Crows, Live, and Collective Soul during the summer of 2007. They have announced a Fall 2007 tour in which they will be playing nine shows, beginning on November 9, at the University of Maryland College Park (which sold out the presale and general sale in a matter of hours), and ending on November 18.
Discography
Studio albums
- Third Eye Blind (April 8, 1997) US 6x Platinum
- Blue (November 23, 1999) US 2X Platinum
- Out of the Vein (May 13, 2003) Gold
- The Hideous Strength (2008)
Compilation albums
- A Collection (July 18, 2006)
EPs
Symphony of Decay
An EP, "Symphony of Decay", has also been completed. The band reportedly has a contractual obligation to deliver the EP and has leaked several tracks to fans. The leaked tracks are a full-accompaniment version of "My Time in Exile," the stripped down song that played on the menu of the DVD included with their third album, as well as two very different and instrumental songs, "Knife in the Water" and "Animal." Also included on this EP is the full version of an instrumental song from "Blue", titled "Slow Motion." This has been available online since "Blue" was released because of its inclusion on international versions of "Blue". "Carnival Barker," a seven-minute instrumental, which is also a track off of the EP, was released on the band's MySpace page.
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. Mainstream Rock | U.S. Modern Rock | Adult Top 40 | U.S. Pop 100 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Semi-Charmed Life" | #4 | #26 | #1(8) | #8 | #9 | Third Eye Blind |
| 1997 | "Graduate" | #16 | #14 | #8 | #9 | Third Eye Blind | |
| 1998 | "How's It Going to Be" | #9 | #5 | #19 | #23 | Third Eye Blind | |
| 1998 | "Losing a Whole Year" | #5 | #13 | #22 | #14 | Third Eye Blind | |
| 1998 | "Jumper" | #5 | #9 | #6 | #12 | Third Eye Blind | |
| 1999 | "Anything" | #35 | #11 | #38 | #29 | Blue | |
| 2000 | "Never Let You Go" | #14 | #4 | #3 | #2 | Blue | |
| 2000 | "10 Days Late" | #40 | #21 | #20 | #19 | Blue | |
| 2000 | "Deep Inside of You" | #69 | #39 | #17 | #22 | Blue | |
| 2003 | "Blinded (When I See You)" | #45 | #35 | #18 | #12 | Out of the Vein | |
| 2003 | "Crystal Baller" | #69 | #44 | #37 | Out of the Vein |
Demos
6-Track 1994 Demo
5-Track 1995 Demo
5-Track 1995 Demo For Radiant Records
11-Track 1997 Demo
14-Track 1999 Demo
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- A common misconception is that the name of the band is a euphemism for the penis.[citation needed] However, Stephan Jenkins indicated during a radio interview that the band's name came from the metaphysical idea of a mind's eye, a topic of a book he had read. The other group members liked it and chose it as the band's name. In the past, Jenkins has also joked about a Ouija board and vodka being the sources of the name. In Finnish, "third eye" means "asshole", although it is not necessarily offensive. In some Finnish jokes, it is considered "the blind eye".[citation needed]
- Third Eye Blind played a halftime show and a post-game concert in Las Vegas at ArenaBowl XX. They did this without Arion Salazar, their bassist, who was absent for personal reasons.
- Third Eye Blind's song "Horror Show" was featured on the 1999 movie Varsity Blues, and the song was also featured on the film's soundtrack. Despite this, the song was actually written with the film Scream 2 in mind, hence the song's name.
- "New Girl" and "Semi-Charmed Life" were featured on the soundtrack for the movie American Pie.
- "Eye Conqueror" was featured on the soundtrack for the movie A Knight's Tale.
- "London" and "Graduate" were featured in the film Can't Hardly Wait.
- "Never Let You Go" was featured in the film Clockstoppers.
- "I Want You," "Losing a Whole Year (Remix - Strings Up Version)," and "The Background" were all featured in the film The Corruptor.
Awards
- 1997 - "Semi-Charmed Life" won the Billboard Music Award for Modern Rock Track of the Year.
- 1998 - Nominated for two American Music Awards for Favorite New Artist (Pop/Rock) and Favorite Artist (Alternative)
Politics
Third Eye Blind has endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Presidential Campaign.