 |
Mike Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 11, 1973 Middle River, Maryland, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Member of | Shedding Light |
| Formerly of | |
Mike Smith (born October 11, 1973) is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of Snot, TheStart, and Limp Bizkit. Currently, he is the singer and guitarist for the band Shedding Light (previously known as Evolver). Smith also appeared in Staind's music video "Outside".
Mike Smith played guitar for the hard rock band Rumbledog from 1993 to 1996. Rumbledog had arisen from a previous musical endeavour based in San Francisco, Dirty Looks. Lead singer Henrik Ostergaard brought in Mike Smith as guitarist. The band released two records: Rumbledog (1993) and The Drowning Pool (1995).
While writing material for a follow-up to The Drowning Pool, Rumbledog noticed that their sound was significantly changing to a more hardcore and grunge style. This led to friction with the band’s singer and the members ultimately decided to reform under a new name with a new singer.
Smith elected to help form this new band, named Burning Orange, in 1996. They released their 8-track debut album Taar in 1996. The next year, Taar was re-released with additional material and named Thirteen.
Shortly after this release, Burning Orange disbanded and the members went their separate ways. [1]
Snot's original guitarist, Sonny Mayo, left in May 1998 and Smith was recruited soon afterward. Snot set out to work on their second album, but in December, lead singer Lynn Strait died in a car accident. The group decided not to continue on, although the album Strait Up was released in 2000 as a tribute to Lynn, with guest vocalists from various bands contributing. Snot bassist John Fahnestock later reported in 2020 during an AMA on Instagram that Smith did not participate in the writing for the album.
Smith would later play with Snot again, replacing Sonny Mayo for a second time, for a European tour in 2015. At the time, Mayo was unable to participate in the 32-day tour due to prior commitments with the non-profit organization Rock 2 Recovery. [2]
Smith went on to form a band called Hero with former Snot drummer Jamie Miller, as well as Aimee Echo & Scott Ellis of Human Waste Project. In July 1999, Hero were signed to 143 Records/Atlantic Records and recorded their debut album named "Circles."
The band was forced to change their name due to legal issues. At the suggestion of Aimee's mother, they changed it to TheStart. In late 2000, Mike Smith left the band. After various issues, the album was eventually released in July 2001 under The Label/Geffen Records and renamed Shakedown! , with the bulk of Smith's parts recut by Miller.
In late 2001, Limp Bizkit was left without a guitar player due to the departure of Wes Borland. The entire ordeal of choosing a new guitarist was taken very slowly, with various options taken into consideration.
Initially, a nationwide audition, entitled "Put Your Guitar Where Your Mouth Is," was carried out to find a guitarist for the band, but nobody was chosen out of the thousands of participants.
Smith had known members of the band previously, as they were friends with Snot. They decided to give him a shot at the position, and in 2002, he was chosen as the band's guitarist. Fred wanted Mike to create a full album of songs with the band in between their performance at WrestleMania XIX and The Summer Sanitarium Tour. Together they wrote and recorded at least 14 songs of which 7 of them made it onto their fourth studio album, Results May Vary .
During a warmup show at Webster Hall, NYC on July 16, 2003, Smith injured himself after landing awkwardly from a jump while performing. He finished playing the set with the band before leaving in an ambulance. He was later diagnosed with a pinched nerve. [3]
Mike toured with the band throughout 2003 and the first half of 2004. When it was time for the band to return to the studio and record new music, Smith showed little interest. In August 2004, Limp Bizkit and Mike Smith parted ways. [4] To this day both parties kept very quiet on the issue. In 2009, Limp Bizkit bassist Sam Rivers said in an interview that "We really wanted to work with Mike but he just wasn't where we needed him to be".
After his tenure with Limp Bizkit, Mike Smith settled in Baltimore, Maryland and founded the alternative rock band Evolver, with longtime friend Anthony Grabowski on drums. In a surprise move, Smith decided to act as both guitarist and lead vocalist.
After going through various lineups and quietly releasing an independent EP and music video for the song Out of Time, the lineup for Evolver eventually stabilised with Smith on vocals/guitar, John Cummings on lead guitar (later replaced by Drew Yount), Keith Thompson on bass and Anthony Grabowski on drums. This new lineup made their live debut at The Ramshead in Baltimore and continued to play around the state.
Evolver's self-titled debut album, mixed by Brian Virtue and mastered by Brian Johnson, was released on November 8, 2011 after being pushed back numerous time through iTunes. The delays were caused due to the band switching from being completely independent to signing a management deal with Union Entertainment Group, Inc. [5]
Evolver released a new single and music video in 2013, entitled Shut Up, before becoming inactive. During this period of inactivity, Smith worked as a guitar teacher.
Eventually, in late-2018, Mike Smith and several other members from Evolver got back together under the name Shedding Light. Updates were shared through January 2019, showing the band recording music and video content. However, updates quickly stopped before the band again announced that they were in the studio again, recording new music. Reports quickly died down again after two days.
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by Durst's angry vocal delivery and Borland's sonic experimentation. Borland's elaborate visual appearance, which includes face and body paint, masks, and uniforms, also plays a large role in Limp Bizkit's live shows. The band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, sold 40 million records worldwide, and won several other awards. The band has released 26 singles, the most notable of which include "Nookie", "Re-Arranged", "Break Stuff", "Take a Look Around", "Rollin' ", "My Generation", "My Way", "Eat You Alive", and their cover of the Who's 1971 single "Behind Blue Eyes", all of which have charted within the top 20 of the US Alternative Airplay Chart.
Nu metal is a subgenre of alternative metal that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu metal bands have drawn elements and influences from a variety of musical styles, including multiple genres of heavy metal. Nu metal rarely features guitar solos or other displays of musical technique; the genre is heavily syncopated and based on guitar riffs. Many nu metal guitarists use seven-string guitars that are down-tuned to produce a heavier sound. DJs are occasionally featured in nu metal to provide instrumentation such as sampling, turntable scratching and electronic backgrounds. Vocal styles in nu metal include singing, rapping, screaming and growling. Nu metal is one of the key genres of the new wave of American heavy metal.
Staind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist and backing vocalist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki. The lineup has been stable outside of the 2011 departure of Wysocki, who was replaced by Sal Giancarelli. Staind has recorded seven studio albums: Tormented (1996), Dysfunction (1999), Break the Cycle (2001), 14 Shades of Grey (2003), Chapter V (2005), The Illusion of Progress (2008), and Staind (2011). The band was most successful in the early 2000s, with Break the Cycle going five times platinum in the United States and producing a top-five Billboard Hot 100 hit with its lead single "It's Been Awhile". Break the Cycle, along with the band's following two full-length albums, also topped the Billboard 200, and the two after peaked within the top five. Several of their other singles also became rock and pop hits, including "Fade", "For You", "Price to Play", "So Far Away", and "Right Here".
Suicidal Tendencies are an American rock band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtroopers of Death, the band is often credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash". Their current lineup includes Muir, guitarists Dean Pleasants and Ben Weinman, bassist Tye Trujillo and drummer Greyson Nekrutman. Notable musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include guitarists Rocky George and Mike Clark, bassists Louiche Mayorga, Robert Trujillo, Ra Díaz, Josh Paul and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, and drummers Amery Smith, Jimmy DeGrasso, Brooks Wackerman, David Hidalgo Jr., Thomas Pridgen and session musician Josh Freese.
Cold is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 1986 by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Scooter Ward, drummer Sam McCandless, bassist Jeremy Marshall and lead guitarist Matt Loughran. The band has gone through numerous lineup changes during its existence, with Ward being the band’s only constant member.
Results May Vary is the fourth studio album by American rap rock band Limp Bizkit, released on September 23, 2003, through Flip and Interscope Records. It is the band's only release under the sole-leadership of vocalist Fred Durst after the temporary departure of guitarist Wes Borland, who left in 2001. Guitarist Mike Smith of Snot was brought in to replace Borland, although his time with the band was brief, and Durst along with a number of guests ended up handling the majority of the album's guitar work.
Snot is an American nu metal band from Santa Barbara, California. Formed in 1995, the band released their only studio album Get Some with founding vocalist Lynn Strait in 1997 and disbanded after his death in 1998. In 2008, the lineup of lead guitarist Mikey Doling, bassist John Fahnestock, drummer Jamie Miller and rhythm guitarist Sonny Mayo reunited. In 2009, a new band, Tons, was formed, with Brandon Espinosa as vocalist. As of February 2014, Snot has reformed again.
Wesley Louden Borland is an American rock musician. He is the guitarist and backing vocalist of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the alternative and industrial rock band Black Light Burns, and the co-founder of the experimental metal band Big Dumb Face.
The Unquestionable Truth is an EP by the American band Limp Bizkit, and their fifth major release overall. Released in 2005, it is the first release by the band to feature guitarist Wes Borland since he rejoined the group. He had left the band in 2001, and their previous album Results May Vary, was recorded without him. Drummer John Otto was absent for much of the album, and Sammy Siegler took over drumming duties for the band.
Samuel Robert Rivers is an American musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist of the rock band Limp Bizkit and one of its founding members.
Get Some is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Snot. Released in 1997, it is the only album that features the band's original vocalist, Lynn Strait, who was killed in a car accident in December 1998 when a truck struck his car, killing him and his boxer Dobbs, who appears on the album cover.
Black Light Burns is an American industrial rock band fronted by Wes Borland. Founded in 2005 after Borland departed Limp Bizkit, the band's lineup also includes Nick Annis, Dennis Sanders and Dylan Taylor. Their debut album, Cruel Melody, was released in June 2007 to critical acclaim. They released a covers and b-sides CD/DVD combo package in the summer of 2008 titled Cover Your Heart and the Anvil Pants Odyssey. After a temporary hiatus, the band regrouped in 2012 and released their second album, The Moment You Realize You're Going to Fall in August. The band released a concept album, Lotus Island, in January 2013.
Burn Season was an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001. Their final lineup consisted of Damien Starkey on vocals, Kevin Renwick on guitar, Brad Stewart on bass and Bobby Amaru on vocals.
Clint Lowery is an American musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Sevendust. He has also played in Dark New Day and Still Rain, and served as the touring guitarist for Korn and Seether through most of 2007 and 2017, respectively. In 2008, he decided to work on new music as a solo artist, and the name of the project was titled Hello Demons Meet Skeletons. Lowery wrote and recorded a six-song EP while off the road with Sevendust, just for a week. He played every instrument on the CD, which was produced by his brother Corey Lowery. The EP, Chills, was released in October, followed by a tour at the same month. He would also later release two more EPs with HDMS. Also his fourth and last EP, Choices, was released in 2013.
Human Waste Project was an American alternative metal band from Huntington Beach, California. It was formed in December 1993 by bassist Jeff Schartoff and guitarist Roman Marisak, and after going through several shifts in personnel, the band's lineup solidified in 1994 with Schartoff, drummer Scott Ellis, vocalist Aimee Echo and guitarist Mike Tempesta.
Terry Philip Balsamo II is an American guitarist who is best known as the former guitarist of the rock bands Cold and Evanescence. Balsamo is noted for his onstage expression of his fondness for Michael Myers of the Halloween film franchise.
theStart is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California.
Keith St. John is an American rock singer, songwriter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work as the frontman for the hard rock bands Montrose and Burning Rain.
Jamie Miller is an American musician, currently the drummer for rock bands Bad Religion, Vanishing Life and Snot. He is also the lead guitarist and the backing vocalist for theStart, and was formerly the drummer for Souls at Zero and the drummer and guitarist for ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
