Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1990. They have released seven studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream. Their 2003 self-titled album achieved Gold status in the United States and Platinum in Canada, largely from the success of the single "One Thing", which marked the band's first placing on the US Hot 100 Chart at number 16. Their 2007 album, Them vs. You vs. Me launched the single "Paralyzer", which went on to top the Canadian Hot 100 and both US rock charts, as well as reaching No. 6 on the US Hot 100 and No. 12 on the Australian Singles Chart. They won the Juno Award for Rock Album of the Year in 2008. The same album was later certified gold in the US and multi-platinum in Canada. They released their sixth studio album, Life Turns Electric, on October 5, 2010; it was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Rock Album of the Year. The first single off the album, "Living in a Dream", added a little bit of funk rock and dance rock, just like their hit song "Paralyzer". Five Crooked Lines, their 7th studio album, was released on July 31, 2015, with "Wolves and Doors" as the lead single.
The Gothic Archies are a self-described goth-bubblegum band created and largely performed by Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields. In 1997, Merritt released The New Despair. The EP featured the song "Your Long White Fingers", which appeared frequently in the cult Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete. The band's name is apparently a pun on the term "Gothic arch" and the Archies.
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California, formed in 1993. The original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, drummer Dave Buckner, bassist Will James, and trombonist Ben Luther.
"Born to Run" is a song by American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and the title song of his album Born to Run. Upon its release, music critic Robert Christgau took note of its wall of sound influence and called it "the fulfillment of everything 'Be My Baby' was about and lots more."
Azure Ray is an American dream pop duo, consisting of musicians Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink. Formed in Athens, Georgia in 2001, they later moved to Omaha, Nebraska joining the Saddle Creek Records music scene, which also included Bright Eyes, The Faint, Cursive and more. The band toured extensively until a brief hiatus beginning in 2004 to pursue solo projects. Fink and Taylor reunited from 2008-2012 releasing two new albums, before disbanding again until their recent Los Angeles reunion show in 2018 and announcement of a new EP, Waves. Azure Ray's music has often been featured in film and television including, Six Feet Under, Grey's Anatomy, The Devil Wears Prada and more.
The Hot Puppies are a Welsh band from Aberystwyth, now based in Cardiff, previously signed to Fierce Panda Records.
Maria Diane Taylor is an American singer/songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. She is also a member of the duo Azure Ray with Orenda Fink. Taylor plays several instruments, including the piano, guitar, and drums, and has collaborated or performed with such artists as Bright Eyes, Moby, Michael Stipe of R.E.M., Joshua Radin, Nik Freitas and more.
Orenda Fink is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, writer, and half of the Dream pop duo Azure Ray. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Fink is also a member of O+S, Closeness, and has previously recorded or performed with Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Moby, Rilo Kiley Now It's Overhead and more. She is married to Todd Fink of The Faint, another Saddle Creek Records band.
Andrew Osenga is an American singer/songwriter and progressive rock musician. He also writes, produces, engineers and plays guitar for other artists. Formerly the lead singer of The Normals, which broke up in 2003 for financial and family reasons, Osenga currently pursues a solo career in which he has released four albums. He is also a member of the band Caedmon's Call; he had taken over as vocalist/guitarist while Derek Webb was gone from the band. In 2006, Osenga co-founded the Square Peg Alliance along with 12 other independent Nashville artists. In 2014, Osenga took a job with Capitol Records in A&R for their Christian music division.
Southpacific was a Canadian post-rock/space rock band with prominent shoegaze leanings, originally based in Ottawa. Southpacific's guitar-oriented music was generally psychedelic in nature and filled with reverb, yet at times contained sheets of noise and heavy drumming.
Eric Bachmann is an American musician/producer. He is the lead singer of Crooked Fingers and Archers of Loaf. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and grew up in Asheville, North Carolina; Greenville, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; and St. Petersburg, Florida. He currently lives in Athens, Georgia. He made two atmospheric instrumental albums as Barry Black. His first solo effort, Short Careers was recorded as a score to the film Ball of Wax. His second, To the Races, was released by Saddle Creek Records in 2006. The album, which was written while living out of his van outside Seattle the previous year, features contributions from Miranda Brown and DeVotchKa violinist Tom Hagerman.
Neil Cooper is best known as the current drummer with Therapy?, a hard rock band from Northern Ireland, and formerly of The Beyond, a hard rock band from England.
James Black is a Canadian singer, songwriter and musician based in Toronto, Ontario. Black is best known for his role as guitarist in the band Finger Eleven since 1990, but he also maintains a solo career and has a side-project with a fellow Finger Eleven band member. Others may know him as co-founder, guitarist, and singer of Blackie Jackett Jr.
"Solitary Man" is a song that was written and composed by American musician Neil Diamond, who himself initially recorded the song for BANG Records in February 1966. It has since been covered many times by such artists as Billy Joe Royal, B.J. Thomas, Jay and the Americans, T. G. Sheppard, Gianni Morandi, The Sidewinders, Chris Isaak, Johnny Cash, Johnny Rivers, HIM, Crooked Fingers, Cliff Richard, Ólöf Arnalds, Theuns Jordaan and Farhad Mehrad.
Dominick Wickliffe, better known by his stage name Crooked I or KXNG Crooked, is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a former member of the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse with other members Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Royce da 5'9". Slaughterhouse is currently signed to Shady Records. He is currently CEO of his own record labels, Dynasty Entertainment and C.O.B. Digital as well as Senior Vice President of Treacherous Records. Before starting his own label, he was also signed to Virgin Records and Death Row Records.
"Strangers" is a song written by Dave Davies and performed by British rock group the Kinks. It was released in November 1970 on the Kinks' LP record album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, which is best known for producing the hit single "Lola". "Strangers" is one of two tracks written by Dave Davies on the album, the other being "Rats". He has said that the song is about an old school friend who died of a drug overdose.
Sticky Fingers is a reggae/indie rock band formed in 2008 in Sydney, Australia. The band consists of Dylan Frost, Paddy Cornwall (bass/vocals), Seamus Coyle, Beaker Best (drums/percussion) and Freddy Crabs (keys/synth). Former band member Taras Hrubyj-Piper (guitar/keyboards) left the band in 2009, shortly after their debut EP Helping Hand was released.
Five Crooked Lines is the sixth studio album by Canadian rock band Finger Eleven. The album was released July 31, 2015.This is the first album without drummer Rich Beddoe after his departure in 2013. Instead, drums were provided by Chris Powell
"Born for Greatness" is a song by American rock band Papa Roach. It was their third single off of their album Crooked Teeth. The song topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart in 2018.
