Linkin Park

Revision as of 16:11, 19 May 2008

Linkin Park is a band, founded 1996 in Los Angeles (California/USA). If you had to bring them together with a style it would be Nu Metal or something similar but, Linkin Park has really made a big change in their music. See #2: Style

History and Evolution

the cover of their first album

From Xero to Hero

Mike Shinoda (guitar, keyboard & vocals) and Brad Delson (guitar) knew eachother since Highschool. The idea to found a band came by visiting a concert of the Metal-band Anthrax together with the hip-hop crew Public Enemy. So they took Rob Bourdon (drums), David Farell (bass). Because they needed an leadshouter, Mark Wakefield joined, but after having recorded a demo he left and today's leadshouter Chester Bennington came in. Inmediately after joining Bennington canceled his job and moved from Arizona to California – together with his wife. Having all members together the band was founded with the name „Xero“. In 1998 they changed it's name in „Hybrid Theory“.

The Beginning of the great success

But because there was already another band with the same name they changed their name in „Linkin Park“. The name came from the „Lincoln Park“ in Sancta Monica and they changed it to linkin park, because they wanted to have a .com homepage for their band and „lincolnpark“ hasn't been free anymore.Additonally in their region Lincoln is spoken out like Linkin so it wasn't a big deal. This name had still an advantage: As there were a lot of „Lincoln Park“s in America they were taken for an local newcomerband whereever they played and activated attraction easyly. Their first album called „Hybrid Theory“ as a tribute to their old bandname and the from the album taken single „One Step Closer“ became a great success. It was played by all important american radio stations up and down and was the title melody to the german movie „Das Experiment“. The album was that popular that it became golden (100.000 sold copies) after three weeks and made it directly into the top 20 Billboard Charts. After that they toured as supporting act for „Deftones“ and could convince even in front of big audiences. In the summer '01 their new single „Crawling“ made it to the head of the european charts and as a result they had their first headliner-tour through europe.

Problems - fas end?

Caused by their success they are wanted to play on the big german music festivals but unfortunatally Chester Bennington gets kind of an illness that prevents him from singing and so the gigs have to be canceled. After an operation Bennington is „ready to rumble“ again and they completed big tours through the world.

Back after trubles with new style

2003 they came up with the new album „Meteora“ that the critics didn't like very much, but nevertheless it became an big (commercial) success. After a long artistic break with only one live album („Live in Texas“), an album of remixes with the rapper Jay-Z (Collision Course) and some singles, at the 11. Mai 2007 their new Album called „Minutes to Midnight“ popps out and they present it at „Rock am Ring“ and „Rock im Park“ (together with „Southside“ the two biggest german rock-festivals with around ~77.000 visitors each) in Germany. They also played at the „Life-Earth“ Concert in Japan in 2007 and on 15. June 2008 they'll play on the biggest Open-Air festival in swizerland (Openair Greenfield).

Style

Linkin Park on a live gig

Their music is a connection between Rap music and metal. They said in interviews that it was their stated aim to bring rap together with metal. Meaning to make people who like rap music getting interested in metal and vice versa. The music that resulted in Linkin Park isn't really surprising if you are aware of the musical influences the individual band members name: Deftones, Nine Inch Nails, The roots, Aphex Twin and Depeche Mode. In their songs, slow parts alternate with more heavy parts and the vocals changes from rapping over singing to shouting - sometimes all in one song.

Linkin Park puts a lot emphasis on their web presentation (www.linkinpark.com), the design of their music videos and logos, album covers etc. - This could be one reason why there's a lot of Fan Art to get from Linkin Park.

Lyrics

The songs of linkin park narrate mostly of negative feelings, like relation-problems, intensity and how to deal with them („In the End“, „Figure 09“ and „Faint“ are good listening-examples here). Interesting is, that Linkin Park avoided any cusses in their songs which is very untipical for rap and metal music. Entirely in their latest album „Minutes to Midnight“ they use some cusses.

Critizism

Linkin Park was often confrontated with one problem: After the apperance of the Meteora Album all critics and a lot of people accused Linkin Park they wouldn't develop in their musical style. And now, as their music became more and more softer and mainstream, many of the „older“ fans from Linkin Park say that they had commercialisized themself to 100%. This accusation comes therefore, that the music of Linkin Park can't be called „metal“ anymore. If you listen to their new album, the shouting parts and the unsual rap-parts disappeared almost completely in favour of melodic vocal lines. It's a fact that Linkin Park lost a lot of fans of the metal and alternate rock-area but on the other hand – they opened themselves up a new resort of fans.

Band Members

Chester Bennington

Chester Charles Bennington is born on the 20th of march 1976 in Arizona, his band collegues call him also „Chazy Chaz“. He cancelled his job as a waiter to be able to concentrate himself full on the band.+ Bennington had a very hard childhood and grew up in a shatters family situation. At the age of 11 he was abused sexually and in fact he didn't had any positive contact with people of his age he said himself. He became soon an outsider and seeked refuge in drugs. That's why he was long time cocain addicted. In his social environment some of his friends commited suizide what was the reason for him to stop taking drugs. At the age of 20 he married Samantha (that was in 1996), at the 19th of april 2002 their son Draven Sebastion was born. In 2005 they got divorced. Still in 2005 Bennington married Talinda who was pregnant from Tyler Lee and got a child with him on 17th of march 2007. He had very bad eyes, because of that he had to wear glasses but after an laseroperation he didn't need them anymore. Today he wears glasses only for look.

Mike Shinoda

Mike Shinoda was born on the 11th february 1977 in Agoura (California). His full name is Michael Kenji Shinoda and his bynames „Spike Minoda“, „Shinnizle“ and „The Glue“. He is called „the Glue“ by Joseph Hahn because he is mediating arguments in the band, and keeps the band together with way. His Father is native Japanese and his mum is an american with russian roots. After having passed the local college he studied „Illustration & Graphic design“ on the „Art Center college of Design“ in Pasadena. Afterwards he worked as a graphic designer. Because of that he designed the website of Linkin Park and the Cover of the Hybrid Theory album. He has his own little record label called „Shinoda Imprint“. On the 22th november 2005 his soloalbum „The Rising Tied“ came out. His soloproject is named Fort Minor. In the band he sings mostly the rapped verses and accidental he plays the 2nd guitar or some keyboard lines (Numb). On the „Minutes to Midnight“ album he is singing the first time a whole song. Since the 10th of Mai 2003 Shinoda is married to his girlfriend Anna Alexis Lovejoy.

Brad Delson

Brad Delson with his furious headphones

He was born on the 1st decembre 1977 in Agoura (California). He's a religious jew and had a very protected childhood. His full name is Bradford Phillip Delson. His nickname is „Big Bad Brad“ and therefore he writes autograhps with „BBB“. You can detect him easly by the giant headphones he wears on every concert. He says, he'd be „only in his matrix“ when wearing them. Since the 16th of semptembre 2003 he's married to his wife Monica.

David Farrell

He was born on 8th february 1977 in Plymouth (Massachusetts), at the age of five his family moved to Californica, where he met the other bandmembers. He was a catholic, but later in his live he converted to the Protestants. His nickname is „Phoenix“. In the band Linkin Park he plays Bass, but besides that he plays cello, viola and guitar. Since the 28th of decembre 2002 his married to Lindsey.

Rob Bourdon

He was born on the 20th January 1979 in Calabasas (California). His full name is Robert Gregory Bourdon. His nickname is „Bourdie“ He's the drummer in the band. He came to play the drums because he visited an Aerosmith concert. The drummer from Aerosmith was a friend of his mum and as a result he learned him how to play the drums. Besided that he can also play the piano. It is said that he is a perfectionist at the drums and because of that he writes all his drumparts himself. Before the time with Linkin Park he worked as a waiter.

Joseph Hahn

He's born on 15h of march 1977 in Glendale (California). His parents are native koreans. His nickname is simple „Joe“. He's the DJ in the band and does the samples and the scratches. He's the stage dirctor of as good as all Linkin Park music videos.

Discographie

Albums:

1997 Xero (Demotape)

1999 Hybrid Theory EP

2000 Hybrid Theroy

2002 Reanimation

2003 Meteora

2003 Live in Texas

2004 Collision Course

2007 Minutes to Midnight

Singles:

From Hybrid Theory:

One Step Closer

Crawling

In the End

Papercut

From Reanimation:

Points of Authority / High Voltage

From Meteora:

Somewhere I belong

Faint

Numb

Lying from You

Breaking the Habit

From the Inside

From Collision Course:

Numb / Encore

From Minutes to Midnight:

What I've Done

Bleed it out

Shadow of the day

Given up

Leave Out All The Rest