Feature: MAROON 5

A mix of polished pop/rock and neo-soul sex appeal made Maroon 5 one of the most popular bands of the 2000s, with such radio-ready songs as "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Makes Me Wonder" all topping the charts worldwide . Previously, bandmates Adam Levine (vocals/guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass), and Ryan Dusick (drums) had spent the latter half of the '90s playing in the modern rock outfit Kara's Flowers, releasing their debut album for Reprise Records while still attending high school. The record tanked, however, and Kara's Flowers found themselves dropped from the Reprise roster. After briefly attending college, the bandmates regrouped as Maroon 5, added former Square guitarist James Valentine to the lineup, and embraced a more R&B-influenced sound. Several years later, the quintet had officially risen to the forefront of popular music with the multi-platinum releases of Songs About Jane and It Won't Be Soon Before Long.

Songs About Jane propelled the band into the mainstream, but the album was not an immediate hit. Octone Records had signed the newly christened Maroon 5 in 2001, and the debut album Jane received a lukewarm response upon its in June 2002. "Harder to Breathe" became a radio staple 17 months later and was soon followed by the omnipresent "This Love," whose steamy video (featuring frontman Levine and a barely clothed girlfriend) effectively wooed the TV-watching crowds at MTV. Songs About Jane finally entered the Billboard Top Ten in August 2004, more than two years after the album's release, and subsequent singles like "She Will Be Loved" and "Sunday Morning" helped the album move over 2.7 million copies by year's end.

Maroon 5 toured exhaustively in support of Jane's slow-developing success, issuing two stopgap recordings — 2004's 1.22.03.Acoustic and 2005's Live Friday the 13th — while canvassing the world alongside the Rolling Stones and John Mayer. Their schedule was especially trying on percussionist Dusick, who sustained wrist and shoulder injuries and was often unable to play. By fall 2006, Dusick had been officially replaced by Matt Flynn (the former drummer for Gavin DeGraw), and the revised band released its sophomore effort in May 2007. It Won't Be Soon Before Long proved to be less popular than its predecessor (which had sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone), but it still enjoyed double-platinum certification while spinning off the chart-topping single "Makes Me Wonder."

The band performed throughout the summer and fall of 2007, including a North American tour with The Hives. They followed that with a world tour with New Found Glory. Beginning March 28, 2008, they toured with Counting Crows and Sara Bareilles. Maroon 5 had cemented their status as pop/rock heavyweights, and they now had the powerful connections to prove it. Released in late 2008, Call and Response: The Remix Album reinterpreted the band's catalog with remixes by such influential figures as Mary J. Blige, Mark Ronson, and Pharrell Williams.
(sources: www.Allmusic.com, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maroon_5)
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A Special Holiday Treat from BayFM: Listen and Download

Since we only have a few more days 'til Christmas and we here at BayFM's TurnTheRadioOn are so in the mood for giving, we are sharing with you our friends, Christmas tunes from some of your favorite contemporary pop artists.

Enjoy the music of the holidays and feel free to download them. Merry Christmas!


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Feature: PEARL JAM

Pearl Jam rose from the ashes of Mother Love Bone to become the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s. After vocalist Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin in 1990, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament assembled a new band, bringing in Mike McCready on lead guitar and recording a demo with Soundgarden's Matt Cameron on drums. Thanks to future Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons, the demo found its way to a 25-year-old San Diego surfer named Eddie Vedder, who overdubbed vocals and original lyrics and was subsequently invited to join the band (then christened Mookie Blaylock after the NBA player). Dave Krusen was hired as the full-time drummer shortly thereafter, completing the original lineup. Renaming themselves Pearl Jam, the band recorded their debut album, Ten, in the beginning of 1991, although it wasn't released until August; in the meantime, the majority of the band appeared on the Andrew Wood tribute project Temple of the Dog. Krusen left the band shortly after the release of Ten; he was replaced by Dave Abbruzzese.

Ten didn't begin selling in significant numbers until early 1992, after Nirvana made mainstream rock radio receptive to alternative rock acts. Soon, Pearl Jam outsold Nirvana, which wasn't surprising — Pearl Jam fused the riff-heavy stadium rock of the '70s with the grit and anger of '80s post-punk, without ever neglecting hooks and choruses; "Jeremy," "Evenflow," and "Alive" fit perfectly onto album rock radio stations looking for new blood. Pearl Jam's audience continued to grow during 1992, thanks to a series of radio and MTV hits, as well as successful appearances on the second Lollapalooza tour and the Singles soundtrack (Stone Gossard also embarked on a side project called Brad, which released the album Shame in early 1993).

Despite their status as rock & roll superstars, the band refused to succumb to the accepted conventions of the music industry. The group refused to release any videos or singles from their second album, 1993's Vs. Nevertheless, it was another multi-platinum success, debuting at number one and selling nearly a million copies in its first week of release. On their spring 1994 American tour, the band decided not to play the conventional stadiums, choosing to play smaller arenas, including several shows on college campuses. Pearl Jam canceled their 1994 summer tour, claiming they could not keep ticket prices below 20 dollars because Ticketmaster was pressuring promoters to charge a higher price. The band took Ticketmaster to the Justice Department for unfair business practices; while fighting Ticketmaster, they recorded a new album during the spring and summer of 1994. After the record was completed, the group fired Dave Abbruzzese, replacing him with former Red Hot Chili Peppers and Eleven drummer Jack Irons.

Vitalogy, the band's third album, appeared at the end of 1994. For the first two weeks, the album was only available as a limited vinyl release, but the record charted in the Top 60. Once Vitalogy was available on CD and cassette, the album shot to the top of the charts and quickly went multi-platinum. Pearl Jam continued to battle Ticketmaster in 1995, but the Justice Department eventually ruled in favor of the ticket agency. In early 1995, the band recorded an album with Neil Young. Meanwhile, Vedder toured with his wife Beth's experimental band Hovercraft in the spring of 1994 as Stone Gossard founded an independent record company; Mad Season, Mike McCready's side project with Layne Staley of Alice in Chains, released their first album, Above, in the spring of 1995. Comprised entirely of Neil Young songs, Mirror Ball appeared in the summer under Young's name; although the individual members of the band were credited, the name Pearl Jam did not appear on the cover due to legal complications. Pearl Jam released a single culled from the sessions, titled Merkinball and featuring the songs "I Got Id" and "Long Road," in the fall of 1995.


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In late summer of 1996, Pearl Jam released their fourth album, No Code. Although the album was greeted with fairly positive reviews and debuted at number one, its weird amalgam of rock, worldbeat, and experimentalism dissatisfied a large portion of their fan base, and it quickly fell down the charts. The record's performance was also hurt by Pearl Jam's inability to launch a full-scale tour, due both to their battle with Ticketmaster and a reluctance to spend months on the road. The band spent most of 1997 out of the spotlight, working on new material; Gossard also released a second album with his side project Brad, titled Interiors. By the end of the year, Pearl Jam had completed a new, harder-rocking record entitled Yield. The album was greeted with enthusiastic reviews upon its February 1998 release, but its commercial fortunes weren't quite as clear cut. While their sizable cult embraced the album, sending it to number two its first week of release, Yield quickly slipped down the charts. Pearl Jam supported the record with a full-scale arena tour in the summer of 1998, issuing the concert LP Live on Two Legs at the end of the year; Jack Irons did not participate due to poor health, and was replaced by ex-Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron.

In 1999, Pearl Jam scored an unlikely pop radio smash with their cover of the J. Frank Wilson oldie "Last Kiss," originally released as the seventh in a series of fan club-only singles that had also featured several incongruous covers in the past. Demand from fans and radio programmers resulted in the nationwide release of "Last Kiss," and it eventually became the band's highest-charting pop hit to date, peaking at number two and going gold. The group returned in 2000 with the Tchad Blake-produced Binaural. In order to circumvent bootleggers, their subsequent European and American tours were recorded in full and released in an unprecedented series of double-CD sets, each of the 72 volumes featuring a complete concert. 2002 saw the release of Riot Act, a muscular -- and critically lauded -- collection of new songs that found the group dabbling in experimental art rock. Two anthologies arrived in 2003 and 2004, Lost Dogs: Rarities and B Sides and Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003. They were followed in 2006 by the eponymous (and all-new) Pearl Jam, a number two hit on the album charts.

Source: www.AllMusic.com

Feature: INCUBUS

Incubus rose to become one of the most popular alt-metal bands of the new millennium, setting themselves apart from a crowded field with a somewhat less-negative outlook and tireless touring. Formed in 1991 in the San Fernando Valley suburb of Calabasas, CA, group members Brandon Boyd (vocals, percussion), Mike Einziger (guitar), Alex Katunich (aka Dirk Lance; bass), and José Pasillas (drums) were all tenth grade classmates when they got together. Their early funk-metal sound was heavily influenced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but broadened over the next few years to incorporate thrash, rap-metal, post-grunge rock, and grinding alt-metal à la Korn or the Deftones. By the time the group graduated from high school, they had already been playing all-ages shows around southern California on a regular basis. In 1995, Incubus added hip-hop turntablist DJ Lyfe (aka Gavin Koppel) to their lineup and recorded the independently released album Fungus Amongus. That, coupled with their strong local following, helped the band get a deal with Epic subsidiary Immortal.

Incubus' first major-label release was the six-song EP Enjoy Incubus, which was released in early 1997 and consisted of previous demos that were revamped in the studio. Later in the year, their first full-length album, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., was released. Incubus hit the road with a vengeance, opening for bands like Korn, Primus, 311, Sublime, and Unwritten Law. By the summer of 1998, the band had amassed enough of a following to land a slot on that year's Ozzfest tour. They also wound up the year as part of Korn's inaugural Family Values tour, by which time DJ Lyfe had departed and been replaced by DJ Kilmore (first name Chris). With their momentum and exposure slowly building, Incubus returned to the studio and delivered their follow-up album, Make Yourself, in late 1999. The group went right back out on the road, and their stint on the 2000 Ozzfest helped crystallize the new audience that the single "Pardon Me" was pulling in. Although Make Yourself barely broke the Top 50 on the album charts, it was a steady seller that eventually pushed past the double-platinum mark. The second single, "Stellar," was a smaller-sized hit on rock radio, but the album's biggest song didn't hit the airwaves until 2001; "Drive" was a left-field success that became their first Top Ten hit on the pop charts. Incubus expanded their audience by playing Moby's Area: One package tour that summer, and with "Drive" still fresh in the public's mind, released their next album, Morning View, in the fall of 2001. It entered the charts at number two, confirming that Incubus had diligently worked themselves into stardom. "Wish You Were Here," "Nice to Know You," and "Warning" were all popular on rock radio, and the band naturally toured heavily in support -- this time as a headliner.

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In early 2003, Incubus became embroiled in a contract dispute with Sony and filed a lawsuit to have their deal terminated under California labor laws. In April, the band announced the departure of bassist Dirk Lance. Within days, fellow Incubus guitarist Mike Eiziger called upon his Time Lapse Consortium mate Ben Kenney to be Lance's permanent replacement. The group remained a part of the Sony empire, however, and released A Crow Left of the Murder on Epic/Immortal in early 2004, which hit number two on the Billboard Top 200. Some touring followed before Incubus headed home in November to take a well-deserved break. The guys spent the next two years individually exploring things outside of the band -- music, art, film, and literature endeavors all included -- though they also remembered to work on and finish their sixth album, recorded over a year's time in both L.A. and Atlanta. The resulting record, Light Grenades, appeared in late November 2006.

In June 2008, frontman Brandon Boyd told Billboard.com that Incubus may take a break from touring and recording while its members concentrate on school, family and other activities. Boyd plans to enroll in a university art program, while guitarist Mike Einziger will go to Harvard music school next year to study composition. Einziger just showcased an orchestral piece in concert at UCLA's Royce Hall on August 23, 2008. Drummer José Pasillas is also "having a baby, so there's a lot of normal life stuff going on right now—school, babies, mortgages," Boyd said. "I'm of the mind to say it wouldn't be a bad thing to disappear for a year or two years," he said. "A lot of people would say culture moves too fast and you need to remind people, but I would argue there's not any rush."

Einziger stated that the band is likely to get together in late 2009 to record an album for release in 2010.

sources:
www.AllMusic.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubus_(band)

FeaturedArtist - DAUGHTRY

Bo Bice proved that American Idol could have a rocker as a finalist, but Chris Daughtry proved that the show could generate a successful rocker outside the context of the show. Of course, it helped that Daughtry was the polar opposite of Bice, a shaggy retro-rocker soaked in the South: bold and bald, he was the picture of a modern rocker, living by the rulebook written by Live and Fuel. These were the qualities that helped make Chris Daughtry the most successful new rock & roll singer of 2006.

Like any AmIdol finalist, Daughtry had a long run as an amateur musician. The North Carolina native -- born in Roanoke Rapids, he lived in Charlottesville, VA, before establishing himself in the Greensboro area -- began singing in local rock bands when he was 16 years old. He continued to play locally after his high-school graduation in 1998, marrying his girlfriend Deanna in 2000, a few months after the January 2000 birth of their son Griffin (he adopted Deanna's daughter from a previous marriage). Family man he may have been, but Daughtry didn't let his rock & roll dream die, as he continued to play guitar and sing in a band called Absent Element. He auditioned for Rock Star: INXS in 2005 but was rejected -- a rejection that turned out to be rather fortunate since it freed him to audition for the far more popular televised singing competition American Idol.

Daughtry was featured heavily during the show's seemingly never-ending audition rounds for two reasons: he was telegenic and he capitalized on the rocker promise of Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis from the previous season. He was bald and handsome, he possessed a terrific smile, and his devotion to his family made for great TV. He sailed through to Hollywood and made it into the final 12, where he was hailed as a standout early on and soon seemed to be a favorite to win. Daughtry mania began to peak in March when his rendition of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" caused such a sensation that rumors began to fly that Fuel wanted to hire him as their lead singer -- something that proved no rumor, as the modern rock group, savoring the new press, practically pleaded for his presence after he was voted off the show. But this was still two long months away -- two months where he continued to be one of the top draws in the season, even courting some controversy when he sang Live's arrangement for Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line." This moody reinterpretation was misinterpreted as a Daughtry original, and on the results show he had to clarify where he learned this version. Still, this controversy paled to when he was voted off the show in May: Daughtry was one of the final four and Katharine McPhee just narrowly beat him, a result that visibly shocked the rocker. Daughtry would soon have the last laugh.


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After he was kicked off of Idol, he turned down Fuel's standing offer of replacing their lead singer and set off on his own career, signing with Idol's 19 Entertainment group and RCA Records in July of 2006. By the time the album materialized in November, it had turned into a project by a band called DAUGHTRY (spelled all in capital letters) -- the band featured guitarist Jeremy Brady, guitarist Josh Steely, bassist Josh Paul, and drummer Joey Barnes, but they did not play as a band on the finished album; Brady was replaced after the album's release by Brian Craddock -- a matter of semantics overlooked by most, especially in light of the album's blockbuster success. Like many hotly anticipated albums of the SoundScan era, it debuted high on the charts but it didn't drop down quickly: it stayed in the Top Ten for month after month, as did the first single, "It's Not Over." This meant that DAUGHTRY was not only a huge hit by Idol standards, it was one of the few hit rock albums -- period -- in 2006. DAUGHTRY didn't debut at number one, but it climbed to the top in January 2007 (granted, it only sold about 65,000 copies the week it was at number one, but that's still an impressive feat) and stayed in the Top Ten well into the new year, as did the single "It's Not Over." By February, it was evident that his popularity eclipsed those of his American Idol rivals Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee.

Daughtry was the winner of multiple awards at the "2007 American Music Awards" (ABC Television). The winning categories were: 1) Pop or Rock: Favorite Album - Daughtry; 2) Adult Contemporary Music: Favorite Artist; 3) Favorite Breakthrough Artist. On December 6, 2007, Daughtry was nominated in four categories at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Rock Album for Daughtry, Best Rock Song for "It's Not Over", Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for "Home", and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "It's Not Over".

(Source: http://www.allmusicguide.com)

Featured Artist: CHRIS BROWN

This is the first of a series of music features we are starting here in Bay FM's blogsite. And what better way to begin this series than to highlight one of the hottest R&B artists (and also a favorite here in Bay FM) of this generation.

Our featured artist - CHRIS BROWN

[Biography]
Less than two years ago, he was the 16-year-old boy next door, a teenager from the small town of Tappahannock, VA (population: 2,000), with a world of talent and big dreams, fueled by the artists he grew up with, from Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder and Donnie Hathaway to Michael Jackson and Usher.

The son of Joyce Hawkins and Clinton Brown and one of two children, Chris Brown was born May 5, 1989. A dancer since the age of two, Brown was not aware of his vocal talents until the age of eleven. Before becoming a vocalist, he was interested in becoming a rapper.

At thirteen, Brown was discovered by a local production team who visited his father's gas station searching for new talent. Since then, he began his recording career and moved to New York, staying there for two years. Brown's local production team organized an audition before Def Jam Vice President Tina Davis, who currently works as his manager. At the age of 15, Brown was then sent to perform for L.A. Reid and was subsequently signed in 2004 to Jive Records. By early 2005, Brown began work for his debut album, working with the likes of Scott Storch, The Underdogs, Dre & Vidal, Bryan Michael Cox, Bow Wow, and Jermaine Dupri.

At the age of 16, he made his recording debut in late 2005 with his self-titled album, Chris Brown. The album featured the hit single "Run It!", which topped the Billboard 100, making Brown the first male artist to have his debut single go to the top.The album sold two million copies in the United States and was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the RIAA.

The album scored Brown three Billboard Awards in 2006, one of them being the most prestigious, Artist of the Year. The album has also received a nomination for a Grammy, in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category.

Brown's second studio album, Exclusive, was released worldwide in November 2007. It spawned two successful singles; his second US number one hit, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain, and "With You", which topped out at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The latest single "Forever" was released in May 2008 off the deluxe Exclusive: The Forever Edition and has so far peaked at number 2 on Billboard Hot 100. Exclusive has gone platinum, moving over one million units.


In addition to his solo commercial success, Brown has been featured on several hits such as "No Air a duet with singer Jordin Sparks, "Shortie like Mine" with the rapper Bow Wow and "Shawty Get Loose" alongside Lil Mama and T-Pain. The songs have topped out #3, #9 and #10 on the Hot 100 respectively. Brown has been compared due to his vocal and dance talents to renowned R&B artists such as Usher and Michael Jackson and has named both as large influences on his music.

Other than his singing career, Brown has branched into some acting. He made short appearances on UPN's One on One and The-N's The Brandon T. Jackson Show on its pilot episode. In addition, Brown landed a small role as a band geek in the fourth season of FOX's The O.C. in January 2007. Originally scheduled to guest in eight episodes, it was cut to only three, so that Brown could work on his second studio album. Brown made his big screen debut in Stomp The Yard (originally titled Steppin') alongside Ne-Yo, Meagan Good and Columbus Short in January 2007. According to TRL, Brown began filming for his second film, and first true leading role in This Christmas.

( Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Brown_(singer) )

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