Music Information

Green Day: Punk Rock Masters Taming Mainstream Radio Their Way


Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool were merely three extraordinary hopefuls hoping and looking for their big break. The trio has no formal training and got their 'practice' from playing for free at punk clubs on Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Out on the streets is where the 3 talented individuals got their big break - they turned from punk rock's most unlikely success story to a remarkable band with a series of chart-topping hits. Together, they sold more than 10 million albums and won a Grammy Award in the process. It's been a long journey for the trio who started out singing out in the streets.

Both Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt were born in Rodeo, California in 1972 and have been fabulous childhood friends since the age of 10. At the age of 14, they carefully put together their first band, Sweet Children.

They recorded their first EP as Green Day, 1,000 hours, in 2 days flat and in the meantime, Dirnt graduated and Armstrong dropped out of high school. A local indie label "Lookout!" released Green Day's debut album - at this time, Green Day recorded the album with their first drummer, Al Sobrante. Al Sobrante soon quit the band. Dirnt and Armstrong found a friend in Tre Cool (Frank Edwin Wright III) who as been a drummer with "Lookout!" since the age of 12. Together, Armstrong, Dirnt and Cool released the group's second album, Kerplunk.

Green Day didn't burst into the entertainment scene without followers and fans. That's because Green Day, before the release of their albums, EARNED their following by driving their renovated bookmobile from coast to coast, crashing in their friends' places and organizing mini-concerts for their fans. When they reprised their debut, Dookie, Green Day already have a throng of fans and followers. To say the very least, Green Day made immaturity and malcontent cool all over again. Their songs on picking scabs, pyromania?.won the hearts of followers and fans who can tune in to the content and felt the pain and stress in the songs. The re-release of 'Dookie' took the world by storm because they sold more than 10 million copies in the U.S. alone and they won a Grammy in 1994 for "Best Alternative Music Performance".

Green Day proves to critics that they are here to stay and refuse to be a one-hit (or even one-album wonders). With their next album, Insomniac, and in their latest album, Nimrod, they stayed steadfast to the punk philosophy. They maintain that being naughty is sometimes nice - even when you're married and have kids.

What makes the songs from Green Day so wildly popular is the fact it's easy for anyone to identify with the lyrics. They reintroduced anger and exuberance in a very offbeat and un-rhythmic sort of way. They have, what people will call, the finger-in-your-face attitudes. The sort of staying power Green Day has shown through their songs, it's not hard to imagine why we say that Green Day won't be making its way out of the scene any day soon - not today, not Green Day.

Dean Erickson. Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.all-green-day.info on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.


MORE RESOURCES:

Bend Weekly

Fans vote for top star at Country Music Awards
Arizona Republic, AZ - 4 hours ago
For the first time, music fans are being asked to join in the voting for the Entertainer of the Year honors at Sunday's 43rd edition of the Academy of ...
Country Music Artists Flocking to Vegas for ACM Awards CMT.com
Keith Urban up for country music awards The West Australian
Kenny Chesney looks set to dominate Academy of Country Music Awards Trend News Agency
Tyler Morning Telegraph - WNDU-TV
all 30 news articles


Times Online

The Cistercian monks being groomed for music stardom
Times Online, UK - 8 hours ago
But the truth is that people do respond to this rarefied, ancient music again and again. I can recall in the early 1990s, every visit to my Uncle Peter’s in ...
Austria's singing monks hail miracle debut album Reuters
Austria’s singing monks don’t want to be pop stars Thaindian.com
all 20 news articles


Bradenton Herald

Conga drums drive compas beat at Miami Haitian music festival
The Canadian Press, MIAMI - 10 hours ago
MIAMI — Thousands of fans of Haitian compas music, the up-tempo music driven by conga drums that has served as a link between scattered Haitian communities ...
Conga drums drive compas beat at Miami music festival WWSB ABC 7
Local students collect funds, food for Haitian families Sun-Sentinel.com
all 22 news articles


The Southern Ledger

Comment: Machines muscle in on music
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - May 15, 2008
Music is supposed to be the area where we humans reveal our humanity best, but the truth is the machine has been muscling in on music-making for some time. ...
Video: Robotic Conductor Finds His Rhythm AssociatedPress
Robot conductors could take the baton from us guardian.co.uk
Asimo robot conducts symphony orchestra VNUNet.com
EndScore - The Associated Press
all 654 news articles


Wall Street Journal

The Dizzying Heights of Movie Music
Wall Street Journal - 35 minutes ago
By JACK SULLIVAN The music for Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo," which turned 50 this week, is widely regarded as the cinema's greatest score. ...


Listening to music found to lower blood pressure
Reuters - 12 hours ago
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Listening to half an hour of music each day may significantly lower your blood pressure, according to research reported at the ...
Music can help lower blood pressure MusicRadar.com - The place for music makers
BP problem? Tune in to 'ragas' Times of India
all 13 news articles


First music download trial may get a do-over
The Associated Press - May 15, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota woman ordered to pay $222000 in the nation's first music download trial may get another chance with a jury. ...


Tribbett takes a "Stand" for gospel music
Reuters - 5 hours ago
By Deborah Evans Price NASHVILLE (Billboard) - A few years ago, Tye Tribbett made a decision to forgo a lucrative career working with music stars like Faith ...


Interview: Eric Castro, Creator of the iSlsk Music Sharing App for ...
Wired News - 5 hours ago
We caught up with Castro to find out how he is handling the publicity, whether he feels liable for music traded using his software and when he plans to add ...


Fast Company

Audiobrain Meets NBC: Creating Music for the Beijing Olympics
Fast Company - 3 hours ago
"Just as you're looking for the right word or image to tell an Olympic story, you're also constantly looking for the right music," says Brian Brown, ...

Music - Google News

home | site map

Visit our other sites:
GamesBlog | GamingDepot | GimmeaRide | GimmeNetwork | Golf Biz | HotorNotGame | I Want Computers | I Want Games | I Want Hosting | I Want Music | I Want Security | JokeBox | ScriptShock | Wantedfonts | Webalize
© 2006