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Alien Ant Farm is an American rock band that formed in
Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and ...
in 1996. They have released five studio albums and sold over 5 million units worldwide. The band's cover of
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's " Smooth Criminal" topped the ''Billboard'' Alternative songs charts in 2001, and was featured in the film '' American Pie 2''. They released their debut album ''Greatest Hits'' independently in 1999, then signed to
DreamWorks Records DreamWorks Records (often referred in copyright notices as SKG Music, LLC) was an American record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, ...
in 2000. Their second album '' ANThology'' was released in 2001 and has been certified platinum by the RIAA, selling over one million copies and reaching number 11 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Following up that was their third album, ''
TruANT Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not ref ...
'', released in 2003. The album was produced by brothers
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...
and
Dean DeLeo Dean DeLeo (born August 23, 1961) is an American guitarist known for his work with rock band Stone Temple Pilots. DeLeo is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show (band), Talk Show and Army of Anyone. He is the older brother ...
of
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric K ...
, and made it to number 42 on the ''Billboard'' 200. In 2005 the band recorded their next album ''3rd Draft'', however its release was denied by the label after Geffen bought out DreamWorks. It was eventually released in 2006 as '' Up in the Attic'', charting at number 114 on the ''Billboard'' 200. After several years of sporadic touring, the band's fifth studio album '' Always and Forever'' was released in February 2015.


History


Early years (1996–2000)

The band was formed in 1996 in
Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and ...
, the original lineup consisting of Dryden Mitchell (vocals), Terry Corso (guitars), Mike Cosgrove (drums) and Tye Zamora (bass). Their name comes from an idea Corso had about aliens and the Earth: "It was just my daydream about our planet being seeded by entities from other dimensions." In 1996 they recorded a demo tape titled the ''$100 EP'' containing five songs, and in 1998 they recorded a second demo tape ''Love Songs'', featuring four songs. In 1999, Alien Ant Farm released their debut album, titled ''Greatest Hits'' that featured a first version of "Smooth Criminal"''.'' It went on to win Best Independent Album in the
L.A. Music Awards The LA Music Awards is a fee-based awards program originally held in the city of Los Angeles, California to celebrate new artists around the world. In 2015 the Awards held their 25th anniversary with a program in located at the Avalon Theater in L ...
that year. In 2000, after forging a friendship with the band
Papa Roach 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. Aft ...
, Alien Ant Farm signed with Dreamworks SKG for their second studio album, '' Anthology''. They proceeded to tour with Papa Roach to support the album.


''ANThology'' (2001–2002)

upright=1.2, Alien Ant Farm in 2001 In 2001, their cover of
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's song, " Smooth Criminal", was a No. 1 single in Australia and New Zealand, a No. 3 single in the UK, and No. 1 on the US Modern Rock charts. The music video features numerous homages to Michael Jackson and his videos. Corso, the band's guitarist, addressed this in an MTV interview on the set of the music video, saying, "We want to pay homage to Michael Jackson, but on our level. Obviously we're not that glitzy, so we just want to tastefully take the stuff that's cool in his videos and apply it in our own dirty little backyard way." The song appeared on the soundtrack of the first season of '' WWE Tough Enough'' and in the film '' American Pie 2''. Their following single "
Movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
" was a Top 5 hit in the UK and a Top 20 hit in New Zealand. The band began touring in promotion of these two singles and their album, which later went
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
. In spring of 2002, the band contributed "Bug Bytes" to the first ''Spider-Man'' soundtrack. In May 2002, the band was involved in a bus accident while touring in Spain. While the whole band suffered minor injuries, the driver, 26-year-old Christopher Holland, was killed, and lead singer Mitchell suffered a fractured C2 vertebra.


''TruANT'' (2003–2004)

Alien Ant Farm soon returned to the studio to work on their next album, ''
Truant Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not ref ...
'', which was released in 2003 and produced by
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots (also known by the initialism STP) is an American rock band from San Diego, California, that originally consisted of Scott Weiland (lead vocals), brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), and Eric K ...
'
Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, h ...
and
Dean DeLeo Dean DeLeo (born August 23, 1961) is an American guitarist known for his work with rock band Stone Temple Pilots. DeLeo is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show (band), Talk Show and Army of Anyone. He is the older brother ...
. The video for " These Days", the first single from the album, was filmed on top of a nearby building during the Red Carpet at the 2003 BET Awards. "Glow" was a mainstream radio success, achieving long lasting Top 20 success in New Zealand. Two months after this album was released, however, their record label closed its doors. This hindered the album's popularity over time, and the album was much less successful than their platinum-selling debut. In October 2003, guitarist Corso split with the band citing "irreconcilable differences". Victor Camacho (a long-time friend of the band and guitar player) immediately joined the band and completed the remainder of the Truant tour until the band returned home. Joe Hill was named the new guitarist in 2005 (formerly of Spiderworks). In 2004, the band recorded the song "Dark in Here" for '' The Punisher'' video game. The band was forced to wait for Geffen to allow them to record another album (after
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
bought DreamWorks and assigned the band to its Geffen Records label).


''3rd Draft'' and ''Up in the Attic'' (2005–2007)

In 2005, the band recorded with producer Jim Wirt (who recorded their independent, debut release ''Greatest Hits'') and planned to release the album during that summer. However, Geffen shelved the album and subsequently denied the band the rights to release it themselves. The band hit the road and made bootleg copies of the album material available to all of their fans. This unofficial release was dubbed ''3rd Draft'' by fans. Four video games have featured the band's songs. Their song "Wish" was in '' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'', while the song "Courage" also featured in '' Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder'' and '' ATV Offroad Fury 2''. The song "These Days" was featured in '' Madden NFL 2004'' and the song "S.S Recognize" were featured in '' NHL 2004''. In late 2005, Geffen finally agreed to let the band release the album on another Universal label, Universal Music Enterprises (its catalog division). On May 30, 2006, the new album, '' Up in the Attic'', was released digitally on iTunes and sold at various retailers. The
Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
Edition included a bonus track, "Repeat Defender". The first single was "Forgive and Forget", the one added track to ''3rd Draft''. In April 2006, bassist Tye Zamora left the band and decided to go to college. The short amount of live shows thereafter featured Alex Barreto on bass. On June 29, 2006, the band performed on G4's '' Attack of the Show'', and on July 18, 2006, ''Up In The Attic'' was released worldwide, along with ''BUSted: The Definitive DVD''. Included on the DVD were music videos for "Forgive and Forget", "Around the Block", and "She's Only Evil". Notably, the three videos feature only Dryden Mitchell and Mike Cosgrove. The band released "Around the Block", the second single from '' Up in the Attic'', on the
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
in 2007.


Rejoining of Zamora and Corso (2007–2010)

On February 11, 2008, the band posted a statement on their website stating Terry Corso and Tye Zamora had rejoined the band. It was also revealed that the band had "unofficially broken up" in 2007 due to the fact that 2006's '' Up in the Attic'' was their least successful album. Around this time, vocalist Dryden Mitchell formed a new band, Send the Sages. Guitarist Terry Corso and drummer Michael Cosgrove worked on a side project titled Ghost In The Flesh, bassist Tye Zamora worked with the band . Alien Ant Farm toured sporadically, and released a new live album, Alien Ant Farm: Live In Germany. In 2009, they played the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, UK on August 1. They had also performed " Smooth Criminal" at the 2009
Vans Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the co ...
'
Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touri ...
in memory of Michael Jackson, who had recently died. On February 9, 2010, Alien Ant Farm posted on their official website that the original line up (Dryden Mitchell, Terry Corso, Tye Zamora and Mike Cosgrove) was back together for the first time since 2003. On February 27, 2010, the Alien Ant Farm official website released the band's first "webizode" titled Bassmasters.


''Always And Forever'' and upcoming sixth studio album (2011–present)

upright=1.35, Alien Ant Farm playing in 2015 The band's "ANTicipation" 2011 Tour took place across the continental U.S. from July to October 2011. They also took part in the " Michael Forever Tribute Concert" which took place on October 8, 2011 in
Cardiff, Wales Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
. Alien Ant Farm started writing new material and in July 2012 started recording their fifth album, '' Always and Forever,'' at Groovemaster Studios in Chicago in July 2012. In March 2013 they set up a crowdfund, using
PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...
, to finance the album's release. The first single from ''Always and Forever'', "Let 'Em Know", was released in May 2013. Also in the summer of 2013, Alien Ant Farm participated in "The Big Night Out Tour", opening for
Hoobastank Hoobastank (sometimes stylized as h∞bastank, and originally known as Hoobustank) is an American rock band formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, by lead vocalist Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassis ...
and
Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy bu ...
. Founding-member and bassist Tye Zamora left Alien Ant Farm in March 2014 and was replaced by Tim Peugh. At the same time Michael Anaya joined as a touring member of the band, providing backing vocals, percussion, and keyboards. Another single, ''Homage'', was released in September 2014, followed a month later by ''E.P. Phone Home''. The album ''Always and Forever'' was released on February 24, 2015. On March 31, 2016, Alien Ant Farm announced on their official Facebook page that they were writing material for a new album. On May 17, 2016, the band took part in the Make America Rock Again super tour throughout the summer and fall 2016. In addition, they announced a headlining tour where they intend to perform the album ''Anthology'' in its entirety. In early 2018, they toured the UK with Soil and Local H, and then embarked on the "Gen-X Tour", alongside Buckcherry, P.O.D., and Lit. On May 8, 2020, the new single "Everything She Wants" was released digitally on streaming services. It is a cover of the song by
Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more ...
. Released on February 17, 2021, they collaborated with Insane Clown Posse on the single "Afraid of Life" from the EP ''Yum Yum’s Lure''. On November 7, 2022 the band announces its participation for the Sick New World tour in 2023 featuring great bands such as
Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 b ...
,
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first f ...
,
System of a down System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, v ...
,
Papa roach 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. Aft ...
,
Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 1 ...
etc.


Musical style and influences

Although initially grouped in with the
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...
movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band's sound also crosses over into other genres, such as
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
,
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
, post-grunge, punk rock, and
pop punk Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti- suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other p ...
. '' Spin'' stated in 2003 that their hit cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" proved that "nu metal could be funny on purpose". The band's influences include
Faith No More Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, k ...
and Primus.


Band members

;Current * Dryden Mitchell – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1996–present), lead guitar (2003–2004) * Mike Cosgrove – drums (1996–present) * Terry Corso – lead guitar, backing vocals (1996–2003, 2008–present) * Tim Peugh – bass, backing vocals (2014–present) ;Former * Joe Hill – lead guitar, backing vocals (2004–2008, 2012 ne-off show * Tye Zamora – bass, keyboards, piano,
Kalimba Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and p ...
, percussion, backing vocals (1996–2006, 2008-2014) ;Touring musicians * Alex Barreto - bass (2006–2008) * Victor Camacho – lead guitar (2003) * Mike Shawcross – percussion (2003) * Michael Anaya – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals (2014–present) ;Timeline
ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:85 bottom:100 top:10 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:1996 till:01/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals,_rhythm_guitar id:Backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:LGuitar value:green legend:Lead_guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards,_piano,_percussion,_kalimba id:album value:black legend:Studio_albums id:other value:gray(0.5) legend:Other_releases id:bars value:gray(0.85) BackgroundColors = bars:bars Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1997 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1996 LineData = layer:back color:album at:01/01/1999 at:06/06/2001 at:08/08/2003 at:05/30/2006 at:02/24/2015 color:other at:06/18/1996 at:01/01/1998 at:01/01/2014 at:05/20/2008 at:05/29/2009 BarData = bar:Mitchell text:"Dryden Mitchell" bar:Corso text:"Terry Corso" bar:Hill text:"Joe Hill" bar:Zamora text:"Tye Zamora" bar:Peugh text:"Tim Peugh" bar:Cosgrove text:"Mike Cosgrove" PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Mitchell from:01/01/1996 till:end color:Vocals bar:Mitchell from:10/01/2003 till:01/01/2005 color:LGuitar width:3 bar:Cosgrove from:01/01/1996 till:end color:Drums bar:Corso from:01/01/1996 till:10/01/2003 color:LGuitar bar:Corso from:02/11/2008 till:end color:LGuitar bar:Corso from:01/01/1996 till:10/01/2003 color:Backing width:3 bar:Corso from:02/11/2008 till:end color:Backing width:3 bar:Hill from:01/01/2005 till:02/10/2008 color:LGuitar bar:Hill from:01/01/2005 till:02/10/2008 color:Backing width:3 bar:Zamora from:01/01/1996 till:04/01/2006 color:Bass bar:Zamora from:01/01/1996 till:04/01/2006 color:Keys width:7 bar:Zamora from:02/11/2008 till:03/14/2014 color:Bass bar:Zamora from:02/11/2008 till:03/14/2014 color:keys width:7 bar:Zamora from:01/01/1996 till:04/01/2006 color:Backing width:3 bar:Zamora from:02/11/2008 till:03/14/2014 color:Backing width:3 bar:Peugh from:03/15/2014 till:end color:Bass bar:Peugh from:03/15/2014 till:end color:Backing width:3


Discography

* ''Greatest Hits'' (1999) * '' Anthology'' (2001) * ''
Truant Truancy is any intentional, unjustified, unauthorised, or illegal absence from compulsory education. It is a deliberate absence by a student's own free will (though sometimes adults or parents will allow and/or ignore it) and usually does not ref ...
'' (2003) * '' Up in the Attic'' (2006) * '' Always and Forever'' (2015)


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Alternative rock groups from California American alternative metal musical groups Culture of Riverside, California Musical groups from Riverside County, California Musical groups established in 1996 Musical quartets Nu metal musical groups from California Pop punk groups from California Punk rock groups from California 1996 establishments in California