Linkin Park
[It starts with one...]
The signature sound that would become Linkin Park's calling card was the
brainchild of two high school friends, Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson.
The two envisioned a band that would defy categorization, blending some
of their favorite styles of music in ways that had never been heard
before. Mike was the classically trained musician whose roots were based
in the South Californian hip-hop scene, while Brad was the avid
guitarist whose influences included the likes of Guns 'N' Roses and the
Deftones. Both decided to form a band that would fuse their favorite
styles of music into one sound. That band was Xero.
[I'm with you...]
Xero was formed in 1996, the same year the two graduated from Agoura
High School in California. They recruited drummer Rob Bourdon, who had
played with Brad in the band Relative Degree earlier during their tenure
at Agoura High School. After graduating, Mike decided to attend
Pasadena, California's Art College of Design, where he met Joseph Hahn,
an aspiring illustrator and practicing DJ. Mike asked Joe to sign on to
join the band. Joe was considered a perfect fit for the band, someone
who could add another dimension of sound to the band's resume.
Meanwhile, Brad was accepted into UCLA and roomed with a bass player by
the name of Dave Farrell. Farrell was soon added to Xero's line-up.
Xero recorded a four-track cassette sampler in 1997 with another
Agoura High School acquaintance, Mark Wakefield, as lead vocalist. The
tape was released locally in 1997. After garnering attention doing minor
shows for friends, the band hooked the opening slot for a System of a
Down show at the Los Angeles club 'The Whisky'. Executives from Zomba
Music were at the concert and signed the band to a development deal
directly after the concert. The guys realized they had something special
on their hands and started to get more serious, sensing they had a
future in the music business. Despite their efforts over the next three
years, Xero were rejected by every major and independent label in the
business. Something was missing.
[Now I find myself in question...]
So the band made a difficult choice. Wakefield was dropped from the
original line-up and the band sent out feelers through Zomba to see if
there were any vocalists out there looking for a band. Zomba's VP of
A&R, Jeff Blue, had heard of a promising vocalist from Phoenix
through a friend at a recent music conference. His name was Chester
Bennington. Blue knew Bennington was looking for a new band, and gave
him a call.
Chester received the call from Blue during a surprise party on his
twenty-third birthday in 1999. He was told there was an up-and-coming
band in Los Angeles looking for a new vocalist. The next day, a package
arrived in Chester's mailbox, containing two Xero demos; one with Mark
Wakefield's vocals, and the other with solely the instrumental tracks.
Upon hearing the music, Chester thought the band had potential, and
wrote parts for the songs based on his own interpretation of the tracks.
He went to a local studio to record vocals over the instrumentals, and
emerged three days later with finished parts. The tape was mailed back
to Blue. Two days later, Bennington was in Hollywood at Xero's rehearsal
space, auditioning for the lead vocalist position. He was so impressive
that another vocalist vying for the same spot left the tryout before
auditioning! Chester was a shoe-in for the band.
After adding Chester, the band renamed themselves to Hybrid Theory and
started writing new material. Soon, a six-track EP named the 'Hybrid
Theory EP' was recorded.
[I can't wait to see tomorrow...]
The band then took advantage of the internet as a marketing tool, and
posted their MP3.com account all over message boards and chat rooms on
the websites of similar artists. A steady fan-base grew and multiplied,
and the band began to gain serious buzz on the Internet. Soon they
opened up a street team, designed to acquire fans to promote the band by
getting the word out on their music. About one thousand copies of the
'Hybrid Theory EP' were pressed and sent out to street team members for
promotion.
[It doesn't even matter how hard you try...]
The band then recorded an album of nine demos that was shipped out to
numerous record companies via their contacts at Zomba. Although the
demos gained some interest, granting the band with forty-two separate
showcases for labels in 1999, they were met with denial every single
time. No one seemed to be biting. For most bands, this would usually be
the time to hang up their instruments and give up hope, but Hybrid
Theory kept pushing onwards, refusing to succumb to the repeated
rejection.
[Why I never walked away...]
Luckily, the band still had someone who believed in them: Jeff Blue.
Blue left Zomba and joined Warner Bros Records in 2000. After resolving a
legal issue with another band concerning their name, the band, newly
named Linkin Park, were finally signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2000,
largely in part to Blue. The wheels were in motion. The band had
persevered.
[One step closer to the edge, and I'm about to break...]
With a well-deserved record contract signed and in their back pockets,
the band turned to writing their first album. Debut albums are often a
band's only chance to show their label they're worth the money being
invested in them, and the pressure is paramount. The music industry
isn't prone to give second chances. Linkin Park knew they had to write
an impressive album, and their first step was to find the right producer
for their debut.
At first, the label and band had troubles finding a producer willing to
take the helm for a new band. Many newly signed acts lack the focus and
skill to be successful, and present a challenge for producers. Blue
proposed the project to numerous producers but many declined, not
willing to give the band a chance. Finally, they found Don Gilmore. With
Don at the helm, Linkin Park wrote and recorded their debut album
'Hybrid Theory' in four weeks. Many of the songs were rewritten versions
of the previous demos they had sent out to record labels. It was a huge
risk. These were slightly modified and polished versions of the songs
that had gotten them rejected by virtually every record label on
numerous occasions. The band had taken a risk, and waited to see if it
would pay off.
[Left to watch it all unwind...]
October 24th, 2000: The most important date of their careers. 'Hybrid
Theory' was released to the public. The lead single 'One Step Closer'
was starting to get serious airplay on radio and television networks.
The band themselves were getting increasing media attention. Tour dates
were selling out. Within five weeks of 'Hybrid Theory's release, the
album had been certified Gold by the RIAA, signifying 500,000 units
sold. The band had officially made it after five years of hard work.
