Blink 182

Blink-182 is an American pop punk band from San Diego, California, formed in 1992. The band formed as "Blink" with vocalist and guitarist Tom DeLonge, vocalist and bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Scott Raynor. In 1998, midway through a U.S. tour, current drummer Travis Barker replaced Scott Raynor. Blink-182 is recognized as a key pioneer of contemporary punk rock music, influencing various acts over their career.

Blink-182 has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.

 
Formation (1992-93)

After being expelled from Poway High School for showing up drunk at a basketball game, DeLonge attended Rancho Bernardo High School where he became friends with Anne Hoppus. DeLonge often expressed the desire to be in a band, so in August 1992 Anne introduced him to her brother Mark Hoppus, who also wanted to be in a band. The two played for hours in DeLonge's garage, showing each other songs they had previously written, and writing new songs together - one of which would become the track "Carousel". worked our way up from there." DeLonge called clubs constantly in San Diego asking for a spot to play, as well as calling up local high schools convincing them that Blink was a "motivational band with a strong anti-drug ^{Just Say No} message" in hopes to play at an assembly or lunch.


Early albums (1994-1998)

The band gained notoriety for humorous stage shows and eventually was signed to small record label Cargo Music, where they released their first full-length album, Cheshire Cat ^{Cheshire Cat (album)} , in February 1994. Recorded in three days and fueled by both new songs and re-recordings of songs from previous demos, Blink began to gain fame outside of California throughout 1995 and 1996. "M+M's" and "Wasting Time" from Cheshire Cat were released as singles, but both failed to chart. Although the album never made a commercial impact, it is cited by bands and fans as an iconic release. Raynor, in a 2004 interview with AbsolutePunk, stated the reason for his departure was his desire to stay in a small non-mainstream band against the increasing popularity Blink-182 was achieving.

Hoppus and DeLonge asked drummer Travis Barker of Blink-182's support band The Aquabats to fill in for Raynor for the remainder of the tour. He was later offered the position of a full-time drummer and consequently left The Aquabats. Barker learned the entire setlist of the tour (which consisted of 20 songs), reportedly in less than one day. The band entered the studio in October 1998 to begin work on what would become their breakthrough album, Enema of the State.


Mainstream success (1999–2004)

After finishing up production of Enema of the State with new producer Jerry Finn, the album was released in June 1999 and became a huge success, largely due to popular singles "What's My Age Again", "All the Small Things", and "Adam's Song". The singles led to an incredible amount of airtime on music video channels, bringing the band to a new audience. The band's popularity soared to new horizons and the band made a cameo in the teen comedy ^{teen film} American Pie (1999). A home video titled The Urethra Chronicles (1999) featured behind-the-scenes information, and was released in November 1999. "Adam's Song" caused a stir in 2000 when it was set to replay indefinitely on a stereo as 17-year-old Greg Barnes hanged himself in the garage of his family's home. Enema of the State would go on to sell over 15 million copies, solidifying Blink-182 as one of the biggest pop punk acts of the era. Although the album’s name references Blink-182’s highly publicized summer 2000 tour (The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show Tour), the album was actually recorded on the Loserkids Tour (during the tour’s arena shows early on in the tour) in 1999. The album quickly went out of print. Two singles were released from the album, the sole studio track "Man Overboard ^{Man Overboard (Blink-182 song)} " and a live version of "Dumpweed".

The band continued its commercial success with Take Off Your Pants and Jacket in 2001, which was a small change from their direction in Enema of the State. The album sold more than 350,000 copies in the first week. It contains the hit singles "The Rock Show", "First Date" and "Stay Together for the Kids", while "Anthem Part 2" also received radio airplay. The album has sold approximately 4.5 million records worldwide, while going double platinum in the US. The album was released on three different CDs: yellow, red and green versions, each one featuring two unique bonus tracks. A European tour in winter 2001 was delayed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Rescheduled dates in early 2002 were also canceled due to DeLonge's back problems. In 2001, Mark Hoppus' sister released a book about the genesis of the band entitled Blink-182: Tales From Beneath Your Mom. Blink-182 co-headlined the Pop Disaster Tour with Green Day during summer 2002, which was documented on the DVD Riding in Vans with Boys.

During time off from Blink-182, DeLonge and Barker formed side project Box Car Racer with David Kennedy ^{David Kennedy (guitarist)} of Hazen Street. Created to experiment with darker ideas not "Blink-friendly", the band recorded and released their debut album Box Car Racer ^{Box Car Racer (album)} in May 2002 to commercial success. The album is a salute to DeLonge's post-hardcore influences, such as Fugazi and Refused. Meanwhile, Barker was invited to join rap rock outfit Transplants ^{Transplants (band)} and accepted; the band's eponymous debut album ^{Transplants (album)} being released in October 2002. After finishing up the side-projects near Christmas of 2002, the band regrouped and began production of their next album.

The band rented a house in San Diego to record the album, which took much longer than expected, causing the band to be kicked out of the house before finishing the album (as seen on MTV album launch of blink 182). The album was in production so late that final mixes were still being judged by Hoppus, DeLonge, and Barker in early October 2003.

Blink-182's eponymous fifth studio album ^{Blink-182 (album)} was released on November 18, 2003 through Geffen Records, the band’s first with the label. The album was commercially successful (bolstered by hit singles "Feeling This" and "I Miss You ^{I Miss You (Blink-182 song)} ") and received favorable reviews from music critics, who praised the band’s new direction and sound. The album represented a more "mature" Blink-182 than seen in the past, with the band infusing experimentalist elements into their usual pop punk sound, inspired by lifestyle changes (the band members all became fathers before the album was released) and side-projects (Box Car Racer and Transplants ^{Transplants (band)} ). Barker broke his right foot after a gig in Melbourne, Australia in March 2004, forcing the band to cancel several shows there and Japan. Blink-182 toured with No Doubt in the summer of 2004. Two more singles from Blink-182, "Down ^{Down (Blink-182 song)} " and "Always ^{Always (Blink-182 song)} ", were issued during 2004, the latter celebrating the band's longevity. However, tensions were arising in the band as they completed a European tour in December 2004.
At a band meeting which coincided with the beginning of Blink-182's final European tour, DeLonge expressed his desire to spend more time with his family. In an interview published in 2006, Hoppus stated that, at this meeting, Delonge stated that he was: "'over playing music' and wanted to be with his family. The spring tour was going to be canceled. Travis and I were in shock. [...] [We] said 'okay, if you don’t want to tour, how about let’s stay home and start the next record?' We had a lot of ideas and were ready to start laying them down, and Tom could be with his family. He didn’t want to do that either. He was burned out and just wanted to stop. We asked him how long he needed, and he said he didn’t know. The conversation got heated and lasted for two or three hours. It went around in circles, and the end result was the canceled tour, with no idea when we would be doing anything with blink-182 again." DeLonge subsequently changed his telephone number to avoid discussing the matter with Hoppus and Barker. In 2010, whilst reflecting upon the band's break-up, Tom Delonge stated that: "My biggest failure was the breakup of Blink. That was a failure of friendships, businesses and communications. In our hearts, we thought that was forever and gone. What's funny is, at the time, I looked at it as a triumph."

News of the band's break-up initially appeared on Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro's blog, 6767.com. Navarro, who was also scheduled to perform at Music for Relief benefit concert, posted the following: "the big shock came when Blink-182 pulled out. Evidently, they broke up yesterday. I am surprised they couldn't hang in there one more day in order to do Southeast Asia a service like this, but having said that, I know how it can get when it's just not working anymore. Anyway, best of luck to those guys."

Other projects and Barker's plane crash (2005–2008)

Following the band's break-up, DeLonge founded a new band, entitled Angels & Airwaves. The band, which still continues to record and tour, have thus far released three studio albums: We Don't Need to Whisper (2006), I-Empire (2007) and Love ^{Love (Angels & Airwaves album)} (2010). Hoppus and Barker continued working together in a new band, +44 ^{+44 (band)} . They released their debut album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, in 2006.

On August 21, 2008, the band's frequent producer Jerry Finn died of a cerebral hemorrhage. This event would become one of the catalysts for DeLonge to begin communicating with both Hoppus and Barker again in September 2008.

On September 19, 2008, Travis Barker barely survived a plane crash ^{2008 South Carolina Learjet 60 crash} , after performing an event with Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell. Adam Goldstein (better known as DJ AM) and Barker were the sole survivors. Barker sustained second and third degree burns on his lower body and torso and expected to recover within a year. While in the hospital, Mark Hoppus and former bandmate Tom DeLonge visited, allowing the band to reconcile and patch up their differences. Regarding Barker's incident, in 2010 Tom DeLonge stated that "if that accident hadn't happened, we wouldn't be a band. Plain and simple. That was fate."


Reformation and sixth studio album (2009–present)

At the 51st Grammy Awards ceremony on February 8, 2009, all three members of the band appeared onstage for the first time since December 2004.



The summer tour ^{Blink-182 Reunion Tour} was at first mentioned during the reformation, though no concrete information was given until April 7, 2009 when website buzznet.com stated that Weezer would be supporting Blink-182 on their upcoming tour. The May 28, 2009 issue of Rolling Stone magazine later added Fall Out Boy, in addition to Weezer, as an opener for the tour. Official tour dates were announced on May 15, 2009 on Billboard.com; the well-received tour lasted from July 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada and ended on October 12 in Santa Barbara, California. Several additional dates were added to make up for the shows cancelled due to DJ-AM's passing.

During an interview after their reunion announcement, Travis confirmed that they had been in the studio since December 2008 writing and recording new material. Each member had brought in their own musical ideas and songs, while also writing new material together. Blink 182 also revisited older demos they had written in 2004, before they went on indefinite hiatus. A new single, titled "Up All Night," has been announced for the new album. On January 25, Tom DeLonge stated that blink-182 was in discussion to release a new album in 2011.
On January 26, however, Hoppus stated via Twitter that 2011 is "too far away" and will do everything he can do to release the new album in 2010. The band is also working on a documentary movie, currently titled The Blinkumentary, about their recent reformation, recording of their new album, and both reunion tours. On August 26, 2009, an official trailer for the documentary was posted on the production company's official Youtube page. A second trailer appeared on November 7, 2009, and then a third trailer appeared on January 10, 2010.

The trio will soon be in the studio working on their as-of-yet untitled sixth album, On June 21, 2010, the radio station KROQ announced the band would headline the station's Epicenter Festival in fall 2010 (alongside Eminem and Kiss ^{Kiss (band)} ), causing a small controversy involving misinformation between the fan community, disc jockey Stryker ^{Stryker (disc jockey)} , and Mark Hoppus over a possible new song being played (revealed to be fellow Epicenter headliner Bush ^{Bush (band)} 's new single "Afterlife ^{Everything Always Now} "). Hoppus cleared up the controversy the next day, revealing that after the Epicenter performance the band will re-enter the studio to complete work on the album for the rest of 2010..

The band's European tour began on August 16 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The trio will return in early September 2010 to begin preparations for the Epicenter 2010 Festival, the beginning of Mark Hoppus' new weekly television series debuting September 16th A Different Spin ^{A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus} , and the recording of their new record. The album is currently set for a Spring 2011 release.

In an interview with Tom DeLonge on August 30, 2010, he has said that you can hear exactly how the band's new album will sound by listening to the three members' side projects. He has also commented the new album will be a mixture of drum and bass, indie rock and stadium rock. "I can't say we’ve done that before, but you can see the tip of the iceberg on the last record" Delonge has commented.
The band was rumoured to tour Australia in 2011 as part of the annual Big Day Out travelling music festival, but it was recently confirmed that the rumors are false.;Current
*Tom Delonge – guitar, vocals (1992 / 2005, 2009 / present)>
*Mark Hoppus – bass guitar, vocals (1992 / 2005, 2009 / present)>
*Travis Barker – drums, percussion ^{Percussion instrument} (1998 / 2005, 2009 / present)>

;Former
*Scott Raynor – drums, percussion (1992 / 1998)>*Cheshire Cat ^{Cheshire Cat (album)} (1994)
*Dude Ranch ^{Dude Ranch (album)} (1997)
*Enema of the State (1999)
*Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001)
*Blink-182 ^{Blink-182 (album)} (2003)
*Greatest Hits ^{Greatest Hits(album)} (2005)Blink 182's musical style has been described by various sources as "pop punk", "punk rock", "punk revival", and "skate punk". Blink-182 are known for their simple melodies, teen angst and occasional lyrical toilet humor. They are often targeting subjects such as love and growing up, these being fused into multiple hit singles such as "Dammit ^{Dammit (song)} " and "What's My Age Again?". Before the release of their experimental and different untitled fifth album ^{Blink-182 (album)} , darker songs by the band include singles "Adam's Song" and "Stay Together for the Kids". Bill Lamb of About.com described their music as being "marked by a radio-friendly sheen, but it still maintains much of the speed and attitude of classic punk rock".

The band has cited Descendents, Screeching Weasel, Bad Religion, Pennywise ^{Pennywise (band)} , NOFX, The Undertones, and Buzzcocks as influences, and they themselves have particularly been cited for their influence on contemporary pop punk music, with MTV News declaring "...Without them, there'd be no Fall Out Boy, no Paramore, or no Fueled by Ramen Records ^{Fueled by Ramen} ." All Time Low has cited Blink-182 as a major influence, as have bands such as Paramore,Blink-182 has had the most success at the Teen Choice Awards, winning three awards: Choice Rock Group (2000) and Best Rock Group (2001) for the band, and Choice Love Song (2004) for the song "I Miss You ^{I Miss You (Blink-182 song)} ". "All the Small Things", a single from the band's Enema of the State album, received three nominations from the MTV Video Music Awards in 2000: Video of the Year ^{MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year} , Best Pop Video ^{MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video} , and Best Group Video ^{MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video} , which it won. Overall, Blink-182 has received seven awards from ten nominations.


MTV Europe Music Awards

The MTV Europe Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1994 by MTV Europe. Blink-182 has received two awards.




MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony established in 1984 by MTV. Blink-182 has received one award from four nominations.




Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is an annual awards show organized by Nickelodeon ^{Nickelodeon (TV channel)} . Blink-182 has received one award.




Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards is an awards show presented annually by the Fox Broadcasting Company. Blink-182 has received three awards.