Alkaline Trio | |
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 Alkaline Trio performing in Los Angeles in 2021. Left to right: Skiba, Andriano, and Grant | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Discography |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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| Website | alkalinetrio |
Alkaline Trio is an Americanpunk rock band fromChicago. The band's current members areMatt Skiba (guitar, vocals),Dan Andriano (bass, vocals), andAtom Willard (drums).
Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Doran, and drummer Glenn Porter, Alkaline Trio released its debut single, "Sundials", in 1997. Following its release, Doran departed from the band and was replaced by Andriano, who occupied the role of co-lead vocalist alongside Skiba. The band subsequently recorded an EP,For Your Lungs Only (1998), and its debut studio album,Goddamnit(1998). Following the release of the band's second album,Maybe I'll Catch Fire (2000), Porter left the band and was replaced by Mike Felumlee for its subsequent album,From Here to Infirmary (2001).
Backed by the singles "Stupid Kid" and "Private Eye",From Here to Infirmary significantly increased the band's exposure, and its follow-up,Good Mourning (2003), charted highly on theBillboard 200.Good Mourning marked the recording debut of longtime drummer Derek Grant. In 2005, the band releasedCrimson which expanded upon the band's punk rock influences, with prominentoverdubs and additional instrumentation, and continued with this direction onAgony & Irony (2008), which was released on Epic Records.
In 2010, the band releasedThis Addiction on its own label Heart & Skull andEpitaph. Recorded in the band's home town ofChicago, with early producer Matt Allison, the album was a conscious effort by the band to return to their punk rock roots; it became the highest-charting album of their career, debuting on theBillboard 200 at No. 11. In 2011, the band celebrated its 15-year anniversary with the release ofDamnesia, which featured new,acoustic-based recordings of songs from across the band's career. The band's eighth studio album,My Shame Is True, was released on April 2, 2013, while their ninth album,Is This Thing Cursed? was released on August 31, 2018, followed by a three trackEP titledE.P. on March 19, 2020.
In June 2023, Grant departed from the band after twenty-two years, with Atom Willard being announced as his replacement soon thereafter. Their tenth album (and their final one with Grant),Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, was released on January 26, 2024.
Alkaline Trio was formed in December 1996, originally consisting ofMatt Skiba (guitar/lead vocals), Rob Doran (bass/vocals), and Glenn Porter (drums/vocals). 1997 saw the release of the band's first EP,Sundials. This was followed shortly after by the departure of Rob Doran, after whichDan Andriano, former singer ofAsian Man Records bandTuesday and bassist forSlapstick, took his place and they began recording. The band released their second EP entitledFor Your Lungs Only, in 1998. Later that year, the band released their first full-lengthalbum,Goddamnit,[1] followed byMaybe I'll Catch Fire in 2000, both onAsian Man Records).[6] In 1999, the band released theI Lied My Face Off EP onAsian Man Records and filmed their first music video, directed byLink 80 guitaristMatt Bettinelli-Olpin. Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously releasedEPs on their self-titled album.
In 2001, the band releasedFrom Here To Infirmary onVagrant Records.[7] This album inspired music videos for the singles "Stupid Kid" and "Private Eye." The album was the band's first album to reach aboveBillboard top 200 mark and the first to gross six figures in sales.[8]
Their next full-length album wasGood Mourning, released in 2003,[9] with the album's launch single "We've Had Enough" seeing much the same success as the previous single "Stupid Kid". The album was something of a departure from earlier works, featuring greater production values.
The band appeared on various compilation albums, notablyPlea for Peace Vol. 1,Vagrant Records: Another Year on the Streets Vol. 1, 2, and 3, andRock Against Bush Vol. 1. Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba withKevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the albumThis is Unity Music byCommon Rider. They recorded two split EPs: one withHot Water Music in 2002[10] and the other withOne Man Army in 2004.[11]
In 2004, Andriano became a member ofThe Falcon, a group consisting ofThe Lawrence Arms' bassistBrendan Kelly, previously ofSlapstick (alongside Andriano) andThe Broadways, and drummer Neil Hennessy. The Falcon also saw contributions fromTodd Mohney ofThe Killing Tree and formerlyRise Against. The band released an EP,God Don't Make No Trash / Up Your Ass With Broken Glass in 2005 and its first full-length,Unicornography in September 2006.
Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, titledCrimson,[2] on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced bySquirtgun andCommon Rider bassistMass Giorgini. The tracks "Mercy Me" and "Burn" have also been released as singles from the album.
In December 2005, a dual-disc special edition re-release ofCrimson hit store shelves. This album features the original cut ofCrimson released earlier in the year, while the 2nd disc has demo and acoustic/live versions of some of the songs. Additionally, an enhanced version of the lyrics and liner notes are available for download with personal messages from the band members on the history and/or inspiration(s) behind the songs.
In September 2006,Patent Pending, the debut album byMatt Skiba's side projectHeavens was released. The band consisted of Skiba on guitar and vocals, andJosiah Steinbrick (ofhardcore punk outfitF-Minus) on bass. On the album, the duo were joined byThe Mars Volta'sIsaiah "Ikey" Owens on organ andMatthew Compton on drums and percussion. Skiba was playing with Heavens during a short tour in the fall of 2006.
In October 2006, it was announced that Alkaline Trio had signed withV2 Records.[12] On January 12, 2007, the North America branch of the label announced that they were undergoingrestructuring to focus on their back catalogue and digital distribution. As a result, their employees were let go and their roster of artists left as free agents.
January 30, 2007, marked the release ofRemains an album of B-sides, rarities and live performances. An accompanying DVD contained performances from The Occult Roots Tour and all the band's music videos to date. This marked the end of their association with Vagrant Records.
During late May 2007 the band began listingEpic Records as its label on their MySpace.
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On April 4, 2008, "In Vein" was made available for streaming through the band'sMyspace profile. On April 7, the album's titleAgony & Irony and track listing was revealed.
During a concert in May 2009, the band revealed that they were no longer signed to Epic Records and that they would be releasing new material through their own label later in the year. Recording began that July.[13] Four songs from the album ("This Addiction", "Dead On The Floor", "Dine, Dine My Darling", and "Dorothy") were debuted on that tour withSaves the Day.
On November 18, 2009, the band announced that they would be releasing their new album on their own newly formed label, Heart & Skull, a joint venture withEpitaph Records.[14] In the same article, Skiba also confirmed that the new album would be released on February 23, 2010, with another new song announced, entitled "The American Scream." The trio went back to their home in Chicago to recordThis Addiction after recording their last few albums in L.A.[15] The band worked hard to go back to their roots with the album, Atlas Studios being the place they recorded their first three albums.[16]
On December 1, Alkaline Trio confirmed toRock Sound that the title of their new album would beThis Addiction:
"It is the first song on the record and the title of our new album," said vocalist Matt Skiba. "The song takes heroin addiction as a metaphor for love. The whole record is really personal, all three of us have been through quite a bit since our last album [2008'sAgony & Irony] and it is all expressed through this, all the songs are about the relationships we've been in and so the record has a constant theme."[17]
The album debuted at No. 11 on theBillboard 200, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.[18]
Alkaline Trio released an LP,Damnesia, on July 12, 2011.[19] Consisting of "a selection of beloved fan favorites selected from the group's extensive catalogue and presented in an intimate semi-unplugged format", the LP also included two new songs, "Olde English 800" and "I Remember a Rooftop", as well as acover version of theViolent Femmes' "I Held Her in My Arms".[19] The band went on a fifteenth-anniversary United States tour in support of the album.[19]
On July 14, 2012, in an interview with The Punk Site, it was confirmed by Dan Andriano that the band would begin recording their next studio album that October: "We're going to go work with Bill [Stevenson] at Fort Collins at the Blasting Room. Bill and Jason [Livermore]. We've all wanted to work with Bill for a long time and this is kind of the time to do it. So we're going to go hang out there in October. Make a new record."[20][21]
On October 27, 2012, Skiba confirmed that the band had completed the album.[22]On February 1, 2013, the band released a lyric video for the album's lead single, "I Wanna Be A Warhol". On February 5, the band released the artwork and track-listing for the album, titledMy Shame Is True, as well as the artwork and track-listing for an EP calledBroken Wing. BothMy Shame Is True andBroken Wing were released on April 2, 2013.[23] The album peaked at #24 on the Billboard charts[24] The band toured to support the album during 2013.
In 2014, the band conducted an anthology tour dubbed the "Past Live" tour, in which they performed all eight studio albums in their entirety over four consecutive shows in several cities.[25]
In an interview on July 20, 2015, Dan Andriano was quoted saying, "We need to make a new record, pretty much. We're gonna go to England and play some shows with NOFX, do a couple festivals this fall, but it's time for us to make a new record. But I'm doing some Emergency Room stuff and I'm not sure what Matt's gonna be up to with the Sekrets, if he's gonna tour on that, but I think by early next year we're gonna be recording another record."[26]
While the production of the ninth album was postponed by Matt Skiba's work withBlink-182, in an interview on July 3, 2016, Skiba assured that the album would move forward, saying, "I'll be writing for a new Alkaline Trio record while on this summer tour so once things with Blink cool down a bit, the Trio can go in and make a new record and start touring again while Blink is on break. [...] It's such a unique and wonderful position to be in, having two full time bands that people – myself included – are big fans of."[27]
Alkaline Trio opened for the Misfits on December 28 and 30, 2017. On January 11, 2018, the band announced that the Chicago stop during their 2014/15 Past Live Tour (all eight studio albums performed in four nights) will be released in its entirety onBlu-ray, and as an eight-LP box set.Past Live will be released in February 2018. In addition to this announcement, the band also hinted at new music coming soon. Andriano stated that "There's not an inch of me that feels like we're done making music, or we're done making new stuff. I wanna be a band that people want to hear new stuff from. Because I feel like I'm still in a band that wants to write good, new music."[28]
Alkaline Trio was slated to perform at the Self Help Festival on March 3, 2018. However, they were forced to back out after Skiba went through throat surgery. The band shared on Instagram: "Matt's recovery from throat surgery is not healing as quickly as planned and, per his doctor, he can't perform. Everything went well, he just needs more time to heal so he can play many shows in the future. Thank you for understanding."[29]
On July 19, 2018, Alkaline Trio announced their ninth studio album,Is This Thing Cursed?, along with the release of the lead single, "Blackbird."[30][31] The band also went on a North American tour to support the album with opening act,Together Pangea.[32] On August 2, 2018, it was announced on Skiba's Instagram that Grant would not be drumming on the tour due to ongoing health problems. Skiba and Andriano recruited formerMy Chemical Romance touring drummer,Jarrod Alexander, to fill in for Grant on the tour, which began the next day in Dallas, Texas and ended on October 18 in Santa Cruz, California, while the album was released on August 31.
In January 2020, the band posted a picture of Andriano in a recording studio with the subtitle "New Jams!" (as well as some pictures with Skiba and Andriano in vocal booths) on Instagram, indicating that work on new material was on its way.[33]
On March 19, 2020, the band released a three-songEP entitledE.P. after postponing a planned tour withBad Religion due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, with the songs being recorded before the pandemic. Drummer Derek Grant returned to the band around this time, after taking a lengthy break.[34] Skiba announced inInstagram comments in April 2020 that he is currently writing more music for the band. In June 2021, the tour with Bad Religion was rescheduled with the first show taking place inRiverside, California, on October 15, 2021.[35]
In March 2022, the band went on a UK co-headlining tour withTaking Back Sunday. During an interview on the tour, Grant discussed their plans for new music, stating that new songs had mostly been played at soundchecks, but that "things are starting to kind of take shape, and I think we're at the stage now where we're ready to start actually kind of committing to tape somehow, even if it's just on an iPhone at you know, soundchecks." Grant also discussed plans for a 20th anniversary celebration forGood Mourning, explaining that he had some ideas for what they may want to do, such as shows or a rerelease of the album.[36]
On June 8, 2023, Grant announced his departure from the band after 22 years, citing mental health reasons and a desire to pursue music production and graphic design.[37] On June 15, the band announcedAtom Willard (who had previously served as a touring replacement in 2001) as their new drummer.[38]
On October 17, 2023, the band officially announced their next albumBlood, Hair, and Eyeballs with a release date of January 26, 2024. This was accompanied by the release of the album's title track and the announcement of a 2024 headlining tour withDrug Church.[39][40] In the following weeks, the band also released the album's second single, "Bad Time" on November 30, 2023.[41] The album features the last contributions from Grant, as he had completed his drum parts prior to his departure.[42] The album's third single, "Versions of You", came out on January 5, 2024.
In support of theBlood, Hair, and Eyeballs, Alkaline Trio embarked on multiple headlining tours with support fromDrug Church, Worriers,Spanish Love Songs, and Slomosa, while also supportingDropkick Murphys on their 2024 Australian tour.[43][44][45] Later that year, the band also released a joint single "The Sacrifice / At Sickness." The band initially recorded the songs in the same sessions forBlood, Hair, and Eyeballs, but cut them from the final track list for time reasons.[46]
On July 18, 2025, the band released, "Oblivion", the first in a series of three stand-alone singles produced by Matt Skiba's formerblink-182 bandmateTravis Barker. The tracks marked Atom Willard's recording debut for the band, with Alkaline Trio set to support blink-182 on their "Missionary Impossible" tour between August and October 2025. Reflecting on the recording process, Skiba noted: "I don’t think I’ve ever had such a great time in the studio. We'd wanted to get into the studio with Atom as soon as he’d joined the band and we finally found the time to do it. [...] I was blown away by how natural and amazing Travis is in the role of a producer and by the beauty and serenity of his studio. We had initially gone in thinking we would do a cover we’d been playing with, to take the pressure off of our first recording with Atom but ended up with three new songs."[47] Andriano elaborated, suggesting that the band will continue to work with Barker in the future: "Matt’s been on fire lately, between him having so many good ideas and Travis being so easy and cool to work with we could’ve stayed in there forever. It’s always exciting when working with a producer for the first time, but Travis really blew us all away. He had so many cool and thoughtful ideas for all aspects of the tunes, from structure and writing suggestions to mix ideas, it was awesome. I have a feeling we might just do this again!"[48]
Alkaline Trio's style has been primarily described aspop-punk,[49][50][51][52][53]punk rock,[49][54][55][56][57]emo,[49][58][59][60] andalternative rock.[61][62] Alkaline Trio's musical influences includeJawbreaker,the Clash,the Buzzcocks,[63]Screeching Weasel,Pegboy,Naked Raygun,[64]Ramones,Misfits,[65] andGreen Day.[66] The band's dark, gothic aesthetic borrows from such actsthe Cure,the Sisters of Mercy,Ministry,Front 242,Bauhaus, andJoy Division.[67]
Alkaline Trio's lyrical themes have included alcoholism, women, love, and depression.[68][69] Dan Ozzi ofDifferuser wrote that Alkaline Trio's "lyrics combine the macabre imagery of the Misfits with the clever turns of phrases of Jawbreaker."[70]
Alkaline Trio is part of a very large circle of Chicago punk/hardcore bands. Skiba was previously a member of Jerkwater, Blunt, and Traitors.[71] Former drummer Glenn Porter played in88 Fingers Louie.[3] Andriano's previous bands wereSlapstick andTuesday.[72] Mike Felumlee (drums) has also performed with Duvall andSmoking Popes.[73] Derek Grant, who joined the band after theFrom Here to Infirmary album, has also played for Laughing Glass, Skolars, Telegraph,The Suicide Machines,Thoughts of Ionesco,Dan Zanes, The Sugar Pup and Sean Madigan Hoen.[74] In 2004 Dan Andriano joined the newly assembled group,The Falcon, with Andriano performing with fellow former Slapstick member Brendan Kelly (guitar and vocals), Neil Hennessy (drums), and Todd Mohney, a former member ofRise Against.[75] Mohney played guitar on the first EP but did not appear in the band's debut albumUnicornography, and his spot was filled in by Kelly and Hennessy.[76]
Alkaline Trio have been compared to bands such asJawbreaker[77] andGreen Day.[78]
In 2006 Skiba started the side-projectHeavens with Josiah Steinbrick, previously ofF-Minus. Their debut album,Patent Pending was released onEpitaph Records.[79]
On September 16, 2009, bassist and co-vocalist Dan Andriano announced he would be playing a series of solo shows across the US under the name "Dan Andriano In The Emergency Room".[80] The band announced onTwitter that Andriano will be releasing his debut solo album under the same name in summer 2011.[81] The album,Hurricane Season, was released on August 9, 2011, under the moniker 'Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room'.[82] A second album followed in 2015 namedParty Adjacent.[83][84]
Skiba was set to release his debut solo album on February 14, 2010, but it was delayed until the summer of 2010 due to the new Alkaline Trio album.[85] The album's name isDemos. In May 2012 Skiba released his second solo album (featuring hisbacking band, The Sekrets) entitledBabylon.[86] In June 2015 Skiba released his third solo album with The Sekrets entitled "KUTS".[87]
From 2015 to 2022, Skiba performed and recorded with rock bandBlink-182. He began performing with the group starting with three shows in March 2015 filling in for long-time guitarist/vocalistTom DeLonge who departed the group for the second time earlier that year. Skiba eventually became an official member and recorded two full-length albums with the band, before DeLonge rejoined.
Current
Former
Touring
Studio
Timeline
Studio albums
Alkaline Trio have always played a bracing strain of emo in which anxiety doesn't just seem spackled on line MAC makeup.
We've always been big fans ofScreeching Weasel,Pegboy andNaked Raygun, our forefathers in the Chicago punk scene. Hanging out with everybody then playingRiot Fest with all these great bands we grew up seeing, I think those influences seeped in a lot more.
We're not trying to sound likeGreen Day, but I think they've definitely been an influence.
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