Alkaline Trio


Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago. The band's current members are Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano, and Atom Willard.
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, and its debut studio album, Goddamnit. Following the release of the band's second album, Maybe I'll Catch Fire, Porter left the band and was replaced by Mike Felumlee for its subsequent album, From Here to Infirmary.
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, charted highly on the Billboard 200. Good Mourning marked the recording debut of longtime drummer Derek Grant. In 2005, the band released Crimson which expanded upon the band's punk rock influences, with prominent overdubs and additional instrumentation, and continued with this direction on Agony & Irony, which was released on Epic Records.
In 2010, the band released This Addiction on its own label Heart & Skull and Epitaph. Recorded in the band's home town of Chicago, 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 the Billboard 200 at No. 11. In 2011, the band celebrated its 15-year anniversary with the release of Damnesia, 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 track EP titled E.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, Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, was released on January 26, 2024.

History

Early years, ''Goddamnit'' and ''Maybe I'll Catch Fire'' (1996–2000)

Alkaline Trio was formed in December 1996, originally consisting of Matt Skiba, Rob Doran, and Glenn Porter. In 1999, the band released the I Lied My Face Off EP on Asian Man Records and filmed their first music video, directed by Link 80 guitarist Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously released EPs on their self-titled album.

''From Here to Infirmary'' and ''Good Mourning'' (2001–2004)

In 2001, the band released From Here To Infirmary on Vagrant Records. This album inspired music videos for the singles "Stupid Kid" and "Private Eye." The album was the band's first album to reach above Billboard top 200 mark and the first to gross six figures in sales.
Their next full-length album was Good Mourning, released in 2003, 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, notably Plea for Peace Vol. 1, Vagrant Records: Another Year on the Streets Vol. 1, 2, and 3, and Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba with Kevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the album This is Unity Music by Common Rider. They recorded two split EPs: one with Hot Water Music in 2002 and the other with One Man Army in 2004.
In 2004, Andriano became a member of The Falcon, a group consisting of The Lawrence Arms' bassist Brendan Kelly, previously of Slapstick and The Broadways, and drummer Neil Hennessy. The Falcon also saw contributions from Todd Mohney of The Killing Tree and formerly Rise 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.

''Crimson'' and ''Agony & Irony'' (2005–2008)

Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, titled Crimson, on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced by Squirtgun and Common Rider bassist Mass 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 of Crimson hit store shelves. This album features the original cut of Crimson 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 behind the songs.
In September 2006, Patent Pending, the debut album by Matt Skiba's side project Heavens was released. The band consisted of Skiba on guitar and vocals, and Josiah Steinbrick on bass. On the album, the duo were joined by The Mars Volta's Isaiah "Ikey" Owens on organ and Matthew 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 with V2 Records. On January 12, 2007, the North America branch of the label announced that they were undergoing restructuring 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 of Remains 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 listing Epic Records as its label on their MySpace.
On April 4, 2008, "In Vein" was made available for streaming through the band's Myspace profile.
On April 7, the album's title Agony & Irony and track listing was revealed.

''This Addiction'' (2009–2011)

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. Four songs from the album were debuted on that tour with Saves 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 with Epitaph Records. 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 record This Addiction after recording their last few albums in L.A. The band worked hard to go back to their roots with the album, Atlas Studios being the place they recorded their first three albums.
File:Alkaline Trio at House of Blues, Hollywood 2010-02-17.jpg|thumb| Alkaline Trio performing at the House of Blues in Hollywood in support of This Addiction
On December 1, Alkaline Trio confirmed to Rock Sound that the title of their new album would be This 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 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."
The album debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.
Alkaline Trio released an LP, Damnesia, on July 12, 2011. 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 a cover version of the Violent Femmes' "I Held Her in My Arms". The band went on a fifteenth-anniversary United States tour in support of the album.

''My Shame Is True'' and "Past Live" tour (2012–2015)

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 at Fort Collins at the Blasting Room. Bill and Jason . 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."
On October 27, 2012, Skiba confirmed that the band had completed the album.
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, titled My Shame Is True, as well as the artwork and track-listing for an EP called Broken Wing. Both My Shame Is True and Broken Wing were released on April 2, 2013. The album peaked at #24 on the Billboard charts 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.