 The East Coast post-grunge quartet
Good Charlotte is just barely distinctive from the likes
of corporate alternative rockers
Blink-182 and
Third Eye Blind, but the fresh five faces composing this
quintet from Maryland first started off in 1996, practically
shy of strumming a chord. Vocalist Joel Madden and his twin
brother guitarist Benji, who never sang or played an
instrument in their lives, were instantly inspired to form a
band after seeing the
Beastie Boys on their 1995 Ill Communication tour. They
soon formed
Good Charlotte with high school chums Paul (bass) and
Aaron (drums), and Billy (guitar) was added later. They all
had a passion for the energetic elements spawned from '70s
punk rock, but also sentimental enough for killer ballads
found in mainstream corporate rock. Quickly,
Good Charlotte made a
name for themselves in and around the D.C. area, playing the WHFS annual rock show HFSFestival in 1998 and 1999. A year
later,
Good Charlotte issued their self-titled debut on Epic.
The Madden brothers scored a gig as MTV VJ's and soon were
all over the network's late night rock show All Things Rock.
This promotion helped
Good Charlotte greatly, as they spent time
behind the scenes writing songs for the new album. By the
fall of 2002,
Good Charlotte was ready to release The Young and the
Hopeless. "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Anthem"
catapulted the band into the mainstream in 2003 and shared
dates with New Found Glory for the third annual Civic Tour
were equally successful. In 2004,
Good Charlotte returned with The
Chronicles of Life and Death. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music
Guide
|
