Adam and the Ants

One of the seminal figures of new wave, Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard) had several distinct phases to his career. Initially, he explored a jagged, guitar-oriented post-punk with his group Adam & the Ants before giving way to a more pop-oriented, glam-tinged musical direction that brought him to the top of the charts. After that had run its course, he refashioned himself as a mainstream singer, which enabled him to stretch his career out for a couple of years. Once it seemed like his musical career had evaporated, he made an unexpected comeback in the early '90s as an adult alternative artist. During all this time, he recorded several great pop singles and had a surprisingly large impact on alternative rock.

Adam Ant formed Adam & the Ants with guitarist Lester Square, bassist Andy Warren, and drummer Paul Flanagan in London in 1977. The group's approach was more theatrical than most punk groups, incorporating sadomasochistic imagery into their concerts. During this time, the group's lineup was fairly unstable, with Square being replaced by Mark Gaumont. The band released their debut, Dirk Wears White Sox, on the independent label Do It in 1979. Dirk was an ambitious and somewhat dark album, filled with jerky rhythms and angular guitar riffs, and elements of glam rock crept into Ant's vocals; Ant re-acquired the rights to the record in 1983, reissuing it in a re-sequenced and remixed form, with the tracks "Catholic Day" and "Day I Met God" replaced by "Zerox" and "Kick," as well as including a new version of "Cartrouble."

At the time of its release, Dirk Wears White Sox wasn't a critical or a commercial success and the band felt the need to rework their image. Ant hired Malcolm McLaren, the manager of the Sex Pistols, to help redefine their image. McLaren dressed the band in pirate outfits and suggested a more accessible and pop-oriented rhythmic variation on punk. Adam & the Ants followed his advice, preparing material for a new album. However, McLaren persuaded all of the Ants to leave Adam, using them as the core members of Bow Wow Wow. Adam Ant immediately formed a new version of the Ants, adding guitarist Marco Pirroni, bassist Kevin Mooney, and drummers Terry Lee Miall and Merrick (born Chris Hughes). Pirroni, in particular, became very important in the band's musical direction, co-writing the majority of the songs with Ant, thus beginning a collaboration between the duo that would continue into the '90s.

Driven by a relentless driving beat and chanting melodies, the new band's first album, 1980's Kings of the Wild Frontier, became an enormous hit in the U.K., launching three Top Ten hit singles, including the number two "Ant Music." The band's success was helped by a series of visually enticing videos, prominently featuring the skinny, handsome Adam Ant decked out in pirate gear. Prince Charming, released the following year, retained the same formula as Kings of the Wild Frontier, spawning two number one singles, "Stand and Deliver" and "Prince Charming." Even though the album was a commercial success, the formula was beginning to wear thin.

After Prince Charming, Adam Ant ditched the Ants for a solo career, retaining Marco Pirroni as a songwriting collaborator and a supporting musician. Ant's first solo album, Friend or Foe, was released in 1982 and featured the number one single "Goody Two Shoes" and the Top Ten title track. Although his next album, 1983's Strip, had some highlights and hit singles, it marked the end of his reign as one of Britain's top pop stars.

Released in 1985, the Tony Visconti-produced Vive Le Rock had some fun moments, but the performance was too studied and the record didn't earn any hit singles, so Adam Ant pursued a surprisingly successful career in acting. In 1990, Ant made a comeback with the catchy hit single "Room at the Top" from the Manners & Physique record, but the album failed to produce another hit single. For the next five years, Ant concentrated on acting.

By the time Adam Ant returned to recording in 1995, echoes of his music could be heard in the spiky singles of Elastica, the neo-goth industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails, and the pseudo-glam of Suede. Instead of capitalizing on the burgeoning new wave revival, Adam Ant's 1995 comeback, Wonderful, had little to do with the stylish, intensely rhythmic sound he made in the early '80s. Instead, the album repositioned him as a more mature pop-rocker, with crafted songs that featured acoustic guitars as prominently as electrics. The album was a moderate hit in the U.S. and the U.K., as was the single "Wonderful." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Adair

Though the members of Adair had played together under a different name since 1993, the St. Louis-bred rock quintet formally came into existence in 2001. The lineup culled together members from several area bands, namely Rob Tweedie (vocals), Josh Goldenhersh (guitar/vocals), Patrick Baum (guitar/vocals), Matt Tuttle (drums), and Jeff Meyer (bass, ex-Open Hand). After solidifying the lineup, they recorded the five-song EP The Permanent Bruise and relocated to California. Constant touring helped the band assemble a strong underground following; their work ethic eventually landed them on tours alongside bands like Hawthorne Heights, Glasseater, Calico System, and A Wilhelm Scream. With no distribution, the band sold over 7,000 copies of their EP before catching the attention of Warcon Enterprises. Adair inked a deal with the label in early 2006 and hit the road in support of Story of the Year. Performing also on the year's Taste of Chaos tour, Adair's full-length debut, The Destruction of Everything Is the Beginning of Something New, appeared that February. Summer 2006 was spent under the hot sun at the Warped Tour. But as happens with many bands, Adair's members found themselves wanting to explore different musical avenues, and in early 2007, the group announced its dissolution. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide

Acceptance

Acceptance's sparkling rock themes unveil not only their previous musical experience, mostly coming from punk rock ground, but also the crossbred musical wishes shared by each member of the lineup. Forming in Seattle, WA, Acceptance signed their particular view of alternative pop/rock not only due to their pure rocking influences, but also because of their candid pop preferences. Jason Vena (vocals, bass), Kaylan Cloyd (guitar), Chris DeCastro (guitar), and Peter (drums) were the composing members of Acceptance when the band first got together in 1998. Following a period during which the quartet discovered their distinct creative path, they started playing their first shows, enjoying enthusiastic praise. This opened the way to them recording their first disc. The EP The Lost Words appeared in 1999, months before guitarist DeCastro decided to leave the band to pursue his own trail. It was after the band's last gig with DeCastro that Garrett Lunceford, who replaced him, offered to join Acceptance. After the lineup change, Acceptance continued to tour intensively, playing opening concerts for crews such as the Juliana Theory, Element 101, and Bleach, as their debut EP sold upwards of 5,000 units. In 2003, Acceptance returned with another EP, Black Lines to Battlefields, on The Miltia Group. Extensive touring, including dates with Gatsbys American Dream and The Snake The Cross The Crown, followed before the band's Columbia debut, Phantoms, appeared in April 2005. Early 2006 was spent on sold-out dates around the country with peers the Academy Is..., Hellogoodbye and Panic! at the Disco before hitting up May's Bamboozle festival. By summer 2006, however, rumors that had been circulating among fans for a bit were confirmed. Acceptance -- who by now comprised Vena, Cloyd, guitarist Christian McAlhaney, bassist Ryan Zwiefelhofer and drummer Nick Radovanovic -- decided to call it quits. Various band members went on to form new projects. ~ Mario Mesquita Borges, All Music Guide

The Academy Is...

The Academy Is . . . almost never was. Frontman William Becket and guitarist Mike Carden grew up as rivals, in separate bands on the local Chicago music scene. William eventually left his band, wanting to take music more seriously and looking for someone who shared his passion. Mike's band broke up also and the two gradually found themselves talking more and more; engulfed in conversation about music. After realizing that they were very much alike they decided to write some songs together and The Academy Is . . . was born. Since they first came together in 2002, they have added bassist Adam Siska, Tom Conrad (guitar/backing vocals) and Andy Bishop Mrotek on drums and recorded an EP for LLR Records. Pete Wentz of Fallout Boy was so impressed by the EP that he convinced his label, Fueled By Ramen to fly out and see them. They were immediately signed and put to work recording their debut full-length. The ten-track album Almost Here was released in 2005.

Alexisonfire

When a band names themselves after the world's only lactating contortionist, you know you are in for something different; and as with the original act, you know that some people are going to be fascinated, some will be in awe, and some will consider the whole lot to be a complete and utter waste of time. This is a band of extremes: screaming and pleading, ugly and beautiful, poetic and obscene, obvious and sublime. You can think of them however you want. Alexisonfire rose up out of the Southern Ontario underground in late 2001 like some monstrous car-accident-in-progress. Hitting the ground with an immediate full head of steam, Dallas, Wade, George, Jesse and Chris have not only impressed the critics with their sour/sweet approach to performance and writing, but are recognized for their stellar musicianship, and the palpably pent-up tightness of the band live. Alexisonfire knows that their fans aren't stupid. The fans know the real deal when they see it, and in the case of AOF, they seem to have told 2 friends, who told 2 friends, and so on. During the year that followed the release of their self-titled 2002 debut album, the band has shot into the mainstream media like a streaker at an All-Star game: 3 videos reach the top 5 on MuchMusic (the first "hardcore" artist to ever chart at #1), a US deal with Equal Vision Records (cred-worthy home of Coheed & Cambria), a sponsorship with Blink-182's clothing startup Atticus, an MMVA nomination for the "Pulmonary Archery" video, a Best Video Award for "Pulmonary Archery" at The Indies (Canadian Independent Music Awards) , and the everlasting status as the posterboys for hardcore crossover appeal. This may all sound like SOP for an up-and-coming rock ensemble, but wait a minute; this is hardcore music -- often described by members of the band as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight". This hasn't happened before. Nobody is more aware of this fact than the boys in Alexisonfire. Taking it all in stride, they remain guileless, affable, and capable of equal amounts of sarcasm and self-deprecation. They rock the MuchOnDemand studios like it's a sweaty all-age venue in St. Catherines, which in turn is rocked like they did when AOF germinated in the basements and rec-rooms of their now-proud but baffled parents not so long ago. Their songs scream of intellectual fury basted with ladlefuls of vocal pop melody; it's a bipolar magnet, and if you stop and listen or see a live show, it'll all oddly start to make sense. Their long-awaited sophomore album, Watch Out!, is loaded with everything the kids love about them: power, emotion and humor. Resistance is futile.