Smash Mouth

In 1994 in San Jose, California, Steve Harwell sought to set up a rock band following the separation of his rap band F.O.S. His "manager", Kevin Coleman, thus introduced him to two little-experienced acquaintances, Greg Camp (guitar) and Paul De Lisle (bass), playing in a group of covers named Lackadaddy. They repeat some eclectic leads in Camp's room for almost two years, which will give him an expulsion. It wasn't in vain since the producer Eric Valentine ( Third Eye Blind , Steve Vai ) heard about them and recorded a demo 2 tracks for the quartet.
They then decide to try their luck and convince an animator to play a title in his local radio program (KOME). The song ("Nervous in the Alley") was very successful and the band was soon invited to play for No Doubt, Beck or 311. In the spring of 1997, they entered the studio to record an album with Valentine. It will be done in no time and after a few calls, Interscope agrees to receive them and sign them even for their first album. Fush Yu Mang comes out in the summer and the group hopes to benefit financially. It will be done quickly thanks to the two singles "Walkin-on the Sun" and "Why Can-t We Be Friends?". The album will end up selling more than 2 million copies and allows Californians to cross Sugar Ray's road, among others.
In 999, pushed by Interscope, Smash Mouth released a much more pop and laid album, without any insult, Astro Lounge, containing the tube "All Star". In large part, thanks to the latter, they will sell more than 3 million copies of the opus and lead a busy life, with the exception of Coleman who leaves the drummer post because of problems on the back. Mitch Marine is acting, and Michael Urbano is finally the one who gets back on the stool. At that time, a bootleg (unofficial and therefore illegal) came out of the band's first demos, The East Bay Sessions.
After a long tour, the band rested and composed its eponymous album. Meanwhile, many people forget them and the band will sell "only" 500,000 copies of the new record, despite (and perhaps because of) the promotion of the film Shrek, which advances a new compo of the Californians; the title is appreciated but a lot of people buy the B.O. that comes out before the album (Nov. It is also a personal black period for Harwell who loses his six-month-old son with lymphatic leukemia. This will be the beginning of the fallolade for the band that will find it hard to get out of its empty passage, especially marked by the resounding failure of the 2003 album Get the Picture? which will flow to only 35,000 units.
These disappointing sales lead to their ejection of Interscope, but the group persists among the majors by signing at Universal / Beautiful Bomb. The major immediately released a best of the band (All Star Smash Hits) as well as a little-stocked DVD; to get busy, Smash Mouth composed an album of Christmas songs (The Gift of Rock) and then another opus (Old Habits) that the rumor announces as a return to the ska/punk sources, but its release was delayed the time to make a promo. Indeed, Harwell is chosen to be part of the casting of The Surreal Life , a reality TV show that consists of putting "stars" has-been in an apartment. Old Habits won't finally come out and another opus, Summer Girl , more salesman will replace him at the end of the year. The U.S. states will promote it a little on the roads in July 2007 and will return in a way to commercial success, although it is far from reaching its previous peaks in terms of sales.