Rolling Stone

Beginnings in San Francisco

Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason. To get the magazine off the ground, Wenner borrowed $7500 from his family members and from the family of his soon-to-be wife, Jane Schindelheim.
Rolling Stone was initially identified with and reported on the hippie counterculture of the era. However, the magazine distanced itself from the underground newspapers of the time, such as Berkeley Barb, embracing more traditional journalistic standards and avoiding the radical politics of the underground press. In the very first edition of the magazine, Wenner wrote that Rolling Stone "is not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces." This has become the de facto motto of the magazine.
In the 1970s, Rolling Stone began to make a mark for its political coverage, with the likes of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson writing for the magazine's political section. Thompson would first publish his most famous work Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas within the pages of Rolling Stone, where he remained a contributing editor until his death in 2005. In the 1970s, the magazine also helped launch the careers of many prominent writers, such as Cameron Crowe, Joe Klein, Joe Eszterhas, P. J. O'Rourke, and Kurt Loder. It was at this point that the magazine ran some of its most famous stories, including that of the Patty Hearst abduction odyssey.
The magazine was so influential in shaping pop culture in the 1970s that a song dedicated to it, "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show (written by Shel Silverstein), became a hit single. Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show eventually did end up fulfilling their wish and ended up on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Incubus Beginnings

History

Vocalist Boyd, drummer Pasillas, and guitarist Einziger had been friends since middle school. At the age of fifteen, Mike Einzinger contacted music and mathematics teacher Joanne Stanulonis. She was working with Steve Vai's project of teen musical wunderkinds, "Bad4Good". Joanne agreed to help Mike and Brandon.
In 1993, Incubus was introduced to Jim Wirt, a local record producer through Joanne Stanulonis. Joanne was friends with both Jim Wirt and his wife Kathleen. Jim agreed to record demos for the band during unbooked studio time and eventually many of these demos were compiled to create the band's first album - the independently released Fungus Amongus (initially distributed by both the band and Red Eye Records and then ultimately re-released by Epic Records). It was at this time (1993-94) that the band was introduced to Mark Shoffner, a close friend of Jim Wirt, who then became the band's first manager.
In 1995, Gavin Koppell saw the band play and asked if they would be interested in using some of his tracks, which incorporated the use of turntables. Gavin joined full-time after his first rehearsal. Shortly thereafter, Incubus' unusual amalgamation of styles and high-energy shows, combined with its growing fan base, attracted labels and put the band in the enviable position of a bidding war. Incubus finally landed a record deal in the summer of 1996 with Immortal Records, a label distributed by Sony's Epic Records, whose top artists in those days were Korn and Far. Touring throughout the remainder of 1996, Incubus established themselves as a top drawing live act, gaining a dedicated following all over the United States. To start off the new year, Immortal Records released Incubus' EP entitled Enjoy Incubus on January 7, 1997. The EP featured updated and mastered versions of four tracks from Fungus Amongus, plus two recently written tracks. These were the first recordings to include the newly acquired Gavin Koppell a.k.a. 'DJ Lyfe'. After the release of Enjoy Incubus, the band completed several mini-tours in its support. Their first major tour was with Korn in Europe and their first major US tour was as support act on the Black Sabbath/Pantera tour.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

(1983–1984)

Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem)[2] were formed by Fairfax High School alumni Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons, and Michael "Flea" Balzary in 1983. RHCP's first performance was at the Rhythm Lounge, to a crowd of roughly thirty people, opening for Tony Allen. One song had been created for the occasion, which involved the band improvising music while Kiedis rapped a poem he had written called "Out in L.A.". As Slovak and Irons were already committed to another group, What Is This?, it was supposed to be a one time performance. However, the performance was so lively the band were asked to return the following week. Due to this unexpected success, the members changed the band's name to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, playing several more shows at various LA clubs and musical venues. Six songs from these initial shows were recorded onto the band's first demo tape.
Several months after their first performance, the band was signed to the record label EMI. Two weeks earlier, What Is This? had obtained a record deal with MCA, and as Slovak and Irons considered the Red Hot Chili Peppers a side project, they quit to pursue their first project. Instead of dissolving the band, Kiedis and Flea decided to recruit new members. Cliff Martinez, an acquaintance of Flea's, was asked to join the Chili Peppers shortly thereafter. Auditions for a new guitarist produced Jack Sherman.
Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill was hired to produce their first album. Despite Kiedis and Flea's misgivings, he pushed the band to play with a cleaner, crisper and more radio-friendly sound. The Red Hot Chili Peppers was released on August 10, 1984, and was a commercial flop. It initially sold approximately 25,000 units, and garnered little marketable recognition. The ensuing tour fared little better, as continuing musical and lifestyle tension between Kiedis and Sherman complicated the transition between concert and daily band life. Sherman was fired soon after, with Slovak returning to the Chili Peppers after growing tired of What is This?.

Toto (band)

Toto

formed as a group of six studio musicians in 1977. Prior to the band's formation, the members of Toto were regulars on albums by Steely Dan,[4] Seals and Crofts,[5] Boz Scaggs,[6] Sonny and Cher,[7] and many others, contributing to many of the most popular records of the 1970s. Keyboardist David Paich rose to fame after having co-written and produced Boz Scaggs' Silk Degrees album. Having played on many sessions with drummer Jeff Porcaro, the two began to seriously discuss the possibility of forming their own band. They brought in bassist David Hungate, having played with him on the road with Boz Scaggs. In addition, the duo asked guitarist Steve Lukather, Jeff Porcaro's brother Steve Porcaro (keyboards), and vocalist Bobby Kimball to join the team. And in 1977, production began on the band's first album.

Band name and the debut album
Once all of the songs were written, the band came together in the studio to record the album. According to popular myth, in order to distinguish their own demo tapes from other bands' in the studio, Jeff Porcaro wrote the word "Toto" on them. Although one popular rumor is that the name came from Bobby Kimball's "true" last name, 'Toteaux,' this rumor was in fact only a joke popularized by former bassist David Hungate.[8] After the completion of the first album, the band and record were still un-named. David Hungate, after viewing the name on the demo tapes, explained to the group that the word "Toto" in Latin translated to "all-encompassing". Because the band members had played on so many different records and many different musical genres, they adopted the name Toto as their own. The band's name may have elicited a few laughs when they first toured Japan in 1979 and 1980. TOTO is the name of Japan's largest toilet manufacturer.[9] Also, despite their popularity in Africa (largely due to their song of the same name),[citation needed] in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, the band's name in many languages is the same as a slang term for the vagina.[10] The name "Toto" is also well-known as the name of Dorothy's dog in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz books and the famous 1939 film. After its release,Toto hit the charts quickly, earning popularity with the hit single "Hold The Line", as well as "Georgy Porgy", and "I'll Supply the Love." The band garnered international acclaim and was nominated for a Grammy for "Best New Artist". Shortly thereafter, in early 1979, Toto embarked on their first American tour in support of the debut album

Dreamtheather Histoy

(1985)

Founding members (from left to right) John Myung, Mike Portnoy, and John Petrucci in 1985.
Dream Theater was formed in September of 1985 when guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung decided to form a band in their spare time while studying at the Berklee College of Music. The pair came across drummer Mike Portnoy in one of Berklee's rehearsal rooms, where he was asked to join the band. The trio started off by covering Iron Maiden and Rush songs in the rehearsal rooms at Berklee.
Myung, Petrucci, and Portnoy settled on the name Majesty for their newly formed group. According to the The Score So Far… documentary, they were waiting in line for tickets to a Rush concert at the Berklee Performance Center while listening to the band on a boom box. Portnoy commented that the ending of the song "Bastille Day" (from the album Caress of Steel) sounded "majestic." It was then decided that Majesty would be the band's name [5].
The trio then set out to fill the remaining positions in the group. Petrucci asked his high school band-mate Kevin Moore to play keyboards. After accepting the position, another friend from home, Chris Collins, was recruited as lead vocalist after band members heard him sing a cover of "Queen of the Reich" by Queensrÿche[6] During this time, Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung's hectic schedules forced them to abandon their studies to concentrate on their music, as they did not feel they could learn more in College. Moore also left his college, SUNY Fredonia, to concentrate on the band.