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Ask Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson for a wish-list
of bands he’d like to tour with, and he’s ready with
a response. "We told our manager, ‘Pick a band and we
can tour with them.’ Our music reaches out in so many
directions that there’s pretty much an unlimited amount
of cool bands with which we could play.." Delson is
understandably proud of the diversity and uniqueness
apparent on the band’s debut album, Hybrid Theory (the
band’s original name). Built on an aggressive hard rock
foundation, flavored with hip-hop vocal stylings and
electronic flourishes, Linkin Park’s sound is utterly
their own, an accomplishment strengthened by the band’s
remarkably powerful and unforced songwriting. But almost
everything about Linkin Park has been unforced, including
their Southern California origins. Delson and emcee/vocalist
Mike Shinoda attended the same high school together,
where Delson also met the band’s drummer, Rob Bourdon.
Shinoda then hooked up with DJ Joseph Hahn while studying
painting at the Pasadena Art Center. The final piece
in the puzzle was singer Chester Bennington, a transplanted
Arizona native who started making records when he was
sixteen. "Since I learned how to talk I’ve been telling
everybody I was gonna grow up to be a singer," laughs
Bennington. "When I was two, I used to run around singing
Foreigner songs – there’s tapes of me doing that." The
combination of Bennington’s rich, mammoth vocal style
clicked immediately with Shinoda’s streetwise emceeing.
"I think one of Chester and Mike’s goals is to be as
integrated as possible," offers Delson. "We want our
sound to come across so that people go, ‘oh, that’s
Linkin Park,’ not ‘I heard this hip-hop part, and now
they’re hitting me over the head with this rock chorus.’
We want everything to have dynamics, but also a continuous
cohesive flavor, so that you know what band you’re listening
to." It was that cohesive style and instantly memorable
songs that attracted immediate attention, starting with
a publishing offer after the band’s very first show
at L.A.’s famed Whisky. After showcasing around town
and eventually inking with Warner Bros., the band began
work on their first album with producer Don Gilmore
(Eve 6, Lit, Pearl Jam). "We met with a lot of people
and had a very difficult time deciding," says Shinoda.
"But Don, aside from making things sound good, stood
out as someone who could really push us further as songwriters.
The end result is an album that’s as well-crafted and
melodic as it is confrontational, with a strong lyrical
message. "We try to push real things through in our
lyrics; whether it’s feeling insignificant or questioning
your own thoughts or discovering the dark side of yourself."
Weaving influences as diverse as Deftones, Nine Inch
Nails, Aphex Twin, and The Roots into a single unified
whole, Linkin Park and Hybrid Theory are living proof
that a fresh combination of talent, an unwavering dedication
to craft, and a pure artistic vision can result in a
powerful musical statement. "I’ve wanted to do this
my whole life, and I feel really blessed to be here,"
says Bennington. "A lot of hard work and dedication
and faith can get you through anything and make it happen."
(biography taken from linkinpark.com)
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