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THE BAND
"The biggest misconception about us is that we're just a rock band,"
describes Linkin Park's guitarist Brad Delson. "We think our music is a
cross-section of many genres; a hybrid of what the six of us have grown up
on." The title of the band's debut album and its original band name, Hybrid
Theory, describes both the six-piece's artistic goals and its approach to making
music. Linkin Park's sound, a melting pot of heavy alternative rock, hip-hop,
and electronic flourishes, is utterly their own, an accomplishment strengthened
by the band's remarkably powerful, organic songwriting. But almost everything
about Linkin Park has been unforced, including their Southern California
origins.
ORIGINS
The band saw its beginnings in emcee/vocalist Mike Shinoda's small bedroom
studio, where he and Delson recorded the band's first material in 1996. The two
had attended high school together, where they met the band's drummer, Rob
Bourdon. Shinoda hooked up with DJ Joseph Hahn while studying illustration at
Art Center College in Pasadena. Meanwhile, attending UCLA, Delson shared an
apartment with bassist Phoenix, who left the band after college and returned a
year later. The final piece of the puzzle was singer Chester Bennington, a
transplanted Arizona native who started making records when he was 16.
"When I was two, I used to run around singing Foreigner songs--there's
tapes of me doing that...Since I learned how to talk I've been telling everybody
I was gonna grow up to be a singer." laughs Bennington.
THE ALBUM
The combination of Bennington's rich, mammoth vocal style with Shinoda's
rapid-fire emceeing helps to define Linkin Park's sound. "I think one of
Chester and Mike's goals is to be as integrated as possible," offers
Phoenix. "Although the styles we're mixing can be very different, we want
the combination to feel natural--that is a big part of our band's
identity." Weaving influences as diverse as Deftones, Nine Inch Nails,
Aphex Twin, and The Roots into a unified whole, Linkin Park "want
everything to come together without feeling forced," explains Shinoda.
"As part of the writing process, I record everyone directly into a computer
to best integrate our digital and live elements. We spend countless hours mixing
and matching parts until we get the right combinations and composition."
The band immersed itself in the writing process until the spring of 2000, when
they inked with Warner Bros. Records and immediately went into the studio. To
help record their work, they enlisted producer Don Gilmore (Pearl Jam, Apex
Theory, Sugar Ray). "We met with a lot of people and had a very difficult
time choosing a producer," says Bennington. "But Don, aside from
making things sound good, stood out as someone who could really push us to work
harder as songwriters." The end result is an album that is as well-crafted
and melodic as it is confrontational, with a strong lyrical message.
"Chester and I write about universal emotions, whether it's feeling
insignificant, optimistic, or frustrated," Shinoda describes. "We
write about everyday life, because sometimes it's good to know there are other
people going through the same things that you are." These lyrics, along
with the diverse instrumentation in which they are embedded, result in a
powerful musical statement: Linkin Park's debut album, Hybrid Theory.
TOURING
Following the completion of Hybrid Theory and the return of Phoenix, the band
has played incessantly, introducing crowds worldwide to their explosive live
performance. "I've always wanted our show to be energetic," says Hahn.
"We use drum pads, samplers, and turntables with original vinyl to perform
all the sample parts live on stage, which I think brings an exciting uniqueness
to the songs." The energy and tightness of the band's performance, on tours
with Deftones, P.O.D., and Papa Roach, and as a headliner itself, has secured
Linkin Park a strong foundation of dedicated fans worldwide, and helped propel
the band's record sales into the millions.
When asked about the secret behind the Linkin Park's rapid success, Bourdon
responds, "Ever since the beginning, we've always tried to maintain a
strong relationship with our fans. From our close-knit street team family, to
our videos, to designing quality merchandise, to our hands-on website activity
with www.linkinpark.com, we stay involved in order to put our fans first."
Linkin Park's reputation for being fan-oriented is best exemplified in their
dedication to interacting with listeners at shows: the band obsessively sign
hundreds of autographs at every concert. When asked about this phenomenon,
Shinoda explains, "It's just a way of giving back. Our fans have helped us
to realize a dream we didn't know was possible." It's taken Linkin Park
five years to become an overnight success, and in the process, they've proven
that a fresh combination of talent, unwavering dedication to craft, and pure
artistic vision can, as Bennington describes, "get you through anything and
help you realize your dreams."
