Jimmy Eat World

Jimmy Eat World is an American band from Mesa, Arizona, formed in 1993.

Formation and origin of name

Jimmy Eat World formed in Mesa, Arizona in 1993. Singer/guitarist Jim Adkins and drummer Zach Lind, who had been friends since kindergarten, joined with guitarist Tom Linton and bass player Mitch Porter to try their hand at music. In its early years, the band emulated the style of its punk-rock influences, with Linton serving as the band's primary singer. Within the span of a couple of years, the band recorded and released three singles and a full-length on local label Wooden Blue Records.

The band's name came from a crayon drawing made after an incident between Linton's younger brothers, Jim and Ed, who fought frequently. Jim usually won, but Ed got his revenge by drawing a picture of Jim shoving the Earth into his mouth; the picture bore the caption "Jimmy eat world".

Static Prevails

Eventually, spurred by bands such as Fugazi and Sunny Day Real Estate, the band began to experiment with a sub-genre of the hardcore punk scene called "emo". As they began writing songs and touring in the indie scene, the band encountered like-minded bands such as Christie Front Drive, Sense Field, and Seven Storey Mountain working on similar sounds.

As the band continued touring, it began to attract modest attention in the indie underground. In 1995, the band caught the ears of a talent scout at Capitol Records and was offered a deal shortly thereafter. Just prior to signing with Capitol, bass player Mitch Porter parted ways with the band and was replaced by Linton's friend Rick Burch. After a brief scouting for producers, the band joined up with Drive Like Jehu drummer Mark Trombino to record its major-label debut, Static Prevails.

In the ensuing years, the band was allowed to release singles on independent labels, including split 7-inch's with Christie Front Drive, Jejune, Sense Field, and Mineral. Where most major-label bands were ostracized from the underground as "sell-outs," Jimmy Eat World found itself in a unique position as a major label band embraced by the indie community.

Clarity

In 1998, the band entered the studio (again with Mark Trombino) to record its follow-up, titled Clarity. The band delivered the completed album to the label mid-way through the year, but found itself out of favor with the new label heads at Capitol, who shelved the album to focus on more popular acts. As a way to help promote what had been recorded, the band negotiated with Capitol to release a self-titled EP on indie-label Fueled by Ramen (run by labelmates Less Than Jake) containing two songs from Clarity and three b-sides. The band sent the EP to several key alternative stations, including Los Angeles' KROQ, in the hopes that they might give the songs some airplay. To its surprise, several of the stations added lead single "Lucky Denver Mint" to regular rotation. Lind recalled in 2001, "It's sad to say, but when 'Lucky Denver Mint' got played on KROQ, it was probably the first time a lot of people at Capitol had heard us." Capitol reacted to the response at radio by scheduling the full album for release in February 1999.

On the subsequent tour for Clarity, the band was surprised to find itself playing to larger and larger crowds. The band began to receive much more attention from its label, who released a video for "Lucky Denver Mint" and featured the song on the label's soundtrack to the movie Never Been Kissed. However, the label's enthusiasm was short-lived. Plans to release "Blister" as a single were axed, and the band was dropped by the label by the end of the year. As Lind related in 2002, "I think that it was a case of us not being ready to be on a major label and them not being ready to promote us. Capitol was just sort of the wrong place at the wrong time."

Despite their lack of a label, the band decided that they wanted to push into Europe. The band purchased copies of Clarity at cost from Capitol and shipped them to stores in Europe. Upon arriving in Germany for a short European tour, the band was surprised to find a packed house waiting, despite the band not having a European label. Having already cut ties with their management, the band used the experience as motivation to start working for themselves to build an audience.

Boys

· Jim Adkins - vocals, guitar

· Tom Linton - guitar, vocals

· Rick Burch - bass guitar

· Zach Lind - drums, percussion

James "Jim" "The Russian Rumbler" "Chief" "Jose" Christopher Adkins XIV (born November 10, 1975) is the lead singer and guitarist in the American band Jimmy Eat World. Born in Mesa, Arizona, Jim was a member of the regional band "Dream" while still in high school, before forming Jimmy Eat World with childhood friends Tom Linton, Mitch Porter, and Zach Lind. Side projects include Go Big Casino, Secret Fox, and his local record label, Western Tread Recordings. He also played acoustic guitar on The Compromise and The First Single on The Format's live DVD, At the Mayan. Jim Adkins is married to Amy McCarthy, of Fryeburg, Maine.

Tom Linton (born August 8, 1975) is a guitarist for the band Jimmy Eat World. Born in Mesa, Arizona, Linton formed Jimmy Eat World with childhood friends Jim Adkins, Mitch Porter, and Zach Lind. On the earlier albums, Linton wrote several songs and performed lead vocals on them; since Clarity, however, the majority of songs have been sung and written by Jim. He named the band after a drawing created by his younger sibling. He plays a red and black Gibson SG.

(born February 4, 1975 in Mesa, Arizona) is the bass guitarist for Jimmy Eat World. He is from Mesa, Arizona.

Zachary Michael Lind (born March 19, 1976) is the drummer for Jimmy Eat World. He also produced several songs on the David Crowder Band album Illuminate. While playing with Jimmy Eat World, Zach has released six albums: 'Jimmy Eat World' (1994); 'Static Prevails' (1996); 'Clarity' (1999); 'Bleed American' (2001) (later re-named 'Jimmy Eat World' after 9/11); 'Futures' (2004); and most recent, "Chase This Light (2007). On 'Jimmy Eat World', 'Static Prevails', 'Clarity' and 'Bleed American', Zach was sponsored by Tama drums,

Discography

· 1994 - Jimmy Eat World

· 1996 - Static Prevails

· 1999 - Clarity

· 2001 - Bleed American

· 2004 - Futures

· 2007 - Chase This Light