New bands storm modern rock radio

LOS ANGELES - Modern rock is sporting many new faces these days.

A number of breaking bands — Jet, Switchfoot, the Darkness, Three Days Grace, Lostprophets and Story of the Year — are enjoying their first blushes of success at modern rock radio.

The format’s embrace of burgeoning acts is not new, says Oedipus, program director of WBCN Boston, citing breakthroughs by such bands as Evanescence, AFI and Interpol at his station last year.

But other PDs believe this current crop is larger than normal, in part because of modern rock’s identity crisis.

“Modern rock is searching for the next fashion so we can have a renaissance of the format,” says Chris Williams, PD at WNNX (99X) Atlanta. “We need something the kids want to dress like and have represent them. We’re searching for the band that’s raising its hand.”

All six groups have registered hits on the Modern Rock chart. Three Days Grace’s “(I Hate) Everything About You” hit No. 2. Jet flew to No. 3 with “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” and

follow-up “Cold Hard Bitch” is climbing the chart. Switchfoot reached No. 5 with “Meant to Live.”

Lostprophets’ “Last Train Home,” the Darkness’ “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” and Story of the Year’s “Until the Day I Die” are still moving upward. Lostprophets briefly appeared on the chart in 2002 when it peaked at No. 33 with “Shinobi Vs. Dragon Ninja.”

“The question is, Are modern rock stations open to these acts or just open to these songs?” radio consultant Jeff Pollack asks. “Each of them delivered a really good song, but what will their second and third songs do? Are these real acts? Only time will tell.”

The bands are also receiving airplay on MTV or MTV2. Lostprophets will be one of the featured acts on MTV’s Campus Invasion ’04 tour.

Filling the void
Following the rap/rock days of Limp Bizkit and the garage band movement of the Hives, the Vines and the Strokes — which never really took off at modern rock — the format finds itself looking for the next big thing.

“We’re stuck between cycles,” Williams says.

Bill Gamble, PD at WZZN Chicago, adds that tweaks within the format are paving the way for the new bands.

“It’s becoming harder and harder for bands like Coldplay and Metallica to exist on the same stations,” he says, “and that opens up room on both sides.”

Indeed, none of these bands falls into an easily identifiable category. Three Days Grace’s “(I Hate) Everything About You” blends Vertical Horizon’s modern pop with explosive choruses.

Melbourne, Australia-based Jet’s guitar-driven rock wears its Rolling Stones and AC/DC influences on every chord.

Switchfoot’s mellower music blends strong melodies with lyrical content about the search for meaning. Story of the Year is in the pop/punk vein of Good Charlotte. The Darkness provides over-the-top glam rock redolent of Queen, while Welsh act Lostprophets is in the style of Linkin Park.

And the bands’ reasons for making music are just as diverse.

For Jon Foreman, lead singer of San Diego-based Switchfoot, it’s about the message. “The whole record is about yearning for something more than cell phones and modern conveniences,” he says. “Making music that hits on a spiritual and emotional level was our goal, rather than just music to tap your foot to.”

Conversely, for Nic Cester of Jet, it’s all about a few chords and bringing back the days of real rock ’n’ roll. “Things are just so plastic these days,” he says. “We just wanted to remind people that it’s four guys who play their instruments and write their own songs. It’s not something packaged together by some dickhead in a suit.”

As Williams sums it up: “The only thing these bands have in common is that they are all different and that the format is diverse, which allows them to have a place at radio.”

One issue that all of the bands must work on, the experts say, is putting a face with the name since many of the acts remain relatively anonymous. But the bands say the music will always come before the image. Switchfoot felt so strongly about the issue, it refused to have its picture on the cover of its album.

Cester wants the motive to remain pure. “We’re not doing this so we can get recognized,” he says. “I think that’s part of the shame nowadays. People are into being rock stars and being famous, instead of just loving music.”

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