Sum 41 Bio
Sum 41 hit
worldwide radar in 1996 after tiny Ajax, Ontario, proved unable to fully contain
the foursome's blathering mixture of punk-pop riffing,
hip-hop poses, and
toilet-bowl humor. Led by guitarist/vocalist Deryck Whibley, who looked like a
mashup of the Prodigy's Keith Flint and cartoon land's Calvin, the band also
included guitarist/vocalist Dave Baksh, bassist Cone McCaslin, and drummer
Steve Jocz. Wooed by the boys' goofy antics and incendiary live show (and excited
about the prospect of promoting their very own Blink-182), Island put
Sum 41 on
the payroll in 1999. The Half Hour of Power EP followed, and Warped Tour dates
got the word out. They returned in 2000 with the fun-filled full-length All
Killer No Filler, and the singles "In Too Deep" and "Fat
Lip" became staples of both modern rock radio and Total Request Live. An
extensive tour followed, and Sum 41 enjoyed their boffo success the way all
near-teenage boys would, with plenty of towel-snapping, groupie loving, and
self-depreciating, low-ball humor. In 2002, they returned to wax with Does This
Look Infected?. While the album was a bit harder-edged, it found the band just
as jazzed as ever to mix punk-pop business with sophomoric pleasure: the video
for "Hell Song" featured the fellas acting out a sort of rock star
debauchery cage match with the aid of a few celebrity action figures. Metallica,
Jesus Christ, and the Osbournes all made appearances in the hilarious clip. The
group began maturing (slightly) with 2004's Chuck. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music
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