Four Guys From Jax

They began as a group of four friends in Jacksonville, Florida. Brent Smith, the lead vocalist, left one band on the verge of signing a contract to start his own band, now known as Shinedown.
They have since gained a reputation for creating incredible music, playing stellar live performances, and being accessible to their fans.

“Leave a Whisper”, Shinedown’s first album, debuted in 2003 and would eventually produce four singles. Two of those singles were “Burning Bright” and “45.” Some songs on the album were dubbed “too emotional” to be played on popular music television stations.
One year later, the album was re-released and included a Lynyrd Skynrd cover, “Simple Man”. In 2006, “Leave a Whisper” went platinum after selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide.

“Us and Them” appeared in 2005. This album was greatly anticipated by fans everywhere, and it didn’t disappoint.
The first single from the album was “Save Me”, which reached number 2 on U.S. Modern Rock Charts. The album’s next two singles, “I Dare You” and “Heroes,” had similar success, reaching 8 and 28 respectively on the Modern Rock Charts.

“Us and Them” was certified Gold in 2007 after selling over 800 thousand copies worldwide. In between their second and third albums, guitar player Jason Todd and bass player Brad Stewart left the band. Here were two spaces for Nick Perri and Eric Bass to fill.
Their third and newest album, titled “The Sound of Madness,” is quite the change of pace for them.

Lead singer and original member Brent Smith was quoted saying “We want to do a huge hard rock record that has a lot of crossover potential, but also some of the most insanely intense and heavy material that this band has ever tried.”

After listening to their CD since its release back in June, I can vouch that they certainly did inject some intense heavy metal-and it works.

“The Sound of Madness” has a little bit of everything for everyone, and then some more. Their first single, “Devour”, is a big taste of that heavy metal sound they were trying for, with very catchy lyrics and heavy guitar and drums.
Still, some songs on their album are near opposites of “Devour”, with “Second Chance” and “The Crow & The Butterfly” being very mellow but powerful songs. The other eight songs on the album fall in between these tracks with something to offer anyone who enjoys some good rock music.

This is Shinedown’s first tour as headliners. They have toured with Seether, Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Flyleaf, Trapt, and Alter Bridge in years past. They will be performing at The Venue in Fargo. Black Stone Cherry will be the opening act.

If You Go

Who: Shinedown
Where: The Venue @ The Hub
When: Tue., Aug. 5, 6:30 p.m.
How Much: $22, $25 door
Info: http://www.ticketmaster.com