Pennywise (band)

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Pennywise <tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:Pennywise.jpg The Unknown Road line-up in 1994. (from left to right: Byron McMackin, Jason Matthew Thirsk, Jim Lindberg and Fletcher Dragge.)<small/></div></td></tr>
Background information <tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Image:Flag of the United States.svg Hermosa Beach, California, United States</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Alternative Hardcore Punk Punk Rock Skate Punk</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1988—present</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Epitaph Records</td></tr><tr><td textalign="top" style="padding-right: 1em;">Associated acts</td><td colspan="2">Con 800 One Hit Wonder</td></tr><tr><td>Website</td><td colspan="2">Official Website</td></tr><tr><th style="background: #b0c4de;" colspan="3">Members</th></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" colspan="3">Jim Lindberg Fletcher Dragge Randy Bradbury Byron McMackin</td></tr><tr><th style="background: #b0c4de;" colspan="3">Former members</th></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center;" colspan="3">Jason Thirsk</td></tr>

For the Stephen King creature, see It (monster).

Pennywise is an American punk rock band that was formed in 1988 and named after a Stephen King horror novel, It, in which Pennywise the Dancing Clown is a guise taken on by the monster. Traditionally, the band releases an album every two years on Epitaph Records.

1 Biography
2 Discography
3 Members
- 3.1 Current lineup
- 3.2 Former members
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early career (1988-1989)

Pennywise was formed in 1988 in Hermosa Beach, California by singer Jim Lindberg, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, drummer Byron McMackin and bassist Jason Thirsk. To date, this line-up is considered a classic. They released two EPs A Word from the Wise and Wildcard (both 1989). Each of the band members had played in other bands in the Hermosa Beach area and attended the same high school.

[edit] Major label career (1990-1995)

The group signed to Epitaph Records in 1990 and released their first album Pennywise (1991). The album quickly spread throughout the punk community, earning the band some nation-wide recognition. Lyrics in the album endorsed a positive mental attitude, helping promote progressive ideals for Generation X. Lindberg left the band soon after the debut record. Thirsk took his place on vocals and Randy Bradbury stepped in on bass. The Vandals lead singer Dave Quackenbush took over on vocals for a brief stint in 1992 when Thirsk returned to bass.

Lindberg got married and returned to the group in 1992 in time for their second album Unknown Road (1993), an underground hit that established the band as a force in punk music. By 1995, punk bands The Offspring, Green Day and Rancid hit the mainstream and Pennywise refused invitations to join several major labels. About Time (1995) was another indie hit.

[edit] Aftermath of Thirsk's death (1996-2003)

In 1996, Pennywise began recording their fourth album. Thirsk left the band in an attempt to conquer alcoholism. He was successful but relapsed and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest on July 29, 1996.

Image:Pennywise545.jpg

The band released Full Circle (1997) with Bradbury on bass and Straight Ahead (1999). This was followed by a live album, Live at the Key Club (2000), as well as Land of the Free? (2001) and From the Ashes (2003).

[edit] Recent history (2004-present)

Home Movies, the band's only video, was re-released on DVD for the first time in 2004. The video was originally released in 1995 and had been out of print since 1997.

The band's eighth album, The Fuse, was released in Europe on June 27 and in North America on August 9, 2005. The band's Australian tour was cancelled leading to breakup rumors, which Lindberg denied. Also that year, digitally-remastered versions of the first four studio albums were released.

An interesting note of the band is that they release an album every two years, and because of this, some fans are expecting their ninth studio album to be released in 2007. In an October 2006 interview with guitarist Fletcher Dragge, he said that the band was already working on the songs that would appear on the album and start recording it in "the next coming months", which would be early 2007.

Pennywise recently recorded a cover of Sick of It All's "My Life" for the band's tribute album Our Impact Will Be Felt.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

Pennywise <center>22 October 1991 <center>(Epitaph Records)	Unknown Road <center>17 August 1993 <center>(Epitaph Records)	About Time <center>13 June 1995 <center>(Epitaph Records) <center>#96 US	Full Circle <center>22 April 1997 <center>(Epitaph Records) <center>#79 US
Straight Ahead <center>1 June 1999 <center>(Epitaph Records) <center>#62 US	Land of the Free? <center>19 June 2001 <center>(Epitaph Records) <center>#67 US	From the Ashes <center>9 September 2003 <center>(Epitaph Records) <center>#54 US	The Fuse <center>9 August 2005 <center>(Epitaph Records) <center>#78 US
Untitled ninth studio album <center>To be released in 2007 <center>(Epitaph Records)

[edit] EPs

A Word from the Wise
<center>1989
<center>(Theologian Records)

Wildcard
<center>1989
<center>(Theologian Records)

[edit] Compilation/live albums

A Word from the Wise/Wildcard (compilation)
<center>1992
<center>(Theologian Records)

Live @ the Key Club (live)
<center>24 October 2000
<center>(Epitaph Records)
<center>#198 US

[edit] DVDs

Home Movies
<center>1995 (original)
9 November 2004 (DVD)
<center>(Epitaph Home Video)

[edit] Singles

Year	Title	Chart positions				Album
Year	Title	US Hot 100	US Modern Rock	US Mainstream Rock	UK	Album
1993	"Homesick"	-	-	-	-	Unknown Road
1993	"Tomorrow" (7 inch)	-	-	-	-	-
1995	"Same Old Story"	-	-	-	-	About Time
1997	"Society"	-	-	-	-	Full Circle
1999	"Alien"	-	36	-	-	Straight Ahead
2000	"Victim of Reality"	-	-	-	-	Straight Ahead
2001	"Fuck Authority"	-	38	-	-	Land of the Free?
2001	"Divine Intervention"	-	-	-	-	Land of the Free?
2002	"My God"	-	-	-	-	Land of the Free?
2003	"Yesterdays"	-	-	-	-	From the Ashes
2003	"God Save the USA"	-	-	-	-	From the Ashes
2005	"Disconnect"	-	-	-	-	The Fuse
2005	"Knocked Down"	-	-	-	-	The Fuse

[edit] Members

[edit] Current lineup

Jim Lindberg - vocals
Fletcher Dragge - guitars
Randy Bradbury - bass
Byron McMackin - drums

[edit] Former members

Jason Thirsk - bass (died July 29, 1996)

[edit] Trivia

The band rerecorded the song "Bro Hymn" from their self titled LP as a tribute to fallen friends Canton, Colvin, and Nichols. It was released on the Full Circle LP as "Bro Hymn Tribute" to serve as a tribute to band mate Jason Matthew Thirsk who took his own life. The new version features Thirsk's little brother Justin, drummer for 98 Mute, singing one of the verses, in which he says "Jason, my brother, this one's for you!" The band plays this song at the end of each show, and encourage everybody in the crowd to come on stage.
"It's What You Do With It" in About Time, "Homesick" in Unknown Road, and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" in Pennywise are featured in Matt Hoffman Pro BMX.
"Society", in Full Circle, and "It's What You Do With It" in About Time are featured in the arcade game Top Skater.
"Greed", in Straight Ahead is featured in Dave Mirra's Freestyle BMX.
"Rise Up", in From the Ashes is featured in the video game Burnout 3.
"Stand Up", in The Fuse is featured in the video game Burnout Revenge.
"Knocked Down", in The Fuse is featured in the video game EA Sports NHL 06.
"Competition Song", in The Fuse is featured in the video game SSX On Tour.
"Now I Know" in "From The Ashes" is feat. in video game MTX Mototrax.
"No Reason Why", "Fun And Games", and "Living for Today" in Pennywise were featured in skate film Plan B Skateboards-Questionable Video in the skatepark section, the slam section and Danny Way's part respectively.
"Get a Life" in Full Circle is featured in the BMX video Chaingang.
"Bro Hymn" is the official goal song for the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks, and is played after each home goal. [1]