Staind

Staind is an American rock band from Springfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1995 and active to the present. The group’s core lineup is Aaron Lewis on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mike Mushok on lead guitar, Johnny April on bass and backing vocals, and Jon Wysocki on drums, with Sal Giancarelli later taking over on drums after Wysocki’s departure.

Formation and early years

Aaron Lewis and Mike Mushok meet in Springfield in 1993, and Mushok brings in Jon Wysocki while Lewis brings in Johnny April to form the band in 1995. Their first performance takes place in February 1995. In their early years they build a regional following through touring in the northeastern United States and by playing covers of songs by Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Tool, and Alice in Chains.

The group self-releases its debut album, Tormented, in 1996. In 1997, Staind secure a support slot with Limp Bizkit, and Fred Durst later signs them to Flip Records in 1998 after seeing them perform. They also play several dates on the Vans Warped Tour that year.

Albums and commercial success

Staind’s major-label debut, Dysfunction, appears in 1999. Fred Durst and Terry Date co-produce the album, which draws comparisons with alternative metal acts such as Tool and Korn. It reaches the top of the Billboard Heatseekers chart and produces the singles “Just Go”, “Mudshovel”, and “Home”. The band supports it with extensive touring, including appearances on the Family Values Tour.

Break the Cycle arrives in 2001 and debuts at number one on the Billboard 200. It combines nu metal and melodic post-grunge and becomes the band’s best-selling release, with around seven million copies sold worldwide. The album includes “It’s Been Awhile”, “Fade”, “Outside”, “For You”, and “Epiphany”, and the first of those reaches the Billboard Hot 100 top five. It is certified five times platinum in the United States.

14 Shades of Grey follows in 2003 and also debuts at number one in the United States. It marks a move toward a more melodic post-grunge sound and includes “Price to Play”, “So Far Away”, “How About You”, and “Zoe Jane”. Around this period the band is involved in a legal dispute over the rights to its logo.

Chapter V is released in 2005 and gives Staind a third consecutive number-one album in the United States. Its singles include “Right Here”, which tops the mainstream rock chart, along with “Falling”, “Everything Changes”, and “King of All Excuses”.

The compilation The Singles: 1996–2006 appears in 2006 and collects previously released singles and cover songs. The Illusion of Progress follows in 2008 and debuts at number three on the Billboard 200. Its singles include “Believe”, “All I Want”, “The Way I Am”, and “This Is It”, with the last of these used on the soundtrack to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Staind’s self-titled seventh album appears in 2011. During its production, Jon Wysocki leaves the band, and Sal Giancarelli becomes the official drummer. The album includes “Not Again” and “Eyes Wide Open”.

After touring through 2012, the band enters a hiatus, then returns intermittently for live performances from 2014 and more regularly from 2019. In 2021, Staind release the live album Live: It’s Been Awhile. Their eighth studio album, Confessions of the Fallen, appears in 2023 and is preceded by “Lowest in Me”.

Style and later activity

Staind is often associated with alternative rock, alternative metal, hard rock, grunge, metal, and nu metal, and is frequently described as part of the post-grunge movement. The band’s activity becomes less consistent in the 2010s as Aaron Lewis pursues a solo country career and Mike Mushok joins Saint Asonia, but the group remains active and continues to tour. Former drummer Jon Wysocki dies in 2024.