Diamonds in the Rough 08.30.09: The Used

Posted by Leo Rivera on 08.30.2009

From rags to riches, how The Used rose from gutter rats to rock pioneers.

If there was ever a bi-polar rock band it's The Used (I mean that in the most flattering way). One minute Bert McCraken is screaming his lungs out to the point of regurgitation, and the next minute he is singing a romantic ballad about love and death. Regardless of whether they rock our socks off with "Take it Away" or make our girlfriends cry with "All That I've Got"; one thing is undeniable, The Used keep it real!



In a world filled with fabricated cookie cutter rock bands that rehearse not just their music but their look and "persona" The Used stick out like a big fat infested thumb! Make no mistake about it, The Used are from the streets! Gutter rats that had to scrounge for everything that they've got, something that is rare in 21st century rock bands. Now a day's self described "bad ass" rockers like Avenged Sevenfold get funded by their rich parents and have the luxury of running their studios out of their daddy's garage. The Used (not unlike Motley Crue and Gun's n' Roses in the 80's) literally lived their lives on the streets and slept in the floor of their friends house while recording their debut album. Today I take you on a journey of how an unknown band from Utah rose from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the pops; today we take a look at The Used!

The Used officially formed in January 2001 in the sprawling metropolis (insert sarcasm here) of Orem, Utah. The brain children of drummer Branden Steineckhert, The Used were a band of misfits who bonded over their love for punk rock. It was not odd to be a fan of punk rock bands like Rancid and Bad Religion during the 1990's, but it was if you lived in the ultra-conservative Mormon capital of the world! The great state of Utah is hardly known for producing rock bands (or even hip hop artists), so without a doubt rebels like Steineckhert, guitarist Quinn Allman and Bassist Jeph Howard definitely stood out from the pack.



Already veterans of the local "scene" (meaning they perfected their craft playing in a garage) the three musicians already had plenty of material but no lyrics and no singer. The band held auditions for a singer, out of Steineckherts bedroom. After going through an entire town of horrible singers, they met punk rocker Bert McCraken and auditioned him. They were blown away by his style, delivery and genuine angst; they immediately welcomed him as the singer.



Officially a band, the four young men collectively endured poverty, homelessness and drug abuse. They hustled on the streets like gutter rats; panhandling for change to buy food in order to survive, all the while writing and recording. They hoped to find a glimmering light at the end of the dark tunnel that they called home. The band became notorious for using their friends for food and shelter, only to abandon them once they got what they needed. This occurred so often that their friends claimed they felt used and began referring to the four as The Used, the name stuck.

Undeterred by their rough circumstances, The Used continued to write and eventually recorded the aptly titled Demos From the Basement in mid 2001. Steineckhert took a shot at the dark and sent the demo to John Feldman, of the groundbreaking Ska/punk band Goldfinger. It just so happened that at the time Feldman was transitioning into a producer and was looking for a new band that would help him gain notoriety.
John Feldman took one listen to the song "A Box Full of Sharp Objects" and immediately fell in love with the band. He made it his mission to get the band signed ASAP, so he flew the band to LA and set up showcases. It was the first time that The Used had ever left Utah. At first record labels passed on this unusual band, but as the demos began to circulate the interest in the band escalated, and they were eventually signed by Reprise Records in late 2001.

A mere 12 months after forming, The Used had gotten a major record deal and a producer to record their debut album. With The Used, John Feldman had stumbled upon a gold mine. The timing and the chemistry was perfect. The Used were hungry (literally) young lions looking to prove themselves at all costs and Feldman was the grizzled rock veteran looking to become a producer and start his own label.



The Used released their self titled debut album in June 2002. An incredibly diverse record that was a welcome and refreshing change. The punk rock landscape had long grown stale with bands like Rancid and Bad Religion resting on their laurels and putting out repetitive albums that were unoriginal, and quite frankly: boring. The Used had arrived with a new modern sound that was part emo, part punk rock, a sound that would be defined as screamo!

Upon hearing the lead single "The Taste of Ink" you knew that you were listening to something that had not been done before. When Bert yelled out "Is it worth it can you even hear me!" with his now recognizable screech, it officially ushered in the era of the scream movement (The Used, Story of the Year, My Chemical Romance). Songs like "A Box of Sharp Objects", "Maybe Memories" and "Say Days Ago" showcased a band with a frenetic energy that is indescribable. With each song they sounded like a band fighting for their lives, and they were! For the homeless Used this album was do or die! They were either going to make it big or flop and return to obscurity and the slums of Utah. Fortunately for them (and us) they made it, bigger than they could ever dream.

Off the strength of the light hearted hopeful single "The Taste of Ink", the desperate "Buried Alive" and the heart wrenching ballad "Blue and Yellow" The Used were propelled to the forefront of modern rock and punk. Suddenly The Used became one of the most touted bands on the modern rock tour circuit. Because of their musical diversity, The Used were able to fit in to just about any bill and not look out of place. For example in 2002, The Used played punk rocks premier summer festival The Vans Warped Tour and Ozzfest on the same summer! The following summer they were handpicked by Linkin Park to play on the inaugural Projekt Revolution Tour. They shared the stage with Linkin Park, Korn, and even Snopp Dogg! They also played on Box Car Racer's first and only tour. Thanks to these combinations of tours, The Used' popularity soared and The Used sold over 500,000 copies. The Band received even more publicity and notoriety when Bert dated Kelly Osborne of all people! The relationship was short lived, which sparked rumors that Bert was just with Osborne to help gain publicity with his band (can't say I blame the guy).



In July of 2003,The Used released a CD/DVD combo titled Maybe Memories. The DVD portion featured a live concert taken from a performance at the sold out Henry Fonda Music Box in California. The DVD also documented The Used meteoric rise to the top and their humble beginnings. Maybe Memories has sold over 1 million copies.

After two whirlwind years that saw the bands formation, struggle through poverty, get signed and gain legions of fans, The Used returned to Utah. The plan was to take a few weeks off and reconvene to record their second album, but circumstances intervened. Circumstances that would change the outlook of the band, the album and most importantly Bert McCraken.

In early 2004, Berts ex-girlfriend died of a drug overdose while pregnant with his child; needless to say this rocked Bert to the core. He could have fallen off the deep end, but instead he dealt with the situation like a man and put all of his energy and emotion into the recording process. The result of Bert's recorded emotional outpouring was In Love and Death, a record as emotional as it is explosive. The album contains The Used heaviest material ("Take it Away" and "Sound Effects and Overdramatics") as well as their most emotional ("All That I've Got", and "Hard to Say").



As far as the bands critics were concerned, any doubt that they might have had about The Used being a one album wonder were completely shattered the second the shot gun blast went off on the beginning of "Take it Away." If their was ever a song that captured the essence of The Used it was "Take it Away" a reckless rocker that shows the band going full throttle without letting out for a second. Songs like the single "I Caught Fire" put an emphasis on melody and the third and most successful single "All That I've Got" proved that while still a punk band at heart, The Used could belt out a ballad better than most pop stars. "Sound Effects and Overdramatics" is what happens when nu-metal meets sreamo. Overall In Love and Death was an album that was two steps ahead of its predecessor and one huge step toward legitimizing The Used as heavyweight rockers that were here to stay.



In Love and Death sold over 500,000 copies, and with their continued success, the Used effectively became tour headliners. Having played the Warped Tour, Ozzfest and Projekt Revolution, their was only one thing left for The Used to do: headline their own festival. In 2005, Kevin Lyman, founder of the Vans Warped Tour, decided to create a winter tour that still had the raw energy and passion that epitomized the Warped Tour and he knew he needed a band that would do just that. Kevin Lyman called on The Used to be the headliners for the inaugural winter tour that packed arenas across the country.

After wrapping up an extremely successful tour, the band triumphantly returned home, but something was brewing. Founder Branden Steinkenhert had grown distant from the rest of the band and was not gelling with them anymore, eventually things came to a head. In an ironic twist the rest of the band opted to kick Branden out of the band and replaced him with drummer Dan Whiteside. Branden is now the drummer for Rancid.



In early 2007, The Used released another CD/DVD combo titled Berth. This time it featured a full length concert shot during the 2005 Taste of Chaos Tour. The concert featured a guest appearance by the Street Drum Corps a collection of drummers who specialize in banging on metal trash cans, it is a sight to behold and adds another dimension to The Used.

The bands third studio album Lies for the Liars was released in May 2007. An eclectic record to say the least, the lead single was the spooky "Bird and the Worm" which spawned an amazing video that won the band countless video awards. Another stand out track was the blazing rocker "Pretty Handsome Awkward" which was featured on the Transformers Soundtrack. On the ?Touring front, The Used triumphantly returned to the Vans Warped Tour and also played The Reading and Leads festival as well as shows in Jakarta, Indonesia and South Korea expanding their international profile.



The Used took a break in 2008 to record their fourth studio album Artwork. The band recently returned in May of this year playing the Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey and have released the latest single "Blood on My Hands." A raucous rocker that shows that despite being out of the game for a year, The Used have not lost their step and can rock as hard as they want to! Artwork is set to be released this August 31, 2009, and if you have never heard this band, I recommend giving this album a listening because The Used never disappoint.