A Look at Alkaline Trio

With Alkaline Trio tickets you know you're going to take a ride through a succession of songs across a range of topics, obscure and familiar. Love, death, loneliness, heartbreak, ecstasy (both kinds), drugs and drinking, and who knows. Their songs are in your face and unapologetic, and their performances are stripped-down, straightforward and packed with energy. Alkaline Trio, like most punk bands, is pissed off and their performances emit the proper angst. But Alkaline Trio goes beyond the empty screaming of many punk bands and actually tell stories with clever twists while maintaining the musically simple punk framework. The trio started in 1996 when guitarist and vocalist Matt Skiba, bassist and vocalist Rob Doran, and drummer Glenn Porter, all from McHenry, Illinois, came together and released the EP Sundials. Shortly after, Rob Doran left the band and was replaced by guitarist and singer Dan Andriano, who remains with the group. Another EP, For Your Lungs Only followed in 1998, and their audience began to take hold throughout the Midwest.

First Record Deal

With their growing following, Alkaline Trio signed with Asian Man Records and recorded their first full-length album, Goddamnit in 1998, followed by Maybe I'll Catch Fire in 2000, continuing an intense touring itinerary to support their recordings. Finally, Alkaline Trio caught national attention with their third album, From Here to Infirmary. With the infectious singes 'Private Eye' and 'Stupid Kid' the album climbed on to the Billboard 200, also doing well in the United Kingdom. With their fourth album, Good Mourning, recorded with new drummer Derek Grant, Alkaline Trio changed their approach somewhat, favoring a more produced sheen, which has boosted their success, especially the tracks 'We've Had Enough' and 'All on Black.' Alkaline Trio has managed to remain true to the punk sound and attitude while striking a comfort zone with their continued success. With their most recent albums, Agony &amp Irony (2008), This Addiction (2010) and Damnesia (2011), their sound is much more refined and filled out than their early, raw recordings, but the cutting irony of their lyrics and the simple guitar riffs remain. If anything, Alkaline Trio has expanded its appeal with a broader, more rounded shape.