+44 (band)

+44 was an alternative rock band formed by Blink-182 members Mark Hoppus (lead vocals, bass guitar) and Travis Barker (drums, electronics, keyboards). The band also included former Transplants touring guitarist Craig Fairbaugh and the lead guitarist of The Nervous Return, Shane Gallagher.

Their sound has been described as "originally more electronic-based, eventually falling instead under the alternative rock umbrella". The band name refers to the international dialing code of the United Kingdom, the country where Hoppus and Barker first discussed the project. The band is currently on hiatus but Hoppus says the project still has not served its purpose.

History

Formation (2005)

As work continued on the demos, Get the Girl vocalist Carol Heller was invited by Hoppus and Barker to audition her vocals. Heller's performance was agreeable enough to the band and as a result the three kept working on more songs together. The band's lineup changed again early 2006, with the addition of guitarist Shane Gallagher.

In order to progress with their demos, Barker and Hoppus acquired a studio, a move which marked a "turning point for +44." The band began working solely in the studio they had purchased, playing live drums, guitars and vocals. The band's original electronic elements became less evident, but still remained a key feature. As a result, Heller found she wasn't compatible with the band's direction, and with the addition of her wish to start a family, she left the band. The vocal work that Heller contributed is still present in the song "Make You Smile". He stated the album was "by far the most lyrically personal music I have ever written" and it was in direct reference to Blink-182's split and "the ugly feelings that were left over afterwards".

+44 then covered The Smashing Pumpkins' song "I Am One" for a MySpace tribute to the band and also participated in the iTunes Foreign Exchange. For this they covered Wir sind Helden's song "Guten Tag" with an English translation and Wir sind Helden covered "When Your Heart Stops Beating" in a German translation, entitled "Wenn Dein Herz zu Schlagen Aufhört".

In 2007, +44 set off on the Honda Civic Tour along with Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is..., Paul Wall, and Cobra Starship. During the tour they filmed themselves playing for the music video of their upcoming single "155". On this tour, Victoria Asher from Cobra Starship performed vocals on "Make You Smile", and the band began adding "Dammit," "The Rock Show" and "What's My Age Again?" by Blink-182 to their setlists.

Second studio album and hiatus (2007–2009)

On July 30, 2008, Metromix interviewed Barker where he explained about his solo record. When asked about +44, he stated:

"We're going to be a lot more proactive about it after I get my record finished and Mark [Hoppus] finishes producing the two records he's doing this year."

On September 19, 2008, Travis Barker was injured in a plane crash in Columbia, South Carolina. Barker has since made a full recovery.

In an interview with MTV on January 19, 2009, Hoppus stated that he was working on songs for a solo album, with ten songs in various stages of completion. During the interview he neither confirmed nor denied +44 were finished. On February 8, it was announced that Hoppus and Barker's former band, Blink-182, had reunited.

In an interview with Alternative Press on February 19, 2009, when asked about the future of +44, Hoppus stated "I don't consider it done. We'll never say never with anything. As soon as you say, 'I'm not gonna do that anymore,' you find yourself in a situation where you wanna do that. Shane [Gallagher] and Craig [Fairbaugh] are awesome guitarists and great fun to play in a band with, so we definitely won't say that the band is done. But obviously, for the foreseeable future, all of our energy is going into Blink-182."

In an interview with Blunt Magazine in March 2009, Hoppus was asked if +44 will continue again, where he stated "I think so, yes. I love Shane [Gallagher] and Craig [Fairbaugh]. They are great guitarists and good friends and I'd love to do another record with them. I know that Tom [DeLonge] plans to continue doing Angels & Airwaves in some capacity but right now all of our efforts are on Blink."

Band members

;Touring members

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Promotional CDs/7"s

Music videos

Digital download

Remixes

References

External links

Category:2000s music groups Category:Musical quartets Category:Musical groups established in 2005 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2009 Category:American alternative rock groups