Alkaline Trio, Me Without You, Drowning Man August 18, 2011

Formed by ex-Jerkwater and Traitors drummer Matt Skiba (vocals/guitar), former 88 Fingers Louie percussionist Glenn Porter, and Rob Doran (bass/vocals), Alkaline Trio was brought together in 1997 by heartbreak, angst, and the companionship of drinking. The original lineup issued a short EP, For Your Lungs Only, just prior to Doran's departure in late 1997, and Sundials followed one year later on Johann's Face Records. Slapstick's Dan Andriano climbed aboard to handle bass duties, adding a complementary voice and songwriting style to Skiba's that would soon become the group's signature dynamic. The three then started making a name for themselves all throughout the Midwest with their emotion-fueled, angst-ridden, dark pop-punk. With this lineup firmly in place -- and with Skiba and Porter working as bike messengers to make ends meet -- Alkaline Trio made its full-length debut in 1998 with Goddamnit!, an album whose heartbreak tales and anti-cop rants earned a modest following. After over a decade of making music, Alkaline Trio has amassed a large fan base who embrace Alkaline Trio's songs of angst, love, heartache, drugs, and death.