It took a life-altering event to prod Benji Madden and his identical twin brother Joel down the Rock road – a Beastie Boys’ concert. The “hey, we can do that” mentality ruled as the Waldorf, MD, natives, who’d relocated to Annapolis, developed their chops. Benji picked up the guitar and wrote songs while Joel worked on vocals. With high school buddies, drummer Aaron Escolopio and bassist Paul Thomas, Good Charlotte was rolling. Hearing Joel and Benji perform as a duo for a one-off show, guitarist Billy Martin was impressed enough to signed on.A demo of “The Little Things” landed at a Philadelphia Modern Rock station where it beat out everything else on the playlist. That, and a hard-driving live reputation, got Good Charlotte signed by Epic with their self-titled debut arriving in ‘00. The Madden brothers became MTV VJ’s and soon were featured on the network’s late-night show “All Things Rock.” Sophomore album, “Young & Hopeless,” the band’s most commercially successful album, made its appearance in ‘02. The set featured “Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous” and “The Anthem.” Along the way, Aaron bailed but Good Charlotte kept going spending a good chunk of the year on the Warped Tour. With the addition of drummer Chris Wilson, Good Charlotte attempted to expand its boundaries with ’04 release, “The Chronicles Of Life & Death.”Following the “The Chronicles” Wilson, who had joined in ’02, left citing personal health reasons. Actually, it was a combination of Wilson’s drug use and inability to tour that led to his departure. Benji was quoted in Kerrang! magazine saying that, for him, Chris leaving the band was the worst part of ’05.Dean Butterworth became the group’s third drummer. But even that had a back story. Butterworth, who had backed Morrissey (that sounds fun), was initially a temporary replacement but after his playing on “Good Morning Revival” he became a permanent member.Work on “Cardiology” began with producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects) but those tracks were scraped, an album’s worth. The group started from scratch with Don Gilmore, who had produced both Good Charlotte’s debut and “Good Morning Revival.” Stating that the group’s fifth full-length album was so named because the lyrics were “all connected to the heart,” Joel went on to add that the album sounded a lot like Blink-182 and that it “there’s nothing dance-y on the record at all, which is different from our last one” (“Good Morning Revival”).To promote “Cardiology” the group posted lead single “Like It’s Her Birthday” on YouTube saying that if the track received over 100,000 views they would post another song. It did, so they did. There was nearly a six-year gap before Good Charlotte returned with “Youth Authority,” released on Benji and Joel’s own MDDN label. According to a band statement the album was written for “people who love music and are constantly motivated and trying to live a rad life.”  Notable for the singles “Makeshift Love” and “40 Oz. Dream,” the set peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200 and made it to #4 on the Top Rock Albums chart. The band issued their seventh full-length effort, “Generation Rx,” only two years later.  The ’18 set featured “Actual Pain,” a song inspired by the death of Rapper and band fan Lil Peep, who struggled with mental health and addiction before overdosing on fentanyl and Xanax. ### The post Good Charolette appeared first on RockinTown.

from The People’s Voice: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

by David Bell and Thi Thuy Van Dinh, Activist Post: This is the fourth part in a series looking at the plans of the United Nations (UN) and its agencies designing and implementing the agenda of the Summit of the Future in New York on 22-23 September 2024, and its implications for global health, economic development, and […]

Debunk the myth of the "Pear of Anguish." Learn how this alleged torture device, often mistaken for medieval cruelty, is a fabrication from later centuries. Discover the true history behind this infamous artifact.

ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian troops have rescued 13 hostages who were kidnapped by an extremist group in the northwestern state of Kaduna, the country's army said on Saturday.  The army said in a statement that "the troops successfully overwhelmed the terrorists, forcing them to abandon their captives."  Several kidnappers were killed, and others were captured, the military added. It didn't specify which armed group the kidnappers belonged to.  The rescued hostages were taken to a military facility for a medical assessment before being reunited with their families. Weapons, ammunition, solar panels and cash were also discovered during the rescue operation.  Kidnappings have become common in parts of northern Nigeria, where dozens of armed groups take advantage of a limited security presence to carry out attacks in villages and along major roads. Most victims are released only after the payment of ransoms that sometimes run into the thousands of dollars.  At least 1,400 students have been taken from Nigerian schools since the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in the village of Chibok in Borno state shocked the world.  Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadi rebels, launched its insurgency in 2009 to establish Islamic Shariah law in the country. At least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people displaced due to the extremist violence, according to United Nations agencies in Nigeria.