Third Eye Blind

Prior to forming Third Eye Blind, musician Stephen Jenkins had become popular around the San Francisco area following a series of solo shows. After deciding to expand his sound with a band, by 1995 the singer was joined by former-Fungo Mungo bassist Arion Salazar, former student of Joe Satriani Kevin Cadogan, and former-Counting Crows drummer Brad Hargreaves. In the wake of burgeoning late ’90’s post-grunge scene, Third Eye Blind's music drew greater influence from the classic rock/pop of the 1980s, with Jenkins gaining significant attention for producing The Braids’ cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

By this point the band had developed a devoted following across San Francisco for a series of well-received shows and a 14-track demo tape. Following a pined-over slot opening for Oasis in 1996, and a band showcase in Los Angeles, California, Third Eye Blind signed with Sylvia Rhone of Elektra Records.

The group’s debut full-length “Third Eye Blind” was issued in 1997 peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard 200. Aided by three Top 10 Singles, “Semi-Charmed Life”, “Jumper”, and “How’s It Going to Be”, the album earned strong reviews and has been certified 6x Platinum. As a result, Third Eye Blind became one of the most popular U.S. rock bands of the tail-end of the millennium, and opened a number of shows on U2’s PopMart Tour.

Third Blind Eye released their sophomore album “Blue” two years later in 1999. Despite failing to reach the success of its predecessor, “Blue” was deemed the band’s strongest release by fans and eventually sold over 1.25 million. The album spawned the singles “Anything”, “Never Let You Go”, and “10 Days Late”, however shortly after the album’s release, writer and guitarist Kevin Cadogan left the group. Following a worldwide tour, the band took a hiatus from recording and performing, and built a recording studio in anticipation of subsequent releases.

The full-length “Out of the Vein” arrived in 2003, however due to Elektra Records’ merger with Atlantic Records, the album received no promotion. Third Eye Blind were later dropped from Atlantic Records, and a serious case of writer’s block for Jenkins made any new material look unlikely. A compilation album entitled “A Collection” appeared in 2006, supported by extensive touring of past releases, along with the EP “Red Star” in 2008. The group’s long-awaited fourth full-length album “Ursa Major” finally arrived in 2009, topping the Billboard Rock, Alternative, and Digital Albums charts.