Mike Tyler

Billy Squier was born on May 12, 1950, in Wellesley Hills, MA.  Billy began playing piano and guitar at an early age, but didn’t become serious with music until discovering Eric Clapton in the late ’60s and deciding to pursue music full-time. After playing in several local bands in the Boston area, Squier spent the early ’70s relocating back and forth between Boston and New York City.  Many point to Billy Squier as early-’80s rock personified — an era when he and many of his peers tempered hard rock with pop melodicism — and by adding just the right amount of posing and posturing for the newly constructed MTV set, he scored a string of arena rock anthems and power ballads.  What college did Billy attend?

A)  Berklee College of Music

B)  Brooklyn College of Music

C)  Kingswood College of Music

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Mike

Talking Heads formed in 1974 after the members met while attending the Rhode Island School of Design.  They decided to move to New York City in ‘74 to concentrate on making music. The next year, the band won a spot opening for the Ramones at the seminal New York punk club CBGB.  Between their first album in 1977 and their last in 1988, Talking Heads became one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the ’80s, while managing to earn several pop hits. While some of their music can seem too self-consciously experimental, clever, and intellectual for its own good, at their best Talking Heads represent everything good about art-school punks.  What year did Talking Heads officially break up?

A)  1988

B)  1991

C)  1992

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Mike

Three Days Grace formed in Norwood, Ontario (outside Peterborough) in 1997.  The group was originally called  Groundswell, a five-piece that lasted from 1992 until transforming to a trio five years later.  Many of the group’s songs were inspired by living in a place with a population of around 1,500. The bandmembers were still in high school when they had their first gig, and they performed anywhere that would accept them — including opening for a movie. Three Days Grace eventually relocated to Toronto and were introduced to producer Gavin Brown, who ended up producing the group’s self-titled debut.   What city did the group begin recording their debut album in?

A)  Toronto

B)  New York

C)  Boston

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Cheers,

Mike

The Killers formed in 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Few bands in the early 2000s rose so quickly to the forefront of pop music as this Vegas quartet. With a mix of ’80s-styled synth pop and fashionista charm, the band’s street-smart debut, “Hot Fuss” became one of 2004’s biggest releases, spawning four singles and catapulting the group into the international spotlight.  By 2006, “Hot Fuss” had earned five Grammy nominations and sold over five million copies.  What Las Vegas Hotel provided the facility for the band to record their sophomore release, “Sam’s Town”?

A)  The Palms

B) Ceasar’s Palace

C)  MGM Grand

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Have a great weekend!

Mike

Collective Soul formed in Stockbridge, Georgia in 1992.  The band’s debut album was originally released in 1993 on the Atlanta indie label Rising Storm,  but ”Hints, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid” proved popular enough on the local level that it was picked up the following year by Atlantic Records. Within months of its release, “Shine” became a modern rock and MTV staple, and Collective Soul found themselves with a platinum debut, playing everywhere from arenas with Aerosmith to Woodstock 1994.

The group takes their name from a line in a book by Ayn Rand.  What is the name of that book? 

A)  Defined Destiny

B)  The Fountainhead

C)  The Swindle Masters

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Shine on.

Mike

54-40 formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1981.  The group takes their name from James K. Polk’s presidential campaign slogan “Fifty-Four Forty or Fight,” which sought to expand the U.S. border northward.  By the time of the band’s self-titled album in 1986, their folk/roots approach had earned them favorable comparisons to R.E.M. Subsequent albums found the band moving into harder-edged territory.  What band had tremendous success with their cover of the 54-40 song “I Go Blind”?

A)  Hootie and The Blowfish

B)  The Wallflowers

C)  Tom Petty

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Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Tesla was formed in Sacramento, California in 1985.  The band’s music was bluesy, no-frills, ’70s-style hard rock that concentrated more on solid musicianship than enormous, arena-ready choruses, and it had a noticeable grit — not so much the urban sleaze of Guns N’ Roses, but a grounded attitude and a genuine affection for old-school hard rock. Despite their refreshing lack of posturing, Tesla was just as hard-hit as the rest of the pop-metal world when grunge wiped out classic-style hard rock, but they did produce one of the more respectable bodies of work of the era.   Tesla’s cover of The Five Man Electrical Band’s song “Signs” was a significant hit for the group.

How high on the charts did Tesla’s version of “Signs” get?

A)  Number One Hit

B)  Top Five Hit

C) Top Ten Hit

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Cheers,

Mike

Singers Paul Hyde and Bob Rock formed the Payola$ with bassist Larry Wilkins and drummer Chris Taylor.  Following the release of “China Boys”, A&M Records signed the group and the band released four albums from 1979 to 1985 — No Stranger to Danger (1982),  Hammer on a Drum (1983), In A Place Like This (1983) and Here’s The World For Ya (1985). After breaking up in 1985, Rock and Hyde continued on, releasing a popular single in 1987 called “Dirty Water.” Paul Hyde left for a solo career in 1989 while Bob Rock later joined the band Rockhead and later became an acclaimed record producer.

Where did The Payolas form?

A)  Vancouver

B)  Calgary

C)  Victoria

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Cheers,

Mike 

Peter Gabriel was born February 13th, 1950 in London, England.  The leader of Genesis in the early ’70s, Gabriel released his first solo album in 1977 and began exploring darker, more cerebral territory, incorporating avant-garde, electronic, and worldbeat influences into his music. The record, as well as its two similarly titled successors, established Gabriel as a critically acclaimed cult artist, and with 1982’s Security, he began to move into the mainstream; “Shock the Monkey” became his first Top 40 hit, paving the way for his multi-platinum breakthrough So in 1986. Accompanied by a series of groundbreaking videos and the number one single “Sledgehammer,” So became a multi-platinum hit, and Gabriel became an international star.

What’s Peter Gabriel’s company called?

A)  The Company

B)  Sledgehammer Inc.

C)  Real World

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Thanks for stopping by!

 Mike

The Goo Goo Dolls formed in Buffalo, New York in 1985.  Initially, they were a cover band with a taste for power pop and classic rock & roll, but the group soon began writing its own songs. Early in their career, they were frequently dismissed by critics as mere imitators of the Replacements. However, the band refined and mainstreamed their sound enough to become one of the most popular adult alternative rock bands of the latter half of the ’90s, selling millions of records to audiences largely unfamiliar with their inspirations. The Goo Goo Dolls got better at song writing, making a solid connection with mainstream rock fans which affected the group’s accessibility dramatically as the years progressed, and radio happened to be receptive to what a decade earlier would have been considered collegiate power pop.

What did The Goo Goo Dolls originally name their band?

A)  The Sex Maggots

B)  The Boy Toys

C)  The Scallywags

Make your answer one word, no spaces and enter it in the Bonus Codes section of this website to score gooey Jack Nation points and thanks for stopping by my rock trivia blog!

Cheers,

Mike