Scary Thought Taking Back Sunday originally formed in Amityville

Taking Back Sunday originally formed in Amityville, New York in 1999. Their first release came in 2001 with the Taking Back Sunday EP, and featured Antonio Longo on vocals, John Nolan on guitar and backing vocals, Eddie Reyes on guitar (the original founder of the band), Jesse Lacey on bass, and Stevie D on drums. This CD was distributed at Taking Back Sunday shows, but never achieved any noteworthy success. Following a change of lineup (Jesse Lacey to Adam Lazzara and Mark O'Connell replaced Stevie D) they released the follow-up album Tell All Your Friends, which was produced by Sal Villaneuva. The album gave the band a first taste of success in the scene. After the release, they played with bands such as Brand New (formed by former bassist Jesse Lacey) and The Used, as well as performing as a short stint on the 2003 Vans Warped Tour. Another change in their lineup occurred when singer/guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper left the band and formed what is now Straylight Run. Because of these departures, the band's future was in doubt for some time. However, with the additions of guitarist/vocalist Fred Mascherino and bassist Matt Rubano, the band became stabilized.

The group spent the rest of that year and much of 2003 touring, but when Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper left the band (which was rounded out by drummer Mark O'Connell), Taking Back Sunday's future was left in doubt. However, guitarist/vocalist Fred Mascherino (ex-Breaking Pangea) and bassist Matt Rubano (ex-Schleigho) filled out the lineup in time for the band's fall 2003 tour and recording sessions for Tell All Your Friends' follow-up. That album, Where You Want to Be, arrived in summer 2004 and debuted at number three on Billboard's Top 200. TBS toured steadily behind the album, headlining a sold-out North American tour and hitting the usual Warped Tour stops. Signing with Warner Bros. in June 2005, the band also co-headlined some dates with Jimmy Eat World during the year. Ever the hard workers, they were back in the studio by August; the result was their third full-length, Louder Now, a number two hit on the Top 200 that was issued in April 2006. Produced by Eric Valentine (Third Eye Blind, Queens of the Stone Age), the album was a darker, more aggressive effort that tapped into the band's live energy.

Read more about Taking Back Sunday, click here: