Alive in Seattle by Candlebox

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- Bio

Candlebox

Candlebox was formed in Seattle in 1991 by singer, Kevin Martin, a native of Elgin, IL, who'd grown up partly in San Antonio, and drummer Scott Mercado. Initially calling the band Uncle Duke, they added lead guitarist Peter Klett and bassist Bardi Martin (no relation to Kevin) and changed the group's name to Candlebox, after a line in a Midnight Oil song. After quickly building a buzz in the Seattle live club scene, what is known as the "red demo tape" found its way to Madonna's Maverick label, which resulted in a record deal for Candlebox after playing a showcase for them in 1992. Candlebox's self-titled debut was released in summer of 1993, and while extensive touring and the first single, "Change", began to build a following, it wasn't until 1994, when the follow-up, "You", appeared, that the group really started to take off. "You" gave them a breakthrough hit on mainstream rock radio, which set the stage for the success of "Far Behind", which was a major hit on both mainstream and alternative radio, as well as MTV and also made the pop Top 20; its exposure helped Candlebox climb into the Top Ten on the LP chart and eventually sell over four million copies. The mainstream media was quick to pin the "grunge" label on Candlebox but the members did not ever consider themselves to be a grunge band however; they viewed themselves as a rock and roll band more than anything and their style reflects that. In October of 1995 the follow up album, Lucy, was again supported by exhaustive international touring and television appearances and was certified Gold in 1996. Scott Mercado left the band in 1997 and was replaced by former Pearl Jam drummer, Dave Krusen who played on the 1998 release, Happy Pills, a popular album among fans but unfortunately didn't translate into strong record sales. Krusen later left the band in 1999 as did Bardi Martin. Shortly thereafter Candlebox disbanded for nearly seven years. The band reformed with the original lineup in 2006 to tour in support of The Best of Candlebox and have been touring ever since to packed houses. On July 22nd, 2008 Candlebox will release Into the Sun, their first album of all new material in 10 years…