Representative Albums: "Lights Out," "Start Static," "Palm Trees and Power Lines"
Biography
The Santa Barbara, CA, alternative rock quartet Sugarcult (singer/guitarist Tim Pagnotta, guitarist Marko DeSantis, bassist Airin Older, and original drummer Ben Davis (who was later replaced by Kenny Livingston) took their name from a moniker that lesbian neighbors who lived next door to the band called themselves. Forming in 1998, the band's first show (a trio at the time) was opening for Superdrag at a local club. It was here that they met DeSantis -- who'd previously played with such bands as the Ataris, Nerf Herder, and Swingin' Utters -- and he soon moved from audience to bandmember. Sugarcult debuted on Ultimatum in 2001 with Start Static and scored hits with the songs "Stuck in America" and "Bouncing Off the Walls." They jumped on the summer's Warped Tour for what should have been two weeks, but fan response was so positive, the band wound up staying for the entire two months. The DVD Action appeared in 2002; Davis exited the group the following year to be replaced by ex-Lefty drummer Kenny Livingston. Jumping to Fearless Records, the slightly darker Palm Trees and Power Lines followed in 2004 and peaked at number one on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Sugarcult issued the live CD/DVD Back to the Disaster a year later. The guys continued to hone their chops on the road; they earned a spot as openers for Green Day's American Idiot tour, took top billing on the 2005 Take Action Tour, and hit the main stages of festivals like Warped Tour, Japan's Summer Sonic Festival, and the U.K.'s Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds festivals. Sugarcult's most focused effort to date, Lights Out, appeared in September 2006 on V2. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Tim Pagnotta met ex-drummer Ben Davis during a cigarette break at school. Davis (who then played bass) and Pagnotta started to play together on a regular basis. Pagnotta met Airin Older in a music class where Pagnotta was copying Older's work. They became good friends and Pagnotta invited Older to join his band.[1] Davis moved to the position of drummer and Older filled in for Davis on bass. Marko DeSantis was added into the band after meeting Pagnotta backstage at a Superdrag concert. The pair apparently met because Pagnotta was wearing a suit that resembled the one DeSantis wore to the show. Pagnotta asked DeSantis to join the band before even hearing him play a single note on the guitar.
Sugarcult released their debut album, Eleven, in 1999. Their second album, Wrap Me Up in Plastic, was released in 2000. In 2001, the band released their third album, Start Static, which featured the hit singles "Pretty Girl", "Bouncing Off the Walls" (which featured in "Van Wilder") and "Stuck in America". In early 2003, "Stuck in America" won the Los Angeles Regional Poll in The 2nd Annual Independent Music Awards. Start Static featured several songs that had previously been released on Wrap Me Up in Plastic. In May 2002, the band re-released Wrap Me Up in Plastic with a new tracklisting that included songs from both Eleven and the original Wrap Me Up in Plastic, as well as new artwork. In 2003, Ben Davis officially left Sugarcult. Davis had been regularly missing shows since the release of Start Static, and left Sugarcult to get help for his alcoholism. Pagnotta was close to Davis, and wrote the song "Champagne" about his addictions when he was forced to leave the band.[2] Davis was replaced by Kenny Livingston, the former drummer for the band Lefty. Sugarcult toured with Green Day in Japan for one week in March 2005, but Marko had to miss the final show because his wife was giving birth to their first child. On April 13, 2004, Sugarcult released Palm Trees and Power Lines and performed on Conan O'Brien. This album featured the MTV hits "Memory" (featured in Burnout 3 and NHL 2005) and "She's the Blade". Sugarcult successfully landed a spot on the Warped Tour 2004 main stage and they also supported Green Day on their American Idiot tour and Blink 182 on their 2004 European tour. They released Back to the Disaster, a live album, in 2005. Lights Out, their latest studio album, was released on September 12, 2006. The release of Lights Out was immediately followed by two tours; a fall tour and a winter tour. Their fall tour included So They Say, Maxeen, Halifax, and The Spill Canvas. Their winter tour included such bands as Meg and Dia, Damone, The Pink Spiders, All Time Low, and The Adored. Sugarcult played at the Soundwave Tour in 2008. The band members are taking a year off in 2009 from Sugarcult for their 10 year anniversary to do their own side-projects.
"Stuck In America", "Bouncing Off the Walls," "Saying Goodbye" and "How Does It Feel" can all be heard during the movie. The film's stars, Ryan Reynolds and Tara Reid appeared in the band's video for "Bouncing Off the Walls"
