HOME      EXCLUSIVES    FEATURES    MOVIES    REVIEWS    CONTESTS    TALK TO US    SUBSCRIBE  Look: College band with an exotic looking lead singer and other members who you probably won’t notice. Sound: Grungy, moody alt-rock. All About: Doug Robb - Vocals Dan Estrin - Guitars Markku Lappalainen - Gass Chris Hesse - Drums The oddly named Hoobastank – the band insists the name means nothing and was formed in the mid 1990s in Los Angeles while the quartet was still in high school. Vocalist Doug Robb met guitarist Dan Estrin at a high-school battle of the bands competition. Bassist Markku Lappalainen and drummer Chris Hesse, completed the band. Influenced by acts such as Tool and Alice In Chains they released an album called They Sure Don't Make Basketball Shorts Like They Used To. A self-titled debut was released in November 2001 and had hits in the singles Crawling In The Dark and Running Away. But even successful stars aren’t immune to disaster. In August 2003, while riding miniature motorcycles outside of the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach. Estrin, who bought the bike that day, ran into a chest-high rope and hit his head on the pavement. He got up, got back on the tour bus, but it was obvious that it was getting worse. At the hospital it was revealed that Estrin had a tiny skull fracture, with a blood clot forming underneath it. If it hadn't been removed that night he could have died. The guitarist explains, "It wasn't a real motorcycle accident. If I'd been wearing a helmet, I would have gotten up and everybody would have laughed at me. My head wasn't even five feet off the ground. It was such a joke, but it freaked me out that something that simple could cause something so serious." It didn't slow him down too much though. "I've realized that I'm one of those people that can't wait for things to be handed to me. I should have been resting and getting better, but I was working just as hard as I would have if I had been fine. Aside from canceling a few dates, I kept working." In less than a month, it was back to normal. Because the music is the reason they do everything else. Top Track: The Reason a lush, layered ballad, snuck on to the charts and without any warning the song became a phenomenon. Without a doubt Hoobastank has made it. You can read the complete special feature in the June 2004 issue of The Record Music Magazine available at your local newsagent. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: The Record has been around since 1998. Do you have every issue of your favourite magazine? to order back issues Would you like to have your favourite music magazine delivered directly to your doorstep? Website: Thrillpill Design © THE RECORD MUSIC MAGAZINE. All Rights Reserved.