The famous rock band from Garden Grove, California, The Offspring, was founded in 1984. Originally called Manic Subsidal, the band started with Bryan “Dexter” Holland, who played the drums initially, and bassist Greg Kriesel playing in a garage. Doug Thompson and Jim Benton joined the band shortly after, and then in 1985, school janitor Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman joined the band.
The Offspring has been playing for 36 years, released nine studio albums, and swapped band members more times than we can count. The greatest thing about The Offspring is that it revived commercial interest in punk rock back in the ’90s, and their third album ‘Smash’ sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Their following albums were also widely successful, including ‘Ixnay on the Hombre,’ ‘Americana,’ ‘Conspiracy of One,’ ‘Splinter,’ ‘Rise and Fall,’ ‘Rage and Grace,’ and ‘Days Go By.’ They’re set to release a new album in 2020 or 2021.
Recommended Listening: Definitely start with one of their most famous songs, “Want You Bad,” and then just continue with the entire ‘Americana’ album.
Kings of Leon
American rock band Kings of Leon was formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band is made up of brothers Caleb, Jared, and Nathan Followill and their cousin, Mathew Followill. Initially, Kings of Leon was a killer mix of Southern rock and blues, but through the years, they've become more alternative rock.
Their first three albums reached the top five in the UK Albums Chart, with the third one, 'Because of the Times', making it to number one. In 2008, the band released their first Platinum-selling album in the United States, 'Only by the Night,' and have since gone on to release critically-acclaimed albums. They've won 4 Grammys and have been nominated 12 times.
Recommended Listening: Two of our favorite songs from these Southern rock legends are 'Charmer' and 'The Bucket.' And if you're in the mood for sitting down and listening to an entire album, 'Because of the Times' is definitely the one.
Huey Lewis & the News
The famous American rock band Huey Lewis and the News was formed in 1979 in San Francisco, California. The band released a number of hit singles in the 1980s and '90s, with their biggest claim to fame being the 1983 album, 'Sports.'
The album, whose videos also became wildly popular after being released on MTV, became famous around the world. And the album's hit single, "The Power of Love," was featured in the 1985 blockbuster hit, 'Back to the Future.' The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and got a nomination for an Oscar for Best Original Song.
Recommended Listening: "Heart of Rock and Roll," "Do You Believe in Love," "Perfect World," and "Heart and Soul" would be great tunes to start with, but if you just want to listen to an entire album, go for 'Sports.'
Dave Matthews Band
Nothing is more American rock than the legendary Dave Matthews Band. They've been around since founding member Dave Matthews formed the band in 1991 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Along with Dave, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford, violinist Boyd Tinsley, and saxophonist LeRoi Moore made up the band.
The band is known for its folk, funk, indie, jazz, and alternative rock fusions, which were very much present in their 1994 hit album, 'Under the Table and Dreaming.' They won a Grammy two years later, in 1996, for "So Much to Say." They are also famous for their live shows since they are also a killer jam band. Their latest album, 'Come Tomorrow,' reached number one on the Billboard 200. Recommended Listening: Basically, any album you listen to will be amazing, but we'd start with "Crash Into Me," "The Space Between," and "Best of What's Around."
System of a Down
This Armenian-American hard rock band was founded in 1994 in California. Vocalist Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron Malakian, drummer Andy Khachaturian, and bassist Shavo Odadjian made up System of a Down. Although their heavy metal/hard rock sound may be a bit heavy for many people, they still managed to reach commercial success simply because they're geniuses.
Three of their albums reached number one on the US Billboard 200, and they've been nominated for four Grammys, winning one for their song "B.Y.O.B.." The System of Down boys took a break from 2006 to 2010 when they reunited and started performing live again.
Recommended Listening: "Chop Suey!", "Aerials," "Lost in Hollywood," "Sugar," and "B.Y.O.B." are all great songs to start with.