Smash Mouth - 2007

The group was formed in 1994 in San Jose, CA, by vocalist Steve Harwell, a former rapper with the group F.O.S. After that group disintegrated, he began jamming with an old friend, drummer Kevin Coleman. Harwell's former manager introduced him to guitarist Greg Camp (fresh from the local band Lackadaddy) and bassist Paul DeLisle. The quartet recorded two demos, and got the songs into rotation on a local radio station. After playing a summer festival with No Doubt and Beck, Smash Mouth decided to record an album. After finishing Fush Yu Mang, the group were signed by Interscope, which released "Walkin' on the Sun" as the first single. It became a number one modern rock hit and pushed the album into the Top 40. Touring further helped the album's push, and the band added in a live keyboardist, Michael Klooster, to bolster their performances (and later live percussionist Mark Cervantes as well).

The follow-up album, Astro Lounge, was released in 1999, generating the hit "All Star"; a collection of early material, East Bay Sessions, also appeared that same year. A severe back ailment eventually lead to Coleman's exit from the band; he was replaced by ex-Tripping Daisy drummer Mitch Marine for the album's subsequent tour and further swapped out for Michael Urbano at its completion. Though no other hits with equal weight were forthcoming from Astro Lounge, the band's work of the early 2000s (2001's Smash Mouth and 2003's Get the Picture?) pleased fans of sparkling pop music. The group also contributed numerous tracks to a plethora of motion pictures, most notably their cover of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer" (from their eponymous release) to the soundtrack of 2001's hit movie Shrek, and many of these then appeared on the August 2005 Smash Mouth hits collection All Star Smash Hits. Harwell could be spotted in early 2006 as a cast member on the sixth season of VH1's celeb-reality TV show The Surreal Life, just as drummer Urbano was leaving the band due to creative differences. His spot was claimed in March by Jason Sutter, who had previously done work with American Hi-Fi and the Rembrandts. Smash Mouth's fifth studio album, Summer Girl, appeared in early September. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Did You Know?

• Smash Mouth took their name from a Mike Ditka term to describe a type of football his teams play.
• The band has played three Van Halen songs live: Ain t Talkin Bout Love, Jamie s Cryin and Runnin With The Devil.
• Steve Harwell was previously in a rap group called F.O.S.
• Original drummer Kevin Coleman was the manager for F.O.S.
• The album Fush Yu Mang went double platinum.
• The album Astro Lounge went triple platinum.
• Current drummer Jason Sutter has been in the bands American Hi-Fi and The Rembrandts.
• Second drummer Michael Urbano was originally in the band Bourgeois Tagg, whose 2nd album was produced by The New Cars Todd Rundgren
  Urbano would eventually record and tour with Rundgren.
• Smash Mouth scrapped an album titled Old Habits in 2005 but some songs were remixed and included on Summer Girl.
• The band's video from Story of My Life was filmed during VH1 s Surreal Life.
• Harwell made a cameo appearance in the movie Rat Race.