With millions of bands in the world, only a few get lucky and make it big. With that even less are able to do it two or even three times. Some noteworthy artists with more than one popular band are members from The White Stripes, Blink-182, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, M. Ward and Green Day; also respectively known as The Dead Weather, Angels and Airwaves, The Postal Service, Broken Bells, She and Him and The Network. Listen to these: best side projects.
The Dead Weather is a favorite of many. Jack White is mainly known for his band, The White Stripes, but TDW has already released two studio albums to date. The sound can best be described as a psychedelic-garage rock, but don’t let that sway you on giving them a listen.
More of a rock supergroup than side project, Angels and Airwaves was created by Tom DeLonge of Blink-182. The band includes David Kennedy (Box Car Racer), Matt Wachter (30 Seconds to Mars) and Ilan Rubin (Nine Inch Nails). The sound can best be described as an electronic pop-punk. The band has released 4 studio albums, but is probably best known for their movie Love which instantly became a cult classic in 2011.
The fan favorite on the list has to be The Postal Service. Created with Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, the indietronica band has one full album titled Give Up but has revealed another will be released this year.
Indie band Broken Bells is a highly underrated group. With James Mercer of the Shins and Brian Burton (aka Danger Mouse), this band carries quite a reputation among the underground scene with them. Broken Bells has released one self titled studio album, an EP titled Meyrin Fields, and of Valentine’s Day 2012 the duo has stated they are working on a second album.
Zooey Deschanel. The name carries the weight of a young actress known more for movies like Elf and 500 Days of Summer, or her new tv show New Girl, than a passionate singer. When she met him (M. Ward) on the set of a movie, they decided to start collaborating together and thus released Volume 1 in 2008. The singer-songwriter duet has had great success reaching peak chart positions in the US, with Volume 2 reaching #1 in four different categories.
Fink, Van Gough, The Snoo, Z, Captain Underpants and Balducci. These are the “names” of the members of new wave band The Network. A side project containing members of Green Day, the band has released one studio album called Money Money 2020. Although on the outside they seem pretty ridiculous, they’re actually pretty good. Give them a listen!
It would be near impossible to name all the good side project bands out there, but these 6 are a good place to start. Side projects and rock supergroups have helped shape the music that we know and love, and they don’t always get the attention that they deserve. Next time you listen to your favorite artist you may want to check their wiki and see if they have any other projects. You may be surprised.
